Treating politics like religion, and vice versa, is why so many of us keep getting frustrated and disappointed, and why our societies are becoming weaker.
It's not quite true to say that we live in a post-religious world. We live in a VERY religious world - only the prevailing religion, in the West at least, is atheistic secular humanism. It has a core belief about God - that He doesn't exist - and about man - that he is basically good, and just needs education and a good environment in order to live as he should. I need hardly say that this is a false religion, because first of all, God does exist, and everybody knows that deep down in his heart, even if he vehemently denies it, and secondly, man is not basically good at all, but fundamentally flawed because of sin. Both Judaism and Christianity teach that man is created in the image of God, and every person therefore is of infinite eternal value, but the image of God in man has been marred by sin. Only Christianity offers the solution to this - a Saviour Who is both God and man, Jesus Christ, Who took on Himself the sin of mankind and endured the wrath of God on our behalf. Only in Him can we be set free from the burden of sin, and only free people are able to build a truly free society. Atheistic secular humanism can only bring tyranny, where the state attempts to force everybody to do what the state deems is "good" for everyone. If you want to see societies governed by this religion, look no further than China and North Korea. The Christian foundation of the West has enabled us to build the greatest and freest civilization ever seen on this earth, but that civilization is being torn down and the foundations, though strong, are being destroyed. Thankfully, God is still in control of History.
In my opinion, this comment is an example of why we need a competent politics to manage competing interests - which I'd argue are based to some degree on values. A competent politics must seperate church and state as much as possible. I prefer to live in a society where one can be 100% atheist or 100% Christian without persecution due to one's religious beliefs or lack thereof (so long as the execution of those beliefs don't infringe on another person's right to life and liberty).
You can never separate politics from religion, because politics is about law, and all law is based on a religion - whether Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or secular humanism and atheism. All of these are belief systems that govern people's lives. Atheist secular humanism is one of the most intolerant religions ever invented. They even ban people from praying silently outside an abortion clinic! They jail people for tweets! (Certain people, that is, not Muslims, who always get a pass,) If you want to live in a free society, your best bet is a Christian one, and the more Christian it is, the freer it is. Our society, once based on Christianity, has now been taken over by atheistic secular humanism, and we can see how well that is working out. We are soon to find out what it's like to live under Islam and Shariah law, and then we'll find out what real oppression is - especially as applied to women!
So well said! Our job should include helping politicians in the diaspora realize how their goals and Jewish protection align. Its not just the violence and tragedy of Bondi Beach that will ruin their societies. Its not just first the Saturday people, then the Sunday. The violence inherent in both communism and jihadism will destroy our liberal societies completely, for the atheists as well, if allowed to continue their insidious takeover.
Another excellent essay Josh. This was an accurate description of the old Soviet Union and the governments of the old Eastern Bloc. Unfortunately, this is the type of society to which many these days aspire and to which we are all headed if we are not careful. But there is a silver lining. Even under the heels of the communists, people kept their religion quietly. And when the timing eventually was right, that strength of unity and morality prevailed.
Your points are mostly well taken. But your thesis is based on the idea that leaders act in the interests of their nations. I would argue that the reason so much of the Western world is in trouble is that leaders are acting contrary to the interests of their nations. It is not in the interest of Britain or France or Canada or Australia to let radical Islamists dictate state policy and, among other things, allow the harassment of Jews and a virulent hostility to Israel. They may think it is but it isnt. One of the reasons that treating Israel this way works is because there has been no consequence to the outrageous attacks by Western leaders. It is necessary for Israel to make it clear that relations (including trade relations that are vital to these Western nations) will not survive such mistreatment. This should include failure to protect local Jewish populations. THEN we will see if Western leaders know how to act in their nations' interest.
This is an excellent article. The conflation of religious and political values is not new. Politics has long been couched in moral and religious metrics. The American political climate has nothing on the Seleucids, the Hashmonaean kingdom, or the Romans. Perhaps the Thirty Years' War is a better example.
As Jane wrote, this will require a few reads as there is much to reflect on. I want to touch on one point you made at the beginning:
"Religion, at its core, is about values: how we understand right and wrong, obligation and responsibility, meaning and purpose. It asks what kind of people we should be, and how we ought to live, even when doing so is costly."
Yes and...
Religion, at least Judaism, asks: What kind of world do we want to live in? It then proposes a set of values and behaviors to help us create that world. As Judaism is about our relationship with the Divine and the Human, it seeks to understand the Divine's goals and expectations for both relationships. Too often, those who speak in the name of religion focus narrowly on one or two values to the exclusion or diminishment of all the other values. Focusing on l'taken olam - repairing the world - as a call for social justice (essential) while ignoring the rest of the quote - b'malkhut Shadai - representing the Divine's Kingdom or, less literally, to repair the world in the ways that it will become inhabitable for the Divine is a perfect example of this.
I look forward to re-reading and reacting to the rest of your essay.
Really sharp take on how politics absorbs the emotional weight religion once held. The Egypt-Israel gas deal example is perfect becuase it shows how fast states pivot once the calculus changes. I've watched close friends treat political disagreements like moral heresies, and the comparison to pre-modern religious enforcement feels apt. The question that stays with me is whether this substitution leaves us more fragile when things go wrong, since politics cant really offer the redemption arcs that religious frameworks had built in.
Wow, your perspective on this issue has so many salient points, I will go back to digest them fully. I wonder if the people/politicans you discuss would even begin to understand what you have said. In the world of social media, not only has religion been replaced with political ideology, but understanding of any of it has also been replaced with blips by social media "experts." Our political parties have also contributed to this with their identity rhetoric, chess pieces moved because of geopolitical events, and of course the visibility and vacuous worded speeches to impress those who don't know better. There are many who are intelligent enough to separate the two, but right now, the other has the global world's attention. Great essay, Joshua. You need to be in the Knesset!
A very thoughtful essay that helped me clarify some of my own strong but inchoate observations. My comments on FB discussions on politics are usually exhortations for people to recognize and accept how inherently flawed human beings are; highlighting that expectations that nations and their peoples do or should work towards some moral, Edenic governments, are dangerously misguided; and that realism and practicality must prevail for survival. (Those are all understatements.) So yes, it struck me that the history of Judaism and Jews is a perfect example of a combination of striving for morality and sacredness in one's personal and community life, but always understanding that surviving in the real world requires practical action which are challenging and far less than "pure."
This is so good. But there’s a lot in it. A few return visits required to take it all on board!
It's not quite true to say that we live in a post-religious world. We live in a VERY religious world - only the prevailing religion, in the West at least, is atheistic secular humanism. It has a core belief about God - that He doesn't exist - and about man - that he is basically good, and just needs education and a good environment in order to live as he should. I need hardly say that this is a false religion, because first of all, God does exist, and everybody knows that deep down in his heart, even if he vehemently denies it, and secondly, man is not basically good at all, but fundamentally flawed because of sin. Both Judaism and Christianity teach that man is created in the image of God, and every person therefore is of infinite eternal value, but the image of God in man has been marred by sin. Only Christianity offers the solution to this - a Saviour Who is both God and man, Jesus Christ, Who took on Himself the sin of mankind and endured the wrath of God on our behalf. Only in Him can we be set free from the burden of sin, and only free people are able to build a truly free society. Atheistic secular humanism can only bring tyranny, where the state attempts to force everybody to do what the state deems is "good" for everyone. If you want to see societies governed by this religion, look no further than China and North Korea. The Christian foundation of the West has enabled us to build the greatest and freest civilization ever seen on this earth, but that civilization is being torn down and the foundations, though strong, are being destroyed. Thankfully, God is still in control of History.
In my opinion, this comment is an example of why we need a competent politics to manage competing interests - which I'd argue are based to some degree on values. A competent politics must seperate church and state as much as possible. I prefer to live in a society where one can be 100% atheist or 100% Christian without persecution due to one's religious beliefs or lack thereof (so long as the execution of those beliefs don't infringe on another person's right to life and liberty).
You can never separate politics from religion, because politics is about law, and all law is based on a religion - whether Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or secular humanism and atheism. All of these are belief systems that govern people's lives. Atheist secular humanism is one of the most intolerant religions ever invented. They even ban people from praying silently outside an abortion clinic! They jail people for tweets! (Certain people, that is, not Muslims, who always get a pass,) If you want to live in a free society, your best bet is a Christian one, and the more Christian it is, the freer it is. Our society, once based on Christianity, has now been taken over by atheistic secular humanism, and we can see how well that is working out. We are soon to find out what it's like to live under Islam and Shariah law, and then we'll find out what real oppression is - especially as applied to women!
So well said! Our job should include helping politicians in the diaspora realize how their goals and Jewish protection align. Its not just the violence and tragedy of Bondi Beach that will ruin their societies. Its not just first the Saturday people, then the Sunday. The violence inherent in both communism and jihadism will destroy our liberal societies completely, for the atheists as well, if allowed to continue their insidious takeover.
Another excellent essay Josh. This was an accurate description of the old Soviet Union and the governments of the old Eastern Bloc. Unfortunately, this is the type of society to which many these days aspire and to which we are all headed if we are not careful. But there is a silver lining. Even under the heels of the communists, people kept their religion quietly. And when the timing eventually was right, that strength of unity and morality prevailed.
Your points are mostly well taken. But your thesis is based on the idea that leaders act in the interests of their nations. I would argue that the reason so much of the Western world is in trouble is that leaders are acting contrary to the interests of their nations. It is not in the interest of Britain or France or Canada or Australia to let radical Islamists dictate state policy and, among other things, allow the harassment of Jews and a virulent hostility to Israel. They may think it is but it isnt. One of the reasons that treating Israel this way works is because there has been no consequence to the outrageous attacks by Western leaders. It is necessary for Israel to make it clear that relations (including trade relations that are vital to these Western nations) will not survive such mistreatment. This should include failure to protect local Jewish populations. THEN we will see if Western leaders know how to act in their nations' interest.
This is an excellent article. The conflation of religious and political values is not new. Politics has long been couched in moral and religious metrics. The American political climate has nothing on the Seleucids, the Hashmonaean kingdom, or the Romans. Perhaps the Thirty Years' War is a better example.
As always, a brillant/accurate essay!!!!!..... Thank you so much .......
🤢 please call your Congress people and DEMAND that they adopt the IHRA definition ASAP, like now. If you live in NY state, call your state reps, too.
They don’t need to do anything else, no frameworks, no negotiations, just adopt the IHRA.
And pass it on!👉
100%.
As Jane wrote, this will require a few reads as there is much to reflect on. I want to touch on one point you made at the beginning:
"Religion, at its core, is about values: how we understand right and wrong, obligation and responsibility, meaning and purpose. It asks what kind of people we should be, and how we ought to live, even when doing so is costly."
Yes and...
Religion, at least Judaism, asks: What kind of world do we want to live in? It then proposes a set of values and behaviors to help us create that world. As Judaism is about our relationship with the Divine and the Human, it seeks to understand the Divine's goals and expectations for both relationships. Too often, those who speak in the name of religion focus narrowly on one or two values to the exclusion or diminishment of all the other values. Focusing on l'taken olam - repairing the world - as a call for social justice (essential) while ignoring the rest of the quote - b'malkhut Shadai - representing the Divine's Kingdom or, less literally, to repair the world in the ways that it will become inhabitable for the Divine is a perfect example of this.
I look forward to re-reading and reacting to the rest of your essay.
Brilliant as usual ! Amazing analysis and so needed! Thank you Josh! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Really sharp take on how politics absorbs the emotional weight religion once held. The Egypt-Israel gas deal example is perfect becuase it shows how fast states pivot once the calculus changes. I've watched close friends treat political disagreements like moral heresies, and the comparison to pre-modern religious enforcement feels apt. The question that stays with me is whether this substitution leaves us more fragile when things go wrong, since politics cant really offer the redemption arcs that religious frameworks had built in.
Wow, your perspective on this issue has so many salient points, I will go back to digest them fully. I wonder if the people/politicans you discuss would even begin to understand what you have said. In the world of social media, not only has religion been replaced with political ideology, but understanding of any of it has also been replaced with blips by social media "experts." Our political parties have also contributed to this with their identity rhetoric, chess pieces moved because of geopolitical events, and of course the visibility and vacuous worded speeches to impress those who don't know better. There are many who are intelligent enough to separate the two, but right now, the other has the global world's attention. Great essay, Joshua. You need to be in the Knesset!
A very thoughtful essay that helped me clarify some of my own strong but inchoate observations. My comments on FB discussions on politics are usually exhortations for people to recognize and accept how inherently flawed human beings are; highlighting that expectations that nations and their peoples do or should work towards some moral, Edenic governments, are dangerously misguided; and that realism and practicality must prevail for survival. (Those are all understatements.) So yes, it struck me that the history of Judaism and Jews is a perfect example of a combination of striving for morality and sacredness in one's personal and community life, but always understanding that surviving in the real world requires practical action which are challenging and far less than "pure."
Excellent article but really should have been two separate ones... just saying...