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The Forum > Article Comments > The politics of religion > Comments

The politics of religion : Comments

By Max Wallace, published 4/6/2010

The politics of Senator Xenophon’s tax laws amendment (public benefit test) bill 2010 and the Church of Scientology.

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>>Once again, denialists confuse a falsifiable hypothesis with religious faith

Actually, I think the person confusing a hypothesis with nutty nature worship was the one saying things like, 'so, Gaia's, like, one giant, living organism, man!'
Posted by Clownfish, Wednesday, 9 June 2010 4:13:15 PM
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Yeah, I'd agree with that; but that's not what Lovelock said (or how he said it).
The irony here, Clownfish, is that you and Lovelock probably have a lot in common.
Lovelock's a scientist. He seems to feel the green movement has been taken over by a bunch of latte sipping w(expletive deleted)kers.
Lovelock believes the bestest greenest energy is nuclear, and the only (short term) hope we have.
Lovelock hates the idea of covering beautiful countryside with wind generators.
Lovelock points out that carbon sequestration would involve a volume of co2 -yearly- if solidified- about a mile high, and (I think from memory) about 12 miles around. Compared to nuclear waste taking a volume of about 16 square metres.
If you want to attack the latte sipping greenies, be my guest.
Just don't describe them as 'Gaiaists', -at least until you have read
"the revenge of Gaia".
Posted by Grim, Wednesday, 9 June 2010 6:57:25 PM
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Grim

You are right, Lovelock is a respectable mainstream scientist. However, many groups have taken his metaphor of the planet as a living organism and literalised it, spiritualised it, or both.

In WA there is a “Gaia Foundation” whose mission statement is:

"Our intention is to lovingly empower ourselves and others to know oneness with Gaia, the living Earth, through taking courageous and joyous action, now"

Its website claims that “the earth itself is alive” and the biosphere a self-regulating metabolism, and that “human activity in a cancerous fashion is currently dismantling and destroying ... Gaian creation.

This movement looks a lot like a religion in many respects. It has apocalyptic fears of future disaster because of human sinfulness; a path to salvation based on repentance and changed modes of living; deference to a higher being as a source of authority and moral guidance; and appeals to spiritual awareness and insight.

Check out this website – Lovelock’s theory has spawned some adherents who are a long way removed from mainstream science.

http://www.gaia.iinet.net.au/background.htm
Posted by Rhian, Thursday, 10 June 2010 4:53:25 PM
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Rhian, you are right.

Lovelock may not have intended it so, but the Gaia hypothesis has been confabulated with the Classical personification of 'Mother Earth' that was its namesake.

One also only has to listen to the childish twitterings of an activist like Julia Butterfly Hill to realise how far the Environmental movement is skipping (widdershins and sky-clad, it goes without saying) over the edge of primitive nature-worship.

Grim, to paraphrase Ghandi: I like your environment, I do not like your Environmentalists.
Posted by Clownfish, Thursday, 10 June 2010 10:41:07 PM
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"Feel free to disagree with "our ideas"..and discuss them.. but what you said there was outright abuse and vilification."

I only hope you can eat your own words:) LAW

Back to the topic. Gays are not in your mind/set or anything else that plays with your own words, with-in your contradictions as in terms which all must agree in the case of law. Life is not a game which you can say( with facts ) is an absolute non custodial terms when it comes to the 21st century. The constitution gives all humans the right to live as they please in concordance with all human law regardless of how futile it may seem.

I thank the above and without great thought you would not be the poster you are today, a great many thanks to the fantastic minds we have here on olo. Gay people are just like you, and your discrimination against them I loath. I am not a gay person myself, but I give mighty praise to the work they do and the love they bring to all our communities. When will you humans ever wake up! You all waste so much time when you can be doing so much better than thinking with your discriminative minds and how damned you are for thinking so shallow.

We as humans have only one chance and if you blow it, there is nothing I can do for you. Treat each other with respect and go forward with science and religion and in the end the world will become one Mr David.

Any Questions?

Thank you Celivia for not putting yourself in the firing lines you must be a conservative. I will think upon your thoughts more discretely in the future.

TTM
Posted by think than move, Thursday, 10 June 2010 11:43:40 PM
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Not my environmentalists, clownfish; although I have to concede your (and Rhian's) points. I'm a country boy.
True story; the last time I went to the big smoke, I tried to get a cup of coffee. All I got was confused. I felt like the bloke in the old milk ad. We sat at a table for fifteen minutes before a kindly passerby informed us they don't do table service any more; first you have to get a ticket, when your number's called, put in your order, get another ticket...
There goes the rainforest.
Posted by Grim, Friday, 11 June 2010 6:53:23 AM
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