Dostoevsky—admittedly no fan of the Jews—nevertheless wrote something down that resonates today: "Without God, everything is permitted."
There's a reason why the postmodern Left is so irrational and violent in speech and action. Though the comrades have rejected God, they still need to believe. The ideology they espouse occupies that vaca…
Dostoevsky—admittedly no fan of the Jews—nevertheless wrote something down that resonates today: "Without God, everything is permitted."
There's a reason why the postmodern Left is so irrational and violent in speech and action. Though the comrades have rejected God, they still need to believe. The ideology they espouse occupies that vacant place in their souls. Postmodern progressivism, Wokeness, call it what you will, is the expression of a debased religious impulse.
But this stew of dogma provides no moral compass: The progressive true believer is not enjoined to pursue virtue. The goal is self-esteem. Their high opinion of themselves is one of the chief distinguishing characteristics of today's progressives, and they maintain it by embracing ideas and concepts deemed "progressive"—a notorious case in point being gender ideology. Now, for all the sham-scientific blather that clothes it, the ideology of gender is deeply irrational. In that sense it's a mystery of faith, as the concept of the Holy Trinity is a mystery of faith for Christians. It cannot be understood, but it must be believed.
And like traditional religion, postmodern progressivism has its rituals, ceremonies, holy books, and incantations: die-ins, Handmaid's Tale costumes, land acknowledgements, allyship, the dismal lexicon of Wokespeak, and so on. It even has its sacrificial martyrs, such as George Floyd, and its demons, such as "cis White males" and Jews.
But what's it all for? It will be noticed that despite all the talk of change for the better and a Radiant Future, the movement is radically negative and nihilistic. It has no constructive program. Tearing things and people down, destroying them, trampling them underfoot—that's postmodern progressivism in a nutshell. Supposedly these are acts of creative destruction, from which something better will emerge. But in reality, it's a form of power worship. Statues are toppled, buildings are burned, heretics and enemies are harassed, silenced and assaulted, not for any positive purpose but because such performative violence parades the power of the movement while reinforcing self-esteem.
If you've ever wondered if it's possible to have religion without God, the answer is yes, and the example is Postmodern progressivism.
Dostoevsky—admittedly no fan of the Jews—nevertheless wrote something down that resonates today: "Without God, everything is permitted."
There's a reason why the postmodern Left is so irrational and violent in speech and action. Though the comrades have rejected God, they still need to believe. The ideology they espouse occupies that vacant place in their souls. Postmodern progressivism, Wokeness, call it what you will, is the expression of a debased religious impulse.
But this stew of dogma provides no moral compass: The progressive true believer is not enjoined to pursue virtue. The goal is self-esteem. Their high opinion of themselves is one of the chief distinguishing characteristics of today's progressives, and they maintain it by embracing ideas and concepts deemed "progressive"—a notorious case in point being gender ideology. Now, for all the sham-scientific blather that clothes it, the ideology of gender is deeply irrational. In that sense it's a mystery of faith, as the concept of the Holy Trinity is a mystery of faith for Christians. It cannot be understood, but it must be believed.
And like traditional religion, postmodern progressivism has its rituals, ceremonies, holy books, and incantations: die-ins, Handmaid's Tale costumes, land acknowledgements, allyship, the dismal lexicon of Wokespeak, and so on. It even has its sacrificial martyrs, such as George Floyd, and its demons, such as "cis White males" and Jews.
But what's it all for? It will be noticed that despite all the talk of change for the better and a Radiant Future, the movement is radically negative and nihilistic. It has no constructive program. Tearing things and people down, destroying them, trampling them underfoot—that's postmodern progressivism in a nutshell. Supposedly these are acts of creative destruction, from which something better will emerge. But in reality, it's a form of power worship. Statues are toppled, buildings are burned, heretics and enemies are harassed, silenced and assaulted, not for any positive purpose but because such performative violence parades the power of the movement while reinforcing self-esteem.
If you've ever wondered if it's possible to have religion without God, the answer is yes, and the example is Postmodern progressivism.
Excellently stated. I’m waiting for this book to be written.