Al Gore, apostle of Gaia

by Don Surber:

OVER the years, the Nobel Peace Prize has honored many religious leaders.

This year the prize was shared by Al Gore, an apostle of the Gaia religion, which worships the Earth.

It is an apocalyptic religion that preaches that the world will be destroyed by man's materialism. Only if we give up our SUVs and everything else that gives us life's pleasures can we be saved.

I do not mean to make fun of another man's religion. I like religions. Usually they come with nice songs, tranquil chapels and colorfully garbed priests. Religion is a good way of reminding the lofty that they are puny, as well as telling the lonely they are not alone.

Which brings me to Al Gore. It is difficult to take his sermons on the coming doom seriously when his mansion in Tennessee consumes 10 times the electricity of an ordinary home.

The irony is that President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, uses 25 percent less electricity than normal thanks to its environmentally friendly design. At 4,000 square feet, the Bush home is hardly small.

Rather than lead by example, Gore and other millionaire celebrities engage in carbon offsets. They pay for the planting of a tree and presto, the carbon dioxide from their jets is forgiven.

In medieval times, the Catholic church issued letters of indulgence that mitigated the punishment for sins. A sinner had to show remorse, pray, and perform what we would now call community service, which could be as simple as giving alms to the church.

The wages of sin were not just a metaphor.

I am not mocking Al Gore. His religion is between him and God.

But I am amused by how religion is being invented again.

It is generally harmless. As long as they don't proselytize too strenuously and avoid serving Kool-Aid, they will do just fine - no matter how lousy their science is.

Still time for 2007 global warming arbitrage here.