| This thesis explores the relationship between specific Christian beliefs and concerns about the possible effects of global warming. Using data from the General Social Survey of 2006, aspects of religion, demographics, and concerns about global warming are analyzed. From a religious perspective, this study looks at fundamentalist views on the authority of God, the inerrancy of the Bible, and perceptions about punishment for sin. Using the answers to questions about the level of respondents' concern about sea level rise and Polar Bear extinction as caused by possible global warming, this study attempts to uncover characteristics of the unconcerned. The findings with this data are that the chosen specific religious factors are not significant when other factors are considered. These factors include income, global warming knowledge, perceptions of science, and demographic factors such as gender, region and race. The concluding recommendation is that more science-based education and public information is needed so that U.S. citizens can better understand the complex systems of the earth and thereby become better-informed participants in the global warming policy process. |
