are we working it or is it working us?
Saturday, 3 July 2010
If you follow me on twitter you have seen my progress through Bertrand Russell’s A History of Western Philosophy. It has been a interesting read, even if I disagree with a lot of his commentary.
In his concluding remarks on Hegel, he poses an interesting reflection upon the purpose of the State, contrasting Hegel against Locke.
The State is obviously valuable as a means: it protects us against thieves and murderers, it provides roads and schools, and so on. It may of course, also be bad as a means for example by waging an unjust war. The real question we have to ask in connection with Hegel is not this, but whether the State is good per se, as an end: do the citizens exist for the sake of the State, or the State for the sake of the citizens? Hegel holds the former view; the liberal philosophy that comes from Locke holds the latter.
Locke established the classical liberal stance towards the state, the state is established for the people. It is concerned with protecting the rights & freedoms of the people, individually.
Hegel in contrast sees the people as being for the state. Using some complex logic, he argues that the State is the Absolute, the highest form of truth. The state isn’t concerned with seeking the fullest expression of each individual, but rather seeking to establish something like “the realization of Spirit as Spirit”. Some individuals might fully envelop this Spirit within their work, but they are few and far between {and probably only found in great military leader, Hegel offers Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon as examples}.
This question can rightly be applied to the Church also.
We can look to different sects of the Church today to see these two interpretations being played out. The church is about me, my spiritual health. I come to church to a) save myself &/or b) become a ‘better person’. Much of the self-help of Christian bookstores is of the vein. A broad spectrum of churches as of this variety, from the seeker friendly mega churches to the turn or burn saving souls focused southern baptist, even the many Charismatic circles which focus on the experiential Holy Spirit and especially prosperity gospel televangelist.
The opposite direction can be seen in movements centered around religious right or fundamental cultural war sects. There is a battle going on, an us against them war raging in this country. We need your vote, your donation, your support in fighting the evil liberal secular humanist who is destroying this country.
There is much in the liberal Christianity of many mainline churches of a similar vein though a different target—things like global warming, aids in Africa, 3rd world poverty take center stage. The Church then becomes about helping transform the world in the a better place.
But these are all negative examples which though may have some aspect correct seem to be missing.
I say all this to ask the question which has be plaguing my thoughts for some time now:
Why do we go to church? Why are we a part of this thing we call Christianity? Are we there for ourselves or for the other?
I feel the question creates a false dichotomy, in that the answer is yes. The Church is about me for me, we are promised much which Paul writes much about why we can be confident in those promises, but it is also about something bigger than just me. I come to the Church because I seek the divine; but that is exactly the reason why the Church is bigger than my own salvation & transformation—Christ promises us the the world will know the Father through this bride that is the Church. The Church’s end then becomes the abiding presence of the divine, the indwelling of the Spirit.
The trouble that Russell rightly sees with a philosophy which exalts the State over the individual is that is creates an environment ripe for despotic rule, where a ruler sweeps a nation into their vision of the State. Russell points to Nazi Germany & Soviet Russia as examples of this.
I’ve personally seen this on a much smaller & civil-er scale within a church community. A certain charismatic leader takes control of a community’s vision & purpose. He repaints their dreams and rallies them under his over controlling command. There is usually a certain spark of excite at first as this are quickly changing, though it doesn’t take long before the poison of control & power causes them to turn against any opposition from within.