Deeply impressed with their sacred calling—for Mrs. Jackson would never have acknowledged that the Vicar’s wife held a position inferior to the Vicar’s—they argued that the whole world was God’s, and they God’s particular ministrants; so that it was their plain duty to concern themselves with the business of their fellows—and it must be confessed that they never shrank from this duty.
W. Somerset Maugham - The Hero (1901)
It is clear enough that many people with strong politically 'progressive' beliefs also regard their beliefs as sacred, and not to be questioned by outsiders. Neither do they shrink from their plain duty to concern themselves with the business of their fellows.
It's a striking similarity which in recent decades has become too striking to be missed by even casual observation. Suppose we make some minor amendments to the above quote as an illustration.
Deeply impressed with their sacred calling—for Ms. Jackson would never have acknowledged that the Minister’s partner held a position inferior to the Minister’s—they argued that the whole world was One, and they its particular ministrants; so that it was their plain duty to concern themselves with the business of their fellows—and it must be confessed that they never shrank from this duty.
Not quite W. Somerset Maugham
Deeply impressed with their sacred calling—for Ms. Jackson would never have acknowledged that the Minister’s partner held a position inferior to the Minister’s—they argued that the whole world was One, and they its particular ministrants; so that it was their plain duty to concern themselves with the business of their fellows—and it must be confessed that they never shrank from this duty.
Not quite W. Somerset Maugham
Suppose we go on to try an older example -
...the perplexing mystery of the place was, Who belonged to the eighteen denominations? Because, whoever did, the labouring people did not.
Nor was it merely the stranger who noticed this, because there was a native organization in Coketown itself, whose members were to be heard of in the House of Commons every session, indignantly petitioning for acts of parliament that should make these people religious by main force.
Charles Dickens – Hard Times (1854)
Or by following the theme we could have -
...the perplexing mystery of the place was, Who belonged to the political denominations? Because, whoever did, the working people did not.
Nor was it merely the stranger who noticed this, because there was a native organization in Coketown itself, whose members were to be heard of in the House of Commons every session, indignantly petitioning for acts of parliament that should make these people politically progressive by main force.
Not quite Charles Dickens
3 comments:
You can make an argument that the 'progressives' have their eyes firmly on a future Global Socialist Utopia and a belief that it can be achieved. Now a belief without evidence is faith. People of a faith cannot apologise or drop their beliefs because that would make them apostates - and apostates are lower than the merely ignorant.
DJ - yes, it's as if the Global Socialist Utopia is a holy vision rather than a practical possibility. To discard belief would be to discard the vision and in any event the vision is just that, it demands no great effort to keep hold of it.
I draw a distinction between general faith in something, based on compelling evidence ... and dogma with pointy hats. Also overextending.
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