The blog OneSTVD [One Standard Devation] has produced a useful table that outlines the similarities between religious creationists and “blank slate” liberals:
These educated, liberal elitists believe their shallow acceptance of evolution distinguishes them from the ignorant “Jesus freaks”. Yet, it is amusing how closely liberal creationism matches the creationism supported by religious fundamentalists.
This chart reminds one of a section in Bertrand Russell’s discussion of Augustine’s philosophy and theology in his “A History of Western Philosophy.” Russell draws attention to the similarities between Jewish/Christian eschatology and Marxist socialism:
Yahweh=Dialectical Materialism
The Messiah=Marx
The Elect=The Proletariat
The Church=The Communist Party
The Second Coming=The Revolution
Hell=Punishment of the Capitalists
The Millennium=The Communist Commonwealth
The theme that socialism and modern liberalism have been shaped by, or at least display, quasi-religious, anti-realist, and puritan tendencies has recently received interesting support in a recent piece on the early religious thinking of the political philosopher John Rawls.
Further reading:
The New Enemies of Evolutionary Science