Religious Faith: A Free Pass In A Trivial Game
The role of faith in the shift from animistic magic, through polytheism, to monotheistic alienation
After all the scientific, philosophical, and liberal (capitalistic and democratic) emasculations of theistic religions and the modern dethronements of theocratic monarchies, the religious holdout has one showstopper in her back pocket, one face-saving, conversation-ending card to play.
The modern religious person can retreat to saying that her anachronisms are faith-based, and this appeal to faith is supposed to give her a free pass to say or to do virtually anything she wants, assuming she obeys the secular laws of the land.
The sentimental encomiums to religious faith are common in celebrations of what is mainly the Protestant reorientation of Christianity from failing medieval Catholicism to the individual’s personal relationship with God.
But much light can be shed on the meaning of this emphasis on faith simply by noting the new role religious faith plays in the overall historical context.
Animism and Enchanted Nature
A theme of the development of human cultures, from the Stone Age to what historians call “modernity” is the transition from an…
