The story of King Canute and the tide
is an apocryphal anecdote illustrating the piety or humility of King Canute the
Great, recorded in the 12th century by Henry of Huntingdon.
In the story, Canute demonstrates to
his flattering courtiers that he has no control over the elements (the incoming
tide), explaining that secular power is vain compared to the supreme power of
God. The episode is frequently alluded to in contexts where the futility of
"trying to stop the tide" of an inexorable event is pointed out, but
usually misrepresenting Canute as believing he had supernatural powers, when
Huntingdon's story in fact relates the opposite.[1]
Fear mongering — whether justified or
not — can sometimes elicit a societal response called Chicken Little syndrome,
described as "inferring catastrophic conclusions possibly resulting in
paralysis". It has also been defined as "a sense of despair or
passivity which blocks the audience from actions". The term began
appearing in the 1950s and the phenomenon has been noted in many different
societal contexts.
These two accounts, widely different and often
misrepresented, carry some very sound advice. It is my observation that when
evidence for an event is lacking, proponents resort to calamitous claims. In
the story of King Cnut, his purpose was to demonstrate that kings had no
special powers. He successfully proved he was powerless to stop the tide. The
story also indicates that humans are incapable of changing the course of
nature. The industry sector that most frequently uses the “Chicken Little
Syndrome” is the climate change conglomerate.
The world’s leading climate scientists
have warned there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a
maximum of 1.5C, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the
risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of
people.[2]
There it is, “the sky is falling!” It is obvious that there
is change in the climate. There is change in the frequency of volcanic
eruptions, and in the frequency of earthquakes. It is also plain to see that
ice is melting in the Polar Regions. For us that poses a problem, especially for
places like Florida built on a sand bar. The phosphate mines in Florida
retrieve phosphate from sand that was once ocean floor. From the same sand one
can find shark and whale’s teeth along with other evidence that the Florida Pan
Handle was once part of the ocean. Not only in the southern US, there is
abundant evidence that arctic islands were once tropical. Various warm climate
animals have been unearthed on those islands. There is also evidence of large
forests that existed a very long time ago.
There appears to be a significant number of indicators and
evidence showing that the climate on earth long ago was considerably warmer than
many regions today. What climate change fanatics are really concerned about is
the affect climate change may have on what has come to be accept as normal. But
then, what is normal? The normal for climate change proponents is easy money
taken from gullible believers in their cause. It’s the self-righteous religion
of people who think they can “stem the tide” and stop the cycle of climate
conditions. The temperature is getting warmer, depending on when one begins to
measure it. The climate models are likely biased to give the results needed to
promote panic. It’s not surprising that some of the strongest proponents of
climate change are pantheists. This to them is indeed a religion. What if we
took the evidence from long ago that proves the climate on earth was globally
tropical, would that not suggest that the earth is returning to its natural
state?
Another story that comes to mind regarding climate change
is, “The King’s New Clothes”. In that story it took a little child to bring
people to their senses, “the king was naked” he’d been duped, and everyone
except that one child was likewise duped into going along with the stupidity of
the king’s ignorance. What the world needs now is for a young child to expose
the gross over-reaction of scientists on a mission. That mission is not to save
the world, but mostly to keep them employed in an endless endeavour.
King Cnut wanted people to realize that only God had the
power to control nature. It doesn’t matter to me how many scientists and people
in general believe the sky is falling. What bothers me are those claiming to be
Christian and yet buy into the idolatry of climate change. In the beginning God
charged the first people to tend, or look after, the garden. We have to be
responsible, we need to look after the garden, or our part of it. Many early
cultures saw storms, eruptions, or earth quakes as warnings from gods. A
prolonged drought, or fierce storm meant the gods were not pleased with them. A
good harvest meant that people were in the good graces of their gods. I don’t
believe in primitive gods, I do believe in the God. Climate scientists want
people to follow them, and to support their goals. Few of those scientists have
any piety, they are gods unto themselves. Yet, the Alberta government is
planning legislation, “Alberta scientists will be protected from 'those who
would seek to undermine them'”.[3]
Obviously the government’s policies must be flakey, if the scientists behind
them can’t stand up for themselves. That’s how stupid we have become; that
science has to be protected by law. True science is proven by challenge, not by
protection.
Those who believe in God, look to him for strength and
purpose. No matter how in vogue the climate cause appears; it is a human cause,
it is not spiritual, and does not promote spirituality. The believer’s faith is
in God.
…the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before
him![4]
No comments:
Post a Comment