Analysis. What happens when religion becomes weaponized for the sake of climate change? The UN isn’t concerned with this question, because the UN believes such a tactic is necessary to avoid a “climate hell.”

Have you taken your place on the wall? 

View Comments (19)

UN Secretary-General António Guterres used strong words in his doomsday speech kicking off the COP27 Climate Conference, in November, in Egypt:

“What did you do for our world — and for our planet — when you had the chance? This UN Climate Conference is a reminder that the answer is in our hands. And the clock is ticking. We are in the fight of our lives. And we are losing. Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.”

The conference consisted of world leaders coming together against “an existential threat that we can only overcome through concerted action and effective implementation,” in Guterres’ words. This year, however, the event took on something of a spiritual tone, with religious leaders from Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism officiating over “repentance” ceremonies around the world, including in the cities of London and Jerusalem, and even on Mt. Sinai.

Notably, at the Mt. Sinai ceremony, climate activists read aloud the so-called Ten Principles for Climate Repentance — apparently meant to be reminiscent of the Ten Commandments given by Moses, to the point of having two tablets smashed to the ground, mimicking the biblical account described in Exodus.

The UN apparently believes that faith leaders can help advance ethical and moral motivations in order to shift climate actions on all levels. In essence, faith and science must form a bridge, and this integration of faith into climate action is essential to bring about a rapid transformation.

Though some religious leaders have embraced this idea, many others are alarmed by the notion of the UN’s climate-action agenda being a spiritual or biblical responsibility. Essentially, that world body is preaching a “gospel” of environmentalism, rather than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead of urging people to repent of the sins addressed in the biblical Ten Commandments as set forth in Exodus 20 — murder, idolatry, stealing, lying, adultery, coveting, and worshipping other gods — these UN principles (its own version of “commandments”) urge humanity to repent for its CO2 greenhouse-gas emissions and its consumption of meat.

Weaponizing Religion

Alex Newman, an award-winning Christian investigative journalist, warns that the UN is weaponizing religion for the purpose of implementing its 2030 Agenda (for so-called sustainable development) and other globalist goals. This is all part of a three-legged-stool strategy that includes the public sector of civil governments, the private sector of successful businesses, and the social sector of faith-based organizations. All three of these must work together to persuade the world to accept change. The first leg of the stool consists of the numerous world governments that have embraced implementation of climate regulations and laws. The second leg was fashioned by such organizations as the World Economic Forum, which uses high-profile businesses to implement “stakeholder capitalism.” The third element stabilizes the stool by pulling in pastors, bishops, rabbis, gurus, spiritual advisers, and members of civil society to lend credibility to this climate movement.

Newman attended COP27 and interviewed several organizers of the interfaith climate movement, who discussed why religion is such an important part of this alleged solution. James Sternlicht, co-founder and CEO of The Peace Department, explained that “one conduit for reaching millions upon billions of people around the world is religion.” He even called for an addendum to the Ten Commandments: “All religions teach us to respect the creation that we have been given, and we’ve done kind of a terrible job of that, and so, with a new kind of Ten Commandments of Climate Change — which are an addendum to, not a replacement for the original Ten Commandments, and a third covenant that we are kind of working on between mankind and creation — we would refocus on those elements of the teachings from across religions that point us in the direction of fixing the problems that we’ve created.” Sternlicht insists that this is all part of “building the kingdom of heaven on earth.”

Newman also interviewed Rabbi Yonatan Neril, of the Interfaith Institute for Sustainable Development. Neril emphasized the need to leverage faith communities to get involved, stressing that “religion and religious clergy and leaders need to be the delivery vehicle for climate action.” He said also that the solutions to our ecological crises are spiritual solutions, because the roots of our ecological crises are spiritual roots.

Iyad Abumoghli, head of the UN’s Faith for Earth Initiative, asserts that we need to harness faith leaders and followers to protect the earth. The organization’s website states that its mission is to “encourage, empower and engage with faith-based organizations as partners, at all levels, toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fulfilling the 2030 Agenda.”

On May 9, 2022, the World Council of Churches, the Muslim Council of Elders, and the New York Board of Rabbis joined with the United Nations’ environment program by signing onto a landmark appeal called Climate Responsible Finance. This calls upon financial services providers to require “oil and gas companies to stop all new development or expansion projects.” The Rev. Ioan Sauca, a  professor, launched the appeal by saying: “Family money, church money, a company’s money, a nation’s money — we need everyone to take this step for a sustainable future for our children.” The group defines this as “a moral imperative and responsibility.” Secretary-General Guterres added: “This year, all private financiers need to stop funding the entire coal sector, from mining to power generation, and actively shift finance to renewables. People, communities, and organizations of faith have the influence needed to affect this transition. I welcome this important faith-based initiative.”

Months later, faith leaders at COP27 echoed that message: “This should be an implementation COP where finance is at the heart of delivering for those most impacted by climate change. A failure to reach the critical decisions will betray the most marginalized.”

The UN has always had an interest in religion, because leaders of faith are needed to lend credibility to the world body’s goals and initiatives. But this interest in tying religion to this climate activism that many are calling “earth worship,” has roots in ideas propagated by leaders with ties to the occult.

Occult Roots at the UN

Former Assistant Secretary-General Robert Muller served with the UN for 40 years, and his ideas about global government, education, world peace, and spirituality led to religion’s becoming an essential part of the UN agenda. He had a keen interest in the New Age movement and was called the “Prophet of Hope.” He helped create many of the UN agencies still functioning today, as well as a core curriculum for schools that earned him a UNESCO peace prize in education in 1989. Additionally, he developed the Framework for Planetary and Cosmic Consciousness, and he wrote such books as Shaping a Global Spirituality and The Birth of Global Civilization.

Much of Muller’s work with the UN is based on the writings of New Age spiritualist and author Alice Bailey, who, along with her husband (a 32nd-degree Freemason) founded an organization called The Lucis Trust. According to its website, “Alice and Foster Bailey were serious students and teachers of Theosophy, a spiritual tradition which views Lucifer (Satan) as one of the solar angels, those advanced Beings who Theosophy says descended from Venus to our planets eons ago to bring the principle of mind to what was then animal-man. … The descent of those solar Angels was not a fall into sin or disgrace, but rather an act of great sacrifice, as is suggested in the name ‘Lucifer’ which means light-bearer.”

Lucis Trust is on the roster of the UN Economic and Social Council and holds a consultative position. Its World Goodwill program plays an active role in spreading information and drumming up support for the UN agenda, including the SDGs. Goodwill also sponsors meditation groups for anyone “who cares to cooperate in this planetary service.” The Lucis Trust reading room, at 866 United Nations Plaza, contains books on the occult, philosophy, religion, and astrology.

Both Muller and Bailey viewed the world from an evolutionary standpoint and believed that man must intervene to save the planet. Bailey’s New Age teachings, which include messages from an “Ascended Master” known as “The Tibetan,” fueled Muller’s worldview and thus became an integral part of the UN plan for “world peace.” Bailey and Muller believed that all the religions of the world could come together and create a new humanity through globalism.

Today we are seeing the rise of a “one-world religion” in which faith leaders are being used to push a vision for one global humanity under the rule of the UN and other globalist organizations.

It is imperative that we realize that the UN is using a common tactic to draw many people into their snare: FEAR. And Scripture says: The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts the Lord is safe (Proverbs 29:25). Those who follow Jesus should not be worried about the destruction of the earth through climate change. Instead, we should look forward to a new heaven and a new earth — the promised home of righteousness.

Mark 7:8 says: “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” As Christians, we cannot abandon God’s Ten Commandments to follow an “addendum” proposed by man. Certainly, we are in the world, but we are not of the world. And yes, we can and will take care of this planet, but never at the expense of biblical truth.

Lord Jesus, open the eyes of those who have been deceived by the climate-chaos narrative. And wake up any faith leaders who have fallen into this trap, and turn them back to your word, which brings hope instead of fear. Praise be to You, O Lord, creator and redeemer of planet Earth. 

Why do you think so many faith leaders have fallen into this “climate justice” snare and its false “repentance”? How can we pray about this?

 Angela Rodriguez is an author, blogger and home-schooling mom who studies the historical and biblical connections between Israel and the U.S. You can visit her blogs at 67owls.com and 100trumpets.com. Her latest book, Psalm 91: Under the Wings of Jesus, was released in June 2021. Photo Credit: Getty Images.