I was having a conversation with a buddy yesterday. In our conversation, we touched on religion, politics, and society. I thought it would be good to record my views here.
My take is that religion, politics, and society are all parts of one big thing: culture. We would like to think otherwise, but that's just fanciful thinking.
I understand that there is such a thing concept called "multiculturalism," but I think that's a goofy term -- mostly because it's akin to the term "multitasking."b Both are concepts commonly accepted and both are false/damaging in their attempted practice.
Additionally, I understand that the concept of the separation of church and state.c It's a good idea (I like it) but, ultimately, it's yet another fanciful and idealistic concept that doesn't work in practice. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pushing for a full-on theocracy. Sound confusing? Again, bear with me.
A culture is not simply the collection of a bunch of people in one place. That's a crowd. Culture is a group of people tied together by a strong commonality. Side note: just this morning, I found out about a guy named Émile Durkheim and I'm super interested to read his stuff. It's right up my alley!
In any case, I believe we are far too liberal with the term "culture." We use it for pretty much anything and everything. People will say their company has a culture. Then they'll say that there is a LGBT culture, then a Harry Potter culture, then a hot air ballooning culture, ad nauseam. We can't say that there is one culture made up of other cultures, especially if those so-called sub-cultures are at odds with each other in regards to their ideologies.
Here's a sobering quote from Matthew 12:25:
But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."
That's not an opinion nor is it some religious/metaphysical fluffy dictate. It's an axiom. If half of your body was at war with the other half, it would soon kill itself. Have you ever been a part of a group that was supposed to accomplish a goal yet the members bickered and didn't work with each other? Nothing gets done and everybody gets mad.
Doesn't that sound like life in the United States? There are so many conflicting groups that we're all getting angry with each other -- huddling with those who believe the same way we do while vilifying those who do not. That's not a culture. Cultures are united, not divided. Those are warring factions.e
I'll outline my thought and then give an illustration.
In order for a society to have a unified culture, that society must first have a common belief system. This is where the "religion" fits in. Any religion that has gravitas has a moral code. That moral code must be accepted by the society in order to live in harmony.f
"Politics" is simply the word we use to denote leadership at the civil level. It's not a pastime or an interest. It's a part of our lives whether we pay attention to it or not. That said, the leaders must represent not only the people, but the moral code. Aha! That's the rub! That's why we have so many politicians warring with each other -- they each are representing a different group which adheres to its own brand of morality.
Society, too, is not simply a group of people. Again, that's a crowd. Society is one step above a crowd in that it lives in an orderly fashion. Yet, a group of people following certain rules does not make them a culture, it just means that they are all doing similar things in order to survive. Not wanting to die is not a commonality which yields culture, it is simply a shared trait among species (and life as we know it).
The religion (i.e., the moral code) necessitates politics (i.e., leaders) who represent the community and its moral code.g A society is borne from and thrives. All these lead to a culture.
The analogy I will use to illustrate this is a human body in three parts: the soul, the mind, and the physical body itself. The soul must have a moral code. The mind, in line with the soul's moral code, then tells the body what to do. Everything must be in harmony. If not, it is that house divided.h
If we, as a nation, cannot adhere to a unified moral code, we will ruin our society. When that happens, another, more unified culture, will take over. That is not conspiracy talk, that is the nature of humans and civilizations.
a In my opinion, a religion such as Pastafarianism/Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn't count. It is basically the anti-religion and doesn't promote any moral code other than to dismiss other religions along with their moral codes. If you are a Pastafarian, I support your right to believe however you want. I just think that admitting that we adhere to a moral code (whether unwittingly or not) is honest. Without a moral code, we're left with hedenism.
b Every time I mention that there is no such thing as "multitasking," I get someone who says either, "Yes, there is! I do it all the time!" or "I can walk and chew gum at the same time, Jason. That's multitasking!" It is not. That is doing two actions at the same time, but those actions are not tasks. At the basic level of human function, our brains are telling our hearts to pump blood, our stomachs to digest, our eyes to see, etc. But, again, those aren't tasks, they are actions. A task is something that accomplishes something and is not passive. Listening to something or watching something is not the same as producing something. Think of reading one thing while writing something else. You may be a genius and have a nanosecond of lapse between the two tasks, but it will still be a switching. The two (or three, or four) will not be done simultaneously.
c I'm glad we try to separate church and state. I'm a bit of a rogue when it comes to religion. But I still adhere to the overall positive tenets of Judeo-Christian ethics. See "Thoughts on Genesis 1:1-2 (Part 1)" for a better understanding of what I'm talking about.
d I was introduced to Émile Durkheim in a book I'm currently listening to is called "The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure" by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt.
e Identity Politics are ruining us. But how did we get here? Basically, we're all spoiled. If we had to rely on each other for survival, we would put our petty differences aside. Sounds trite, but it's true. I find myself going back to "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. That is an amazing trilogy in that it reveals who we will be if we continue to go down this current identity politics road. The tributes represent ideologies and the viewers chose which one they want to win.
f As citizens of the United States (I hesitate to use the term "American" because of continents and I can't really say "United Statesian"), we think the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is a moral code. It isn't. It outlines who we are and what we aim to do as well as what rights we may or may not have, but it is not a moral compass. If it was, every politician would have the same moral compass or be unconstitutional.
g There is a way for a group of people to live without leaders but they must share that moral code. And, even then, if that group wants to accomplish something other than mere stasis, it will appoint leaders.
h Somewhere out there, someone is saying, "But, Jason, what about people with Multiple Personality Disorder?" It's a disorder, not a healthy way to life. Besides, at any given point, the brain (regardless of which personality it may be acting as) gives instruction to the body. As for soul... well, it's anyone's guess as to how that whole thing works (or does not).
