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No Gods, No Masters: Organized Religion and Statism by downdurnst

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Posted by downdurnst on Aug 11, 2010 in Anarchism | 2 comments

“One of those completely unquestioning, devoted drudges on whom, more even than on the Thought Police, the stability of the Party depended.”  -George Orwell (from ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’)
In the book ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ by George Orwell, we see a dystopian world in which ‘the Party’ controls every aspect of thought, history, literature, and culture in general.  History is re-written constantly (‘we’ve always been at war with Eurasia’) and morality and action are carefully and deliberately set down for each member of the society to follow.  While many dystopian future novels have been written, novels about authoritarian governments in complete and utter control of society, it is Nineteen Eighty-Four that has become the cultural representation of the totalitarian State reaching it’s zenith.

As anarchists and libertarians, the concept of the State as ‘Big Brother’ defines the polar opposite of everything we stand for: rigid, uncompromising, inflexible, controlled, judgemental, morally superior, etc – the yin to our yang of freedom if you will.  So of course, in our activism and education, we work to open people’s eyes to the slippery slope that is the Police State, to the dangers of government and to the will to freedom that is the necessary starting point on the road to a more just and liberated society.  Whether you self-define as a minarchist, anarchist, libertarian, etc, one thing we can all agree on: freedom can only exist in a society where the people themselves desire that freedom.

After all, the reason that every revolution in the past has failed is that post-revolutionary members of society simply went right back to setting up their own forms of control, usually with the noble thought that ‘this time, we’ll do it differently’.  The Statist impulse runs deep in humanity, after centuries and millennium of inculcation to the often repeated idea that someone has to be in charge.  More than the direct end of the government itself, our aim as lovers of liberty is to make people aware of the fact that freedom is both an obtainable, and desirable goal.  Most anarchists recognize one fundamental truth: if enough people want to be free, then no force on earth can stop them from being free.

But I’d argue that there is an elephant in the room here, one with impulses as deep, and control as ironclad as any government could ever have.  The systems in place in this particular elephant are as deeply ingrained in it’s members as any authoritarian government could want; indeed, in the maddest tyrants wildest dreams, they couldn’t hope to match the devotion to a set of masters as exemplified by this particular system.

I of course speak of organized religion.

Now let me preface my remarks a bit: I have no overwhelming issues with religion itself.  The need to believe runs deep in people, and while I think that in and of itself belief can have harmful effects (in the same way that Sam Harris argues), I think they are minimal overall.  While I myself am an atheist, I don’t see any incompatibility between freedom and religion as a whole.  In the course of my anarchist studies, I’ve met Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist anarchists just to name a few.  And in fact I’d argue that to a large degree the various canon’s and scriptures of most religions are actually MORE compatible with anarchist philosophy then they are with Statist.  Christian anarchism, for example, has a long history with Leo Tolstoy being the father of it (even though he never specifically called it that).  In support, various scriptural passages seem to point towards Jesus as being openly opposed to the governments of men, with perhaps my favorite being Acts 4:19 “We must obey God as ruler rather than men”.  This concept within Christianity, that the only authority is the Ultimate authority, rings true with anarchist principles, and negates the authority that any man would have over another.

No, what I take issue with is not the idea of religion itself but rather the organizations that seek to control those religions, that codify beliefs as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, and seek to suppress dissent.  The Catholic Church, the LDS, all the way down to the David Koresh’s of the world – all of these seek an unprecedented level of submission from their followers, usually on pain of being excommunicated.  It’s an interesting transition, but in effect these religious organizations are making a transfer of power from the deities that the scriptures/canon’s say hold the power, to themselves as the supposed ‘final authority’ on those very writings.

The parallels to Statism cannot be ignored, and indeed all of our efforts as lovers of liberty will be to no avail if we DO ignore them.  Consider the mechanisms of the State, those attributes and actions we can point to as the primary evils of the State..  Just to list a few:

  • Forced/indoctrinated belief in something ‘more important’ than any individual or individuals.
  • The claim to be the authoritative ‘final say’ in all matters.
  • Suppression of dissent, or ‘dangerous’ language.
  • Organizational pressure to conform, to be a good member of the whole
  • Extrapolating laws and punishments from the above supposed authority
These are but a few, but they are some of the primary hallmarks of the State.

Now ask yourself this: would any of those characteristics feel misapplied to a religious organization?  On the contrary, those same sets of controls and attributes are as much a hallmark of an organized religion as they are of the State if not more-so.

Another hallmark that could be added to that list above is a knee-jerk defense of the organization as being just, right, etc.  The quote at the beginning of this essay becomes readily applicable to both State and Church: it truly is the unquestioning, blindly obedient that we as anarchists should fear most, even more than ‘the Party’ leaders themselves.

So what do I suggest with this?  I suggest that it’s time that anarchism in general begin to look at ways of bringing the religious into the fold, without the trappings of religion itself; and I think that we are at a point in history, at least in the west (and even in the Muslim world I’d argue), where more and more people are ready to stand up and say “my beliefs define me; they no longer need to be defined for me.”

So much of anarchist outreach focuses on what we see as the ‘easy targets’ – whether it’s market anarchists trying to convert minarchists and libertarians, or social anarchists trying to atttract the edges of the left-leaning progressives of the world; I’d argue that the religious folk of the world are ripe for understanding anarchist ideas.  Whether it’s Catholics that are fed up with the Pope’s stand on gay marriage and contraception or Mormons that wish to be able to grow spiritually without needing the consent or guidance of the LDS Church, I can only imagine how effective our efforts would be if we were to simply say “look at your beliefs, do you truly believe that God would want someone on earth deciding what is right and wrong?”.  The arguments for anarchism are readily built into many religions, and with some gentle prodding can be easily brought to the surface:

For Christians:  “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23) – wouldn’t it seem logical, then, that if all are sinners equally in the eyes of God, then no one person should be raised up above any other?  No priest, pastor, preacher or minister by this logic has any right to judgement: as the saying goes “only God can judge me”.  Call this the ‘equal humility’ argument.

For Muslims:  “And who is better than Allah to judge for people who are sure?” (Q’uran 5:50) – again, similar to the arguments from Christianity, it is made very clear in the Q’uran that Allah is the only one that truly has the right to lay down law and judgement.  Indeed, Sharia law is a system based purely on the idea that no human legislation is valid, only the law from the Q’uran.  While this can be problematic in and of itself for anarchism, it’s still the concept that no man made laws are valid.  While I don’t claim to be half the scholar of the Q’uran that I am of the Bible (being that I’m coming from a very western paradigm), I’m cautiously optimistic that the Q’uran and Sharia are not at all incompatible with anarchism (commentary from any Muslim readers is VERY welcome on this subject).

What I’d truly like to see are anarchists from within those religions who can speak the same language as their brethren begin to disseminate the idea that it’s common belief that binds them together, not the organization that they happen to be a member of.

After all, as almost every Christian I’ve ever met has told me, it’s Jesus and God, not the Church, that makes them Christians.

At the core, I truly believe that organized religion poses as much of a threat to freedom as does any Statist system, and for one underlying reason: in both cases, one set of people have deemed themselves superior to, and thus having the right to control, another set of people.  In the same way that we recognize that it’s not valid for the State to extrapolate authority over others from the constitution, or some ethereal ‘social contract’, I think that organized religion is ripe for a revolution of it’s own: where people begin to separate their beliefs from the churches, mosques, and temples that would seek power over them.

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Many thanks to @JDenigma, @aristoddler, and @CoyoteShaman on Twitter for the discussion on this very topic, which definitely helped to distill my thoughts on it a bit.  Also, my extreme thanks to PunkJohnnyCash for the opportunity to post on one of my favorite sites.  Questions, comments, discussion are all most welcome!  I’ll also take this opportunity to promote my own blog, Cranks, Rants & Snippets – come join me there for more of my thoughts on anarchism, the State, and freedom in general; and finally, catch me on Twitter (@downdurnst) for more great discussion!

Howard Crime Watch

The Washington Post October 14, 2004 The following were among incidents recently reported by the Howard County Police Department. For more information, call 410-313-2236. web site 2002 honda accord

REWARDS FOR INFORMATION Metro Crime Stoppers, a nonprofit organization, will pay up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in connection with these and any other felonies. Call the 24-hour hotline at 410-276-8888. Callers may remain anonymous.

FREELARK PL., 5400 block, 5:40 p.m. Oct. 2. A male was robbed of a cell phone at gunpoint by three people.

GUILFORD RD., 8600 block, 1:34 a.m. Oct. 3. Three boys accosted a male, who was then punched in the face and body and robbed of three cell phones.

HARPERS FARM RD., 5400 block, 9:05 p.m. Sept. 25. A male wearing a long dark raincoat ordered a person to give him cash. The person fled without giving up any cash.

HARPERS FARM RD., 5400 block, 1:23 a.m. Oct. 2. Several people on a bike path accosted a male pedestrian. The pedestrian fled and was chased down, assaulted with a stick and bottles and robbed of a wallet.

BASKET RING RD., 9600 block, 3 a.m. Sept. 30. A TV was stolen from a business.

BENSON DR., 8300 block, 10:47 a.m. Oct. 5. A power-washer was stolen from a storage shed at a restaurant.

CURTIS AVE., 9200 block, 5:30 a.m. Sept. 27 to 11 p.m. Sept. 29. Cash, and a TV were stolen from a residence entered by forcing a first floor window.

DOBBIN RD., 6400 block, 5 p.m. Sept. 29 to 7 a.m. Sept. 30. A laptop computer was stolen from a business entered by smashing a front door glass.

MINSTREL WAY, 7100 block, 11:49 p.m. Sept. 29. A laptop was stolen from a business.

MORNING LIGHT TRAIL, 7100 block, 2:45 a.m. Oct. 3. An intoxicated male entered the wrong house and was confronted by a resident. A male was arrested.

OAKLAND MILLS RD., 7200 block, Sept. 27 to 7:10 p.m. Oct. 5. An video game system and games, and a DVD player were stolen from a residence.

QUIET HOURS, 6500 block, 10:15 p.m. Oct. 2. A male attempted to enter a residence and was confronted by a resident. A man, age 26, was arrested.

SYMPHONY WOODS RD., 5900 block, 7 p.m. Sept. 30 to 7:30 a.m. Oct. 1. Laptop computers and printers were stolen from two offices.

TWIN KNOLLS RD., 5400 block, 7 to 8:10 p.m. Oct. 5. Four laptops were stolen from four hotel rooms.

WATERCRESS PL., 5400 block, 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Oct. 2. An attempt was made to enter a residence by cutting and removing a front screen from its track and forcing a window well cover.

EARLY APRIL WAY, 8900 block, 2:40 a.m. Sept. 30. A white Honda Civic was stolen.

NIGHTMIST CT., 10300 block, 6:12 p.m. Sept. 29. A gray 1994 Toyota truck was stolen.

OLD ANNAPOLIS RD., 9100 block, 6:05 p.m. Oct. 3. A white 12-foot trailer used to haul motorcycles was stolen.

BAUMAN DR., 6000 block, 3 p.m. Sept. 29 to 6:30 a.m. Sept. 30. A house under construction was entered and vandalized.

MAIN ST., 8600 block, 6 p.m. Sept. 28 to 6 a.m. Sept. 29. A motorcycle was stolen from a storage trailer entered by force.

TROY HILL DR., 7000 block, 4:38 a.m. Oct. 2. Cash, clothing, jewelry and gloves were stolen from a business entered by smashing a front door glass with a car jack. in our site 2002 honda accord

WASHINGTON BLVD., 5800 block, 6 p.m. Oct. 1 to 8:30 a.m. Oct. 2. An attempt was made to enter a business by breaking a glass door with a rock.

MEADOWBROOK LANE, 4500 block, 3:30 p.m. Oct. 2 to 1 a.m. Oct. 3. A white 2002 Honda Accord was stolen from a Park and Ride lot.

MONTGOMERY RD., 7000 block, 10 p.m. Oct. 1 to 6 a.m. Oct. 22. A silver 2003 Nissan Altima was stolen.

WASHINGTON BLVD., 6200 block, 2:55 a.m. Sept. 30 to 10:09 a.m. Oct. 1. A gold 2000 Dodge Stratus was stolen.

BALTIMORE NATIONAL PIKE, 9000 block, 4:40 p.m. Oct. 3. Cash and five cell phones were stolen from a business entered by breaking a glass door.

BALTIMORE NATIONAL PIKE, 9100 block, 2 p.m. Oct. 3 to 6 a.m. Oct. 4. A barber shop was entered by forcing a rear window. Nothing was reported stolen.

DORSEY HALL DR., 5000 block, 7:28 a.m. Oct. 4. Two computers were stolen from a business entered by forcing a front door.

MOUNT IDA DR., 3600 block, 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 30. A VCR, other electronic devices, games, a CD case and DVDs were stolen from an apartment.

OLD WOODSTOCK LANE, 7700 block, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1. A residence was entered through a front window. A 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe parked in the driveway was stolen. The vehicle was recovered on Interstate-95.

SWEET BELL CT., 4300 block, 10:46 a.m. Oct. 1. Police responded to an alarm at a residence and found a rear window had been opened by force. Nothing was reported stolen.

TOWN AND COUNTRY BLVD., 9000 block, 8:30 p.m. Sept. 28 to 8 a.m. Sept. 29. A cell phone and a purse were stolen from a ground-floor apartment entered by forcing a window.

TOWN AND COUNTRY BLVD., 9000 block, 10:36 p.m. Sept. 29. A male resident heard the door of his residence open, looked outside and saw a male with a key in the front door. The resident confronted the male, who fled with the key.

WINDMERE WAY, 9100 block, 11:30 p.m. Sept. 29 to 9 a.m. Sept. 30. A residence was entered by breaking a basement rear window. Nothing was reported stolen.

WELLINGTON PL., 8200 block, 11:30 p.m. Oct. 2 to 1:05 a.m. Oct. 3. A 1994 Chevrolet Caprice Classic was stolen.

WILD CHERRY LANE, 8400 block, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 30. A TV and a DVD player were stolen from a residence entered through an unlocked window.

RIDGE RD., 1100 block, 12:01 to 1 a.m. Oct. 4. A person attempted to enter a residential bedroom where a child was sleeping by removing a window screen and attempting to force open the window. The noise awakened the child. The person did not gain entry.

RIDGE RD., 1000 block, 6:44 p.m. Sept. 30. A black 1997 Jeep was stolen.

– Compiled by LINDA JAMES

Comments

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  • http://www.google.com/profiles/thornecassidy Thorne Cassidy

    I really like this, but I think there’s an equally valid position that has “religion” rather than spirituality or identification with the earth, universe, what-have-you as arising with the state–that religion and state began two aspects of the same thing. Under that view the necessary control over the unavoidable slavery required for civilization is maintained–Do as you’re commanded, obey to avoid punishment–besides you’ll be rewarded in another life if you don’t question authority, if you know your place. Loved the article–I’ll tweet it

  • http://twitter.com/MerlinYoda MerlinYoda

    Very well done and thought out article!

    About the only thing that I might add (which you do touch on a bit but don’t mention explicitly) is that problems in organized religion appears when the church becomes more about telling people what their beliefs must be (even if tacitly) if they are to be a *true* believer (especially by acting as if the church was equatable with the deity) and less about those of a shared faith coming together in worship. The latter could certainly allow for the pastor (or priest or whatever the title may be) to highlight a couple passages of scripture and give insight as to how they relate to our everyday lives but it wouldn’t allow for saying “scripture says X and therefore Y is ‘wrong’ and you should condemn (even judge unfavorably) anyone doing Y” (especially when not a logically valid argument).

    As far as the Biblical angle on that last bit, I think Matthew 7:1-5 covers it. It’s really the only passage I know well off-hand (as I’m more spiritual than religious anyway), but it seems to highlight a *lot* of hypocritical (even spiteful) behavior by those that claim to be Christian but behave in matters antithetical to such teachings (members of the Westboro Baptist Church come to mind).

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