It is true that man has the ability to cause great, perhaps irreparable, damage to the environment. It is also true that fear of man’s capacity for environmental destruction has created a genuine religious cult, its many terrified adherents flocking to the climate change movement.
The latest in a long, long string of examples signaling the increasing popularity of the neo-pagan climate religion comes from NBC News, which unveiled an online confessional this week for those who want to denounce themselves publicly for their environmental sins.
This is a real thing being promoted by a real newsroom. And it is actually titled, “Climate Confessions.”
“Even those who care deeply about the planet’s future can slip up now and then,” NBC’s website explains of its new feature. “Tell us: Where do you fall short in preventing climate change? Do you blast the A/C? Throw out half your lunch? Grill a steak every week? Share your anonymous confession with NBC News.”
The site allows viewers both to admit their sins and to view other sinners’ declarations of guilt. Because nothing makes one purer than a public act of self-flagellation. There is also a section on NBC’s website, titled “Submit your confession” (I swear I am not making any of this up), that is broken down into sin subgroups, including “plastics,” “meat,” “energy,” “transportation” “paper,” and “food waste.”
Anyone can declare their guilt through NBC’s confessional. Upon submission, however, participants are told that their transgression is “in our queue.” It is not a sure thing that one’s act of public remorse will be made available for the world to see.
Just for fun, here is a sampling of the some of the climate “confessions” that made it through the queue and onto NBC’s website:
“When shopping I have reusable bags in the car but forget to bring them in and then use the stores plastic bags.,” reads one submission.
Yet another reads, “Most energy in my area comes from hydroelectric dams, so I tell myself that having 3 PCs constantly running isn’t a huge deal.”
“I am eating bacon with breakfast this morning and I’ll have it again tomorrow,” reads another likely less-serious submission.
When I say there is a certain strand of climate change alarmism that is indistinguishable from a religious cult, I am not being uncharitable or merely flippant. I am being dead serious. A legitimate fear of what man can do to the environment has given birth to a movement whose members observe rites and practices associated normally with organized religion.
This climate change cult has stated articles of faith. It has dietary restrictions. It is heavy on eschatology, preaching often of imminent end times and the world’s final, fiery (or watery; it depends on who you talk to) collapse. It encourages its members to embrace a bizarre offshoot of the vow of celibacy, asking that they pledge not to have children. You can even purchase indulgences from the Church of Climate Change!
The only thing missing from this cult is the possibility of redemption.
