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Ed Mazza writes that Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says he loves Pope Francis, but he wants the pontiff to stop talking about climate change and "leave science to the scientists." Santorum's comments come as the Pope, who holds a degree as a chemical technician and worked as a chemist before turning to the priesthood, has become increasingly vocal about climate change. "The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think that we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists," says Santorum, "and focusing on what we're really good at, which is theology and morality, When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, I think the church is not as forceful and credible."
But Santorum's not a scientist either so using Santorum's own logic why is Santorum more qualified than the Pope to discuss climate change? "I guess the question would be, if he shouldn't talk about it, should you?" asked Chris Wallace of Fox News. "Politicians, whether we like it or not, people in government have to make decision with regard to public policy that affect American workers," answered Santorum, adding that while "the pope can talk about whatever he wants to talk about," he questions the Pope's use of his moral authority to combat the issue of climate change.. Santorum — a devout Catholic — disagrees with the Pope's stance that climate change is man-made and has often called climate science "political science," arguing that a scientific consensus on climate change underscores this point. "All of this certainty, which is what bothers me about the debate, the idea that science is settled," says Santorum. "Any time you hear a scientist say science is settled, that's political science, not real science."
Original Submission
(Score: 5, Interesting) by VLM on Tuesday June 09 2015, @08:25PM
I think it's politically probably unwise
You could abstract that argument out of global warming and into something completely separate like economics, where hes a champion of a party deeply mired in prosperity gospel and generally speaking an economic policy of "F the poor we took their money ha ha".
If there's anyone left in the 500 million followers of "Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."" who don't already hate Santorum and all he stands for, there's probably nothing Santorum can do or say that'll ever make them oppose him. Anyone in the church with two neurons to rub together already abandoned him because of his strong anti-Christian beliefs.
Somehow I don't think an anti-christian disagreeing with a former scientist pope, about science, is likely to lower his status among christians any lower than it already is for economic or moral or ethical reasons. "OK, reason 4, or is it 10, or 100, for seeing Mr Santorum as an anti-christian agent of Satan" isn't going to change much in the long run.