Your thoughts here resonate in many ways with my own thinking. I will probably have to write a whole essay in response. Thank you for opening the dialogue.
I have a vague idea of compiling some of my writing about spirituality and religion and releasing it as a book because I have a feeling I might find a more receptive audience amongst spiritually-minded people that the secularists now dominating the woke left.
Some might argue that Jesus was an anarchist, with His direct and pointed attacks on the corrupt power structures of His time on Earth.
There is an argument to be made that the early Israelites were anarchists, during the time encompassed by Judges. My own view of Judges is the teaching that when men hew to God's Law, there is no need of Man's laws, and so no need of government.
Similarly, an "anarchist religion" arguably becomes a contradiction in terms, for if there are rules and rituals and commandments, we no longer have anarchy, but a governing order.
The Apostle Paul touches on this in Romans, arguing that Gentiles who, despite never having received the law (i.e., Mosaic Law), nevertheless succeeded in upholding the law were still justified by their faith. Thus Paul builds his case for the "law of faith".
In a more secular form, Henry David Thoreau made substantially the same argument in both his essay Civil Disobedience and in Walden, calling in both for men of conscience to attend to their own affairs by their own lights, rather than be obsessed with the judgment and opinions of others.
If every man does what he sees as right and righteous, if every man is sincere in his pursuit of the wisdom to know what is right and righteous, then the justification and rationale for government fall away.
Should there be an "anarchist religion"? If we all but focus on doing what is right, is there any reason left for such a thing?
Your thoughts here resonate in many ways with my own thinking. I will probably have to write a whole essay in response. Thank you for opening the dialogue.
I´m glad to hear that I´m striking a chord with you! I look forward to reading that essay!
Have you seen any of my interviews with Derrick Broze? I have a feeling you might like them
This one is about natural law (which I consider the essence of anarchism) - https://youtu.be/DNNy3mutoPk
This one is called ¨Was Jesus an Anarchist?¨ and is all about Christianity: https://youtu.be/ybAkNxUTwxE
(both he and I are Sun Dancers who were raised Christian so it´s quite an interesting convo as we´re coming from similar places)
I imagine by now you know what anarcho-perennialism is, but here´s a quick three-minute video explaining the concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIOZjaya85I
If you´re interested, here´s a longer clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9yz_Hzc808
(the part about the social desirability bias is relevant to this convo)
Here´s a collection of essays that deal with spirituality and anarchisms:
https://winteroakpress.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/the-new-anarchy-2.pdf
https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/revolution-without-healing-is-a-recipe?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/the-secret-of-success-is-to-have?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/lent-a-tradition-worth-preserving?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/taoism-divinity-and-the-new-anarchism?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
https://nevermoremedia.substack.com/p/villagism-pacifism-and-the-legacy?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
I have a vague idea of compiling some of my writing about spirituality and religion and releasing it as a book because I have a feeling I might find a more receptive audience amongst spiritually-minded people that the secularists now dominating the woke left.
This article is a compliment to your points here.
https://off-guardian.org/2023/01/16/science-blessed-be-thy-name/
We need freedom of belief... Perhaps that's the evolution of the religion part of us that we all have, even if we think we don't.
Archetypes are powerful because we evolved to act together to achieve goals.
What if we had a religion of understanding the human condition, not by cold science but by finally addressing the problem of hard consciousness.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201910/there-are-two-hard-problems-consciousness-not-one
Some might argue that Jesus was an anarchist, with His direct and pointed attacks on the corrupt power structures of His time on Earth.
There is an argument to be made that the early Israelites were anarchists, during the time encompassed by Judges. My own view of Judges is the teaching that when men hew to God's Law, there is no need of Man's laws, and so no need of government.
https://blog.petersproverbs.us/2021/11/no-king-in-israel-no-king-required-then.html
Similarly, an "anarchist religion" arguably becomes a contradiction in terms, for if there are rules and rituals and commandments, we no longer have anarchy, but a governing order.
The Apostle Paul touches on this in Romans, arguing that Gentiles who, despite never having received the law (i.e., Mosaic Law), nevertheless succeeded in upholding the law were still justified by their faith. Thus Paul builds his case for the "law of faith".
In a more secular form, Henry David Thoreau made substantially the same argument in both his essay Civil Disobedience and in Walden, calling in both for men of conscience to attend to their own affairs by their own lights, rather than be obsessed with the judgment and opinions of others.
If every man does what he sees as right and righteous, if every man is sincere in his pursuit of the wisdom to know what is right and righteous, then the justification and rationale for government fall away.
Should there be an "anarchist religion"? If we all but focus on doing what is right, is there any reason left for such a thing?