Let's see if I can add to the Blog Against Theocracy blogswarm this weekend.
Having been born in South Africa, spent my formative years in the US and the UK, returning to Africa via Zimbabwe and now settled in my beautiful native country, I have never experienced a theocracy first hand.
Having been born, moreover, into a primarily scientific-humanist family I had no real idea of the impulses which cause people to adhere so strongly to a religion that they wish to force it on everyone else.
(Except that 'scientism' can indeed resemble a religion, but that's a topic for another post-I have some seedling thoughts brought on by watching the wreck of peoples' lives caused from within the scientific community, but they're not fully formed yet)
It is only in returning to a form of Pagan spirituality, by way of a hard spell in materialist Atheism, that I am starting to realize within myself the hard-wired nature of humanity's longing for the trans-human.
Yes, it seems to be something most of us are born with- a wish to connect with something more than our mortal selves. A longing for immortality born of a fear of death?I used to believe so, but upon exploring spirituality for myself, rather than pompously pronouncing upon it from the sidelines as I was wont, I know hesitantly believe there's something more to it.
Arising perhaps from the times when the Universe unseen impinges upon our consciousness , we are driven to try to make some sense of what it is we are doing here,and to understand more of what it is we don't behold in our Beta-wakefulness.
So, given all this-what is it that repulses me about a theocracy?
My primary source of imagination comes from Robert Heinlein's "Revolt in 2100", which I first read in my early 'teens.A sort of the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum picture, where hypocrisy and viciousness abound.This is born out from what I can see of the active theocracies which have gained prominence in the Middle East.
A theocracy, to me, is not born of the human impulse to apprehend the trans-human, the liminal, the numinous.
It seems to come from a far more base human impulse to control what other people do and how they live - arising perhaps from our own sense of powerlessness in the face of a majestic and powerful universe.
It's a terrible human impulse, which finds its voice more easily in dogmatic religions than anywhere else.
However, I do not fear for the US.
What we are seeing, I have come to believe, are the death-throes of a badly wounded and almost senile way of being.
That which senses its own death often puts up one hel of a fight, and I think that's what we're beholding now, not just in the US (although, because of its unique circumstances of birth, it's perhaps more noticeable there)but in Europe, the Middle East and also in Mother Africa.
We will go kicking and screaming into an age of enlightenment, and while this is not a happy thought, it's my nature to see the bigger picture almost by default.
I think that we'll get through this.I really do.
“I have never experienced a theocracy first hand.”
ReplyDeleteMaybe you have, but just don’t recognize it. If you are omnipresent you have lived in every system that has been devised and tried. All systems up to this point in time and space have been experiments if you look at it properly. Even democracy, which has plenty of its own faults because it’s just a bunch of children wanting to govern themselves, and doing a very poor job at it.
You also just might have been raised in a theocracy and don’t recognize it as such. You may have been raised in the US and UK, both democracies of sorts, but I’m guessing that your household wasn’t. Your parents ran a household like most parents do, as a monarchy, or sort of theocracy. They maybe listened to your input but in the end they made the decisions that they thought were best for you and they didn’t let you get away with everything.
I’m betting that your present home isn’t ran as a democracy. Right?
A theocracy is not a bad thing, done properly, it’s just that there has never been one in charge of a country that was done properly. It would have to be done based on the idea that we are God, not based on some stupid book God. It would be based on the belief that God is a scientist for example.
Science is a religion, it’s just not recognized as such because it is a spirituality and not a religion as such. I’ve never known a scientist that didn’t feel some connection to something spiritual even though they couldn’t define it. God is pagan, but also would be a wise and good monarch and run a good theocracy, if allowed to. But it isn’t going to happen on this planet. You people think you are mature and wise enough to govern yourselves. But remember, in a democracy you only have one vote. If a lot of people that are greedy out number you then they get their way and you have to live under their rule.
Never mind, I’m tired of trying to explain all that.
“I think that we'll get through this. I really do.”
Ha, ha, ha, ha, get back to me in twenty years on that, we’ll see if you are still so optimistic. Or if I’m saying, “I told you so.” Look, you can’t run this planet without a spirituality, it will fail if you try doing that.
You have now been enlightened. Not that I expect you to see it. Hugs…. BBC
I wish I had time to go through all of your posts, so I could get a better understanding of you and your journey. But I just don't have the time to do that. It would just become a debate anyway unless we are on the same path. And that isn't likely because I have never met another on my path. Only those crossing it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
You have hit the nail on the head. Here in America, the nascent theocracy has been fueled by all the folks who have lost their good jobs to the overseas market. They feel powerless and become prey for pastors who encourage them to help get the Rapture fired up and underway.
ReplyDeleteBBC, maybe I have lived under a theocracy and didn't realise it.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember even one of my past lives, how's that for poor memory!
I may have to go away and think about this.
Anne, what's going on in the US disgust me, truly.
But as BBC points out, I am still an optimist where we of the human race who don't know we're gods is concerned.
You could say it's part of my spiritual practice to see wide and deep, and I see us coming through this.
Love,
Terri
I believe you are right about the death throes. excessive religiosity is an bad habit of the human mind and race. Becoming enlightened is a different habit of thought. The mind fights a new habit that must be made in human thought and behaviour.. Thank you I feel much encouraged by your observations.
ReplyDelete