The Devil in Others: How Scientism, the religious experience and so-called secular movements relate to the church and state discussion

Photo: AP Photo/David J. Phillip. June 7, 2020.

I want to use this post to muse about how Scientism, the religious experience and so-called secular movements (such as those falling under the rubrik of Social Justice) relate to the church and state separation discussion.

 

As discussed previously I see humans in general as being fundamentally of a religious nature (but not exclusively).

 

In contradiction to this there has been in contemporary history a downgrading of the religious pursuit in the prestige hierarchy. More directly and just a few months ago we have been denied access to our sacred spaces: churches, coffee shops, restaurants, sporting events - and rituals: handshakes, hugs, sitting together and sharing meals.

 

It is no surprise then that the so-called secular movements activated in the U.S.

 

are taking on a religious and more specifically judeo-christian character: martyrdom¹, original sin², ritualized contrition³/confessions⁴ and shamings⁵, synchronized kneeling⁶, kissing and washing of feet⁷, toppling of statues⁸.

 

Because humans are inherently transcendence seeking creatures, convincing them that there is no sacred dimension means they will seek it in the profane.

 

I think the resulting dissonance plays a key role in people attaching themselves to so-called secular movements with intense and sometimes violent levels of fervor and zeal, for ill and for good. 

In thinking of the Church/State separation question my meditation keeps bringing me back to the individual, whom I consider to be a sacred center of society.

 

The religious experience is by nature not externally demonstrable.

 

The effects of the experience on the individual are (its fruit) but the experience remains for the individual unprovable and undeniable.

 

An individual who has had such experiences should not be expected to disregard it for its non-transferability.

 

Nor should the experience be considered non-existent for its failure to meet a "scientific" standard.

 

Here, one should see the parallel to the now prominent discussion of "lived experience" and consider what that discussion is truly attempting to apprehend. 

I observe within the highly influential western educated class an elitism that seems inclined (or in a not insignificant way, hellbent) to dismiss religion and the religious experience as vestigial, undesirable, delusional, stupid, primitive, dangerous and so forth.

 

This to me is an arrogant and reckless position.

 

It is foolish to completely remove a source of injury without considering the cost of doing so.

 

Consider that for individuals who have had unprovable and undeniable experiences, the religious domain may appear as a wellspring.

 

It is where one can alleviate a sense of alienation and be in community with other individuals that recognize them. I was much more lonely before I was able to see a long and rich history of human exploration of a domain containing phenomenon I have experienced.

 

This alienation contributed in no small degree to emotional illness.

 

That the western educational apparatus failed to demonstrate that I was in fact the opposite of alone was damaging to me.

 

It was by finding permission to explore this aspect of the reality of my life that I was able to begin healing my own person through exploration of religious history and practice.

I have a strong suspicion this sort of alienation is invisibly common among avowed secularists.

 

So I can't help but see as distasteful and unwise this push to discard religion considering that outlets in the secular domain don't provide a satisfactory alternative.

 

I much prefer and can respect an approach wherein we seek to properly define what religion is and discover its utility within society so that individuals who so desire can benefit from it.

 

This necessitates both a reform in how the secular sector and the religious sector view themselves and each other.

 

Individuals who consider themselves to be of one sector or the other would hopefully also participate in this via self-transformation and personal bridge building efforts.

 

The cost of such a change however may be that in developing better definitions of what constitutes the church and what constitutes the state may be our discovery of just how much one easily becomes the other. Such an identity crisis would be world-shattering for ill and for good. 

These are apocalyptic times.

 

The demons of certainty run rampant in service to angry gods of righteousness.

 

I fear they who see the Devil in others and God in themselves.

 

What sustains me is my faith in they who see both in both.

Footnotes:

1.

 

Compare against the requirements for canonization into sainthood. 

2.

 

The concept of white privilege and white guilt as applied in action parallels very closely to the myth of "the fall" and of "ancestral sin/original sin" in that it is an inescapable nature that one must atone for in perpetuity.

3.

 

Compare against ritual contrition such as Ash Wednesday and more extremely flagellation which are to be performed before an audience as displays of sorrow and repentance. 

4.

 

The connection to Catholic confession sacrament is clear but differs in that in the social justice circles, the community at large fulfills the role of the priest.

 

The confession then is made public and serves simultaneously as a contrition rite.

 

Also compare with the "make ammends" step of the 12 step AA program. 

5.

 

Compare against scapegoating rituals.

 

This ritual is meant to place sins upon a creature who is then sent off to carry away the sins of the community.

 

In some variations of this ritual, the goat is sent off  through the crowd who yells invectives at it as it runs off into the wilderness. The shaming of Minneapolis' mayor maps perfectly on this ritual shape.

6.

 

Compare against on cue genuflection.

 

It too is tangled up into the concept of contrition and connotes fealty towards a superior.

7.

 

Compare against John 13 wherein Jesus washes the feet of his disciples.

 

As enacted during the current protests however the symbolism seems inverted. 

8.

 

Compare against Deuteronomy 12:3.

 

See Jonathan Pageau's analysis for more details. 

More information, highly recommended videos. 

• Is Anti-Racism the new religion? A short intro to Johm McWhorther.
• Unlearning Race in 2020. Includes a discussion on the importance of Black American music. 
• Why the protests look religious. Jonathan Pageau's symbolist interpretation of the protests.
• Common pride, collective guilt. Chloe Valdary discussing the danger of spiritual malnourishment. Very good ideas on music. 
• A crash course in U.S. black history.
• Plague, revolt and flagellants An expanded discussion of the religious character of the protests, riots and looting.