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We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:22 am
by themanintheseersuckersuit
Perhaps you can identify the source of this Bible quote from Nancy Pelosi
The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, “To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” On this Earth Day, and every day, let us honor the earth and our future generations with a commitment to fight climate change.
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1295
Re: We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:26 am
by Al Gore
themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:Perhaps you can identify the source of this Bible quote from Nancy Pelosi
The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, “To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” On this Earth Day, and every day, let us honor the earth and our future generations with a commitment to fight climate change.
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1295
Well, since I wrote the Bible this shouldn't be too hard. I believe the great prophet Chicken Little said that while he was standing next to Charlton Heston...
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:29 am
by Oral B Roberts
It looks like Sister Pelosi better start reading the Book of Oral, which proclaims that she needs to minister to the needs of my ministry lest she dishonor my good friend The Lord Almighty and spend a stint without term limits in the confines of Hell! I don't care if it comes out of your pocket or the taxpayers', dear, better FedEx that check to me posthaste....
Re: We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:05 am
by BackInTex
themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:Perhaps you can identify the source of this Bible quote from Nancy Pelosi
The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, “To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” On this Earth Day, and every day, let us honor the earth and our future generations with a commitment to fight climate change.
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1295
I didn't look up all these versed to verify they are correct.
http://www.earthcareonline.org/bibleverses.html
Does tell us to take care of His creation, but it doesn't say it is an act of worship. It is obedience. It doesn't say to honor creation. And we shouldn't. We should honor the Creator by caring for His creation. There is a difference. But I wouldn't expect Ms. Pelosi to be able to discern it.
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:07 am
by nitrah55
That is not a quote I am either familiar with or can find, on short notice.
In Genesis, God tells Adam to "till and keep" the earth, which I understand to mean "grow food, but don't ravage." The word translated "keep" is the same as in the blessing, "the Lord bless you and keep you."
When God gave the rainbow as a sign of his covenant, it's said explicitly that the covenant is with all living things, not just people.
It's said explicitly that the earth is God's in Psalm 24, and the implication is that we are, at best, tenants. That's consistent with a lot of scripture, in which we are reminded that all things, even that which we think automatically as our own (our life, for instance) belong to God.
I think Rep. Pelosi' sentiment is not inconsistent with scripture, but I don't know that she should have thrown quotes around it.
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:10 am
by Appa23
She has been using this alleged Bible quote since December 2005, alleging at least once that it was from the Book of Isaiah.
No one yet has found the alleged Bible passage.
My guess is that they do not have the official version of the San Francisco Pinko Commie Liberal Wacko Bible.

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:10 am
by Bob Juch
Sounds like a paraphrase of Genesis 2:15.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Re: We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:12 am
by earendel
themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:Perhaps you can identify the source of this Bible quote from Nancy Pelosi
The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, “To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” On this Earth Day, and every day, let us honor the earth and our future generations with a commitment to fight climate change.
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1295
This is not an exact quotation from anywhere in the Bible. She's paraphrasing from the Genesis 2 account of creation - Adam is put into the garden and told to "till" and "keep" it.
Re: We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:13 am
by nitrah55
BackInTex wrote:themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:Perhaps you can identify the source of this Bible quote from Nancy Pelosi
The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, “To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” On this Earth Day, and every day, let us honor the earth and our future generations with a commitment to fight climate change.
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1295
I didn't look up all these versed to verify they are correct.
http://www.earthcareonline.org/bibleverses.html
Does tell us to take care of His creation, but it doesn't say it is an act of worship. It is obedience. It doesn't say to honor creation. And we shouldn't. We should honor the Creator by caring for His creation. There is a difference. But I wouldn't expect Ms. Pelosi to be able to discern it.
As I read this, Ms P does not say we should "honor" Creation. She says we dishonor God by not ministering to the needs of Creation. And, I would disagree with her, or at least say she is softening her point- it is not dishonor, it's disobedience.
Re: We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:29 am
by BackInTex
nitrah55 wrote:
As I read this, Ms P does not say we should "honor" Creation. She says we dishonor God by not ministering to the needs of Creation. And, I would disagree with her, or at least say she is softening her point- it is not dishonor, it's disobedience.
I agree with the 'dishonor God' and being diobedience. To be disobedient is in effect to dishonor. I just disagreed that by being obedient and taking care of the creation is a form of worship. If done with a happy heart it is certainly honoring Him, but not necessarily worshiping.
Re: We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:32 am
by nitrah55
BackInTex wrote:nitrah55 wrote:
As I read this, Ms P does not say we should "honor" Creation. She says we dishonor God by not ministering to the needs of Creation. And, I would disagree with her, or at least say she is softening her point- it is not dishonor, it's disobedience.
I agree with the 'dishonor God' and being diobedience. To be disobedient is in effect to dishonor. I just disagreed that by being obedient and taking care of the creation is a form of worship. If done with a happy heart it is certainly honoring Him, but not necessarily worshiping.
A very good distinction.
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:36 am
by Peter5858
Bob Juch wrote:Sounds like a paraphrase of Genesis 2:15.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
I thought the most significant quote concerning the Garden of Eden were Adam's first words to Eve:
"Stand back! I don't know how big this thing gets!"
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:45 am
by ulysses5019
I thought the most significant quote concerning the Garden of Eden were Adam's first words to Eve:
"Stand back! I don't know how big this thing gets!"
Oh, he musta gotten that spam from Sophia Peacock!
Re: We have Bible Scholars here
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:59 am
by DadofTwins
themanintheseersuckersuit wrote:Perhaps you can identify the source of this Bible quote from Nancy Pelosi
The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, “To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.” On this Earth Day, and every day, let us honor the earth and our future generations with a commitment to fight climate change.
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1295
Not a Bible quote. Not even really a Bible idea.
If you want to fight climate change, there is a Biblical basis for doing so, but this isn't it.
For one, the idea of Creation "needing" people is completely contrary to the Bible. If anything, the reverse is true.
Likewise, the Eden argument doesn't hold up, especially since we don't live there anymore. In fact, the curse texts seem to indicate that "climate change" is an inevitable result of man's sinfulness.
In essence, if you want to save the planet, you have to change the hearts of people.
The best Biblical case I've found for environmental responsibility comes from Ezekiel 34:18-22:
"Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet? As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you foul with your feet! Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, "Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.""
The problem God has always had with pollution is not its impact on the Creation itself, but the harm it does to people. Clean water, clean and healthy food, clean air, all are essentials of life. Those who would deprive the poor of those necessities in the name of greed dishonor (and/or disobey) God far more gravely than those who fail to separate their recyclables. If you want to call on wealthy individuals, corporations, governments and societies to meet Biblical obligations, tell them to set their greed aside, provide for the poor, and protect the defenseless.
Then we can all breathe a lot easier.