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production based on labor-inten- namics and entropy as the governsive,<br />
as opposed to capital-inten- ing principle of the universe, an<br />
sive, methods .... The end of the outlook given its modern expresprevailing<br />
economic epoch pre- sion by the demonologist Issac<br />
sages the end of the prevailing Newton. He writes: "The Second<br />
theological one as well .... " Law of Thermodynamics posits a<br />
"A steady-state ]zero- similar view of history. It states<br />
growth] society," Rifkin contin- that all matter and energy were<br />
ues, "will require that each person created, in this original state, with<br />
live a much more frugal or spartan an order and value to them. That<br />
lifestyle .... Goals will shift from ordered state is continually being<br />
the material and physical to the eroded by an irreversible natural<br />
spiritual and transcendent. Finally, process .... In rqaintaining the<br />
in the model steady-state society, illusion that technology can overscience<br />
will no longer reign su- come the forces of disorder at<br />
preme as the arbiter of an absolute work in the world--that is, reset<br />
of truths upon which all life is verse the process of entropy--hugoverned."<br />
man beings have committed<br />
ultimate sin.... "<br />
the<br />
Rewriting Genesis For all his talk about a new<br />
This new theology is based upon religious reyival, Rifkin's intena<br />
perverse reading of Genesis tion is in fact the destruction of the<br />
which understands God's injunc- Christian religion by propagating<br />
tion that man hold dominion over the idea that God Himself has limnature<br />
as meaning "stewardship, '_' its. This argument, embodied in<br />
rather than what Rifkin describes the emerging "creation theology"<br />
as "people's unrestrained pillage pushed by certain fundamentalist<br />
and exploitation of the natural churches as well as Rifkin's Jesworld."<br />
uit-controlled Latin American ter-<br />
Like the proverbial devil quot- rorist colleagues--is the key epising<br />
scripture, Rifkin explains: "The temological weapon being used to<br />
new interpretation of Genesis be- seduce especially the old-line degins<br />
with the idea that since God nominations into embracing a pacreated<br />
the heavens and the earth gan view of God and the universe.<br />
and everything in the world, all Clothed in anti-liberal, anti-Darhis<br />
creations take on importance winian trappings, creation theoland<br />
an intrinsic worth because ogy, according to one of its adherthey<br />
are of his making .... ants, Luther Sunderland, is<br />
[W]hat God has created is fixed actually the brainchild of some of<br />
... [and] anything that exploits the worst liberal atheists around,<br />
or harms God's creations is sinful notably Karl Popper and the Britand<br />
an act of rebellion against God ish Museum. Rifkin is actually arhimself.<br />
Likewise, anything that guing against the existence of<br />
undermines the 'fixed' purpose God. For if God created the uniand<br />
order that God has given to<br />
the natural world is also sinful and<br />
verse out of nothing--brought or-<br />
der out of disorder--who is teran<br />
act of rebellion." rorist-controller Rifkin to claim<br />
Rit'kin is aware, of course, that the opposite, or to argue that man,<br />
"creation theology" is nothing created in God's image, is incapabut<br />
a restatement in clerical dis- ble of excercising his creative<br />
guise of the environmentalists' power to continue the scientific<br />
pseudoscientific enthronement of process of creation?<br />
the Second Law of Thermody- --Kathleen Murphy<br />
CAMPAIGNER/June 1980 73