Just want to point out that "Christians" in this context refers to some sects of Christianity in America and these beliefs are not the norm amongst Christians worldwide. Actually I hazard, not even the norm amongst Christians in the US.
As someone who grew up a mainstream European Lutheran, the views of American evangelical Christians have always seemed more like a doomsday cult than anything based on Jesus's teachings.
It boggles my mind that these people have taken over the definition of Christianity in such an influential country. I imagine my feelings about evangelicals are roughly the same as how mainstream muslims feel about Islamic State.
I just want to second this. This is not a mainstream view. Dominion over the earth does not mean strip mining, hunting whales to extinction and most of all not destroying God's creation.
A school of theological thought that is gaining traction in protestant circles is that "new earth" spoken about in the bible is in fact this earth (fixed). Fixing this earth then has important religious significance.
This is in stark contrast to those extremist sects who wish for nuclear war to bring on the apocalypse.
I wouldn’t dismiss conservative, Bible-believing Christians as merely a sect.
Also, I shouldn’t single out Christianity. I just happen to know it well because it was a big part of my childhood. A lot of other religions also have a general disregard for science.
They're usually evangelicals. Evangelicals outnumber Catholics in the US, and also outnumber all mainline Protestent denominations (Methodist, Lutheran, etc) combined. They're fast gaining ground in Latin America as well.
Not all evangelicals are so adamantly anti-reason, but I'd be very confident in saying most are. Evangelical Christianity in the US is lazy and cruel. The Bible is used to justify their worst impulses, while they ignore all the parts about loving your enemies, etc. It's not a demanding religion. It's easy. Their god doesn't care about charity or peace that take effort and compassion, but only that you are on His team.
