[lbo-talk] Rationality of the Masses

[Jeffrey Fisher]

On 6/8/05, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> Marvin Gandall wrote:
> 
> >Doug Henwood:
> >
> >>So why is the US an outlier on religion, compared to other rich countries?
> >---------------------------
> >Good question, lots of theories, none of them very satisfying, including
> >what seems to the most currently fashionable - a "market-based" explanation
> >which seeks the answer in the lack of an established church and an abundant
> >supply of competitive denominational sects agressively seeking adherents.
> >
> >The US is also an "outlier" in politics - no mass socialist tradition to
> >speak of. Maybe there's a relationship between the two - individualistic
> >Americans have evidently channeled their suppressed collective human
> >striving for community and salvation into religious rather than political
> >institutions. Americans more alienated because of a more demanding form of
> >capitalism, and religion - especially the messianic type -always a major
> >comfort for alienated souls?
> 
> Yeah, I think it's something like that - a really nasty feedback loop
> of bad politics, alienation, religion/individualism, leading to more
> of the same. But some would say I'm being elitist or insensitive by
> pointing to this.
> 

not me.

it HAS to have something to do with that american streak of
individualism. and notice that in general, we see our religion that
way, too. it's one of the reasons romantic religion took off, here --
see especially wesley and methodism.

we have cowboys, political "independents", and people who have their
own religions --- even when they are members of a church of some sort,
or claim to be catholic, etc. etc..

i had two people in world religions last semester who claimed that
they had their own private religions: a religion of one.

-- 
Among medieval and modern philosophers, anxious to establish
the religious significance of God, an unfortunate habit has prevailed
of paying to Him metaphysical compliments.

  - Alfred North Whitehead