Today has been declared “Earth Hour Day”.

You are requested to turn off your lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm as a symbolic act declaring your support for creating a cleaner, better, more just future.

Based, they say, on combating human-caused climate change.

Nothing wrong with turning off the lights for an hour.

You can say your prayers just as well in the dark.

Better, perhaps, as there will be fewer visible distractions.

For many people it is probably a long time since they last gave an hour to contemplating God.

Or spending an hour in any kind of quiet, reflective frame of mind.

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So the idea of a quiet hour of solitude in the dark is a good one.

But best find a different time to do it. Not tonight.

The 31 March Earth Hour is supported by activists like Julia Gillard, the World Wildlife Fund and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

That is a big worry.

These people don’t just want you to turn off your lights — they have policies in mind that will mean there are no lights to turn on.

They want to phase out coal-burning energy sources.

They make claims about the capabilities of solar energy, wind-energy and so forth which, at this stage of history, are pure imagination.

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To sum up, common sense suggests that we all switch our lights off regularly for the good of our mental and spiritual health.

But make sure they are ON this evening between 8.30 and 9.30.

If you have an unused mobile phone lying about, take it to your nearest Saint Vincent de Paul Centre and hand it in.

For every phone, they are able to get $3.

So you benefit by getting rid of a bit of clutter – meanwhile benefiting one of our most reliable charities.

And this recycling is obviously good for the environment.

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The historical Saint Vincent de Paul, living in the 1600s, was into practical Christianity.

He said:

“To practise the love of Christ, acquire the habit of keeping him at all times present in our minds — in three ways:

(1)  when performing any action, consider the manner in Our Lord acted here upon earth, and imitate him.

(2)  remember that he continually looks down on us from heaven, offering us his grace.

(3)  and recognise him in the person of our neighbour.”

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The modern-day St Vincent de Paul Society does all these things.

Vinnies Op Shops and Relief Centres are great examples of number (3).

Everyone is treated as a neighbour with generosity and respect.

Municipal Council tips are full of discarded analog television sets whose cathode ray tubes contain toxic components and cannot be recycled or just left lying around.

It costs a council about $20 each to have them properly disposed of.

One suggested alternative is to sell such sets off cheap as spare sets to put in children’s bedrooms . . .

* * *

No, please.

Already our children are mentally obtunded by the television seen in the lounge room. Shouldn’t we be discouraging such harmful passivity, not encouraging more of it?

And what will they be watching in the privacy of their room?

If a person entered your children’s room, swore continually, committed violent acts and indulged in acts of adultery in front of them, wouldn’t you get him/her out in a hurry?

Why install a machine which continuously portrays foul language, violence and adultery . . . ?

* * *

Think about making yours a television-free home.

If we don’t watch it ourselves, we’ll find more time to spend with our children

Help them become less dependent on artificial electronic amusements – to enjoy doing things, making things and reading decent books.

On 31 October 2011, we were told that on that day, or close enough, the baby bringing the world’s total population to 7 billion was born.

United Nations agencies and “environmentalist” groups consider that a disaster.

Are they right?

(1) The figure itself is probably incorrect.

Every local administration, world-wide, which gets funding from a bigger government tends to over-state the number of people it currently provides for – hoping to extract bigger handouts.

(2) We face a future of under-population.

80-plus nations now reproduce at rates insufficient to maintain a constant population.

Russia’s population will have fallen by 25 million by the year 2050.

Likewise Japan, Italy Spain etc.

(3) De-population will increase numbers of dependent elderly — exactly when numbers of young adults entering the workforce start plummeting.

(4) Big families are best for children to grow up in.

The older ones learn to look after the younger ones.

The “what’s in it for me” mentality is harder to get away with.

Ex-Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has written a foreword to a book which promises to be political dynamite.

“How to get expelled from school”, by Professor Ian Plimer.

Its message is that “man-made-climate-change”, as taught in our schools, is not based on good science.

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Prof Plimer also promotes conspiracy theories about government backing climate-change views simply to collect more taxes.

He would do better to stick to the point, i.e. to the scientific facts.

If Plimer and co. can demonstrate that the “changes” have been exaggerated — and won’t be reversed by decimating industry . . . .

No need then to resort to attacking personalities and motives.

* * *

Yes, we should care for the environment better.

Australians consume too much – mainly products made by workers (God’s children) who are virtually slaves, e.g. in China.

We say we don’t believe in slavery. We like an affluent lifestyle. We want it both ways. We are hypocrites.

The moral issue is more important than “climate-change”.

Sort that out and the “climate-change” issue — such as it is – may well sort itself out.