Floods and the Bishop

This is how far I'm behind on blogs: early July it was reported (Polly Toynbee in the Guardian, reported by The Week (UK) July 7th) that the Bishop of Carlisle described the flooding in parts of England as "God's judgement, which is intended to call us to repentance" for our sins, including new "sexual orientation regulations". I imagine the few remaining Christians in the UK must have blushed heavily that one of their senior professionals made such an archaic and ridiculous statement, and the Bish himself - harangued, I'm sure, by ruddy-faced parishioners - soon retracted it - " I did not say that pro-gay legislation had provoked God to send the storms that caused the Yorkshire floods" he claims on his blog. So what did he say, or at least, mean?

Well the "elucidation" on the Rev.'s site is far from lucid, but let's look at some of his words. Well, you see, there is an "integral connection between the harmony and fruits of the earth and the overview of human morality" (hmm - he should read Guns, Germs, and Steel). "Serious environmental disturbance [like a flood?]...should lead us to examine our behaviour." " The connection between human behaviour and the environment is the reaping of what we have sown." "...the government has taken to itself the right to insist on its own version of morality. It has supported a choice of life-styles, both heterosexual and homosexual..." Doesn't this baloney just add up to "the floods were the result of the new sexual orientation regulations"?!!

In another post on that website, an apologist "clarifies" that the Bish pointed out that the floods were caused by global warming, which is the result of our "lack of restraint and lack of care for our planet." Well, this is not what he says in his own blog, but at least it's less absurd. I'm pretty sure climatologists can't pin a single climatological event on "global warming", and I continue to be alarmed at the implication that global warming is the result of sin, but ok, let's just say we need to focus on our stewardship of the planet if we are to avoid more major environmental disturbances as the century progresses. (However, I don't think barking at life-style choices is going to help a whole lot, Graham!).