Many detractors of Christianity like to slander the Faith with the pejorative "desert religion." This is quite a display of ignorance on part of our opponents who seem to be oblivious to the nature and history of the Fertile Crescent.
The climate of the Holy Land has changed significantly since Biblical times and large swaths of the region that were once lush and temperate have been subjected to desertification. In addition, invading armies all but entirely depleted the forests of Palestine.
The change in the climate of Palestine and the deforestation of the region has been detailed by Ellsworth Huntington in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society (vol. 40, no. 9 pp. 513-522). Much of Palestine today has been successfully reforested with indigenous flora, a testament to the fertility of the land.
@paganbad8
