Darwinism and the Religion of Scientific Materialism

Enrico Ferri (1856-1926), a prominent socialist of his day, was an Italian criminologist who for many years was the editor of Avanti, a socialist daily. Writing in "Socialism and Religious Beliefs," he spoke of the all-important connection between Darwin's theory and socialism: "I add that not only is Darwinism not contrary to socialism, but that it forms one of its fundamental scientific premises. As Virchow justly remarked, socialism is nothing else than the logical and vital outcome partly of Darwinism and partly of Spencerian evolution." (www.marxists.org/...)

Enrico frankly discussed how and why Darwinian socialism serves as an alternate religion: "socialism is joined to religious evolution and tends to substitute itself for religion because it desires precisely that humanity should have…its own 'terrestrial paradise' without having to wait for it in a 'something beyond'…the socialist movement has numerous characteristics common…to primitive Christianity, notably its ardent faith in the ideal." (ibid)

To wit: Darwinian socialism (Marx's dialectical scientific materialism) is a secularized and distorted mirror image of the Christian teaching of divine providence. In as the Biblical model teaches that man and history are moving towards the Kingdom of God, scientific materialism preaches that man and history are evolving toward a terrestrial paradise created by Promethean humanists. The notion that both history and man are evolving upward through successive stages is what British philosopher Mary Midgley termed the "Escalator Myth." When speaking of scientific materialism's creation account, Ferri candidly admitted: "modern positive science…has substituted the conception of natural causality for the conception of miracles and divinity." (ibid) In other words, scientific materialists have reduced the personal Creator of the universe to the level of an impersonal animating force. It's this 'force' into which Promethean materialists tap, thus using it as the source of both their power and authority.

David Horowitz had this to say about scientific materialism's theology and creation account: "The victorious radicals had proclaimed a theology of Reason in which equality of condition was the natural and true order of creation. In their Genesis, the loss of equality was the ultimate source of mankind's' suffering and evil…The ownership of private property became a secular version of original sin. Redemption…was possible only through the Revolution that would abolish property and open the gates to the Socialist Eden---to paradise regained." ("The Politics of Bad Faith" www.discoverthenetwork.com)

In the Promethean project, everything from the cosmos to all living things, culture, customs, etc. are subject to evolution. The cosmos, or 'supreme being' is alive and in a constant state of transformative change. In speaking of the cosmos, Lenin used explicitly religious terminology: "We may regard the material and cosmic world as the supreme being, as the cause of all causes, as the creator of heaven and earth." (Vladimir Lenin as quoted in Francis Nigel Lee "Communism versus Creation," pg. 28)

Even the convoluted double-speak so peculiar to the Left is itself founded upon the notion of evolution, which no doubt explains why truth is a stranger to them. Dialectics (or more correctly: speaking in tongues) is what they call their snake-oil rhetoric. In Trotsky's words: "Vulgar thought operates with such concepts as capitalism, morals, freedom…etc. Dialectic thinking analyses all things and phenomena in their continuous change. Dialectics…teaches us to combine syllogisms in such a way as to bring our understanding closer to eternally changing reality." (The ABC of Dialectics, Leon Trotsky, http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky)

As double-speak indicates a need for secrecy, it comes as no surprise that dialectical materialism is likewise a hotbed of Gnosticism. Christian Gnostics were people who, when they read Scripture, claimed an ability to receive 'secret' knowledge from it, knowable only to them. Hence, they were practitioners of 'divination.' Modern Gnostics on our USSC have claimed to receive secret knowledge through 'auras, penumbras, and emanations" during their readings of our Constitution. Gnosticism, for obvious reasons, has a history of attracting megalomaniacs in search of secret knowledge to use as power over others. Frederick Engel's reveals that dialectical materialism is rooted in Gnosticism when he says: "An exact representation of the universe, of its evolution, of the development of mankind, and of the reflection of this evolution in the minds of men, can…only be obtained by the methods of dialectics." (The Making of Utopian Socialism," Frederick Engel's, www.marxists.org)

In the theology of scientific materialism, Judgment Day is the Day of Revolution. This is the day of redemption when, in the name of 'Absolute Science! Amen!" the evil bourgeoisie (Conservatives, Christians, white males, all heterosexuals, George Bush, Rumsfeld, etc) will be damned. Likewise, all evil social institutions such as private property, traditional family, absolute moral laws, the Boy Scouts, Christianity, the concept of sin, and man's created condition as either male or female will be demolished, thus allowing equality of condition to prevail. This is what the Left means when it rhapsodizes about 'peace.'

In a brutal, but much deserved condemnation of Marx's dialectical materialism, David Horowitz wrote: "In every revolutionary battle in this century, the Left has been a vanguard without a viable future to offer, whose only purpose was to destroy whatever civilization actually existed. Consider: If no one had believed Marx's idea, there would have been no Bolshevik Revolution…Hitler would not have come to power; there would have been no cold war." (The Politics of Bad Faith) Additionally, more than one-hundred million people would not have been slaughtered.

By the turn of the century, Marx's idea (the religion of scientific materialism) had crossed the Atlantic where it then began to metastasize in America. It was not long before it began to bear rotten fruit. By 1932, William Z. Foster, head of the Communist Party USA stated: "Class ideologies…will give place to scientific materialist philosophy…the American Soviet government will…further the cultural revolution (by doing) the following: schools, colleges, universities will be coordinated…under the National Department of Education…studies will be revolutionized…cleansed of religious, patriotic…ideology…students will be taught…Marxian dialectical materialism; general ethics of the new socialist society. Science will become materialistic…God will be banished from laboratories as well as from schools." ('Toward Soviet America," by William Z. Foster, 1932)

So now its America's turn to be sacrificed upon the altar of Promethean narcissism, for having learned nothing from his corpse-littered past, bloody-handed Prometheus continues to doggedly pursue his fantasy of a terrestrial paradise—in the name of 'Absolute Science! Amen!"

Copyright Linda Kimball 2006 About the writer: Linda is a writer and author of numerous published articles and essays on culture, politics, and worldview.

Thank you oh so very much for your excellent research and essay and this engaging conversation on the issues!

I found something most amusing in the Marx excerpts. He said (emphasis mine):

It is this spontaneously developed difference which, when different communities come in contact, calls forth the mutual exchange of products, and the consequent gradual conversion of those products into commodities.”

This immediately brings to mind the four Aristotlean causes. Marx is poaching on Darwin here, dismissing the same two causes as if to say the social structure itself is involuntary, unguided, randomized so to speak - with neither a design nor a purpose. Its apparant organization/complexity is the result of "pressures" as he suggested in the next paragraph - just like biological life.

Frankly, I laughed out loud.

Here's a guy, obviously with a plan, calling it inevitable in the likeness of Darwin's theory.

So, I just dont see how Darwin, can be held accountable for how anyone else used his writings...it makes no sense...people often write of things which they believe to be true, should they then be held accountable for anyone who might try to twist and pervert those writings to suit their own purpose?...I dont think so.

Neither do I! Thanks for writing, andysandmikesmom!

...the social structure itself is involuntary, unguided, randomized so to speak - with neither a design nor a purpose. Its apparant organization/complexity is the result of "pressures" as he suggested in the next paragraph - just like biological life.

Hi, A-G!!! Excellent insight! The Newtonian random "bumping and grinding" of moving bodies finally explains everything! (Except for the persistence of form, and purpose.... Oh, well: two out of four ain't bad. :^) )

Thanks so much for writing, Alamo-Girl!

[ I found something most amusing in the Marx excerpts. He said (emphasis mine): "It is this spontaneously developed difference which, when different communities come in contact, calls forth the mutual exchange of products, and the consequent gradual conversion of those products into commodities.” ]

LoL.. Reminds me of my teenagers when they were teenagers.. With the "IT JUST HAPPENED".. caveat.. after an especially hienous "crime" was committed by them.. Blaming poor old fate for their misdeeds.. Never really put it together before.. Marxists(and socialists) are perpetual teenagers.. with arrested development.. could be "EVOS" are too.. The end result of any crime(event) takes some planning.. i.e. DESIGN.. it wasn't wholly an accident.. Most(No ALL) of my problems in this life come from things I did, OR shouldn't have done.. Takes an adult to see that..

Thank you so much for the encouragement!

Truly, it is amazing to me that Marx got away with appropriating Darwin with that logical fallacy. All I can figure is that many in the intelligentsia of his day wanted him to be right (ahem...)

[ ...the social structure itself is involuntary, unguided, randomized so to speak ]

And it would be too, except for one thing.. That particular society's elite.. i.e. Shamans, Chiefs, Priests, Kings, Government, and those ever present underlings(minions) that guide and farm the peasants for them.. like farm animals.. It was always so, and still is.. Those that worship democracy worship MOB Rule.. as something almost holy.. Royalty is Mob Rule too with a smaller elite Mob of Mobsters.. guiding the scam.. and ever present bunko performed to assuage the dread anarchy..

Great point, hosepipe! Teenagers often go through a rebellious stage and sometimes want the same goodies (cars, designer jeans or whatever) as the next guy but without regard to the effort required and likely an unwillingness to do so even if it dawned on them that such things are not easily obtained.

Thank you for responding, as well...I always read your posts, and enjoy them, tho must admit, you are much more well read than I, and I really have to work at understanding what you post...but its always well worth the effort...

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