Further below: See the latest from climate physicists Lindzen and Happer on their challenge to the unscientific “Endangerment Finding” of the EPA. Understand the physics of CO2- i.e. that it has reached “saturation” in terms of its warming effect and that with increasing atmospheric levels the warming effect of CO2 now declines logarithmically. Understanding the physics of CO2 (and actual observed climate change, not the exaggerations and distortions of discredited climate models) will lead to recognizing that there is no “climate crisis” and no need to tax carbon or decarbonize our societies.
The title above refers to the need to re-evaluate and purge our meta-narratives (religious and “secular/ideological” narratives) of inhumane themes, notably to purge the inhumane ideas that have been projected onto deity or theology over past millennia. Themes that define deity are the most dominating ideas that validate other inhumane themes in our narratives. We have better, more humane alternative insights today to shape our narratives. The feature of “no conditions love” would be a primary feature for creating more humane deity theories (truly human gods). Unconditional should be among the main criteria for evaluating what is truly human or not.
Section topics:
(1) The climate crusade is “profoundly religious” (revised update): How primitive myths have been passed down through history and continue to dominate narratives today, both religious and “secular/ideological” narratives like climate alarmism.
(2) Climate physicists Schmitt and Happer on the conventional distortions re CO2.
(3) There is no need to “address climate change”- the fallacy of “control knob theory” (i.e. the discredited claim that CO2 is mainly responsible for climate change so embrace the unscientific and irrational policies of taxing carbon and decarbonizing our societies in order to “control climate change” and “limit global warming to about 1.5 degree C”.)
(4) Response to Jordan Peterson’s questions: What do belief systems express? And… How to avoid becoming caught up in “madness of crowds” episodes like Marxism, Nazism, and environmental alarmism?
(5) More on the “wonder of being human”.
(6) An Aussie story about oil.
See two new articles at the bottom of this opening section:
(1) Terrorizing, traumatizing children with climate apocalypse tales- a commentary by Judith Curry on the harmful effects of climate alarmism on children (“anti-hardiness/resilience”, learned helplessness, fatalism, despair/depression, nihilism).
(2) Comment by Eric Worrall on Senator Malcolm Roberts’ excellent submission to the Australian government to “prove with proper science that CO2 is a problem”.
Re-affirming site project- slay the monster of all monsters at the root of primal human fears:
This site engages themes from the “hero’s journey/adventure” such as the feature of engaging a great battle against monsters/enemies. The monster/enemy of this site has long been the bad ideas in human narratives from across history, notably bad theological ideas (i.e. monstrous deities). These monster gods have terrorized human consciousness from the earliest creation of human mythologies and have long remained deeply embedded in human narratives, mainly in religious narratives but have also been embraced in the “secular/ideological” narratives of more recent centuries.
One of the worst among the complex of all bad ideas is the myth that deities work through the harmful elements of the natural world (i.e. natural disaster, disease, predatory cruelty) to punish people for their sins. Note that Paul used this myth in his argument with the Corinthians- that God was punishing their sins with disease and death (1 Corinthians ch.10). Environmental alarmism has embraced this same pathological mythology with its own versions of “secular/ideological” deities punishing humanity- i.e. “vengeful Gaia, angry Mother Earth/Planet, punitive Universe, or payback karma”. This mythology adds an extra psychic burden (i.e. human suffering as punishment from deity) to already unbearable physical suffering.
These monster ideas have been protected under “the canopy of the sacred” (world religions) far too long. They re-enforce an entire complex of bad religious ideas, and notably they re-enforce the broader narrative of Declinism that dominates the consciousness of most people today (e.g. Environmental Declinism, climate alarmism).
More on “Monster gods terrorizing human consciousness since the creation of the earliest mythologies”, Wendell Krossa–
Pre-historian John Pfeiffer in “The Creative Explosion: An Inquiry into the Origins of Art and Religion” explores the origins of religion in the cave art that exploded some 30,000 years ago across southern France and northern Spain, notably in caves like those at Lascaux. He questions why people went so far into the darkness of those caves to draw the anamorphic art that they had discovered. (“Anamorphic”- i.e. the art appears to change shape or move in flickering candle light or when lamps are held at differing angles to the paintings.)
He suggests varied features of ancient thought and practice that contributed to the origins of religion as exhibited in that cave art. For instance, he suggests that those ancient people believed in the “Master or Keeper of Animals”, exalted beings who provide game and establish the rules for hunting, and punishments if the rules are broken. Such gods (like their eventual Greek offspring) were believed to be “angry and aggressive, jealous… and meddled incessantly in human affairs, punishing… and visiting all sorts of plagues upon mortals”. The Master of Animals is the prototype of all subsequent gods. (Note in regard to the animal Masters, how prominent animals are throughout the cave art.)
The intentional location of the art deep within the caves served the purpose of disorienting people and preparing them via an unpleasant experience (darkness, silence, frightening “anamorphic” art) to be receptive to what the early shaman would tell them.
Fear/terror was a basic point of the cave experience. Those early people probably believed in supernatural beings and their sense of the supernatural as frightening was intensified in the darkness and silence of the caves. The cave experience, and the art, heightened the sense of strangeness, otherworldliness, mystery, and danger.
Further, the early shaman/priests claimed to know the secrets of the invisible world (“knowledge of sacred affairs”) and that was a claim to power and control over others. It was a claim used to gain advantage over enemies/rivals. They claimed to know the secrets of how to appease and please the spirits/gods with offerings and sacrifices so as to avoid punishments (sickness, death) and to gain benefits (survival, prosperity).
The cave art and related ceremonies also suggest the origins of elites in early societies- i.e. shaman claiming special knowledge of the secrets of the invisible realms/gods, and even elevating themselves to god-like status over others. This was a claim to superiority/authority, and a demand for subservience and obedience from other lesser mortals (i.e. the earliest origin of priesthoods as “specially enlightened” and “righteously dominating” representatives of deity). Read the rest of the opening comment here
