For most of human history, the great resources buried beneath our feet—oil, natural gas, coal, metals, and minerals—were understood as blessings. They fueled progress, built nations, and lifted generations from poverty. Scripture is clear: “The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1), and “the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalm 115:16).
Yet today, a surprising percentage of people passionately oppose the very resources God placed in the ground for humanity’s good. Why?

A New Religion of Environmentalism

Much of modern environmentalism is no longer scientific—it is spiritual. Nature is sacred, mankind is the problem, and fossil fuels are a moral evil. This worldview mirrors what Paul warned about in Romans 1:25: people “worshiping creation rather than the Creator.”
Instead of seeing oil, gas, and coal as God’s provision, many view them as sins against the planet. How can the planet sin against itself?

The Politics of Energy Control

Energy is power. Whoever controls fuel, electricity, heating, and industry controls society. Environmental activism has become a tool for political leverage—reduce fossil fuel use, and you can reshape an entire nation’s economy, behavior, and freedom. But before you take something away, you must teach people to hate it. That is exactly what happened.

The Anti-Human Philosophy

At the heart of extreme environmental ideology is a simple, dangerous belief: the earth is fragile, and humans are the threat. The Bible teaches the opposite. God said, “Be fruitful… fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).
We were created to develop the earth, not apologize for existing on it.

Decades of Fear-Based Messaging

For more than 50 years, catastrophic predictions have dominated the media—most of which never came true. Fear shapes hearts more easily than facts. Millions now distrust pipelines, drilling, or refining, not because they understand energy, but because they have been conditioned to fear it.

What Scripture Actually Says

The Bible is unambiguous about natural resources:

• Mining is good — “Iron is taken out of the earth” (Job 28:2).

• Energy is good — Noah sealed the ark with natural pitch (Genesis 6:14).

• Resources are blessings — “Out of the hills you may dig copper” (Deut. 8:9).

• Idolizing nature is forbidden — Romans 1:22–25.

The issue is not the resources—it is the worldview behind the rejection of them.

Are People Who Oppose Fossil Fuels “Against God”?

Not necessarily. Many are simply misinformed or fearful.
But the ideology that demonizes fossil fuels is opposed to God’s design. It elevates creation above the Creator, places fear above truth, and rejects humanity’s God-given mandate to steward the earth.

The Bottom Line

Oil, natural gas, and coal are not curses—they are provisions. God placed them in the earth for heat, light, industry, and human flourishing. When used wisely, they bless nations. When demonized or politicized, they become tools of fear and division.

A biblical worldview sees these resources not as enemies of the planet, but as evidence of God’s generosity—gifts entrusted to us to manage with wisdom, gratitude, and responsibility.

SCRIPTURES DESCRIBING HOW PEOPLE REJECTED GOD

Romans 1:21–25 — They rejected God for idols, lies, and created things

“For although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God…
Their foolish hearts were darkened…
They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images…
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie,
and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator.”

This is Scripture’s strongest statement that people rejected God for something else.

Jeremiah 2:13 — They rejected God for worthless substitutes

“My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
and hewn for themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

They rejected God’s provision for their own empty ideas.

Jeremiah 2:11 — They rejected God for false gods

“Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods?
But My people have changed their Glory
for that which does not profit.”

1 Samuel 8:7 — They rejected God’s authority

“They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me,
that I should not reign over them.”

The people wanted human control instead of divine authority.

Hosea 8:14 — They rejected God for man-made solutions

“Israel has forgotten his Maker
and built palaces;
Judah has multiplied fortified cities.”

They trusted human systems instead of God.

2 Kings 17:15 — They rejected God for worthless things

“They rejected His statutes…
and followed vanity, and became vain.”

2 Timothy 4:4 — They rejected truth for myths

“They will turn away their ears from the truth
and turn aside to myths.”

THE CORE BIBLICAL MESSAGE

All these verses teach the same truth:

People reject God by replacing Him with:

• fear
• false beliefs
• ideology
• man-made systems
• creation instead of the Creator

This is the biblical framework behind your article on modern environmental ideology.

NOTES & RESOURCES

1. God Owns the Earth and Gives Its Resources to Humanity

• Psalm 24:1 — “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

• Psalm 115:16 — “The heaven… is the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men.”

• Genesis 1:28 — Humanity is commanded to “fill the earth and subdue it… and have dominion.”

• These passages affirm that natural resources—including the materials buried in the ground—are part of God’s provision.

2. Biblical Support for Resource Extraction (Mining, Metals, Fuel)

• Job 28:2 — “Iron is taken out of the earth.”

• Job 28:6 — “Its rocks are the source of sapphires, and it contains dust of gold.”

• Deuteronomy 8:9 — “A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper.”

• Genesis 6:14 — Noah covered the Ark with “pitch,” a natural tar/petroleum substance.

• These passages show that mining, digging, developing, and using earth’s resources are normal and expected parts of human civilization.

3. Warnings Against Worshiping Nature Instead of God

• Romans 1:22–25 — People “worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator.”

• Scripture consistently warns against elevating nature above God’s authority or purpose.

4. God’s Blessing on Resource Productivity

• Deuteronomy 28:12 — “The Lord will bless the work of your hands.”

• Proverbs 12:11 — “He who works his land will have plenty of bread.”

• These passages affirm that developing the earth responsibly brings prosperity.

5. Warnings Against Fear-Based Thinking or False Narratives

• 2 Timothy 1:7 — “God has not given us a spirit of fear.”

• Hosea 4:1–3 — Sin causes a nation and its land to “waste away.”

• These verses show that fear, deception, and idolatry—not resource development—bring destruction.

6. Biblical Stewardship and Human Responsibility

• 1 Corinthians 4:2 — “It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”

• Genesis 2:15 — Humanity is placed in the garden “to cultivate it and keep it.”

• These verses define biblical stewardship: wise use, not abandonment, of God’s resources.

THEMES SUPPORTED BY SCRIPTURE

• God designed the earth with energy and mineral resources for human benefit.

• Using oil, gas, coal, metals, and minerals is consistent with God’s command to subdue the earth.

• Idolizing nature or demonizing human productivity is counter to Scripture.

• Biblical stewardship means use wisely — don’t waste, don’t worship, don’t neglect.

• The anti-resource ideology is spiritual in nature and mirrors the pagan worldview Paul warned about.