A God, unknown at
present, seems to be developing, growing, and revealing Himself from time to
time. In the intervals, so it seems, He leaves the world to itself, like the
farmer, who lets the tares and wheat grow together till the harvest. Each epoch
of revelation shows Him animated with new ideas, and practically improving His
methods. Thus Religion will return, but under new aspects, for a compromise
with the old religions seems impossible. We do not await an epoch of reaction,
nor a return to out-worn ideals, but an advance towards something new. But of
what sort? Let us wait!
August Strindberg - The Inferno (1897)
The Inferno was written during a period when Strindberg appeared to suffer from depression or some other mental ailment, although he may also have exaggerated his problems for dramatic effect. He was also drinking heavily, particularly absinthe, although he may have exaggerated that too.
Did he foresee a genuine social trend though? It is difficult
to say with any confidence, because if his new god was unknown in Strindberg’s
day, then it also seems to be unknown today. Yet there are many clues
suggesting that our usual distinction between politics and religion is
misleading. In both cases people take belief beyond the evidence and into the realms of political control.
Other clues are to be found in the righteous nature of modern
progressive attitudes to social norms; in attitudes to the
environment, equality, economics, race, immigration, education, social
uniformity and moral behaviour. Political correctness sums up much of it, but
is there a god lurking in the righteous recesses of political correctness? A
cult perhaps - but a god?
Suppose we go with cult for now.
Suppose we take hold of the
idea that a global cult is evolving within the shallow souls of susceptible
social progressives. To begin with the cult could be called socialism even
though at first sight socialism may have too much historical baggage to serve
as a peg on which to hang this particular shroud.
Yet socialism has always had a strongly righteous air beyond
a natural desire to correct social wrongs. These righteous overtones are significant enough to warrant treating socialism as political cult if we are to
understand the modern world. We see frequent associations between socialist
politics and the incremental enforcement of uniform behaviour using propaganda, harassment, ostracism and legal restrictions on free speech.
It may be going a little too far to paint socialism as a secular
religion but there are interesting parallels once we focus on behavioural
control and blur the distinction between politics and religion. Socialism has
its priesthood, evangelists, taboos and possibly sacred texts. The Communist
Manifesto for example. It may not be a church but it has a collection plate
where even the unrighteous have to cough up their compulsory donations, compulsion
being essential to progressive ideas.
As a somewhat entertaining example we also seem to have a home-grown socialist saint in Jeremy Corbyn. Since his elevation to the Labour leadership, the cult
name ‘socialism’ is allowed to circulate again. Clearly the name is seen as
important to believers, totemic even.
During the dark and unenlightened days of Tony Blair the name
of socialism was suppressed in the pursuit of secular respectability. Since St
Jeremy cleverly isolated the wicked majority of Labour MPs, believers are now
free to use the sacred name once more.
Maybe Strindberg was right in one sense at least. We seem to have a progressive
socialist cult and perhaps we have a god to go with it. If socialism is worth
defining as a secular political cult then maybe its god is a cloud of somewhat
nebulous ideals with Marx as an important prophet. The religious parallels are certainly there.
Religions may
disappear, but religious feelings will always create new ones, even with the
help of science.
Emile Zola - Rome (1896)
5 comments:
Perhaps the Gods decided to go to bed a couple of thousand or so years ago and are having a sleep in.
I'm not sure about Socialism (i.e. in all its economic glory) but there is certainly a new religion of "Equality and Diversity" firmly established in the UK. My wife is training to be a priest and we are living in a theological college for a couple of years, so I get to meet a lot of religious people. It has often occurred to me that there is almost nothing you could say about God, Jesus, the Church, etc., that would get you into trouble. Vicars and Bishops can preach that God probably doesn't exist, and they would keep their jobs. If they so much as hinted that cultural diversity was not a benefit, though, the story would have a different ending.
What is religion - a branch of politics or a club for the like minded? Humans en masse seem to divide roughly 50/50 when it comes to matters guided by opinion and rhetoric - politics, court cases, advertising, elections. Even the evidence of empirical experiment is hotly disputed until it no longer matters. Maybe an artefact of the symmetry built into the mammalian brain. There is not much hope for the human.
... the righteous nature of modern progressive attitudes to social norms; in attitudes to the environment, equality, economics, race, immigration, education, social uniformity and moral behaviour. Political correctness sums up much of it, but is there a god lurking in the righteous recesses of political correctness ...
Yes.
Demetrius - it's all that ambrosia.
Sam - socialism isn't a particularly good name but I think the equality and diversity game is socialism expanding away from its economic failures towards a cult-like set of righteous beliefs. Theological college sounds weird.
Roger - good point, the 50/50 symmetry does suggest some kind of brain pattern. Flight or fight is how I tend to see it but there are many other dichotomies.
James - :)
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