Creating Utopia: A return to eden or babel?

1. Creating Utopia: A return to eden or babel? Considering the implications of building a perfect society without God.

2. Session 2 The Evolution of Utopian Thinking

3. The framework of this study was laid out by Dr. Heiser in a presentation given at the 2013 “Future Congress” Conference. The title of the presentation was: “Thinking Theologically About the Utopian Impulse as a Perversion of the Judeo-Christian Worldview” It can be viewed on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/yl4wR-EW00Y

4. For more of Dr. Heiser’s work listen to his: “Naked Bible Podcast” http://www.nakedbiblepodcast.com Or visit his primary website at: http://drmsh.com

5. The utopian impulse “There’s always sort of this impulse to either create the perfect society or, more pertinently, to force it on people. So I see on the horizon a wonderful, blissful, totalitarian state.” –Dr. Mike Heiser

6. Definition of utopia • an imaginary and indefinitely remote place • (often capitalized) a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions • an impractical scheme for social improvement “utopia.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 8 July 2017

7. Considering utopia • There are two primary reasons that people discuss or consider Utopian ideas: • Criticizing a current society. By considering a theoretical perfect society a person can compare and contrast societies to recognize deficits. • Dreaming of actually creating a perfect (or vastly superior) society.

8. Practical definitions • There are three critical areas that must be defined in any utopian system: • The benefits of the system. • The path to obtaining those benefits. • The method of securing and enforcing those benefits.

9. Benefits of the system • Defining the benefits of each Utopian system is varied. • Some parties may disagree with specific elements or the priority of individual elements. • Overall, most people are excepting of any list of benefits, since they are all superior to the current situation. • The benefits are the focus of each system since it is primarily positive.

10. obtaining those benefits • Obtaining benefits require either the creation of new resources or redistribution of existing resources. • People want the utopian benefits, but are far less interested in working to create those resources. • Obtaining resources either require voluntary handing over of existing resources (likely not enough to complete the transition) or taking resources by force. • Those who have sufficient resources typically are prepared to fight to secure those resources. • Those who don’t have the ability to secure their resources often have minimal resources.

11. security and enforcement • It is human nature to disagree with each other. How will the system manage people’s legitimate criticism and/or dissent within the system? • How will the system manage those people who are outside of the system but wish to enter? • How will the system manage those people who are inside the system but wish to leave?

12. The Practical definition • Utopia is the perfect human society. • There is perfect social justice. • There is perfect provision for material needs. • There is perfect social order and individual contentment. • Everyone who wants to be involved can be included. • It exists in a harmonious environment.

13. Elements of utopianism • Not all elements are present at all times, but all are present in each system at some time. • The Ecological Element • The Economic Element • The Political Element • The Equality Element • The Progress (Evolution) Element • The Religious Element

14. The Ecological element • A harmonious relationship with nature. • Achieving environmental sustainability. • On naturalism, this is required since there is nothing beyond this universe. What is available must be conserved.

15. The Economic element • An egalitarian distribution of wealth and resources. • Freedom from need. • How will the resources be created? • Who determines the distribution of resources? • How will it be managed when people desire more?

16. the Political element • Realization of world peace. • Physical security. • Freedom from crime. • Who defines what crime is? • How are the rules enforced?

17. The Equality Element • Equal rights for all people. • Multi-culturalism. • Gender neutrality. • Who defines the rights of the people? • In cases where people disagree on values, how is the situation rectified?

18. The Progress element • Human improvement (generally seen as improving the human organism). • Scientific and technological advancement. • If advancement is required to create/support the system, what happens when individuals aren’t comfortable with the new technologies? • Consider undesired curricula in education, medical advances such as vaccines, or human enhancement with technology.

19. The Religious element • Anti-religious: science/nature are treated as divinity. • Omni-religious: All religious blended into one. • Christian: Communal sharing (millennarian).

20. The Ancient utopian impulse • Genesis Chapter 2: The Garden of Eden • Plato: The Republic • The first secular example of the utopian impulse in literature. • Revolutionary thinking in its day. • Augustine, The City of God • Introduced the concept of ushering in God’s kingdom here on Earth. • This work was used to later justify the Crusades.

21. The 16th century utopian impulse • John Calvin: his vision for society in Geneva • Harsh punishment for minor infractions. • Created a group who viewed themselves as spiritually superior and therefore above the restrictive ecclesiastical laws. • Thomas More: Utopia • Pushed the idea of utopia into public discourse. • Used the utopian ideal to criticize the society he lived in.

22. The 17th century utopian impulse • Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan • Focuses on the empowerment of the state to enforce the ideal community. • Francis Bacon, New Atlantis • Shaped the thinking of enlightenment thinkers and and Freemasons who helped form thinking in the early United States. • When leaving Europe the founding fathers were interested in what a completely new country should look like.

23. The 18th century utopian impulse • Enlightenment Thinking: European dissatisfaction with monarchies and aristocracies. • The American Revolution • Violent revolution and war. • Peaceful transitions of power. • The French Revolution • 10.5 years of government and civilian unrest and violence. • Drove the rise of liberalism.

24. The 18th century utopian impulse • Christian Thinking: Christianity in the face of secularization. • The Shakers (The Shaking Quakers) • Strict rules around celibacy, communalism, pacifism, and equality between men and women. • The Ephrata Cloister • Started by a religious hermit. • Strict rules around celibacy, time spent in solitude, self-discipline, and vegetarian diet.

25. The 19th century utopian impulse • Transcendentalism: Spirituality in the face of secularization. • Authors: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Scott, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson • These authors promoted monism and paganism (in the form of nature worship) into the public consciousness.

26. The 19th century utopian impulse • The Second Great Awakening • Post-millenialism (Dominion Theology) • The idea that Christians need to bring in God’s kingdom on Earth. It is our responsibility to enable Eden on Earth. • William Jennings Bryan • Famous Christian thinker and politician. • A critical person in the failure of the 1925 Scopes trial against teaching evolution in public schools.

27. The 19th century utopian impulse • Economics • Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward • By the end of the 19th century Looking Backward was one of the best selling books in American History. • The book popularized the idea of Christian Socialism, the idea that Jesus taught we should share everything equally. • Karl Marx & Friedrich Engles, The Communist Manifesto & Das Kapital • Popularization of Marxism, an economic theory that promised to remove class distinctions and conflict by redistributing wealth and resources.

28. The 20th century utopian impulse • Progressivism: Directing human evolution. • George Orwell, 1984 & Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 • Dystopian views of the future which introduced the ideas of the strong police state and control of information as a way to manipulate the masses. • Aldous Huxley, Brave New World • Control of the masses using “happiness” as a way to manipulate peoples perceptions.

29. The 20th century utopian impulse • Progressivism: Directing human evolution. • H.G. Wells, Modern Utopia, Men Like Gods, The Shape of Things to Come • A critical component of utopian “progress” is the removal of the undesirable elements (undesirable people) of the society. (eugenics, abortion on demand, euthanasia) • National Socialism (Nazism) • Nazis incorporated ideas from American and British eugenics programs into their utopian vision of a society composed of a pure arian race. • Adopted occult and nature worship at the core of their belief systems.

30. The 20th century utopian impulse • State Control: Directing human behavior. • Aldous Huxley, Brave New World • Control of the masses using “happiness” as a way to manipulate peoples perceptions. • George Orwell, 1984 and Animal Farm • Totalitarian control of society through the use of technology, a surveillance state, and government force.

31. The 20th century utopian impulse • The 1960s Hippie Movement • Bringing in the Age of Aquarius (occult). • Led to the introduction of New Age religion and “spirituality”. • Led to the “American Left” • Right-wing Religious Cults

32. Summary • God created man to be in communion and relationship with Him, but man rejected God’s plan and fell. • Since being ejected from Eden, mankind has sought to return to Eden (utopia) on his own terms. • God has a plan for us. If we submit ourselves to His plan for our lives and live in relationship with Him again, we will spend eternity in Heaven (utopia) with Him. • Any other pursuit of Utopia is bound to failure, and will ultimately end up hurting those it was intended to benefit.

33. For more of Dr. Heiser’s work listen to his: “Naked Bible Podcast” http://www.nakedbiblepodcast.com Or visit his primary website at: http://drmsh.com