Xeno-Religion

One of the recurring discussions on the right-wing internet is whether the woke phenomenon is a religion. People point to the zealotry of social progressives as evidence. Progressivism has many of the same external features as traditional faith. There are saints, holy days, and heretics. The adherents of this religion act worse than even the most sanctimonious moral enforcers.

I believe that the discourse is rooted in a confusion between woke being a religion and woke acting as one. I assert that the woke is a Xeno-Religion.

Let me start by saying something is missing from this conversation. There is always a state religion. Some may be obvious, like Catholicism in the Middle Ages. Others are subtle. There is no void. Something will fill that gap.

Many commentators assume that we can go back to an era in which there was no religion at all. This is false. We are not witnessing the birth of the civic religion merely the replacement of one with another. This is a discussion for another time, but related enough that it must be addressed.

To explain my argument, I will borrow a concept from biology. Xeno-estrogens are synthetic chemicals that mimic the shape of hormone molecules without all of their essential functions. In the human body, these artificial molecules connect to the receptors and are absorbed. While Xeno-estrogens will bond to your body, they are toxic. Given the choice between synthetic and biological molecules, the artificial option wins out. Similarly, leftism attaches to the religious instinct in man. Leftism, woke, and progressivism ( all terms I use interchangeably), take advantage of the need for faith without the attendant benefits.

In this post, I will address two features a ‘true’ faith must have. First, it must limit its adherents in some way. Secondly, it must be able to ensure posterity.

Every religion requires the suffering of its adherents. This can take the form of fasting, a monetary gift, or something more Levitical. Limitation is a defining feature of religion and piety can be defined as the degree of limitation one undertakes for their beliefs. This is obvious if you look at any one of the large Abrahamic faiths. Muslims cannot gamble or drink, Jews cannot eat pork, and Christians cannot do any number of things.

In addition to the normal sacrifices of day-to-day religious practice, many religions expect the faithful to die before they recant. Saints and Myrtrs, the most pious members of the faith, have given up everything possible for faith.

This is a core feature of religion that our modern civic cult of progressivism lacks. Believing in sexual, national, and racial equity is a luxury belief. People who express these opinions can expect rewards from society at large. Far from making a sacrifice, wokeness offers a tantalizing mix of official rewards and personal laxity. It is no accident that many prominent activists are overweight, overpaid, and over-sexed: far from Jihadis, they have suffered absolutely nothing.

Effectively, black Americans are in a position where it is racist to prevent them from doing any crime. They are given more protections and privileges than almost any other group in society. For the ruling class, there are also no limits prescribed. It is essentially a useful tool to get rid of your opponents.

The sacrifice mechanism built into faith serves a vital purpose. It allows the belief system to weather hardship. Progressivism has yet to prove itself against scarcity. Until it does it cannot be termed a true religion. I am unconvinced it will.

The second crucial function of faith is to establish a reward system outside of the immediate future. To put this in economic terms, it promotes low-time preference behavior.

Christianity is the most explicit example I can think of. In Mathew, Christ ordered his followers to store up treasures in heaven. There is a theological significance to this, but there is an earthy commandment to put off your immediate gain for a greater reward down the line. This effect is compounded when the reward is placed after death.

Progressivism cannot match this. By being hedonistic it is focused narrowly on the here and now. We see this in the client groups of the regime. Black activists are eager to ask for handouts. However, what do they accomplish with this wealth? Look at how the BLM founders spent their money for an answer. Some of this is no doubt due to simple hedonism, but I think that materialism in progressive thought is another major factor.

The third feature of religion is that of meaning. Faith answers the question of why we are to exist at all and what it means to be a good man. Leftism offers an answer to that question, albeit a poor one. Whereas the Christian would say that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever” a modern progressive might offer something like “humanity's chief end is to achieve total equity and enjoy it forever.” This is the need for faith I alluded to earlier.

The fact that wokeness offers both an answer to the question of meaning and does not require personal sacrifice is a short-term advantage. This means that Leftists can have many of the benefits and none of the costs. Well, at least for now. The two other features exist for a reason. The denial mechanism is essential to build resiliency. Delayed rewards are vital for establishing low-time preference. These two factors are crucial to building a good society.

Woke is a Xeno-religion because it lacks essential features of true faith, but still offers its followers meaning. Up until now, this has been a winning strategy. But as material conditions worsen, the reason those traits are essential will be made clear.