An important part of Neo-Conservatism and Christian Fundamentalism is Creationism. For these people it is important to insist on the relatively young age of the Earth, compared to, for example, the length given by Science for the time Man has lived on Earth.
Why is this so?
Since the 1970’s there has been a greater awareness in the general consciousness of the population of environmental issues, alternative religions and non-hierarchical organisation. Obviously, those in the Establishment are aware of this and are aware that the general message of equality and respect for life contradicts their own sense of Justice. (i.e Their position in power)
Many in the Deep Ecology movement see much of human progress as a denial of Universal human and natural values that have only been retained by hunter-gatherer peoples. For many Primitivists, it all started to go wrong for Mankind in the Neolithic period. For Creationists, it was around this period that Man was still happily in the Garden of Eden and was on personal terms with God.
The suggestion that Shamanistic and Animistic cultures were in existence much earlier would be considered by modern Conservatives to be a great blow to society that would overturn all its values of property ownership, Patriarchy, Capitalism and the Modern Nation State.
Anthrpologists and archaeologists would tell us, shock horror, that Man has mostly existed without a State or Monotheism. Creationists would have us assume that primitive cultures, and polytheistic cultures in general have no real legitimate basis for, according to a strict biblical interpretation, at some point their ancestors rejected God and therefore rejected the central authority "natural" to mankind.
Primitivism has, in turn, been used as a stick by the Right to beat environmentalists
and the Left in general with: You don't like cars, nuclear power etc therefore you hate civilisation. Religon connects again with this as millions of Americans are now waiting in breathless anticipaton for "the rapture". If the End is coming anyway, amnd it's basicaly God's will, why protect the environment?
Why is this so?
Since the 1970’s there has been a greater awareness in the general consciousness of the population of environmental issues, alternative religions and non-hierarchical organisation. Obviously, those in the Establishment are aware of this and are aware that the general message of equality and respect for life contradicts their own sense of Justice. (i.e Their position in power)
Many in the Deep Ecology movement see much of human progress as a denial of Universal human and natural values that have only been retained by hunter-gatherer peoples. For many Primitivists, it all started to go wrong for Mankind in the Neolithic period. For Creationists, it was around this period that Man was still happily in the Garden of Eden and was on personal terms with God.
The suggestion that Shamanistic and Animistic cultures were in existence much earlier would be considered by modern Conservatives to be a great blow to society that would overturn all its values of property ownership, Patriarchy, Capitalism and the Modern Nation State.
Anthrpologists and archaeologists would tell us, shock horror, that Man has mostly existed without a State or Monotheism. Creationists would have us assume that primitive cultures, and polytheistic cultures in general have no real legitimate basis for, according to a strict biblical interpretation, at some point their ancestors rejected God and therefore rejected the central authority "natural" to mankind.
Primitivism has, in turn, been used as a stick by the Right to beat environmentalists
and the Left in general with: You don't like cars, nuclear power etc therefore you hate civilisation. Religon connects again with this as millions of Americans are now waiting in breathless anticipaton for "the rapture". If the End is coming anyway, amnd it's basicaly God's will, why protect the environment?
posted by Legal Smeagol at 1:18 PM
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