The news stopped me dead in my tracks mentally. A giant mural of teen “environmental activist” Greta Thunberg is going up in San Francisco’s Union Square. Recently, Leonardo DiCaprio praised Thunberg as a “leader of our time” following a day of just chillin’ out together. Shockingly, she has even spoken before the UN Assembly and invited to speak at a TED Talk. She is 15 years old.

A fact reality check: in the 1960’s global freezing was going to destroy the world by sometime in the 1980s; it didn’t happen, and frankly, even as adolescents, we knew better. In the 60s the book, Silent Spring was all the rage and required reading in our junior High School Literature class. The thesis of the book follows: for the first time in human history, man had acquired the ability to destroy the world. Hence, the scientific world was divided into to camps: those who improve and empower a society made up of the collective efforts of free individuals, and those scientists who believe that man must be saved from himself by minority elitists. Indeed, presuppositions concerning mankind are central to all of this. Is mankind totally depraved? Is mankind totally unable? In the total depravity of man ideology, whether of secular political ideology or religion, the truly wise are experts in the knowledge that enables the totally depraved to have their best existence according to what has been preordained for them. They are experts in the knowledge that man knows nothing, which is the beginning of wisdom. Supposedly. It is a zero sum life ideology, a kind of nihilism if you will.

But, does man really have the ability to destroy the world? Well, if you look at man’s execution of the most earth-destroying power at his disposal to date, that would be the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Not only were several thousand survivors walking around in the horrific destruction and death immediately after the blast, but today Hiroshima is a thriving modernized city full of life. It is unlikely that all-out nuclear war in our day would destroy the earth. For sure, it wouldn’t be a picnic for maybe 20 years afterward, but total annihilation of humanity? Unlikely.

The most formidable threat to the earth is a thing we call natural disasters. Man has no way to create the destructive powers of natural disasters and is powerless against them for the most part. Yet, so far, earth has shown restraint in annihilating itself. Of course, environmentalist claim that man’s abuse of nature causes natural disasters. On the one hand, Silent Spring announced the dawning of man’s ability to destroy himself, while on the other hand, he causes natural disasters that have obviously been around since the beginning of creation. Environmentalism and the total inability of man (total depravity) go hand-in-glove. On the one hand, secular scientists like to promote the idea of a very, very old earth unlike religious zealots who tout the idea of a very young earth, yet, nature in its immeasurable powers hasn’t managed to destroy itself or man in more than a billion years. But yet, supposedly, the end is near because of man and the only way of saving mankind is submitting our misguided notion of freedom to the all-knowing elitists.

Past all of that, the Bible is clear on how life as we presently know it comes to an end, and how.

Why do people believe in the environmental movement? Why do factual arguments fall on deaf ears? Answer: because regardless of commonsense facts, like many other things people believe, it’s what they want to believe. The Bible states that people have a propensity towards living by DESIRES. Unfortunately, for the most part, people are desire-driven. This is what drives me absolutely nuts when I am watching Fox News. They have these ideologues on in order to be “fair and balanced.” Regardless of black and white facts, these people answer with totally bankrupt reasoning. Why? Their thinking and reasoning is desire-driven; it’s what they want to believe.

Why do they want to believe it? Answer: fear. Government in general and elitists in particular offer a safety net. People who fear individualism think you stand or fall on your own. It’s a lack of self-confidence, and the total depravity of man ideology rejects self-confidence altogether. People want to play in the sandbox of life, but they want mommy watching from the kitchen window. They don’t trust the goodness of man to help them in times of need, they trust the elitists. Besides, government has the power to take from greedy individuals and give it to whomever might need it…you. Government elitists are Robinhood; they take from the evil rich people and give to the poor. The Bible says to work with your hands so you can give to people in need.

Truth is whatever your fears and desires say it is. Facts don’t determine truth; individual desires determine truth. And your truth along with your bankrupt self-esteem needs a cheerleader; a hero, really, an image in the form of a person. Yes, your argument isn’t facts, it is those great people of the present and past who confirm your beliefs. They are the monuments of what you believe.