Thank you for this post. I also found it to be enlightening. I was
quite intrigued by the connections that apparently exist in the ID
movement and creationism. I apologize if what I say here is a little off
the subject of evolution, but allow me to make some clarifications since
the topic was brought up.
For the record not at all creationists or ID'ers are "reconstructionists"
that have a larger agenda in mind. That some do look at creationism as
part of a much broader program cannot be denied. Reconstructionism is a
modern-day resurgence of an old interpretation of the Bible known as
postmillennialism. The idea here is that the Church of Jesus Christ will
one day rule over the world for a long time -- centuries or even
millennia. Then at the end of this "millennium" the Lord Jesus will
return to Earth (hence the term "postmillennialism"). Post-mills
constitute a minority group within the conservative Christian camp and
within creationism in general. Most proponents of this concept can be
found in the Reformed denominations.
Likewise, let me say something about the "harsh fundamentalist theocracy"
that post-mills envision. It is not as though this kind of society will
be forced or coerced upon the population as a whole. Post-mills believe
that the vast majority of the planet will one day become Christian. As a
result of this great conversion of people, the world will want to have a
theocratic society. Such a social structure would be freely embraced by
the nations and peoples. At least that's how the idea goes in post-mill
thought.
I realize the notion of a theocratic society can be frightening to
non-Christians, and they can start having nightmares about a
Iranian-style takeover of the country with full-scale subjugation of a
resistant populace. Consequently, they may begin to see conspiracies
occurring even in the most innocent of circumstances (perhaps Johnson's
connections are just such a case). However, this is not what post-mills
have in mind. America must first be converted and only then will a
theocracy occur by popular demand.
Steve C.
P.S. I'm not a post-mill. I hold to something known as amillennialism
which does not envision a world-wide theocracy. I personally see a lot
of danger in a theocratic society, even for Christians. The Bible grants
liberty of conscience in areas that are not specifically addressed in
Scripture. In a "reconstructed" society, there's all kinds of
opportunity for trampling even on Christians' consciences.
On Sat, 29 Jul 2000 08:33:03 -0500 Susan Brassfield <susanb@telepath.com>
writes:
> This is a portion of e-Skeptic that I found *most* enlightening!
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> FOLLOW THE MONEY TO PHILLIP JOHNSON
>
> The following is from our friends at the Americans United for
> Separation of
> Church and State.
>
> >From Genesis To Dominion
> Fat-Cat Theocrat Funds Creationism Crusade
> by Steve Benen
>
> Anti-evolution crusader Phillip Johnson, dedicated his 1997 book,
> Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds, to "Roberta and Howard, who
> understood 'the wedge' because they love the Truth."
>
> The mysterious reference is apparently a note of thanks to Howard F.
> Ahmanson Jr. and his wife Roberta, a wealthy and secretive Orange
> County, Calif., couple who have generously funded the anti-evolution
> movement and other right-wing causes that advance their
> fundamentalist
> Christian
> outlook.
>
> Howard Ahmanson, however, is no ordinary fat-cat. The savings and
> loan
> heir has maintained a long-time relationship with Christian
> Reconstructionism, an extreme faction of the Religious Right that
> seeks
> to replace American democracy with a harsh fundamentalist theocracy.
>
> Reconstructionists believe conservative Christians should take
> "dominion" over American society. Under their version of "biblical
> law,"
> the death penalty would be required for over a dozen categories of
> offenders,
> including adulterers, homosexuals, witches, incorrigible children
> and
> those who spread "false" religions. They regard the teaching of
> evolution
> as part of a "war against Genesis."
>
> Ahmanson served for over two decades on the board of directors of
> the
> Chalcedon Foundation, Rousas J. Rushdoony's Reconstructionist think
> tank that serves as the intellectual center of the movement.
> Ahmanson has
> also generously supported the Foundation's work.
>
> As for Ahmanson's interests in opposing evolution, his relationship
> with leaders such as Johnson raises a series of questions about how
> the
> movement to "defeat" evolution is paid for and what the larger
> agenda
> might be.
>
> There is little doubt that the Ahmansons have the resources to help
> finance anti-evolution efforts. The family's wealth grew
> exponentially
> during the 1950s and '60s when Howard Ahmanson Sr, made billions in
> the savings
> and loan industry. After his death, his estate was divided between
> his
> son Howard F. Ahmanson and the Ahmanson Foundation, which had $663
> million
> in assets at the end of 1996. (H.F. Ahmanson & Co., the parent
> company of
> Home Savings of America, had over $47 billion in assets in 1997.)
>
> With a vast fortune in hand, the Ahmansons are playing an active
> role
> in ensuring the anti-evolution movement's success.
>
> According to Reason magazine, promotional materials from the
> Seattle-based Discovery Institute acknowledge that the Ahmanson
> family
> donated $1.5 million to the Institute's Center for the Renewal of
> Science
> and Culture for a research and publicity program to "unseat not just
> Darwinism but also Darwinism's cultural legacy." In fact, the August
> 1999
> issue of
> the Discovery Institute's Journal recognizes an Ahmanson outfit for
> providing
> the Center's start-up funds.
>
> With such high-powered assistance, the Center has quickly become a
> leading anti-evolution organization. The center's senior fellows
> include
> some of the highest profile advocates of "Intelligent Design"
> creationism,
> including David Berlinski, William Dembski and Michael Behe. Johnson
> himself is listed among the center's two official advisors.
>
> Additionally, Roberta Green Ahmanson provided the funding for
> Dembski
> to appear at her alma mater, Calvin College, a conservative
> Christian
> school in Michigan, to promote his approach to attacking evolution.
> Although he claims to be interested only in the scientific
> "evidence" against
> evolution, Dembski's appearance was listed as part of the college's
> "Seminars in
> Christian Scholarship."
>
> Funding from the Ahmansons is not always obvious. For example, the
> Fieldstead Institute is an extension of the Ahmanson empire, which
> frequently provides financial support for creationist causes.
> Dembski's
> appearance at Calvin was sponsored by a group called Fieldstead and
> Company. (Both appear to derive their name from Howard's middle
> name,
> Fieldstead.)
>
> Ahmanson has also taken an interest in providing money for other
> political causes, including support for voucher subsidies for
> religious
> schools and opposition to gay rights and pornography. In the
> January/February
> 1997 issue of Religion & Liberty, published by the Acton Institute
> for the
> Study of Religion and Liberty, he argued that the Bible opposes
> minimum wage
> laws.
>
> Ahmanson's opposition to evolution remains part of his larger agenda
> of
> establishing a fundamentalist "Christian nation." In the coming
> years,
> as different groups and personalities step into the anti-evolution
> fray,
> Ahmanson's role bears watching.
>
> Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 2000.
> All rights reserved.
> --------------------------------------
> Copyright 2000 by Michael Shermer and the Skeptics Society. Copies
> of
> this internet posting may be made and distributed in whole without
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