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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

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