Book Description

It is not an incongruous analogy with human disease to trace the historical root of the problem of global warming. Global warming outwardly appears as an environmental problem of the planet Earth. However, we cannot understand and take an appropriate approach to the problem without any reference to the origin and nature of our planet. The contextual work of the whole picture and underlying problem is the planet Earth. Some deny the reality of global warming and man’s contribution to it. Some see global warming and natural disasters as natural cycle consistent with the nature of our physical world. These are questions we should ask: Is global warming natural and an essential part of planet Earth? Is it a symptom of a serious, invisible condition of the earth? We seek an answer from two representative accounts of the origin of things, the big bang theory and creationism as described in the Bible. Many scientists claim that the rise in atmospheric temperature leading to global warming is due to the effect of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The gases are emitted into the atmosphere through the heavy use or burning of fossil fuels and through the deforestation. The United Nations (UN) believes that global warming is responsible for the melting glaciers and the natural disasters of floods, droughts, heat storms, and the list goes on. While the UN aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is concerned with ethical issues arising from the effects of natural disasters, particularly on poor nations. Unfortunately, the two organizations are so focused on their respective areas of interest that they cannot see the forest for the trees. The UN is convinced that human activities are to blame for climate change. This august body is leading the war against global warming and advocating a long-term solution through the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, the production of clean technology, and tough energy-efficiency standards for all nations. However, it is not the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that pose the greatest danger for our planet. The role of man, the heavy use and burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, and the motivation behind these man-made activities should be taken into consideration. This book affirms with human activity and its motivation that the problem of global warming is both moral and environmental. Therefore, the fight against global warming requires a two-front approach that recognizes its environmental and moral factors. The big bang theory is one of the theories about the origin of our universe. It is considered a contrast to the biblical account of creation. Our overview of the two different accounts of the origin of things is intended to provide a broader and objective consideration of the planet Earth in regard to the issue of global warming. From a layman’s understanding of the big bang theory, the universe began billions of years ago. A small infinitely hot and dense matter inflated and expanded to the size of our current universe. The hot universe cooled to retain its current temperature. The inflation and eruption effect of the big bang led to the formation of stars and galaxies. The theory claims that the combination of the nuclei of the stars turned into hydrogen and helium, causing complex elements that eventually prepared the way through millions of years for the emergence of the sun, earth, and humans. Proponents of this theory also claim that the stars produced the atoms found in humans. The theory implicitly credits the stars for human life and existence, thus making the big bang the master creator and source of the universe and all of life. Based on the inherent nature of the big bang and its product, one would expect a direct in