> It's much simpler and much more difficult to properly
> sort out than our arguments often make it seem. Read
> the Bible if you haven't already had the pleasure.
> Read the Qu'ran too. Read, listen and view the pop
> culture of the major religious sub cultures (GOOG
> Carmen + Christian singer, for example). Work out the
> political implications.
I think the spirit of this proposal is a good one, but I am not sure looking at the primary sources is going to be as rewarding as one might think -- at least when it comes to examining Christianity in the U.S.
As is frequently lamented, the U.S. is a nation of Bible owners; not Bible readers. As such, I don't think it's the actual substance of the faith that explains why people are attracted to it. After all, if people were just interested in the ideas behind various religions, you'd see a lot more conversions back and forth. So what's the primary appeal of religion in the U.S.?
What makes religion appealing (mostly) is its social dimension and the rituals it provides for various passages in life from birth to death. My hypothesis is that if you supply an adequate social dimension and ritual, the substance of the ideas you're selling -- no matter how ridiculous -- doesn't matter (see e.g. Mormonism).
My wife's cousin fell into Evangelical nuttiness chasing a woman: He was having trouble meeting women and one of his friends told him they had a singles club at the local mega-church. So he goes, he meets a woman at a Christian singles volleyball outing, they hit it off, he becomes a member of the megachurch, they have a ridiculous dancing and booze-free wedding, and... well, let's just say their Christmas card was Jesus-tastic! I have not talked with him about his new-found religious beliefs, but I sincerely doubt he's any fan of Jim Wallis.
My wife -- who had a messy break up with Catholic liberation theology when we started dating -- still talks about how she misses going to church because of the loss of ritual and tradition: The fact that you can count on hearing the same thing in any Catholic church anywhere. The fact that when you're baptized and married and when you die, you'll receive the same rites your grandparents and great-grandparents received. That's pretty powerful stuff. As she'll readily tell you, it was strong enough to keep her in denial for years about how sucky the Catholic church actually is.
The good news is, the secular left can theoretically absorb the social aspect of religion and a lot of the ritualistic appeal. We can add a superficially apolitical social element to the movement (picnics, parties, day cares, summer camps, etc.) and a ritualistic element (May Day, but also weddings, funerals and the like). So when you join up, you're not just in it with a bunch of people who think alike -- you're in it with a bunch of people who live alike too, and who want to share it with you.
-WD
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