Is Al Gore the 'Green' Version of Harold Camping?
Is Al Gore a “green” version of Christian radio broadcaster and end of times prognosticator Harold Camping? This is a question that many are asking as Camping’s third doomsday prediction of Oct. 21 approaches.
An interesting comparison between the two prognostic thinkers was presented in an article written by the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto several months back.
The piece suggested that Gore, the 45th Vice President of the U.S., was similar to Camping because of his theories on climate change and the growing Green Movement.
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Taranto’s article also suggested that Gore is increasingly being seen as part of a new doomsday cult, which focuses not on the prophecies of the bible, but rather on scientific prophecies that focus on global warming and climate change.
“Nonbelievers are no less susceptible to doomsday cults than believers are. Harold Camping is merely the Christian Al Gore,” Taranto said.
However, Taranto suggested that people do not perceive Gore as the leader of a doomsday cult because his predictions have a “scientific gloss” and are not religiously based.
Gore has also garnered criticism from environmental activists as well – some of who argue that his predictions are “apocalyptic” and “disturbing.”
Leo Hickman, a prominent media activist that supports the notion of man-made global warming and is also a reporter for The Guardian, asked: “Is Gore now a help or hindrance to the global warming cause?”
Hickman’s question follows a recent Climate Reality Show where Gore reportedly linked everyone to a rise in (man-made) emissions. Hickman responded to Gore's comments saying, "That is a very contentious peg on which to hang your hat.”
Gore, a Baptist, also placed environmental responsibilities on religious communities in America. In his book “Earth in the Balance,” Gore argued that religious Americans have a duty to go “green.”
He wrote, “The challenge before the religious community in America is to make every congregation – church, synagogue and mosque – truly “green” – a center of environmental study and action. That is their religious duty.”
Whether Al Gore really is the green version of Harold Camping is debatable. However, with continued predictions of global warming doomsdays it seems likely that the comparisons to Camping will continue, and may in fact hurt Gore's reliability in the world of science and the climate change argument itself.
