The New Religion No One Realizes They’re Practicing

Look, I’m what most people would categorize as religious. I am a proud follower of Christ, but I am no fan of religion. I am not seeking to condemn religions. I know that religion has done immense good, including feeding the hungry and caring for the sick, but I am going to highlight what most people negatively associate with it. Those aspects are that religion is divisive, drives fear, and is about doing what is needed to ensure others don’t screw things up.

The book What’s Wrong with Religion by Skye Jethani captures the downsides of religion well. This post isn’t about how I love Jesus but not religion; if you want to learn more about that, read Jethani’s very short book. This post is about how people who do not like religion don’t realize their religion is their politics. It is also about how people who say they are religious have let politics co-opt their faith.

I am writing this not to condemn those who have made politics a religion, but to encourage people to reflect on their beliefs and actions when it comes to politics. I am friends with and love people on all sides of the political and religious spectrums, and I am fearful that the path we are going down will make continuing those friendships almost impossible.

So, in an effort to tone down the fracturing in society, let’s look at the political and religious comparisons one by one.

Religion Divides

Many people hate religion because it divides and creates the idea that those who follow are a superior class. It presumes people in that religion have special or unique insights and are therefore “special” compared to those who don’t share the faith. This preys on insecurities and the human need to feel important, which can lead to looking down on others.

Is this not what has happened in politics, only worse? At least with religion, most of the time, there is a relatively clear plan to follow in order to live a good life and secure a good afterlife. Politicians rarely offer a cohesive plan. Most of the time, they say the other party is ruining everything and insist that if their opponents would just step aside, everything would be fine. It’s essentially a blame game with no real plan beyond saying what needs to be said to get elected. Politics today is like a struggling religion or cult that blames outsiders, the media, and the system for why it is failing.

And this applies to both parties. On the left, the correlation is more direct, as it involves a more secular party, but it is also happening on the right. The right has co-opted the Christian religion with a political affiliation to make people think they are one and the same. Instead of putting their faith in Christ and the Church to transform the world, they are trying to do it through their new political religion, reducing Christ to a chess piece used to achieve political ends. This is why you see voter registrations and altar calls happening at the same event.

Religion Drives Fear

Religion is great at motivating through fear; some say it is what drives all religions. Religions tell you that you will burn in hell, face judgment, have bad karma, be reborn in a lower state, or be cast out of society. They can drive people to believe they must use any means necessary to stop opposition, since it is for the greater good, even if it means forcing others into belief.

Politics is no different. Politicians and their followers use fear to convince people that if the other side is in power, the future is doomed, and life as we know it will end. They warn that the other side will come for your freedoms, hates you, and is relentlessly working against everything you believe. When this fear-based leadership persists long enough, both sides become consumed by the desire to destroy the other. At that point, it becomes less about living out beliefs and more about hating the opposition.

This kind of fear-driven leadership creates a society where people can justify almost anything for the greater good. If someone truly believes the world will be immeasurably harmed by their opponents, they may see blocking them from their life, or even resorting to violence, as justified. Puritans in Salem believed they had to execute their own neighbors to stop the devil from infiltrating their community. In strict Islamic regimes, religious police enforce behavior codes not to fight wars, but out of a fear that allowing personal freedoms will corrupt the moral fabric of the entire society. Protestants and Catholics fought in the Thirty Years’ War to stop the “wrong” type of Christianity. Religion has often driven people to set aside their core teachings in order to punish those who oppose them.

Religions Evangelize

Religions evangelize because they want everyone to join their special group, and they are rewarded for doing so. What good is a religion if it isn’t growing? And, as mentioned above, many justify using any means necessary because the end validates the effort.

Politics works the same way. People post on social media, hold signs on the road, put candidate flags on their cars, and display yard signs. (I find it funny that most religious people I know would never put a sign in their yard or a sticker on their car about their faith, but they are more than willing to do so for their political affiliation.) Of course, I understand the importance of voting, but it’s remarkable how little people recognize that this is simply evangelizing. And, most of the time, it’s about as effective as the guy yelling loudly that you are going to hell while you wait in line to enter an event. If you don’t get the reference, go to a major sporting event in Seattle.

Religion Uses Myths

For religions to gain traction and grow, they must simplify complex topics and answer deep questions. The world is complex and abstract, and no person can fully comprehend how it all works. Stories and myths are created to help communicate ideas and simplify reality. People want answers, and a religion without answers isn’t much of a religion.

Politicians do the same thing, though it doesn’t always look like myth. Instead, it shows up as headlines, sound bites, or out-of-context quotes used to show how one side is right and the other is wrong. Everything becomes black and white, with no room for the middle ground. You’re either with us or against us. Political leaders don’t want people to think for themselves; they want to control the narrative and keep followers inside a bubble of fear and hate.

The internet and social media have amplified this. People were not taught how to process unlimited information, reason through debates, or evaluate sources. Faced with endless input, many retreat to comfort. And what is more comfortable than picking news sources and social media feeds that confirm your viewpoint? These modern myths, spread as half-truths or outright lies, keep followers in line and discourage doubt.

Religion Means Not Questioning Leaders

In many religions, questioning leaders is seen as a weakness. This is how religion maintains power, by ensuring no one challenges its authority.

The same thing happens in politics. It doesn’t matter what politicians say or do; if they are a Democrat or Republican, their supporters feel compelled to defend them. To question leaders is to weaken the platform and risk letting the other side win. That’s why every major story has partisans rushing to get their side out first, ensuring followers know exactly what to think. If one side makes a good point, the other must immediately counter it so doubt never takes root.

Why Is This Happening?

For the non-religious, I believe one reason is that people want to be part of a community. Fifty-seven percent of Americans feel lonely, and that number increases the younger you are. This loneliness drives people to search for belonging and meaning. Since traditional religion has fallen out of favor, many have turned to the religion of politics.

For the religious, it’s similar but with a unique twist. For Christians, it is because they were used to having their values be mainstream in the United States, particularly during and after the Cold War, when it became Christianity versus communism. Since the 1970s, that dominance has eroded, and many feel at risk of losing majority influence. Republicans saw this and aligned their platform closely with Christianity, working hard to blur the line between being a Christian and being a Republican.

Why did Christians embrace this? When you’re losing majority status, you do what you can to cling to power. Many chose to overlook the Republican Party's downfalls as long as it protected their influence. This remains true today, perhaps more than ever. I’ve met Christians who can’t separate the Constitution from the Bible, who refuse to call out Republican leaders for actions they criticize Democrats for. Their Christianity has been replaced by a political faith disguised as religion.

What To Do

First, open your eyes to what is happening with politics becoming a religion. If you dislike religion, take an honest look at your behavior and ask if you have made politics your religion. If so, reflect on what you dislike about religion and make sure you don’t repeat those patterns with your politics. You can still have strong dedication and conviction in your beliefs, but if you fall into the religious traps above, you won’t help your cause.

If you consider yourself religious or a person of faith, think carefully about what comes first. You can’t really have two religions. You either follow one, or you've created a new one.

Second, go deeper than headlines and sound bites. Study both sides of the issues without assuming the other side is evil. Remember, most people are not evil. That idea is often a tool religion has used to spread fear.

Third, remember the true reason you are passionate about politics. You care because you want what’s best for this country. And you must realize the other side feels the same way. We may disagree on how to get there or what “best” looks like, but very few people actually want to bring harm. You may believe their ideas will cause harm, but that is not the reason they promote them. Treating them as evil won’t change minds or lead to progress.

Let’s Avoid a Religious War

I am not trying to get you to change your beliefs. I want people to consider their actions and recognize that treating politics like a religion will have serious consequences. It will cost friendships and family relationships, and it could even lead to a split in our country that escalates into more political violence, moving us from a religious cold war into an outright war.

Disclaimer: No matter what you believe, whether you hate the above or love it, I will always respect you and your beliefs. I also know you will never see things exactly the way I do, and that’s what I probably like most about you. Feel free to question my thoughts and beliefs, to say I don’t get it, to tell me I’m wrong. But please, allow me to connect with you over coffee, a beer, or even online, so I can understand your viewpoint and concerns. That’s what I think is great about our society: we can all believe different things, and in those differences, we can become stronger.