WASHINGTON – Republican Senator Marco Rubio (FL), a prominent Christian and noted skeptic of climate change science, yesterday argued that Americans should resist efforts by the federal government to curb carbon dioxide emissions. Sen. Rubio, who is a likely candidate for president in 2016, said that such programs would be “against God’s Will,” since “for all we know, God wants the Earth to get warmer.”

Speaking at a luncheon with potential donors, Rubio admitted that “it’s getting more and more difficult to deny that the Earth is getting hotter—just look at the new NASA report.”

Rubio was referring to two studies released Monday which indicate that the “melting of the Western Antarctic Ice sheet is unstoppable, and the glaciers are doomed to collapse and melt into the sea,” which will raise sea levels significantly, leaving much of the world’s coastal cities underwater.

“So yeah, I don’t deny it’s happening,” Rubio said. “But what we absolutely cannot say for sure is that a warming Earth is not just part of God’s plan,” Rubio explained. “God knows what He’s doing, and it pleases Him to see half of Manhattan underwater and Miami wiped out completely, then we cannot stand in His way.”

Rubio is a Roman Catholic, although he and his family practiced as Mormons for a time. He has said that he believes “with all [his] heart that God still destines for us an even better future and the opportunity to continue to serve as an inspiration to the world.”

Today Rubio said that climate change doesn’t necessarily dash the hopes for a better future. “God destines us for a better future, and rising sea levels are a part of that, then it must be for the best,” he said.

Rubio’s remarks follow those he made on Sunday, when he told “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos that he does not believe climate change is the result of human activity.

“I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it… [and] I do not believe that the laws that they propose we pass will do anything about it, except it will destroy our economy,” Rubio added.

Today the senator clarified those remarks. “What I meant was that Jesus Himself is probably responsible for global warming,” he said. “I can’t tell you exactly why he’s doing it, but that’s what Faith is for—trusting that Jesus is warming up the planet so we can all live in water parks or something equally awesome.”