It as a misleading error to call the global, mainstream modern ideology of 'leftism' (or political correctness, or 'woke') "a religion" as so many of those who oppose it do.
Despite some superficial resemblances, the leftist ideology is not a religion, it is instead anti-religion - the negation of religion.
This is proved by the fact that ideology cannot be added-to by Jesus, to make someone a real Christian.
(By contrast; a real religion such as Judaism, Greek or Roman Paganism etc; can be added-to by Jesus to make "a Christian".)
Precisely because leftist-ideology is not a religion; if you "add Jesus" to leftist ideology you merely get a fake-Christianity... A pseudo-religion that conforms to The World Powers in all respects that World Powers regard as essential.
In other words you get exactly that Christianized-leftism which - since 2020 - is propagated by the leaders of all major Christian denominations.
From my reading I understand that when "wokeness" is described as a new religion what is usually meant is that it is the new "state religion" which one is obliged to pay lip-service to even when one disagrees with it, and defiance when asked to burn that pinch of incense to the Emperor is seen as merely quixotic. Like the Graeco-Roman pantheon, or maybe a better example, Emperor-worship, in the Roman Empire. One's private beliefs, Household gods, mystery cults, were what counted, and could be completed by and subsumed within a decision to follow Jesus.
ReplyDelete@william a - This is one reason people call wokeness a 'religion'. But it is still a serious error to call an anti-religious ideology 'a religion' - because then there is no term to describe an actual, real religion.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, this is almost certainly one covert reason why so many people do call leftism a religion - because, by conflating ideology and religion, they make it impossible to distinguish and discuss the two; or to argue that we need one but not the other.