Browsing by Subject "militant religion"

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    ISIS and the Apocalypse: Some Comparisons with End Times Thinking Elsewhere, and a Theory
    (International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations, 2016-06-30) Andregg, Michael M.
    ISIS and Apocalypse: DRAFT - 6 Some Comparisons with End Times Thinking Elsewhere and a Theory by Michael Andregg, mmandregg@stthomas.edu for the ISCSC Annual Conference, June 30, 2016, at Monmouth University, NJ, USA abstract This paper will review “End Times Thinking” in Jewish, Christian and Islamic cultures to identify some common themes among myriad differing details. Simply put, some people have believed for hundreds or thousands of years that their prophets will return to earth someday to rescue humankind from sin (or in a common Shi’ite version, a son of the Prophet Mohammed will return, named or called the “Mahdi”). Some Christians think that Jesus will return to administer vast changes, ranging from “rapture” to annihilation; some Jews that a “Messiah” is destined for those tasks, but focused on saving the Hebrew people of Israel. Generally, the earth is supposed to be purified by these processes, so that some “true” religion can be manifest on the entire earth, which would then be free of war, famine and perhaps suffering of all kinds. Then, we present a theory based on behavior genetics and the “selfish gene” hypothesis. This suggests that such beliefs may reflect an ancient template that encourages some to believe that they alone are the center of both the universe and God’s love. Some think that God wants them alone to populate the earth, or rule everyone else as slaves. Such people are easy prey for demagogues who abound in desperate places and royal courts. Some notes on Mormon theology and on the Bundy family of Southern Nevada, USA, will show how this belief system can arise in churches of much more recent origin, and that it can change to better coexist with others. ISIS is killing far more people today than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS, a.k.a. Mormons). But it was not always so. The Mountain Meadows Massacre of ~ 120 Christians on the way to California is a case in point. How the LDS church came to grips with modernity and literally decided to coexist better with others provides some clues to how any church or religion might moderate so that a real “end” to civilization (and possibly humankind) can be avoided. The presence and spread of WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) lends urgency to this fix.
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    Solutions for Key Aspects of the Developing Global Crisis
    (2017-06-20) Andregg, Michael M.
    This is an eleven slide PowerPoint presentation for an ISCSC conference in 2017 which systematically works through the largest aspects of "The Developing Global Crisis" with a focus on solutions.
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    Spiritual Responses to Terrorism: Saying No to Fear
    (2001-12-06) Andregg, Michael M.
    Spiritual Responses to Terrorism: Saying No to Fear Prepared for Mari Ann Graham, Fr. Posey, and the folks at our forum on Dec. 6, 2001, 7-9:30 pm at UST. (Do not blame them for the author’s words below!) – by Michael Andregg, JPST program at St. Thomas The causes of the attack on September 11, 2001 include at least 17 distinct elements, only one of which I am going to focus on this evening. That is attractive for busy people, but it is also simplistic. We cannot prevent future acts of terrorism if we only consider one aspect of 17 causes. In fact, this is why many great problems continue unsolved -- they have multiple causes, but people are impatient. We pick one or two of the most attractive causes, often because they are easiest to deal with, work awhile, and then move on declaring the problem unsolvable. Abject poverty is like that too, a problem I will return to. But time is limited, so I'll identify all 17 causes very briefly, then focus what time remains on the one that brings us together tonight – Spiritual intolerance, ignorance, bigotry, and ultimately hatred and violence. 1. There is a huge struggle going on today worldwide, between fundamentalist forms of religion based on fear and envy, and ecumenical forms of religion based on love and tolerance. This struggle is occurring within every major faith, and is central to questions of why bombs go off today, and more importantly, also to how we may act as individuals and nations to stop the killing between factions over religious differences. This is the big cause that I will return to in a few minutes. But first, the other 16. 2. Wars have at least two sides, and the reasons they fight are often not identical. Osama Bin Laden has been very explicit about his reasons for the war. His first reason is the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and support for a government there he views as profoundly corrupt. Which it is. 3. U.S. support for Israel is the second cause he cited in his fatwa against Americans everywhere. 14 more items follow and summary
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    The Unspoken Causes of Chaos in Syria Today
    (Submitted to the Star Tribune for an op-ed, not used by them. But carefully written and on the point of the crisis., 2015-09) Andregg, Michael M.
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    Why Population Pressure and Militant Religion are the most Important Causes of the Developing Global Crisis
    (2009-06-04) Andregg, Michael M.
    Population pressure and militant religion are the most important causes of the crisis before us today because we can do something about them, and if we don’t we are doomed. The history of the earth is vast and many civilizations have risen, fallen, transformed, and sometimes collapsed catastrophically. All of this is extremely complicated, so to boil it down to a couple of variables is ridiculously simplistic. That is, however, one role of theory for complex processes, reducing dozens or even hundreds of variables into a smaller number that minds can more easily manage. So this is a position paper, not empirical research. Controversies accompany definition of many key terms like “civilization,” “religion” (militant and otherwise), “genocide,” “human nature,” “population pressure” and so forth. These will be set aside so that the key thesis can be presented in the space available. I encourage anyone to disprove or improve on these ideas, because however you describe it our global civilization is entering a period of profound crisis. Practical answers matter more than words, and accuracy matters more than ideology. In the past, as cases here show, some civilizations facing similar challenges survived while others perished forever from this earth. So the question of why some fail and why others succeed is not a mere theoretical question. There are many other variables important to the rise and fall of civilizations, but most will not destroy you if neglected. Population pressure and militant religion can. Plus, we can affect these factors, while goals like changing human nature or eliminating sin are ephemeral. This paper is built on foundations laid by authors like Clive Ponting, Jared Dimond and Tatu Vanhanen (of Britain, the USA and Finland respectively). But almost every concept is disputable, from the definition of civilizations to the “evolutionary roots of politics” that Vanhanen discusses (and Azar Gat elaborates, 2006) which drive some of their political science colleagues into vehement denials that biology has anything at all to do with politics. The critics are wrong, but rather than argue each of these and many other relevant items extensively here, I will just declare my opinion. Having considered these complex and sensitive topics as carefully as I can, these are my conclusions. Readers may critique and prove or disprove them as they like. My goal is human survival, which I think is at risk to these two factors specifically.