Same way they can look at the metaphor for capitalists are destined for hell a la stuffing a camel through the eye of a needle unharmed - by choosing to interpret the eye of a needle to actually mean a gate arch or some shit.

Instead of changing yourself to follow the beliefs in the word of your God, you change your God's words to follow your beliefs.

There was a study linked around somewhere in the last few days that said that political ideology was a greater factor in people's religious choices than the inverse.

Well, on the one hand, you have an old book you might read all the way through once (but probably not) that says to be responsible stewards of the earth. But on the other hand, you have people on the TV every night telling you to support whatever makes corporations the most money.

Old ideas can have value but it's hard to compete with new ideas when those new ideas have a lot more money and can be crafted to appeal to a specific audience (regardless of what's true).

I always figured their reply would be “Well, if the environment is going to shit that that’s what God wants. Don’t question his master plan. He only does things or let’s things happen for a reason.”

Because that would require a modicum of critical reasoning and the willingness to occasionally and ever-so-slightly sacrifice for the benefit of others.

Just remember that the group you're describing are conservatives first and foremost. Christianity and the GOP are just their current excuses for their selfishness.

Unfortunately a literal reading of Genesis 1:28 says to subdue the Earth (master or control in a few translations, and use all the resources for God's purpose in one). Those trying to paint a nicer picture might change it to being stewards of the planet (which is what I always heard as a kid), but that's not what's there. To be fair, it was written in a time where the world seemed endless and humans couldn't possibly destroy everything, a mindset that lasts to this very day. Even less than a century ago we were okay with dumping stuff into the water or burying it, or burning things because it was a huge world and the smoke disappeared into the sky.

Have you seen the episode of Avatar where the fortune teller said the village wouldn't be destroyed by the volcano?

We believe the world won't be destroyed by mankind.

And a lot of anti-environmentalists are hunters and farmers. Like... ¿¿¿What???