Bush's Environment..

Here is what President Bush said this morning despite the report by the National Academy of Sciences (see our post here):

QUESTION: I know you’ve said you are not planning to see Al Gore’s new movie, but do you agree with the premise that global warming is a real and significant threat to the planet?

BUSH: I think it’s — I have said consistently that global warming something is a serious problem. There is a debate over whether it’s manmade or naturally caused. We ought to get beyond that debate and start implementing the technologies necessary to enable us to achieve a couple of big objectives. One, be good stewards of the environment, and two become less dependent on foreign sources of oil for economic reasons and for national security reasons.

(see video here via Think Progress)

Note that Bush used the expression "be a good steward of the environment", which has both economic and religious connotations. If a 'steward' is strictly "one who manages another's property, finances, or other affairs." or "one who is in charge of the household affairs of a large estate, club, hotel, or resort.", it has become in the Christian rhetoric (since Calvin and even more with John Wesley) a spiritual metaphor, a sort of pious responsibility. In other words, it carries religious and social values, but it is also economically grounded in its concern for wise investment and management of our resources.

Then in case we had doubts, he makes it very clear for us that we ought to "become less dependent on foreign sources of oil for economic reasons" (and national security reasons).

So basically, in president Bush's world everything is contingent on the economy which has become the new God. How Christian is that?