Repent (or not)! The End is Near!

Hey Dave!
 I read an interesting article the other day of which the premise was that the Christian evangelicals do not care about global warming because they believe that it is part of the apocalypse and that global warming is a sign that the end is near.  In fact to hasten global warming would hasten Christ's return, so why bother going green?  Although there is a small movement of 'green' Baptists who are concerned.

Hey John!
Yes, I’m familiar with that sentiment you describe from the religious right.  I believe the first I heard of it was from the secretary of the interior in the US, who made some side handed remark to the effect that we don't really need to protect the environment 'cause we're all going to heaven real soon.  (I believe more of them are actually going to hell than they realize, but who am I to judge?  I'll be right there along side them...)  He was promptly removed from that position (and probably landed quite softly, thank you very much, as a lobbyist for some heavy industrial polluter), but the fact that someone at that level of government would even think that way astounded me.  Was it James Watt?  I can't quite remember.
 
Anyhow, I wrote it off as random noise from a religious wacko.  That is until more recent comments from larger groups in the US defending their "right to drive massive gas guzzling behemoths".  Their attitude is similar to that classic Far Side cartoon with the two guys sitting in a boat fishing while huge mushroom clouds appear on the horizon.  The one guy says to his buddy "You know what this means!  Screw the limit!"  That's right, I suppose since Armageddon is upon us, we throw all responsibility to the wind, and burn as many fossil fuels as possible!
 
What amazes me is this is the attitude of supposed Christians!  You know, "love thy neighbor as thyself", "turn the other cheek", "sacrifice your first born" (oops, old testament).  How do people that supposedly believe in love and caring for their human brethren get so morally twisted?  And surely some of them have children currently stationed in Iraq.  Don't they see more than a subtle connection there?  Their selfish religious dogma is contributing to the unnecessary extermination of their own sons and daughters.
 
Sure, the end is nigh, but I don't think it's the one they're praying for.  After their kids are all slaughtered in the deserts of the Middle East (or simply blowed up by car bombs), the world will be taken over by a pretty angry mob of Islamic zealots, who will make the religious right in America look almost sane.
 
Global warming?  Yep, it's pretty serious business.  So, just for practice, let's all go to Florida this summer and walk around completely covered in black wool blankets.  Hey, it's not that far off...