Jeb! Says The Pope Shouldn’t Discuss Climate Change Because ‘He’s Not A Scientist’

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Image Via Gage Skidmore for Flickr

How many times have we all heard the expression, “Think before you speak?” It’s good advice, and it’s certainly advice that Jeb Bush should take to heart.

On Thursday, shortly after Pope Francis addressed the Congress, Bush said he thinks the pontiff should stay out of the climate change issue, which Francis has mentioned on numerous occasions while in the United States:

“He’s not a scientist, he’s a religious leader.”

Bush also said he thinks the Pope should avoid political issues completely:

“Put aside Pope Francis on the subject of any political conversation. I oppose the president’s policy as it relates to climate change because it will destroy the ability to re-industrialize the country, to allow for people to get higher wage jobs, for people to rise up.”

The former Florida Governor, who just so happens to be Catholic, may not realize just how stupid those statements make him look. Do we imagine that Jeb Bush would be telling the Pope to keep his opinions to himself if he gave a speech saying abortion should be made illegal, or that same-sex marriage is not Biblical?

Pope Francis has made climate change a moral issue, which is certainly appropriate. We only have one planet Earth, and if we befoul her so much that she collapses under the weight of our mistreatment, how will we ever obtain forgiveness for that crime?

Bush, like so many Republicans, loves to pick and choose what parts of the Bible they decide to practice and promote. But that’s not how it’s supposed to work. Jesus didn’t say his words were mere suggestions and that people were welcome to ignore his instructions on how to live. He said he spoke with the authority of God, who had sent him with a message.

Worst of all when we consider what Jeb Bush said yesterday is this simple fact which he overlooked: Pope Francis holds a degree as a chemical technician and worked as a chemist before becoming a priest. So he actually is a scientist.

Jeb, if possible, always think before you speak.

Watch Jeb! Speak Before He Thinks