Scott Pruitt’s dangerous religious extremism


I have written before about the abuse of taxpayer money by the head of the Environmental Protection Agency Scott Pruitt who seems to not only have delusions of grandeur that makes him want to live in luxury at taxpayer expense, he also seems to be paranoid, demanding all manner of security protections despite being one of the more obscure cabinet members. But what is most dangerous in terms of public policy is that he is a religious extremist.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt dismissed evolution as an unproven theory, lamented that “minority religions” were pushing Christianity out of “the public square” and advocated amending the Constitution to ban abortion, prohibit same-sex marriage and protect the Pledge of Allegiance and the Ten Commandments, according to a newly unearthed series of Oklahoma talk radio shows from 2005.

The views he states, in discussions peppered with references to inalienable rights and the faith of the nation’s founders, are in line with those of millions of other conservative, devout Christians. But they also show stances that at times are at odds with the broader American mainstream, and in some cases with accepted scientific findings — an issue that has more recently come up with his skepticism about the science behind climate change.

“There aren’t sufficient scientific facts to establish the theory of evolution, and it deals with the origins of man, which is more from a philosophical standpoint than a scientific standpoint,” he said in one part of the series, in which Pruitt and the program’s hosts discussed issues related to the Constitution.

Even some issues that aren’t explicitly faith-based, such as global warming and fossil fuel production, have often split different groups of religious believers. Some polls show that less than 30 percent of white evangelical Protestants believe that human activity is the driving factor behind climate change.

And Pruitt has echoed that sentiment, telling CNBC last year that he did not believe carbon dioxide was a primary contributor to climate change. Last week, he told the Christian broadcaster CBN News that he supports developing the nation’s energy resources, a stance that he believes aligns with Scripture’s teachings.

“The biblical worldview with respect to these issues is that we have a responsibility to manage and cultivate, harvest the natural resources that we’ve been blessed with to truly bless our fellow mankind,” he said.

Someone who thinks that we can exploit the Earth’s resources with no regard for the consequences because his god will make sure that nothing bad happens to the environment is not the kind of person who should be making decisions about protecting it.

Comments

  1. jrkrideau says

    The biblical worldview with respect to these issues is that we have a responsibility to manage and cultivate, harvest the natural resources that we’ve been blessed with to truly bless our fellow mankind

    Not sure but I don’t think the Bible recommends ‘slash and burn” and “clear-cutting” as favourite management techniques. Clearly one of Trump’s more inspired appointments.

    One more religious nutcase in Trump’s regime is unlikely to stand out even if it a rather key agency that he is busy destroying.

    There must be a couple of competent cabinet ministers in the US cabinet, well aren’t there? Elaine Chao in Transport, maybe?

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