A Christian astrophysicist says the move to "go green" may be going too far.
Last week, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day was celebrated. Environmentalists held a series of rallies around America designed to increase awareness about a number of issues related to the environment and alleged "global warming."
But Dr. Jason Lisle, an astrophysicist with Answers in Genesis (AIG), says many Earth Day celebrations have an evolutionary basis and are a doorway to paganism and New Age mysticism.
"What I'm really concerned about is that people are doing what Romans 1 warns us against -- that people are worshipping the creation rather than the Creator," says Lisle. "And I think even the title 'Earth Day' sort of makes me feel a little bit like we're giving too much emphasis to the wrong thing."
The earth, says the AIG spokesman, should not be worshipped. "It's God, the Creator of the earth, that we should be worshipping -- and we should certainly be grateful to the Lord that he's given us this world and we should be good stewards of it," he urges. "But it's to God that we're to be grateful."
Lisle says a true reason to protect the environment is out of God's command from Genesis to care for the planet.