The link between all the examples given (Young Turks, Modern Russia, China, and India) is that they are all located somewhere along the spectrum of fascism. Fascism typically has a high mythological component that is actually religious in nature. In the case of the modern Russia it is the resurgence of the EO tradition with archetypes like Peter the Great. We had something similar with our “manifest destiny” but the vestiges of the Christian faith brought some level of clarity over time (witness some of the profoundly just rulings handed down by the Supreme Court even in the midst of slavery).
It’s certainly an interesting subject. I’ve got two books on Turkey open right now (one novel and one history book). I can sympathize with intellectuals like Pamuk and Rushdie who think that “western democracy” whatever it is, must be better than the narrow theo-political confines of Islamic government. What concerns me is when christians start to think the same thing.
Just to be clear, what I mean is christians not realizing that secular democracy is just as opposed to God as Islam, though in a radically different way. Related to this is the common myth that “religion” causes war, and thus governments need to be secular to attain peace. William Cavanaugh’s Theopolitical Imagination is very good at dispelling this notion, particularly as it relates to the peace of Westphalia and the end of the “wars of religion”.
The link between all the examples given (Young Turks, Modern Russia, China, and India) is that they are all located somewhere along the spectrum of fascism. Fascism typically has a high mythological component that is actually religious in nature. In the case of the modern Russia it is the resurgence of the EO tradition with archetypes like Peter the Great. We had something similar with our “manifest destiny” but the vestiges of the Christian faith brought some level of clarity over time (witness some of the profoundly just rulings handed down by the Supreme Court even in the midst of slavery).
It’s certainly an interesting subject. I’ve got two books on Turkey open right now (one novel and one history book). I can sympathize with intellectuals like Pamuk and Rushdie who think that “western democracy” whatever it is, must be better than the narrow theo-political confines of Islamic government. What concerns me is when christians start to think the same thing.
Just to be clear, what I mean is christians not realizing that secular democracy is just as opposed to God as Islam, though in a radically different way. Related to this is the common myth that “religion” causes war, and thus governments need to be secular to attain peace. William Cavanaugh’s Theopolitical Imagination is very good at dispelling this notion, particularly as it relates to the peace of Westphalia and the end of the “wars of religion”.