cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/5342816

Do you think that you can help bring about the revolution or do you just want a minor less risky role? What kind of role can you participate on and die with a smile in your death bed when you think about how you lived your life?

  • Greenleaf [he/him]
    ·
    1 month ago

    I think with sufficient investigation and theory-studying, I could come up with a decent Marxist analysis of White Evangelical Christianity in the US. I think I’ve identified the principal contradiction in it. I think I’m seeing how it can barely be considered a “religion” and instead it exists to reinforce settler colonialism, white supremacy, and reaction. Just need to put it all together.

    And I fully admit none of this really gets us closer to revolution. This analysis would be less valuable than more effective on-the-ground organizing. But this is a topic that I think about a lot and have an interest in, and applying Marxism to it help me work through my own issues with White Evangelical Christianity.

    • roux [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      1 month ago

      If you haven't yet, read Jesus and John Wayne. It covers the rise of evangelical Christianity throughout the 20th century up to Bush jr. I believe. It will confirm a lot of biases but also, it absolutely is what Marx and Lenin wrote about, regarding religion being a state apparatus. Evangelism isn't a cult at all, it's literally part of the Fascist state. It's at best masked as a cult but most people just look at it as normal Christianity, which also bugs me since there are leftist Christians(actual "as Jesus taught" Christians) and also the "sheep" Christians that mostly align with evangelism but are just not biblically well read and just follow the religion just enough that they think they are actual Christians, Sunday Christians, as I like to call them lol.

      If you can tap into this from a dialectical point, I think it probably could help with the revolution because a lot of Christians are moving left and either don't realize it or feel disenfranchised(rightfully so) and could be potentially integral in shifting the general Biblical understanding of what it seems like Jesus supposedly was trying to convey in the New Testament.

      Sorry for the ramble, I've been drinking and this is somewhat a special interest to me. I'm actually working through it a bit with my therapist.