If you believe the Bible to be a literal recording of past history, you believe that God commanded Noah to build an ark because God wanted to rid the earth of the wicked men, but wanted to preserve the animals. A more allegorical view would be that it was a warning that mankind should heed the directive to take care of the earth, and be good to one another, or there could be consequences. In the Bible, those consequences were a great flood, but they could be anything. How odd, then, that during modern times we are flooding the earth ourselves with melting ice caps.

South Carolina experienced Biblical levels of rain, and the flooding that comes with it (and will continue for days). Roads and property have been destroyed, and people have died. South Carolina is the very definition of a disaster area, and it will cost billions to repair. Where does that money come from? It comes from all of us, in the form of federal aid, which has been approved by President Obama.

The weather system creating this damage wasn't even technically a hurricane. It was an odd weather pattern created by an area of low pressure sitting off the coast and pushing warm moist air into a stationary cold front. It's the sort of weather system that isn't that uncommon, but it was made more intense by the amount of water in the air. The reason for the amount of water? The ocean is warmer now than at any time in history. Climate science predicted unusual weather, stronger weather, and climate change caused by warming of the earth and oceans, melting polar ice, and disrupted normal flows of ocean and air currents.

It's accepted by the vast majority of client scientists that the earth is warming (aka: global warming). In the face of this overwhelming consensus, so many people still say they "don't believe" in global warming. The phrase "global climate change" seems more acceptable to them, even though that descriptor is of the symptom, not the cause. Those living on the coast of this country (especially the southern states) are most likely to be affected, and yet they (or at least their representatives in government with the most power to do something about it) are the most likely to dismiss the overwhelming scientific evidence. Here are the views of the current Republican House representatives from South Carolina on global warming:

That's 4 out of the 5 U.S. House representatives from the state (the other is a Democrat).

These same four representatives also voted "No" in 2013 for a relief package for damage cause by Hurricane Sandy. One has to wonder how they and their Republican collegues will vote if a similar bill is pushed forward for aid to South Carolina. One could certainly accuse these four of being hypocrites if the voted "Yes", or if they seek help for their state. The good people of the state certainly need and should receive that aid.

They should think long and hard, though, about their choices during the next election. If the ark is allegorical, then it exists within the hearts of us all. It is up to all of us to take care of the earth, oceans, and air, and to help one another in times of need. When those in power take deliberate action to enable the destruction of "God's creation", and allow their selfishness and "wickedness" to rule their motives, then they do not deserve safe passage on the arks which carry our spirits forward. They should be left to drown in a sea of "No" votes when they seek reelection.