I see Alston Chase has jumped on the bandwagon making environmentalism a bad word and the current scapegoat for the exploitation industry. To say the Endangered Species Act isn't based on sound science is ludicrous. For example, on the Columbia River (where I grew up) the salmon population has dwindled from around 15 million in the 1800s to only a few thousand. Many rivers in Idaho are in even worse shape. It soesn't take a mathematician to recognize decimation.
As a Christian and an environmentalist, I believe God gave the Earth to us to be good stewards. We can learn from the way of life of the Native Americans who prospered on this land for millennia. They didn't exploit and destroy as we do. I believe we should utilize our natural resources in a responsible manner for the sake of future generations. That isn't a religion, it's common sense. I don't worship the environment any more than Chase worships his own rhetoric.