'Holy Greta!': 'Climate Religion' Skewered as Thunberg Gets Honorary Doctorate in Theology
06:54 GMT 23.03.2023 (Updated: 07:10 GMT 23.03.2023)
© AFP 2023 / CARL-JOHAN UTSI
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The award has triggered a powerful backlash among Thunberg's compatriots on social media, some of whom point to it as proof that environmentalism is a religion, whereas others argued that it debases the honorary doctorate as such.
The theological faculty at the University of Helsinki has decided to elevate eco-activist Greta Thunberg to an honorary doctor.
The higher educational institution has voiced plans to lionize 30 "highly meritorious people from around the world" by granting them honorary doctorate degrees in 2023, which it dubbed the "jubilee year of the promotion."
Climate activist Greta Thunberg found herself in the company of university professors, researchers, bishops and other luminaries, including Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, who will receive an honorary doctor's degree from the faculty of Philosophy.
In 2019, Thunberg, at that time still a teenager, received an honorary doctorate from the Belgium-based University of Mons, which, among others, praised her "openness of mind, creativity and freedom of thought." Back then, it went largely unnoticed amid the shower of accolades, trophies and prizes Thunberg was basking in.
This time, however, the award sparked a spirited reaction among Thunberg's compatriots on social media. The fact that it was the theological faculty that was responsible for granting this prestigious honor has fueled jokes about "Holy Greta," which take a jab at the near-religious fervor of environmentalists.
"Greta gets an honorary doctorate in theology. Gets classified as "highly meritorious person" by the University of Helsinki. Now the jokes about "Holy Greta" will never stop," one user sneered.
Screengrab of a tweet commenting on Greta Thunberg's recent award
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"Greta Thunberg has become an honorary doctor at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki. That's what I've been saying for a long time. The green ideology is a religion. The Bible is the IPCC reports and the clergy is made up of the scientists who interpret the holy scriptures. Only the hymns are missing," one person mused.
Screengrab of a tweet commenting on Greta Thunberg's recent award
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"Mary Magdalene, St. Bridget, Mother Theresa and now Climate-Greta. Greta the Cherub is God's gift to humanity and the globalist elite," yet another one scoffed.
Screengrab of a tweet commenting on Greta Thunberg's recent award
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"Well, it's not that stupid. Clearly, it shows that the climate threat is a religious belief without scientific grounding. So, can we end all climate politics now and make society recover from the follies?" another user chimed in.
Screengrab of a tweet commenting on Greta Thunberg's recent award
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"Tragically, the value of an honorary doctorate is totally gutted when an uneducated and ignorant young girl receives it," another individual concluded.
Screengrab of a tweet commenting on Greta Thunberg's recent award
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Greta Thunberg skyrocketed to international fame and recognition as a 15-year-old adolescent by organizing solitary protests outside the Swedish parliament, which have since morphed into her global Fridays for Future movement. Having been showered with incessant media attention, Thunberg transformed into an environmentalist guru venerated even by politicians she herself kept reproaching for failing to address her climate grievances. Ever since then, she has been touring the globe to raise awareness about environmental issues, while lecturing both the public and politicians, in addition to rubbing shoulders with celebrities who have a penchant for "saving the planet."
