Away With All Gods!: Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World 0976023687, 9780976023685

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AWAY WITH ALL GODS! UNCHAINING f *THE MIND AND RADICALLY CHANGING THE WORLD

BOBAVAKIAN dttta

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:,

Praise for

AWAY WITH ALL GODS! Unchaining The Mind And Radically Changing The World "Bob Avakian has written the

want to

first

book in years that makes me

actually

re-read the Bible, but this time as freaky horror show, weirded

out fiction and gothic nightmare.

"Everyone should read Away With All Gods because critical

and

timely,

but also because

humor. Avakian has a whole

who

it is

lot of fun

it is

necessary,

a book written with joy and

mocking the

absurdities of those

should be called god-botherin fools'— never better than when he

retells old

Richard Pryor routines about Cleveland or reminds us of the

hypocrisy of Ronald Reagan as Christian leader while wife Nancy reads the tarot.

The trouble

is

that the people

who

go in

for this religious-

must be stopped. Avakian

fantasy foolishness are serious, and they

shows how and why.

myth that Zapata had not been killed and some day was flawed because it overlooked as dead as was the resurrected Jesus; showing

"Pointing out that the

would return to

fight again

was just Mel Gibson's 'Passion of the

the fact that he that

Jewish slander that the

mob

killed the

of contortions such as the one thieves as

it is

to

men

Christ'

movie perpetuates an son of God; equally

where the Quran

(cut off their hands'

if

is

as fair to

much an

anti-Muslim tirade ('God

have a mysterious

all

afterlife in

is

not great') as

manner

women

they do not repent); and

skewering Christopher Hitchens' whose critique of religion Terror; Avakian eviscerates

anti-

critical

is

the

is

just as

US War on

of soft thinking on issues that

popular thought today.

"Avakian has answers as to why religious fundamentalism (Christian

on the rise, and he does this not with candles and mirrors, dark robes and incense, but rather a philosophico-political analysis and a program for change. These are things we really need to hear." or Islamic)

is

Professor John Hutnyk,

Professor,

Academic

Director, Centre for Cultural

Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London; author of Bad Marxism:

Capitalism

and Cultural Studies

o

"While Bob Avakian comes from a decidedly different perspective on religion than myself, there are many shared views on the need for

human

emancipation. His

new book opens up

a

much needed

conversation about the role of religion and spiritual belief in the overall fight for justice,

along with questions of morality and what

it

will take

to bring about an end to white supremacy and patriarchy."

Lennox Yearwood, Jr.,

Rev.

"Forceful, scathing,

and

President,

timely.

While

Hip-Hop Caucus I

did not personally agree with

everything Bob Avakian has to say in this book, I found his arguments cogently articulated and provocatively put forth. Angry, humorous, provocative, and hopeful in equal measure, this was an enjoyable and

engaging

read."

Phil Zuckerman, Associate Professor of Sociology, Society Without God (NYU Press, 2008) "'God' has

been used to

Bob Avakian

of years.

proposition told. It

is

every kind of atrocity for thousands

justify

so radically different from

to get a deeper understanding of

and how everything could be 22 year old Black

exist and here's why.' This what people around here are

god does not

says,

makes me want

Pitzer College; author of

different for

communism

humanity'

man from Harlem

"Bold, wide-ranging, down-to-earth, provocative.

Marxist to learn a

lot

from

work.

this

I

One

needn't be a

especially like the forthright

critique of the obfuscating epistemology of religion,

and of

religion's

appalling consequences for women."

Laura Purdy, McCullough Distinguished Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Hamilton College, 2007-08; Ruth and Albert Koch Professor of Humanities,

and Professor of Philosophy, Wells College

"When

I

joined the Black Panther Party

we had mandatory

readings.

This book needs to be mandatory reading for everybody, especially

young people, and

definitely not

literature section. This

world

is

put away somewhere in a left-wing

upside down-topsy turvy-and lots of

people haven't actually studied what that Bible says. Bob Avakian has.

He exposes

He brings it down hard and plain, He goes into history and morality. This book is serious

the hypocritical bullshit.

cold and simple. reading."

Eric

G.,

former Black Panther

member

"Whether readers arguments, This

is

enthusiastically

Away With

Gods!

All

especially so at a time

embrace or is

when

movement

and

religion continues to negotiate

when

a sweetheart deal with leviathan capital, structionist/Dominionist

reject its claims

a book that cannot be ignored.

the Christian Recon-

tries to seize the

corporate-state-military-media complex,

when

helm of the

the apocalypticism of

the American empire lurches perilously forward and

when religion and

capitalism/imperialism become more tightly woven together than ever before."

Peter McLaren,

Professor,

Graduate School of Education and Information

Studies, University of California; author of

Che Guevara, Paulo Freire, and the

Pedagogy ofRevolution.

"Bob Avakian's "Away With

All

Gods"

humanism. Well and engagingly

is

more than an apologia

for

written, Mr. Avakian succeeds once

again in confronting his reader with authoritative, fact-based challenges to our most basic beliefs. With this kind of thinking and writing, Avakian

may just spearhead

a return to the Age of Reason."

Harry Lennix, actor, instructor

AWAY WITH ALL GODS! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

Bob Avakian

Insight Press

•

Chicago

Copyright

© 2008 by Bob Avakian. All rights reserved.

Published in 2008 by Insight Press. Printed in

USA

FIRST EDITION

Paperback:

ISBN ISBN

13:

978-0-9760236-8-5

10:

0-9760236-8-7

Hardcover:

ISBN

13:

978-0-9760236-9-2

ISBN

10:

0-9760236-9-5

CONTENTS Publisher's Note

ix

Part One:

Where Did God Come From... And Who "God Works

in Mysterious

Says

We Need God?

1

Ways"

3

A Cruel and Truly Monstrous God The

Bible,

Taken

Literally, Is

4

a Horror

15

Christian Fundamentalists, Christian Fascists

16

Seeing Jesus in a True Light

18

What About the Ten Commandments?

28

No New Testament Without the Old

31

Fundamentalist and "Salad Bar" Christianity

32

Religion

and Oppressive Ruling Classes

Evolution, the Scientific If

38

Method— and Religious Obscurantism

Gods Do Not Exist, Why Do People

Believe in

43

Them?

46

Why Do People Believe in Different Gods?

52

Part Two: Christianity, Judaism,

Standing In the The

and Islam— Rooted

In

The

Past,

Way of the Future

Historical

59

Development and Role of Christianity:

Doctrines and Power Politics Christianity as a

New Religion:

61

The

Pivotal Role

and

Influence of Paul

72

Demystifying Jesus and Christianity

81

Islam

Is

No

Better (and

No Worse) Than

84

Christianity

Religious Fundamentalism, Imperialism and

the

"War on

96

Terror"

Why Is Religious Fundamentalism Growing in Today's World? Rejecting the

The Growth

"Smug

Arrogance of the Enlightened"

of Religion and Religious Fundamentalism: of a Fundamental Contradiction

A Peculiar Expression

17/

.

...

102 L13

114

Part Three: Religion— a Heavy, Heavy Chain Religion, Patriarchy,

Male Supremacy and Sexual Repression

The Bible Belt Is the Lynching Belt: and Religion in America Christian Fascism Religion,

119

Slavery,

121

White Supremacy 136

and Genocide

150

Fundamentalism, and the Slave Mentality

152

Part Four: God Does Not Exist— We Need Liberation Without Gods

155

The "Left Hand of God"-And the Right Way to Go About Winning Liberation

157

The Myth of the Truthfulness and Religious Myth

199

Positive Role of

Reason Has Not "Failed Us"— Reason Though, In Itself, It Is Not Enough Religious "Faith"— Let's Call

It

Is

Absolutely Necessary— 211

What It Is: Irrational

216

God Does Not Exist— And There Is No Good Reason to God

Believe In

Religion as an Opiate of the

People— And an Obstacle

Emancipation There

Is

217

to

222

No Such Thing As Unchanging, and Unchangeable,

Human Nature Liberation Without

226

Gods

234

Bibliography

239

Index

249

About The Author

257

Praise for Other

Works by Bob Avakian

Vlll

259

PUBLISHERS NOTE This book

is

based on two talks by Bob Avakian, one

in 2004,

"God Does Not Exist—We Need Liberation Without Gods";

entitled

and a more recent

talk,

"Communism and

and Getting Free— Making Revolution Not Relying on 'Things Unseen,'" in 2006). For the

tion of the remarks

this as a book, the texts

combined (along with the

by the author

text of a por-

at the conclusion of the 7 Talks in

amount

2006). This involved a significant

of editing on the part of

the author— rearranging parts of the combined tain passages to effect

Up

(part of 7 Talks given by Avakian

purposes of publishing

of the two talks have been

Getting

Religion:

Change the Real World,

to

text, rewriting cer-

smoother transitions and greater continuity

and clarity, and removing redundancy where it did not seem helpful. In addition to citations for material quoted or referenced (most of

which

is

included within the body of the

text),

footnotes have been

added by the author to further clarify and in some cases

to elaborate

on certain points. At the same time, while what (and while

it is

is

published here

is

a written text

not possible to reproduce in this form the effect

in

the places where, in the course of these talks, Avakian sings lines

from a song or enacts a comedy

routine),

to retain not only the essential content

an

effort

made

has been

and substance but

also, as

much as possible, the style and flavor of the original, spoken material (including by indicating, in brackets within the text, the responses of

the audience at various points). as with

Bob Avakian's

both substantial and ing, to

talks

lively,

the whole

and writings

we

believe the result,

in general, is a

work

thai

is

controversial and challenging— combin

paraphrase a passage

sense of purpose with a

On

lively

in

another book by Avakian.

a

solemn

and penetrating sense of humor.

u

Part One:

WHERE DID GOD COME FROM... AND WHO SAYS

WE NEED GOD?

"God Works in Mysterious Ways" Day

after

sense

day we learn of

if there

terrible tragedies that

were an all-knowing, all-powerful and loving god look-

ing over and looking out for ries

would make no

human beings. Here

are just a few sto-

taken from the news in recent years:

A family loses five children and two other relatives in a terrible bus crash, and then a grandfather of the children dies of a heart

at-

tack after hearing the news of this terrible accident.

But

— we are told — God works in mysterious ways.

In a plane crash in Nigeria, 60 Jesuit college students are killed.

But,

A

God works in mysterious ways.

fiery

auto accident and explosion takes the

lives of six chil-

dren of devoutly Christian parents.

God works in mysterious ways. A woman works long and patiently to help her husband in need Indeed,

of a lung transplant to get in physical condition to qualify for the transplant, and,

finally,

he does.

And

then, after receiving the good

news, they are involved in an auto accident in which the killed

and the man

But, again,

is

is

injured.

God works in mysterious ways.

People suffer

all

kinds of tragedies and atrocities, big and small,

more personal and society-wide bus

woman

or even

world-wide— car

crashes,

crashes, train crashes, plane crashes, earthquakes, floods, hur-

ricanes and

tsunamis— wiping out thousands, tens and hundreds

of

thousands.

Generation after generation, lions of people

were sold into

down through

slavery, often

the centuries, mil-

worked

to death in inhu-

man conditions (and in some places this continues today). Genocide

Bob Avakian

after

genocide

is

carried out, wiping out or nearly wiping out

whole

peoples.

Wars are waged in which tens of millions of people have been massacred through the use of weapons of massive slaughter and destruction, all the

way to

two Japanese

nuclear atrocities, such as the U.S. devastation of

cities

bombs in the second world war.

with atomic

Thirty to forty thousand children die every day in the Third

World from starvation and preventable

disease.

Epidemics throughout history

down

strike

large sections of hu-

manity.

Women

are raped in

huge numbers throughout the world, and

then often they are subjected to shaming and even dered by members of their

own

literally

mur-

family because they— in being the

victims of rape— have not only been devalued, but have supposedly soiled the

honor of the

But, through

family.

all this,

always there is the refrain: "God works

in mysterious ways."

A Cruel and Truly Monstrous God How much of this becomes

has to go on, and

clear that

if

vicious, sick, twisted,

how long does

such a god existed,

and

truly

it

it

take, before

would indeed be a

it

cruel,

monstrous god? That no sane and

bow down to or follow such a god. And that it is very fortunate that no such god exists— and very liberating to finally come to that realization. decent person would want to

In case this

is

not enough, to see yet another dimension to the

murderous nature of God as presented tic

(one-god) religions— to see

how

and seemingly even schizophrenic

this

in the

God

in his

is

major monotheiscapricious, volatile

cruelty— let's turn to the

"Judeo-Christian" scriptures. Let's begin with the story in the Bible, in the

book of Second Samuel (chapter

how it came about God down on his people.

24), of

that King David brought the wrath of this

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the

David,

we

of Israel

are told in

and Judah,

World

5

Second Samuel, ordered a census of the people

his

kingdom, and

(as

a footnote in one version

of the Bible offers as a possible explanation) this particularly to get a

count of

men

But, in conducting the census in the

it

seems that David did

eligible for military service.

way he

did,

David made a big

mistake, because, as this footnote explains, soldiers on active duty

were subject to a strict regimen of ritual procedures in ancient Israel,

and were

especially vulnerable therefore to cultic dangers. (See The

New

HarperCollins Study Bible,

Revised Standard Version, with the

Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, A New Annotated Edition by the Society ofBiblical Literature, pp. 506-07, annotation to 2 Samuel 24:3. All citations in this text in reference to the Bible [except

where they

are contained in a quote from another author] are from this HarperCollins

Study Bible edition.)

And what results from all this? Readers of the Bible may be able is sent by God. 70,000 people died, we are told. But then, finally, the loving God relented and declared, "It is enough," and the plague was ended when David, following God's

to anticipate: a terrible plague

instructions, built

an

of well-being." (See 2

But that of Samuel,

the

first

it

is

Samuel

all

there

24: especially verses 15-25.)

is

to the story. According to the author

was God who ordered David to

place.

of the Lord

not

burnt offerings and offerings

altar "and offered

As

it

carry out this census in

says Second Samuel 24, verse

was kindled

against Israel,

and he

them, saying, 'Go, count the people of

Israel

1:

"Again the anger

incited David against

and Judah.'" Then,

furiated with David for carrying out the census that

him to carry out (or perhaps angry at

God

in-

ordered

how David carried it out), God

turns around and sends a plague to slaughter 70,000 of his "chosen people" who, by any logical reckoning, had no fault in the matter of the census.

Now, apparently,

book

this

was too much

for the

author of another

in the Bible, Chronicles. For, in First Chronicles, Chapter 21, in

speaking ofthe very same census, we are informed that

but the devil

who made David do

it:

it

was

not

"Satan stood up againsl

Cod

Israel,

Bob Avakian

incited David to count the people of Israel." (1 Chronicles 21:1.)

and

Now,

this is hardly a

minor matter. Which was it— God or the

[Laughter] Here, again,

we

see an illustration of the not-so-inerrant

word of the lunatic, maniacal and murderous god of the

And this— it

is

devil?

Bible.

important to note— is not one of those much-

invoked "isolated incidents." As one sees in reading the Bible, and as

come back to shortly, a plague is one of God's most frequent means of bringing down devastation and suffering on human beings, on vast numbers of people, not least his own "chosen people," includI

will

ing many whom any reasonable person would have to regard as

com-

And some people, including religious people— and even many religious people who are generally progressive— have the

pletely innocent.

nerve to talk about the alleged horrors of communism?! Whatever

been made

you want to say about the

errors that have

ence of

and by communist

socialist societies

in the experi-

leaders,

no leader of

the international communist movement, or of a socialist state, has ever even advocated the things that this

God repeatedly insists must

be done.

God works in mysterious ways. Once again, if all this— and much, much more in the way of cru-

But...

agony, devastation

elty,

ways,"

and atrocity— is "God working in mysterious

who needs such a god?

Stepping back for a minute, just to inject a insofar as there

the reality

was any historical and

was not

some explanation

this terrible suffering.

for

some human

it

action.

Bible reflects the social

why this was blame on

And

was

that a

explained and raIn

was no doubt necessary to prohappening,

As long as you believe

tion can't put the ultimate in

the reality

dying— why, what's the reason?

order to hold the society together, vide

it;

somehow it had to be

tionalized. All these people are

reality into this,

factual basis for this plague,

as the Bible presents

plague happened and then

little

this

in

God, so

why there was

God, the explanait

the explanation that

has to be found is

given in the

and economic-production relations— and

the corresponding institutions, ideas, customs and values— that

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

7

characterized and predominated in the society in which the authors of this part of the Bible lived

and of which they were advocates.

Now, this was not necessarily, and may well not have been, a matter of conscious invention

and deception. Those who wrote this part

may have actually believed the explanation they gave plague. Or it may have been a combination of actual belief

of the Bible for this

and conscious calculation on their part, in line with and to serve the prevailing

of their

and predominant

social forces, institutions

and

relations

own time and place. But, in any case, the time has long since

passed when humanity has to be enslaved by those kinds of relations, customs, values, ideas and

institutions,

beliefs,

and the ignorance,

and oppression that they embody, advocate and reinforce.

fear

Along with what

and writings of mine,

pointed to here, as well as in previous talks

is

in regard to the

the Biblical God, not long ago there cles,

"God the Original

Fascist,"

murderous nature and

was an important

acts of

series of arti-

by A. Brooks, which appeared

in

our

newspaper, Revolution. This series provides further glaring

Party's

examples of the absolutely ruthless and viciously demented nature of the

God

to have

of the Bible,

and the particular

fixation this

on the use of plagues as a weapon of mass

destruction. So (with the permission of the author)

include here

some

of the

more

God seems

retribution I

would

striking passages found in

and

like to

"God the

Original Fascist." First, in

reference to the ordeal of the ancient Israelites in Egypt,

Brooks writes: Instead of subjecting his rible suffering

own

"chosen" people to hor-

and enslavement

for centuries

and then

why not just prevent them from being enslaved in the first damn place? Well, reading on in Exodus, we get our answer. God freeing them,

hints to

Moses that

this

whole process by which the

become slaves to the Egyptians and then are to him nothing more than a sick game— an op-

Israelites

freed

is

portunity to "shock and awe" everyone with his power:

8

Bob Avakian

"You

shall repeat all that

I

command you... .But may multiply my

Pharaoh's heart, that

harden

and marvels

I

(Exodus

in the land of Egypt."

6)

will

signs

I

The "you

command you" portion of this passage refers to the instructions God provides to Moses where shall repeat all

I

he tells Moses to tell the Pharaoh to release the Israelites

from captivity or

else

God

will

punish Egypt. The next

few passages of Exodus follow a basic pattern: Moses threatens the Pharaoh that unless he releases the Israelites

from

captivity,

God

will

Egyptians— including blood,

unleash plagues on the

lice, frogs,

locusts,

of insects, and inflammation of the skin, things.

swarms

among

other

The Pharaoh witnesses one of these plagues, and

immediately agrees to are stopped.

God halts

free the Israelites

if

the plagues

the plagues, but then also hard-

ens Pharaoh's heart so that he recants on his promise to free the slaves, flict

and thus God "has no choice" but

more plagues on the Egyptians. ("God The

Fascist," Part 3A, Revolution #017,

October

to in-

Original

9,

2005. In re-

lation to the above, see especially chapters 3

through 14

in Exodus. This entire series, is

also available online as

"God the Original Fascist,"

one document at revcom.us)

Brooks writes further:

What does is

it

say about this "God" that, even though he

"all-powerful"

Israelites

and could

have prevented the

easily

from being enslaved

in the first place,

and

then subsequently could have freed them once they

were enslaved, he would instead choose to intentionally

prolong the suffering of both the Israelites and the

Egyptians merely so that he could ers? Is that

God any

kind of

God

show

to

off

his— pow-

uphold or believe

in? ("God the Original Fascist," part 3A, Revolution #017,

October

9,

2005)

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

Then, from another passage in

this series,

"God the

World

Original Fas-

cist":

The book

of

Numbers

how

describes

the armies of

God's people begin assembling and then marching to-

wards Canaan, prepared to

who

battle

on the

are already dwelling

and annihilate those

land.

But at a certain point, hard times

fall

upon the

armies and troop morale becomes low The troops begin lamenting to

Moses that

that they do not have

their conditions are dire,

enough food

to eat. So

what

is

God's response? Well, being the "compassionate God,

slow to anger" that

is

mentioned

Exodus

in

undoubtedly responds by blessing the

34, the

Lord

Israelites

with

food so that they are no longer starving, right? WRONG!

God instead responds by initially giving his people food, but then, "The meat was

between

still

their teeth, nor

when

the anger of the Lord blazed forth

against the people

and the Lord struck the people with

yet chewed,

a severe plague." (Numbers 11) All this perpetrated on a people

who

did nothing

more than simply complain

that they were starving! ("God the Original Fascist,"

Part 3B, Revolution #018, October

when God promises

Notice that

16, 2005.

this land to his "chosen people,"

there are already other people living there, so something

has to be done about them. As to

be slaughtered and driven

or in particular those virgin

slaughter

must be taken

we

shall see, they

off the land,

have

and those—

women— who

escape the

as slaves.)

Brooks also observes that Eventually,

some

of the Israelites

became

so exasper-

ated with the tyrannical rule of Moses that they launch a rebellion against his tyranny.

God responds

to this re-

bellion by annihilating the rebels— he opens the earth

and swallows them whole, consuming 250 men great

fire.

(Numbers

16)

9

in a

The next day, the entire Israelite

10

Bob Avakian

community is up in arms about what God, acting through Moses and Aaron, has done

to them. So God, being "a

compassionate God, slow to

anger," naturally

by profusely apologizing, recognizing promising never to repeat

it,

right?

WRONG

God responds with more brutality: He kills ites

in (you guessed

cist,"

and

AGAIN!

14,700 Israel-

a plague! ("God the Original Fas-

Part 3B, Revolution #016, October 16, 2005)

As Brooks points for plagues."

it)

responds

his brutality,

out: 'Apparently,

God has some kind

of fetish

Brooks notes that

God

In Leviticus,

refers again to

one of

his favorite

practices— inflicting plagues as a punishment on those

who do

not follow him:

Canaan that

I

give

eruptive plague

God

you

"When you

enter the land of

as a possession,

upon a house

in the land

inflict

I

you

an

possess,"

begins, before outlining the proper procedure for

cleaning a house that

God Himself

infected with the

plague! (Leviticus 14). In Leviticus 20, his

supposed justification

ing

upon the inhabitants

once again,

is

my

which

again offers

he

is inflict-

of Canaan: That justification,

his ways:

laws and I

God

for the brutality

that the inhabitants of the land deviated

from or resisted all

and

all

my

"You

shall faithfully

observe

regulations, lest the land to

bring you in to settle

spew you

out.

You

shall

am driving

not follow the principles of the nation that

I

out before you. For it is because they did

these things

that

I

abhorred them and said to you: 'You shall possess

their land, for

cus

all

20).

I

will give

it

("God the Original

to

you

to possess.'" (Leviti-

Fascist," Part

4A, Revolution

#019, October 23, 2005. In relation to the conquest of

Canaan see, in addition to Leviticus: Numbers, chapters 13 and 14; Exodus, chapter 23; Deuteronomy, chapter

and Genesis, chapter

9;

15.)

One more time from "God the Original Fascist"— whose title should be resonating more and more at this point. Brooks refers

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the to

Numbers, chapter

25,

World

where we learn that some of the

11

Israelites

had fallen under the sway of Midianite women and not only had sex with them but also— even worse abomination!— had been seduced by these

woman

And

into worshipping their gods.

so, as

Brooks

recounts:

Upon

discovering

God became

this,

he struck down 24,000

Israelites

so enraged that

(any guesses,

in

anyone?)... yes, a plague! ("God the Original Fascist,"

Part 4B, Revolution #020, October 30, 2005)

By now the answer to the question Brooks poses, one of these horrors perpetrated by the God of the even more

clear: "Is that

God any kind

of

God

after depicting

Bible,

should be

uphold or believe

to

in?"

But we have not yet seen the full bloodthirstiness of this God, and his servant

and enforcer Moses. For

that, let's turn to

Numbers

31.

Perhaps no other part of the Bible contains as open a celebration

and merciless conquest, slaughter and rape

of unrepentant

found in

this

as that

chapter of Numbers. This part of Numbers recounts

the battle of Moses and the Israelites against the Midianites. As recall,

Moses and the Lord, according to the

the Midianites, as well as with

they were sleeping with the

many

women

Bible,

we

were furious with

of the Jewish people because of Midian

into worshipping their gods, instead of "the

and being seduced

one true God" of Israel.

commanded Moses, and Moses commanded the and slaughter the Midianites. And so they did. You

Thus, the Lord people: go out

can read

this in

Numbers

31, verses 13 to 18

going to focus on verses 17 to

The

and 31

to 35.

Here I'm

18.

army went out and slaughtered the Then they came back and reported to Moses what they

leaders of the Israelite

Midianites.

had done, and Moses became very angry. Did he they had massacred the Midianites? No.

were too lenient they only of their cattle

He

get angry because

got angry because they

killed off the adult

males and took some

and other possessions. And Moses

said,

Goddamn

Bob Avakian

12

it!—well, he

may

not have said that [Laughter], but he told them:

you go back there and not only kill every adult male who might have escaped, but also kill every male child among the Midianites and every female gins,

Moses

who

said,

is

And

not a virgin.

those

women who

are vir-

you may take as prizes of war, as concubines— sex

slaves. If

you don't believe

this,

Numbers— this is Moses

here

is

speaking,

the passage,

word

for

word, in

on behalf of "The Lord":

Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man by sleeping with him. But a

man

all

the young

girls

who

have not

known

by sleeping with him, keep alive for yourselves.

(Numbers 31:17-18)

And what about Joshua and the battle ofJericho? We've all heard about Joshua and the battle of Jericho. Many people have heard the spiritual that was written about it, which tells us how the walls of Jericho "came tumbling down." Well,

what happened

after "the walls

once again, to the

what we're not so often

told

is

came tumbling down." According,

commandment

of the Lord, the followers of this

Lord went into Jericho and slaughtered everybody. If you look, for example, at Joshua, chapter 21,

you

6,

verses 17 to 19

will find that, after "the walls

and then

especially verse

came tumbling down": "Then

they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword

all

in the city,

both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys."

So,

on this occasion as well, the little children among "God's enemies" did not escape the

1.

moon

As

"justice" of this

for the story of

stand

still

God and his messenger, Joshua.

how, in another

battle,

1

Joshua made the sun and the

while the Israelites "took vengeance on their enemies," that of

myth with no basis in reality: along with the fact that it is actually the moves around the sun, and not the other way around (a fact which Christian Church authorities suppressed for as long as they could, through the use of torture and other means, because this basic fact contradicts what is said in the Bible), if the motion of the sun, the earth and the moon had been affected in the way the Bible alleges, in the book of Joshua, there would have been catastrophic consequences, and we would not be here to read this tale in the Bible. course

is

a

earth that

(See Joshua 10:10-13.)

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the Or, if you read

to be

World

through the book of Isaiah, which was supposed

one of Jesus's

favorite parts of the Jewish scripture,

you

11

on about the revenge that

going to be taken on Babylon,

is

through 14)

pressing the Jewish people, and on other nations

and practice

Once

again, the

who

are

for op-

opposed

than that of "the one true God."

different religions

women

will

how Isaiah goes on and

see (for example, in chapters

to

13

of Babylon

and these other nations

are go-

ing to be raped, the babies are going to have their heads bashed in,

and

the

all

men

over again, this

prophet Or,

is

are going to be slaughtered. Over

proclaimed, sung about in

we

often hear about the Psalms in the Bible and

let's

how

and other admirable

they

qualities.

look at Psalm 137. There was actually a reggae song that

was based on lon,

almost, by the

Isaiah.

are expressions of god's love, mercy, Well,

hymns

and over and

where we

this,

sat

which began

[Singing:] "By the rivers of Baby-

down, and there we wept, when we remembered

Zion." Well, those are the first verses of Psalm 137. last verses?

But what are the

Here are verses 8 and 9 which conclude that Psalm:

daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy

shall

they

who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them

be

against the rock!

In fact,

Dracula.

if

you accept what the

The only problem

The character Dracula at least loosely,

on an

is,

Bible says,

God

is

in literature

God

is

no better than

more powerful than Dracula.

and

historical figure in

in the

movies was based,

Romania

several centuries

who was called Vlad the Impaler. And for his enemies, like those from Turkey who practiced Islam, as well as the peasants who rose ago,

up against his to impale

rule in

Romania,

them— drive

his favorite

form of punishment was

stakes through their body, and let

out rotting until they died. That

is

them

sit

the historical basis for the char-

acter Dracula. Well, in the Bible, not only does Moses, acting

on the

Lord's

BobAvakian

14

behalf,

kill

thousands of his

worshipped an

idol (see

own people, the Israelites, because they

Exodus chapter

25 to

32, especially verses

men of Israel— here 29); but, later, we go again— are having sexual relations with the women of Moab, and are being seduced by these women into worshipping their gods when

the Lord learns that the

Moses

instead of "the one true God," then that "one true God" orders to "take

all

the chiefs of the people of Israel and impale

desert sun." (This ter 25, verses

1

to

is

them

in the

once again from the book of Numbers, chap-

5.)

According to the Bible

itself,

this

kind of slaughter, pillage and

rape was carried out over and over again in accordance with the

commandments

of the Lord.

books of the Bible

And

(as well as the

first five,

so-called "Mosaic"

book of Joshua that follows)

are

full

his representatives

and spokes-

insisting that pillage, rape

and slaugh-

of instructions from the Lord,

men like Moses and Joshua,

the

and

ter—including the mass murder of babies and infants— be carried out thoroughly and without mercy. But then, today, one sees these zombie-like Christian fundamentalists at abortion clinics, wrapping

themselves in the Bible, accusing the

women who

have abortions

and the medical personnel who perform them of being

"baby-kill-

ers"— distorting what actually happens with an abortion, obscuring the reality that first

three

more than 90%

months

of abortions take place during the

of pregnancy

not highly developed, and

is far

when

the fetus

is

very small and

from being capable of

life

on

its

own. These Christian fundamentalist fanatics try to portray things as

if fully

when

developed and independent

little

children are being killed

fetuses are aborted. But, along with the gross ignorance that

they are expressing and promoting, there

is

the profound hypocrisy

and irony that the very Bible which they are wielding as a weapon against calls

women with unwanted pregnancies— that very same

Bible

over and over again for slaughtering actual babies and infants.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changi ng the

World

15

The Bible, Taken Literally, Is a Horror All this is

why, with profound reason and justification,

tal

question

demands

it

must be

literally, is

a horror.

And

to be posed: Is

what the

Bible portrays about

said that the Bible, taken

the fundamen-

people and their relations— how those relations ought to be, how, according to the decrees of God, they have to kind of world

that really the

we want?

From what has been shown

so

further in the course of this book,

some

that the following are

and

be— is

beliefs that are

far, it

and what

will

be gone into

becomes unmistakably

clear

of the extremely oppressive relations

upheld— and not

just upheld, but advocated,

commanded and celebrated— in the Bible: Slavery and other forms of ruthless exploitation.

The domination and degradation

of women by men, including

the so-called right of male conquerors to carry off women, especially virgins, as prizes

of war, rape them, and

make them concubines-

sex slaves— of the conquerors.

The

killing of

women who

are not virgins

when

they get mar-

ried.

The execution

of women alleged to be witches. of homosexuality as not just a sin, but an

The condemnation

abomination deserving of death.

The

right,

and indeed the

duty, as

commanded by God,

to plun-

der and slaughter people— including the babies and infants of peo-

ple— following other

religions.

The slaughter of people of the one true

faith

who

displease that

God. Killing of children

who rebel against their parents.

Belief in superstition

as

and fear, and fear-inspiring ignorance, such

demon possession and exorcism. The

cruel notion that disease

The condemnation

to eternal

is

caused by sinfulness.

damnation and unbearable suffer-

God"— and, crucified was who in the case of Christianity, Jesus as the son of God ing in hell for

all

those

who do

not accept "the one true

Bob Avakian

16

but then raised from the dead.

many

with

All of this, along

Bible. If you

upheld and promoted in the especially

if

you believe and

or divinely-inspired

ally—then

must say

all

word

other atrocities and outrages,

insist that

God and

of

the divinely-dictated,

it is

of

all

is

believe in the Bible— and

it

must be taken

liter-

of these atrocities and outrages are things that you

are right

and good because the Bible says they are

and good. And that

precisely the case with the right-wing Chris-

is

tian fundamentalists

right

who can be

very accurately characterized as

Christian Fascists.

Christian Fundamentalists, Christian Fascists Now,

right away, the question

may

"Why do you

arise:

call

these

right-wing Christian fundamentalists Christian Fascists?" Well, the

simple and basic reason [Laughter]

cists.

They

is

that they are Christians,

are the present-day

Nazis in Germany, headed by

World War

2.

They want

to

Hitler, in

impose a

the period before and during

fascist theocracy

an openly repressive form of reactionary capitalist class

in

and the

and they me fas-

American version of the

rule, in

capitalist-imperialist

on society—

the interests of the

system of exploitation,

which law and the exercise of political power will be based on and

justified

on the basis of Christian scripture and "Biblical law"— as in-

terpreted by authoritative figures recognized as legitimate by these Christian Fascists.

These Christian Fascists are forever talking about, and insisting upon, "traditional morality." So

and

force it

let's

examine further what traditions

traditional morality they are actually insisting

on

all

of society.

What is this

actually

all

on and want

to

about and what does

really represent?

One

of the things that

is

very striking

is

that

when

these Chris-

tian Fascists are confronted with the kinds of horrors that I've

tioned,

many of which

are based in the Old

Testament of the

menBible,

7

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

they will say: "Oh, that was the Old Testament which the ancient nation of

a

new covenant,

Israel. That's

New Testament

and the subjugation of women.

New Testament,

for

the person of Paul— who, as

should be loyal to and obey their mas-

I

The New Testament,

will return to later, really is the

in

most

New Testament— tells people to obey earthhow oppressive that earthly authority

influential figure in the

without regard to

because, as Paul puts (see

Romans

it,

13:1-7).

words of Jesus himself (as

in

such earthly authority

The New Testament

John

14:6

and John

15:6),

not follow him and accept what he teaches, you get into heaven

and instead

will

as the inerrant

will

is

ordained

insists, in

that

if

the

you do

not be able to

be damned to horrible suffering

2

hell for all eternity. So, if you believe in literally,

throughout

example, do this rather emphatically. Paul

insists repeatedly that slaves

may be, by God

upholds such things

Paul's letters

ters (see, for example, Colossians 3:22-24).

ly authority,

God had with Now we have

resurrection, of Jesus."

Well, as a matter fact, the

the

1

New Testament, based on the life and teachings,

a

and the death and

as slavery

the old covenant.

World

in

and insist on taking the Bible

and unchallengeable word of God, you have

2. It is also worthwhile looking at Jesus's parable of the Ten Pounds, in which a nobleman gives ten pounds to ten of his slaves and then, after a time, rewards or punishes them according to how they used this money— whether they wisely invested it or foolishly squandered it. At the end of this parable— which is supposed to be about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and what will happen to the righteous and to the evil ones when that time comes— the nobleman in the parable says: "But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to

be king over

them— bring them

Luke 19:1-27— what

Christian Fascists in the

and

in particular its

here and slaughter

quoted here

is

U.S.,

is

them

in

my presence."

(See

verse 27.) And, not without any reason,

including in the U.S. military, interpret this parable,

concluding verse (Luke

19:27), as

a declaration that those

who do not recognize Jesus as Lord and savior will face merciless destruction when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives. As reported in the newspaper of our Party, Revolution (issue no. 98, August 13, 2007), in an interview with Tikkun magazine Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation describes the in the U.S. military: "They often quote Luke 19:27 when I speak to them. That's the Parable of the Pounds in which Jesus says: go out among the people, and bring back to me those who refuse to accept

outlook of the Christian fundamentalists

me

as King over them,

and slaughter

them.'"

18

Bob Avakian

to believe that everybody

who

follows another religion— and even

without knowing anything about

children

who

religion,

one way or the other— must be condemned to eternal dam-

die at

any early

age,

nation because they haven't accepted Jesus as their personal savior.

Seeing Jesus in a True Light With

all

the mystical and sacred "aura" surrounding Jesus,

portant to look at him, and examine what he stood light.

According to the

epilepsy,

and how

Bible, Jesus

it is

im-

in its true

for,

who

encounters somebody

does he supposedly cure the epilepsy?

has

Through

exorcism—-by casting out a demon. Apparently, the all-knowing God, in the person of Jesus, hadn't been paying attention to the

field

know what was the actual cause of epilepsy, if God existed, then God should have known. There are many things that people didn't know about in those times, and so (as still happens far too often today) when they didn't understand things, they made up rationalizations and explaof medicine. Even though people back then didn't

nations for

them— explanations which

often,

ended up blaming the people themselves That's the

the Bible

and

for their

in fact generally,

own misfortunes.

whole point about sicknesses being caused by tells us,

sin: Jesus,

goes around curing sickness by casting out de-

mons and casting out sin. This is And it's not just that Paul, Testament— upholds

slavery;

all

in the

New Testament.

in his letters— again, in the

New

but Jesus himself, in his parables, ac-

cepts slavery as a given. There

is

the parable of the weeds

among

the wheat, the parable of the unforgiving servant, the parable of the

wicked tenants, the parable of the wedding banquet, the parable of the talents— all these parables accept the idea that slavery and op-

pression will exist in this world, and use these as a

way

of drawing

lessons for life. Look at Matthew 10:24-25: there Jesus says, "A disciple is

not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for

the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master."

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the World

19

And, with regard to the status of women Jesus once again accepts as given the relations of male domination that run

to— the whole

fact are foundational

ment

as well as the old. Often, those

to present Jesus

as— a champion

who

in

New Testa-

seek to find in Jesus— and

of the downtrodden, oppressed

and marginalized, argue that Jesus allowed

women who

casts

and condemned

as sinners to approach

come

part of his close

circle,

and a way

through— and

of the Bible, in the

were out-

him and even

to be-

and therefore Jesus provides a model between

for achieving equality

men and women and

overcoming thousands of years of the subordination and degradation of

for

women. 3 But

the truth

is

that from the Bible

it is

clear that

3. Not only in the West, where Christianity has been the dominant religion more than 1500 years, but in Asia as well there have been attempts in recent

times to (re)fashion Jesus as the advocate of the oppressed and his teachings as the basis for a kind of "liberation theology."

these

is

contained in the book Jesus the

Untouchability,

One

of the

Dalit, Liberation

more

interesting of

Theology by Victims of

an Indian Version ofApartheid, by M.R. Arulraja. summarized:

In the "Introduc-

tion" to this book, its essential thesis is

who reread the many surprises.

"The Dalits tion were in for

Bible in the context of their struggle for libera-

"They found that the struggle of Jesus was precisely against the practice of untouchability prevalent in his place and time. Jesus was not exactly giving an

example

them

for Dalits to carry their cross

meekly unto death. He was rather asking

to fight caste discrimination even

struggle

became

directly relevant to

if it

would cost them

them. They discovered

God who died for their liberation." And again in the "Epilogue," it is argued:

their leader, their

"Jesus affirms

by

his

word and deed

touches the Dalits and says they are as All

human

children of

God

is

a myth.

He

as he himself

is.

beings are children of the one Father. The same Father cannot have

children belonging to different

What

(p. VII)

that untouchability

much

their lives! His

in Jesus their hero,

Arulraja

is

castes..." (p.

210)

referring to are the instances in the Bible

where Jesus

reaches out to and embraces people denounced as sinful and treated as pariahs, and his willingness (and at times even insistence on) breaking with a dogmatic

Mosaic laws, as well as the way in which Jesus mercy and compassion for the poor and afflicted. Arulraja also seeks his thesis on the fact that Jesus in some instances acknowledged the adherence to the

strict

ness or other positive traits

more so and

among

calls for

to build faithful

non-Jewish people, and that Paul, much

as a matter of policy, spread the Christian message and organized among non-Jews (gentiles). But, as Arulraja

Christian communities increasingly

20

Bob Avakian

Jesus never challenged but instead incorporated into his teachings

the view of women as inferior in their relations with men, and in-

deed as essentially the property of men— a view deeply rooted in the scriptures

and

Nowhere does

religious traditions to this find a

which Jesus himself adhered.

more concentrated expression than

in the

question of virginity.

Not only does the Bible place a great emphasis on Jesus's supposed "virgin birth" and the image of Jesus's mother, Mary, as someone who had not

"lain

with man" before her marriage and who,

fur-

thermore, we are told, conceived Jesus not through intercourse with

her husband, Joseph, but through the embrace of the holy spirit; but,

and

again, the teachings of Jesus

assume that

qualities that are essential for

women— this is reflected, for example,

in the parable of the ten virgin bridesmaids

virginity

(Matthew 25: 1 - 13) as well

as in Jesus's discussions of marriage (and divorce). So, to understand

what

this

Once human

important

in turn

what it reflects.

societies, thousands of years ago, evolved and

such a way that the wealth that was produced by society

in

was taken

it is

whole concept of virginity— and the great

importance attached to it— rests on, and

changed

chastity are

for the

most part by a small group of people who domi-

nated and exploited the rest— once private property and wealth of individuals role of a

emerged and developed— then not only was the basic

woman increasingly reduced to being a breeder of children,

acknowledges (and as his efforts as being

will

aimed

fully later in this book), Jesus saw and overwhelmingly among Jews— his re-

be discussed more essentially

was a version of Judaism, and Christianity developed initially as a sect Judaism— and Paul's decision to focus mainly and increasingly among gentiles came about not out of devotion to the principle of rejecting "untouchability," but rather as a necessity that was imposed because of the rejection of Christianity by the overwhelming majority of Jews and the growing openness to it among a number of gentiles in the larger Mediterranean area. Even more fundamentally, as has already been illustrated, and will be further elaborated on through the course of this book, the teachings ofJesus and Christianity dc not, in fact, aim to overcome or provide a basis for overcoming relations of oppression in this, real, world; on the contrary, they embody, propagate and reinforce such relations, including some of the most egregious expressions of them.

ligion

within

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

but

became

also

it

crucial to ensure that her children

World

21

would be

those of her husband, so that he could pass his property on to his

heirs— and in particular his male heirs— and not somebody else's. So then women's sexual activity had to be very carefully controlled.

What were the means through which this was done? and

property, a female child,

into a

young woman, was the

society of private ownership of wealth

when

she was a

and then grew

girl

Well, in a

property and possession of her father. Sometimes, he used his wife, or his mother (the wife's mother-in-law) to carry out direct control

over his daughter, but in any case ly

it

was he, the father, who ultimate-

controlled her. And, in keeping with the requirements of these

male-dominated

patriarchal, for

when

guaranteeing that

see this tradition continuing cultures

social relations,

down

women

where young

he was responsible

she got married, she was a to today,

and not just

are often killed, by

virgin.

We

in Islamic

members

of their

own family, if they have "lost their virginity"— even if they have been raped— because

this is

considered to bring dishonor on their family

(these are the so-called "honor killings").

Look

at the

nence" campaign, being promoted from the highest

ernment aged,

in the U.S. today.

and coerced,

into

until marriage), there is

emphasis on And, as we

making pledges of no question that, as

virginity falls

shall see,

While boys as well as

if the

most heavily on

stain"— who were not virgins

and

is

what a

girls are

literalist

"Biblical

encour-

"abstinence" (virginity it

girls

always has, such an

and young women.

when

and women, who did not

"ab-

they were married— would be

reading of the Bible would demand,

these Christian Fascists are very serious about

adherence to

"absti-

Christian Fascists were to have their way,

the punishment, particularly for girls

death: that

whole

levels of gov-

commandments"

making a

strict

the law of the land.

And look at the renewed emphasis in America in recent decades on the

traditional

"beautiful white

Because white

is

the bride away?"

wedding ceremony: here comes the bride

wedding gown."

How come

the color representing

The father.

In effect,

it

in her

has to be white?

virginity.

And who

"gives

and with whatever degree of

Bob Avakian

22

consciousness

may be

the case with particular individuals,

objectively happening is that the father

is

archal tradition of bringing his property it

over to If

it

to the altar

and handing

over as his property.

we go back to the "Judeo-Christian tradition," which embodies

and promotes

this

whole view and practice of marriage,

deadly serious matter. For example, ter 22 verses 13

out. There,

happens

through

21,

if

you read Deuteronomy, chap-

you will see

this very graphically spelled

under the heading "The Accused Bride,"

if "a

very

it is

bride—-is a

clear that the question of virginity— the virginity of the

likes

is

carrying forward the patri-

up

the husband who will now take

what

it

speaks to what

man marries a woman, but after going into her he dis-

her and makes up charges against her, slandering her by saying,

1 married this

woman; but when

I

lay with her,

I

did not find evi-

dence of her virginity.'" Well, then, what is supposed to happen,

if the

husband accuses his wife in this way? As the Bible, in Deuteronomy, sets forth, the parents of the bride are to provide ity

proof of the virgin-

of the bride to the (male) elders of the community.

What

is

the

proof? They have to bring a bloody sheet from the wedding night before the town, and hold up the sheet that she

was a

virgin.

and

And, according to Deuteronomy,

dence can be provided, then the husband his bride has to "If,

say: here is the

who

pay a fine— to the brides father.

has

if

evidence

such

falsely

On the

evi-

accused

other hand,

is true, that evidence of the young woman's was not found, then they shall bring the young woman out

however, this charge

virginity

to the entrance of her father's

house and the

men

of her

town

shall

stone her to death, because she committed a disgraceful act in Israel

by prostituting herself in her

father's house.

So you

shall

purge the

from your midst." (Deuteronomy 22: 20-21)

evil

It

that

would be hard to ask for a more clear-cut statement of the fact

what is involved

which

the

in all this is relations ofproperty

young woman

father (which

is

is

property,

first

she

is

ownership—-in

the property of her

why false accusations against her for not being a vir-

gin will result in a fine paid to hex father

and why,

are true, hex father, along with the other

men

if

the accusations

of the town,

must take

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

23

part in killing her); and then,

passes "the virginity

test,"

upon her marriage, and assuming she she becomes the property of her husband

and the breeder of further property cially

male

Think of all the oppression and all

for

him (children— again,

espe-

children).

bound up

brutality

in this,

and

the ways in which this has led not only to physical abuse of wom-

many forms, but also unbearable mental anguish and torment for women— right down to today. en, in

This

is

dition with

the tradition in which Jesus was deeply steeped— a tra-

which he never ruptured, but

in fact

propagated and

fostered.

As another

illustration of this, consider

what Jesus

divorce. According to Jesus (for example, in

thew chapter

5:31-32), getting a divorce

mitting adultery— is a

sin.

have to imagine, what the

Luke

and Mat-

and remarrying

Imagine, and unfortunately effect

says about

16:18,

is

com-

we do not down

has been of this "teaching"

through the ages, through thousands of years of male-supremacist

Think of the

social relations.

effect of this especially

are trapped in marriages that are oppressive

that

if

women who

and abusive— the idea

they leave an oppressive and abusive husband, that

sin equal to adultery.

Think of all the

caused and reinforced centuries— people, and at

on

them by the religious

down through

women

is

a

sin,

a

truly horrific suffering this has

centuries and centuries and

in particular,

having this preached

authorities, citing the Bible

and the words of

And today, in 21st century America, we find Christian Fascists, inspired by— and wielding— these "teachings," working to make it more much difficult to get a divorce, with the ultimate aim

Jesus himself.

of outlawing

and criminalizing divorce altogether (witness key steps with the "covenant marriage" provisions that have

in that direction,

been adopted Still

in

more than one

some people

[Laughter]

They

insist:

alright, they're in

ment—there

is

say: "Yes,

the

state in the U.S.).

but

"Despite

New

all

there's

something about Jesus."

these things in the Bible— and,

Testament and not

something about Jesus,

his

just the

Old Testa-

message of love and the

Bob Avakian

24

essential mission of Jesus, that

again,

and

look at

let's

its

we still have to hold onto."

what Jesus does and

actual implications

and

Well, once

says, in its actual

effect. Let's

content

go back to what Jesus

does in the so-called miracles of healing in the Bible, to the ways in

which Jesus

attributes people's suffering to possession

or demons, or to the sin of those

ample, in Matthew 17:14-20, as

I

who

are sick

afflicted.

referred to earlier, there

of Jesus supposedly curing an epileptic

Or there

and

with sin and Jesus heals someone and forgives his verses 26-39,

ing a

demon

we

find that Jesus cures a mentally

out of him. But in this case, Jesus

and he hurls the demon cliff— and

I'd

into a

is

devil

For ex-

the story

boy by casting out a demon.

the story in Luke 5:17-26 where sickness

is

by the

is

is

associated

sin. In

a

Luke

man by

ill

bit

little

bunch of pigs, and the

8,

cast-

nasty

pigs go off a

imagine the owner of the pigs wasn't very pleased with

that. [Laughter]

Here a question has to be asked:

If Jesus

went around suppos-

why did Jesus not know better? If son of God (a part of the same essence

edly curing people in this way, this is

supposed to be the

of God, according to the ity)

how come Jesus

terial

know that

things— problems with

the brain? if

dominant Christian doctrine of the

didn't

How come

someone wants

epilepsy

it

caused by

was a demon or the

to argue that Jesus did

Why not tell people the truth,

reality as

affliction?

it

actually

is,

in

devil? Or,

I

have another

and help them understand

and

including the real causes of sickness

Why did Jesus, who

ma-

know better but he chose

to speak to people in the terms of those times, then

question:

Trin-

real

and chemical processes

electrical

he thought

is

supposedly loves humanity, instead

of telling people the truth, reinforce ignorance

and superstition—

and, along with that, guilt and fear?

And if you think the

superstition

and ignorance that

ed by this religious tradition associated with Jesus

again— think of the images of peasants

in

is

is

promot-

harmless, think

Mexico crawling on

bellies to the shrine of the Virgin, tearing off their flesh,

their

asking

for-

giveness for their sins because they are sick and crippled. All this

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

25

does a tremendous amount of harm.

Or

let's

more

talk

what was

generally about

really Jesus's vision

and program for humanity. Jesus himself said that you could boil the

commandments of the Old Testament down to two main commandments he

(see

said,

with

all

is:

Matthew

"You

your

22:34-40).

shall love the

soul,

and with

your neighbor as

shall love

The

of these

first

Lord your God with

all

commandments,

all

your heart, and

your mind." And the second

Now,

yourself''

it

second "commandment" represents something that telling

cannot

be— and, more

society.

Why not?

Well,

take the

let's

the Lord your

lem is

all is

than

first

God with

that,

God

be— applied

moment

your heart, and with is

all

your

and

familiar with,

is

no god.

is

As

been speaking to so

we go

for the

for the sake

far

who

there were a god,

the god of the Old

is

is

makes

ref-

seeking to do good in like

(and which

I

that— for

all

will get into

the

even

along).

second commandment,

your neighbors,

If

scriptures he

the world could not, and should not, love a god

fully as

it

the god, and the only god,

and those are the

erence to repeatedly. Well, a person

more

and

for the sake of pursuing this further, let us for the

Testament, the Jewish scriptures. That

I've

soul,

a problem here. The prob-

the only god that Jesus could be talking about

reasons

human

doesn't exist— and for this fundamental reason,

set aside the fact that there

was

in

commandments: "You shall love

not possible to carry out this commandment. But,

Jesus

better than

"commandments"

that these

should not

of these

all

is

your mind." Right away, there

that

of argument,

all

is

people they should have hatred for and should slaughter and

plunder their neighbors. But the fact

with

"You

is:

could be said that this

after

all.

In a world

it is

not really possible to love

marked by profound

of class and by great social inequalities, in reality

it is

divisions

not possible to

love, and to act out of love, for everyone, regardless of the class posi-

tion they

occupy and the

role they play in society

other classes and groups of human beings. ter,

how can you

If

and

in relation to

you love the slavemas-

really love the slave? If you love the exploiters

and

Bob Avakian

26

and oppress.

oppressors, you cannot really love those they exploit

you act out of love

for the one,

you cannot

of love for the other, because their needs tally

be

and antagonistically opposed

free of slavery,

How

to

really,

If

objectively act out

and interests arefundamen-

each

other.

The

slaves

want

to

and the slavemaster wants to keep them chained.

can you love them both? There can be no reconciliation be-

tween them, on the basis of love or any other real world,

to— and,

because in the

basis,

they will be compelled to act in ways that are opposed

in a definite sense,

harmful

to— the needs and

interests of

the other.

The

slaves will repeatedly seek

ways

to rebel against the slave-

master. When they rebel, they aren't polite and nice

and loving. They

want to throw off their oppression. When Nat Turner led a rebellion of slaves in the southern U.S. in the 19th century, those slaves killed all

kinds of white people— including children, which

shouldn't have done, but often things like that

who

have been long and

bitterly

oppressed are rising up and trying

to find a way out of their oppression.

to

do

this in the best way,

Of course, they need leadership

when they rise

but

maybe they

happen when people

up,

you

can't say: "Oh,

now, wait a minute, you should love your master." And iiyou love the master, then you are going to preach to the slave to be docile and

obedient to the master, because that

is

what the master needs the

slave to do. So, as a

matter of fact, seeking reconciliation will only aid the op-

pressors and exploiters, because they hold a position of domination,

and they under

are very

happy

their domination.

situation as

tempts

it is,

to have reconciliation preached to those

And

in general, they are

the status quo preserved, which

at reconciliation will lead,

when

happy is

to have the

where such

at-

they do not lead to even

worse brutality being brought down on the oppressed.

As

I

referred to earlier, with

attributed to Jesus, after

all,

he

all

the talk of love and peace that

says, in the end, if you don't believe in

me, you are going to be condemned to the torments of hell So

this is

is

not a vision and a program that

is

good

for

forever.

humanity or

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

27

World

that should be carried out by people trying to strive for the better-

ment

of the oppressed

and of humanity in

Another question that gets

was Jesus wrong According to the

at

something very basic

at

in his predictions

Coming would

Matthew, chapter

16,

is this:

Why

about certain decisive events?

Bible, Jesus, as well as Paul,

ing that the Second

you look

general.

was very clear in insist-

arrive very soon. For example,

if

verses 27 and 28, you will see that

Jesus says: For the Son of

Man

glory of his Father,

is

to

come with

and then he

what has been done. Truly standing here

who

will

I

will

tell

his angels in the

repay everyone for

you, there are

some

not taste death before they see

the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

This could hardly be more clear-cut.

And 2000

years

later, it

could hardly be more obviously wrong!

What this ral being,

shows, once again,

part of the

same time the son will lead to,

at

that Jesus

was not a supernatu-

of God, the Father, and at the

of God. 4 Jesus's ideas and visions, and what they

need to be evaluated just

being, which is

spoken

is

same substance

like

those of any other

human

what Jesus was and all that he was. And I have already

some length

and will not lead

to

to

why

those ideas and that vision cannot

another world, a radically new and better world,

a world without oppression and exploitation, right here on earth, in this material reality— which is the only reality there

4.

Here

I

is.

won't attempt to further explore the arcane Christian doctrine

(God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), which nobody can explain— although it is important to note that arguments and struggles

of the Trinity really

relating to this doctrine led, especially in the early centuries of Christianity, to a

and extremely violent conflict among opposing Christian and slaughtering each other. Accounts of this can be found, among other places, in Edward Gibbon's major work, The Decline and Fall

great deal of struggle

sects, literally torturing

of the

Roman Empire.

Bob Avakian

28

What About the Ten Commandments? Besides the fact that the its

two main

upon

insist

New Testament itself— and the teachings of

figures, Jesus

all

and Paul— can be shown

to

embody and

kinds of exploitative and oppressive relations, and

the corresponding ideas, often in extreme form, the reality

those the

who

profess Christianity do not

want

is

that

to base themselves

on

New Testament alone— nor could they This applies above all to

the fundamentalist Christian Fascists.

And

in this light

sharply illuminated, the hypocrisy of those who,

we can

when

see,

confronted

with the very real horrors that are upheld, and insisted upon, in the so-called "Mosaic" Bible,

5

books and elsewhere

in the

seek to evade this by insisting: "That

now, through Jesus, there

is

a

New

Old Testament of the

is

the Old Testament;

Testament." Well,

if

that

is

the

case— if the Old Testament has been replaced and superseded by the

New Testament— then what

about the Ten

Commandments? Why

you bothering everybody about the Ten Commandments— de-

are

manding that they be propagated everywhere

as a "moral guide

and

standard"?

Where are the Ten Commandments

them

in the

New

Testament. The Ten

in the Bible?

You won't find

Commandments

are in the

heart of the Old Testament. They're in the To rah of the ancient Jewish scriptures, in the "Mosaic books" of the

Christian Bible.

They

Old Testament of the

are a crucial part of the old covenant, the

Old Testament.

What about Judge Moore in Alabama— a big hero of the Christian Fascists, who has talked about running for governor of Alabama (it

seems that he

era)?

5.

Why did he

is

seeking to

insist

become the George Wallace

on putting the Ten Commandments

The term "Mosaic books"

refers to the first five

books of the

of this in the

Bible,

which

has been claimed, were written by Moses. Biblical scholarship has clearly indicated that these books were, in reality, not written by the character raferred it

to in the Bible as fifth

Moses— and

this is further suggested

by the

of these books (Deuteronomy), the author tells us that

Deuteronomy 34:5)

fact that, in the

Moses has

died! (See

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

courthouse in Alabama? Didn't somebody

tell

him: "Oh,

World

29

that's the

it. We have a New Testament now. Get Ten Commandments." Why do Pat Robertson and other

Old Testament. Forget about rid of those

prominent Christian Fascists keep repeating: "Remember now, it's the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Recommendations?" Why do they never tire of saying— and citing Biblical authority for their po-

Commandments have

sition—that the Ten ried out?

to be upheld

and

car-

Why do they talk about the Psalms supposedly written by

King David and the wisdom of King Solomon? That's

all

Old

in the

Testament. Well, Robertson

The

and others

Bible, specifically in the

Commandments, and indeed be carried out tion.

We

and, in

like

him

after

all

insist that the

and without exception

to the letter,

are told this, for example, in chapter 5 of

fact,

this

Ten

the other parts of the "Mosaic Law," must or qualifica-

Deuteronomy—

repeatedly throughout Deuteronomy. Not only is

clear here (and in other parts of the

that

are right about one thing:

Old Testament, does

Old Testament

has to be carried out to the

letter,

it

very

particularly)

but the Bible goes on,

enumerating the Ten Commandments, to specify very definite

penalties— cruel and vicious penalties— for not carrying out the Ten

Commandments. These are most definitely not ten "recommendations" or "requests." And what are these penalties? Well, violators of these like

Commandments must be put

committing murder, but also

for

to death not only for things

worshiping other gods (besides

"the one true God") or blaspheming the

must be put

to death

be put to death other words, or even

if

if

you

for

for

name

of the Lord.

They

working on the Sabbath. Children must

not honoring their father and their mother: In

you are a rebellious

child

and you strike your parents,

are disrespectful to them, according to the Bible

you

should be executed.

And the things,

Bible insists that people be put to death for

which most people

in the

many other

world today do not even view as

crimes, let alone crimes that should carry the death penalty. All this is

spelled out particularly in Exodus, Leviticus,

and Deuteronomy.

Bob Avakian

30

What is wrong with the Ten Commandments? How could it do any harm to instill these values in people, and in particular the youth today? Well, one thing is that these Commandments uphold slavery.

commandment. The tenth commandment

look at the tenth

Let's

what? "Thou shall not covet..." And here we discover something very revealing. When Judge Moore in Alabama— and William Bensays

who wrote The Book of Virtues, promoting Biblically-based traditional values— when they propagated the Ten Commandments, all they included of the tenth commandment were the initial words: "Thou shall not covet." What were they leaving out? Well, if you go nett,

6

to the Bible

itself, it tells

you what

you're not

supposed to covet—

what you're not supposed to envy and wrongfully desire among your neighbor's possessions. bor's house,

You

are not

supposed to covet your neigh-

your neighbor's ox or his donkey; and you are not sup-

posed to covet his slaves, or his wife— and here again we can see that in the social relations

embodied

when "thy neighbor" is spoken who is being referred to, and his as well as his house, his oxen

here,

and elsewhere,

in the Bible,

man of the household wife is listed among his possessions, of, it is

and

the

asses,

and

his slaves. So, along

with enshrining patriarchal relations of oppression, the Bible ing slavery

the slaves

is fine,

who

just don't try to take

are rightfully his. (The

found in Exodus chapter

is

say-

away from your neighbor

Ten Commandments can be

20, verses 1-17.)

What's wrong with the Ten Commandments? Plenty. What harm

would it do cluding in

to have the

all

Ten Commandments put up everywhere,

in-

kinds of public places— wouldn't that be good moral

it would not— not when you recogwhat it is these commandments are actually talking about and

instruction for our children? No,

nize

when you

see

what

penalties are

demanded

for

going against these

commandments. 6.

For a critique of Bennett's The Book of Virtues, from a communist standmy book Preaching From a Pulpit of Bones, We Need Morality But Not

point, see

Traditional Morality,

book: "Preaching 'Virtues.'"

Banner

From

Press, 1999, in particular the first essay in that

a Pulpit of Bones:

The

Reality

Beneath William Bennett's

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

31

know

very

No New Testament Without the Old As a matter of fact, and as the Christian well, the

Old Testament

is

Fascist leaders

New

the foundation for the

Testament.

For example, and very importantly, the Old Testament is the basis

begins the

for

is why the book of Matthew way it does, with the genealogy ofJesus (all the "begats" in

the claim that Jesus

is

the Messiah. This

the classical English version of this scripture).

It

appears, by the way,

God got confused in dictating this genealogy— or He had too much wine on the Sabbath or something— because different lineages

that

are presented in

Matthew and

in

Luke

(see

Luke

3:23-38, in contrast

with Matthew 1:1-17). But the essential point here alogy

is all

about establishing the

the Biblical figure David.

fact that Jesus

that this gene-

is

from the

is

line of

Why is that important? Why is that in the

New Testament? Because, according to the ancient Jewish scriptures (which constitute in large part, or are essentially equivalent

to,

the

Old Testament of the Christian Bible), the Messiah had to come from the line of David. Without that authority from the Old Testament, the

whole claim that Jesus was the Messiah would have no foundation. Christianity arose as a sect within Judaism,

a separate religion after the time of Jesus.

It

and then became

was

totally rooted in

the Old Testament. Jesus frequently refers to scriptures from the Old

Testament— and, is

as we'll see,

sometimes does so

yet another problem with the "inerrant

among other things,

there

is

word

incorrectly,

which

of God" (apparently,

some miscommunication between

the

Father and the Son parts of the Trinity).

One ing,

of the things I've pointed out before that

and revealing, about this lineage

(in

of Matthew: "so

and so begat so and

and

when

so...") is

that

it

is

so,

is

begat so and

traced to

But what does Joseph have to do with

not involved. Remember, Jesus came from a

impregnated by the Holy

Spirit.

very interest-

the classical English version

gets to establishing Jesus's

legitimacy as the Messiah, the lineage his father.

is

so,

bona

begat so fides

and

whom? To Joseph, it?

Joseph's "seed"

virgin birth.

Mary was

Joseph and his lineage have noth

ing to do with Jesus's supposed special character. So

why

is

Joseph

Bob Avakian

32

in the context of providing Jesus's genealogy? This is a

mentioned

male-dominated nature of the society

reflection of the patriarchal,

in which Jesus lived— and of the religion that reflected that society.

That is why, despite Jesus's supposed virgin birth, his lineage is traced

through a series of patriarchs. And, again, all of this— and the claim of Jesus's legitimacy as the

Further, the Old

Messiah— goes back to the Old Testament.

Testament scriptures were repeatedly cited

by Jesus as the foundation

New

for

what he believed and preached. The

Testament could not have anything to stand on without the

Old Testament, which

is

the Christian Bible, after

why the Old Testament is

still

included in

all.

Fundamentalist and "Salad Bar" Christianity attempt to avoid acknowledging and

Really, the

that

and

is

atrocities that are

about

(to

use a phrase

so current these days) "taking responsibility" for the horrors

advocated in the Old Testament— this dodge

how "that was the Old Testament, now we have a New Testa-

ment"— is,

after

anity" that

is

all,

just another version of the "salad bar Christi-

so often and so vehemently

condemned by

the fun-

damentalist Christian Fascists, as part of their insistence that the Bible

is

absolutely accurate

and must be believed tail.

This

is

in

and

true, is the inerrant

and followed, to the

letter

word

and

of God,

in every de-

something these Christian Fascists consistently

insist

on— except when they get caught with a passage from the Bible that they find

difficult to explain

time) to their objectives.

away and

see as an

impediment

And then they themselves go

(at the

for "salad

bar

Christianity."

What

these fundamentalist reactionaries are referring to

they speak of and denounce the

phenomenon

(in others) "salad

of liberal theologians

bar Christianity,"

who

is

and others who generally

who advocate a are many ways to

identify with the Christian religious tradition but

kind of multi-culturalism,

when

argue that there

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radica lly Changing the World

get to the divine, so

let's

not

insist that

that accepting Jesus as your savior life.

Well,

is

is

the only

way and

the only path to a righteous

is

there truth to the claim that these people are practicing

what could be is

our way

33

called "salad bar" (or "buffet") Christianity? Yes. There

a phenomenon where they "pick and choose" from

Christian religious tradition— embracing

the Bible and

what they want to

believe

and

are comfortable believing, while passing over or putting aside

that

which makes them uncomfortable or

outdated, and so on.

It is

very

bar and going down the line: take some

of this, but

about

in the Bible

I

"I

much

like

that— I

really don't like

killing children

who

or

don't like

all

that stuff

are rebellious against their

side, I'm

over here, about love and peace." This liberal

them as wrong,

want this, but I don't want that; ok, I'll

parents— I'm gonna put that to the

among

strikes

being at a buffet or salad

is

a

gonna take

this part

common phenomenon

and progressive Christians these

days. But then the

very basic question arises: Once you have in effect denied that the Bible

and Christian

religious tradition is true

and in all circumstances, once you have of what

human

beings say

is

right

and

valid for

objectively

and valid

all

times

made it a matter

in all this, then

where

is

how is it any different from any other set of beliefs and principles that human beings have come

the "divine authority" for any of this, and

up with, including ones that do not claim any divine authority? Why should your beliefs be privileged over others by being invested with

some

special magical

This

is

power or "aura?"

an important question to which I will return later. But the

fact is that, in the

world today and

in

American

society specifically,

everybody who claims to be a Christian practices "salad bar" fet") Christianity, in

(or "buf-

one form or another. Even the Christian funda-

mentalists practice it— while denying that they do and attacking others for

doing

that

must

it

it.

all

They insist that they believe every word be taken

literally,

that

it's

in the Bible,

the absolute truth, handed

down from God in every syllable; but they themselves put to the side and don't talk about things which, if they openly upheld them, would

more obviously reveal them

to

be the monstrous lunatics they are.

Bob Avakian

34

For example,

have to believe mals.

the

is

it

you

really

upheld everything in the

was your duty and responsibility to

Bible, you'd

sacrifice ani-

Most people, even most Christian fundamentalists

(at least in

we have

seen, you'd

don't

U.S.,)

have

if

do

that, so far as

to insist not just

I

know. And, as

on beating children

called for in the Bible: "spare the rod

to punish

and

them— which

spoil the

child"— but

are rebellious. You'd have to believe

and

advocate that homosexuals should not just be condemned as

sin-

on

killing children

who

but should be put to death. That women

ners,

men

period are unclean, and

women who

That

should avoid

when they have their contact with them.

all

are accused of being witches should be put to

death. You'd have to believe in

and

ing off women as prizes of war

and sex

war against people who

women and

extol raping slaves

when

carry-

fighting a holy

god other than "the one true

believe in a

God." You'd have to believe that people

who

practice other religions

should be slaughtered. It is

must be

a legitimate and very important question, which

put to these Christian Fascist fundamentalists: Which

is it?

way

of

or the

"inerrant

other— either you

word

be believed

in

of god,"

believe that the Bible,

and every word

and followed, or you

uphold

all if

referred

here— then admit

is

all

every part of

it,

and that

this

the

must

you are not going

it— including the kinds of outrages to which that

is

it,

absolutely true and

don't. If

One

you don't believe

in every

I

to

have

word and

cannot be the absolute word of god.

And if you do believe that all of this must be upheld and acted upon, then come out and say so. These people have to be forced into the open more all

about.

fully,

in the Bible

them

so that

it

becomes more

They must not be allowed and Christian

at the time.

what they

clear

to waffle

are really

and sidestep what,

religious tradition, is inconvenient for

At the same time,

it is

very important to under-

stand that things which they don't want to uphold and advocate

openly today, they

may very

well insist upon,

and seek

to enforce,

tomorrow. And, even today, while the more highly-placed leaders

among

the Christian Fascists— those

who

hold powerful positions

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

35

government (and there are today quite a few of them) or those who in any case have powerful connections with the highest levels in

of government, those

who

are frequent guests and commentators mainstream "news" programs, where they are treated as not

in the

only legitimate but respected voices— while they may seek to avoid, or explain away, at least

barbarism that

is

some

advocated

of the

most egregious examples

in the Bible, there are others

of the

who

right

now are openly and unapologetically promoting this and proselytizing on the basis of this.

very important to understand that

It is

all

of this

is

deadly

seri-

These people— not just the more obvious lunatics out on the

ous.

streets,

and the ones who have no obvious

of power, but also the

more

to talk in reasoned tones

gram

in seemingly

ties to

"respectable" types

the highest circles

who

and who often package

innocuous adjectives

at times

seem

their fascist pro-

like "family" (the

"Family

Channel" formerly the Christian Broadcasting Network], the "Fam[

ily

on)— actually want a

Values Coalition," and so

the Bible, as they interpret

right

to be the basis

literal

reading of

on which the whole

run— and anybody who doesn't follow that will be perseand even put to death in many cases. They actually believe,

country cuted,

it,

up

is

to

George W. Bush, that not only do they have a personal

relationship with god, but that they are being given a

mandate and

instructions from god, including in ordering the invasion and occu-

pation of Iraq and in carrying out "the war on terror" overall.

Now, a

lot of people,

that kind of power

who

aren't

George W. Bush and don't have

and don't commit those kind of crimes, think they

have a personal relationship with god.

A lot of preachers think they

have a direct pipeline to god. Richard Pryor had

this

whole routine

about the movie, The Exorcist. This is a movie about a young girl who supposedly was possessed by the devil— her head spun around and her bed

jumped up and down, she puked

so on. Priests were called

drawn out

in,

bile

out everywhere, and

to exorcise the devil,

struggle. Well, Richard Pryor said, this

and

it

was a long

movie would have

been a lot shorter and simpler if it had been a Black preacher taking

Bob Avakian

36

care of things. Because the Black preachers have a direct pipeline to

god. And, as Pryor enacted

You know, God,

And

I

it,

a Black preacher

there's a

fuckin' fool. this

Well, I

I

say:

per-son here that's possessed.

was wonderin'— I know

your schedule— but the

would

you're busy,

devil's just actin

And I was wonderin

if

checked

I

a mother-

you could exorcise

motherfucker to Cleveland, someplace. [Laughter]

have to say that I laugh almost uncontrollably every time

hear that— it's one of my favorite Richard Pryor routines, But there

is

also a very serious side to this.

Not too long ago, there was a story

in the news about Christian fundamentalists in Detroit

young boy who has autism, a mental

this

lieved that he

focated him, trying to get the

killed

because they be-

disorder,

was possessed by a demon: they

who

sat

on him and

suf-

demon out of him.

when people take this literally, and act on it, this is deadly serious. And it is an extremely serious and potentially fatal error to not recognize that many, many people do take all this literally and So,

with deadly consequences, and that a potential force of mindless, fanatical

storm troopers, numbering

way and

pared to act accordingly— despite the ways in which in

being

in the millions, is

conditioned and trained to see the world in this

all

led,

to be pre-

this stands

profound and sharp contradiction to what can be accepted by

most people

in

modern

society.

The book The Republican Noise Machine, by David Brock— who used to be part of but broke with ticularly in

it

this

whole right-wing propaganda machinery

and has now become a liberal— discusses

Chapter

7,

"Ministers of Propaganda")

that Christian fundamentalist ministers

right-wing that

all

movement advocate and

these horrific things that

who

some of the things

are part of this

the

same time

are typical

chilling

whole

the ways in which they argue

I've

been referring

upheld and applied as guiding principles and laws also quotes Pat Robertson,

(par-

in society.

making statements that

and sobering,

to should

are at

be

Brock

one and

in light of the fact that they

and representative of the Christian

Fascist mindset

and

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

objectives,

and that Robertson has

figure within the

many years been

a powerful

Republican Party, and more generally he, and many

same

others with the

for

37

views, are powerfully connected at the high-

est levels of the ruling circles in the U.S.

Here are Robertson's com-

ments, as cited by Brock:

We

have enough votes to run the country.

people

"We've had enough,"

say,

going to be a spiritual

over... .It's

we

And when

are going to take

battle.

There

will

be

Satanic

forces...

We are not going to be coming up just

against

human

beings, to beat

them

in elections. We're

going to be coming up against spiritual

There

will

and God's people

are given their rightful place of lead-

ership at the top of the world.

when

warfare....

never be world peace until God's house

How can there be peace

drunkards, drug dealers, communists, atheists,

New Age worshippers

of Satan, secular humanists, op-

pressive dictators, greedy

money

changers, revolution-

ary assassins, adulterers, and homosexuals are on top? (Cited in Brock, The Republican Noise Machine, Right-

Wing Media and How

it

Corrupts Democracy,

p. 189.

Brock's note relating to these statements by Robertson

(note #11 on

p.

391) cites an article by Chip Berlet, "The

Right Rides High;

Dogmatism and Religious Fundamen-

talism in U.S. Republican Party," The Progressive, Octo-

ber 1994,

The

22.

New World Order, Word Publishing,

Unfortunately, to face

up

For the original source, see Pat Robertson,

to

what

1991, p. 227.)

many people who should know better don't want is

going on with

this,

and

its

implications,

and

as just the rantings of lone lunatics. Well, these luna-

they dismiss

it

tics include,

among others, George W. Bush,

a significant

number of

powerful Senators and Congressmen, and members of the Supreme Court. So, yes, their

we

are talking about lunatics, but lunatics

hands on the

levers of power.

who

have

Bob Avakian

38

Religion

and Oppressive Ruling Classes

Napoleon Bonaparte, who a couple of centuries ago became the ruler of France, spoke very clearly to

ruling classes,

cally

why they need to promote

said,

very simply: Society

is

impossible without inequality. Inequal-

cannot be sustained without a morality to justify it. And morality

in turn

cannot be sustained without

There

is

religion.

also a very instructive scene

from the movie Spartacus,

where a couple of members of the ruling Senate

control,

and the

role of religion in this.

you

tors says to the other: Don't

second senator believe in

replies: "Privately

them

that Napoleon

all."

That

is

One

in

how

ing about this question of the populous and

I

which

and oppress masses of people, need religion— and specifiit among the masses of people. He

exploit

ity

why the

Rome

to keep

of these

are talkit

Roman

under sena-

actually believe in the gods? I

believe in

The

none of them; publicly

another way of making the same point

was emphasizing.

we can understand more fully the role of someone like Ronald Reagan. Reagan, who himself has been raised to the In this context,

level of iconic status

role in

ism.

by the ruling

class in the U.S., played a

major

promoting religion, and in particular Christian fundamental-

Now,

it is

true that, before Reagan,

Jimmy

Carter introduced

the question of religion into his campaign for President in 1976,

making a point of

identifying himself as a "born again Christian."

But Carter never has advocated, and

in his

the kind of religious fundamentalism that

own way is

has opposed,

characteristic of the

Christian Fascists; nor did Carter generally seek to use his position as

head of

state to officially propagate religion. But, in significant

ways, Ronald Reagan did aggressively pursuing

all

of

American

this.

As part of

his overall role in

imperialist interests in the world

and championing the program of a certain section of the American ruling class— which

aimed

at discrediting

and dismantling many of

the social programs and government regulations that stood in the

way of unbridled

capitalist exploitation,

undisguised dominance by

big capital, and unapologetic white supremacy and patriarchy—

J

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

39

Reagan, to a significant degree, revived the use of religious imagery in his political pronouncements, and in political discourse more generally, using this to sanctify the notion of a special place

and glorious

special

Christian America

role in the

world

for

what

is

and American imperialism.

Today, Reagan has been repackaged as a kindly avuncular

even as a leader who advanced the cause of peace the reality

is

and a

in reality white

that this

is

a

man who

figure,

in the world.

But

took the world to the brink of

nuclear war with the Soviet Union. As a small but significant indication of the mentality which characterized Reagan, and which he it is worth recalling that, on one occasion, when he was make a radio address, before he started officially broadcasting but while he was being recorded, he made a "joke": "We begin bombing in five minutes. Ha, ha, ha." Now, think about what kind of person and what kind of ruling class thinks that's funny— joking about the start of a nuclear war. And not only did Reagan take the world to the brink of such a war, he was clearly willing to push things over the brink, in the effort to make sure that the U.S., and not the Soviet Union, came out as the dominant imperialist power

promoted, going to

in the world.

Or look what this "kindly uncle" Reagan did brutal military dictatorships were

in Central

imposed on people

America:

there,

with

use of widespread and wanton terror by governments, and death-

squads linked with governments— all of which was firmly backed

by the I

U.S. In the

talked about

book Democracy: Cant We Do

how

in

Guatemala,

of these military dictatorships

mit mass murder, and other

Better

for example,

one

Than That?

after

would send the army out

atrocities, in the countryside.

another to

com-

One

of

the brutal butchers who, as head of the Guatemalan government,

ordered these murderous acts, was a born-again Christian, Rios Montt. While Reagan gave backing to Rios Montt, the Falwell

7.

1989.

and Pat Robertson openly prayed

for

God

likes of Jerry

to give support

Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That?, Bob Avakian, Banner

Press,

Bob Avakian

40

and help

And what

to Montt.

armed

did the

Guatemala

forces of

do under Rios Montt and these other dictators? Repeatedly, when they went into villages which they believed were harboring or supporting rebel guerrillas, the government

up

all

the people, slaughter

of fighting age, rape

down by the their

heads

ment.

I

or

river,

in,

all

the

all

armed

forces

the males that they considered to be

women, and then

take the

somewhere away from the

so that they couldn't

grow up

to

many places (as, for

Now, more

in the Bible

oppose the govern-

where

it

calls for

was

in

years ago, or today

we

bashing in the heads

hear about the terrible killing that has

Africa— what went on in Rwanda a number of

what

is

going on in the Darfur region of Sudan.

All these imperialist politicians are

wringing their hands, exclaim-

"Why haven't we done anything to

stop slaughter like this?" But

this is the sheerest hypocrisy, especially in light of the

of imperialist colonial conquest and, yes, (as well as in other parts of the world),

the system of imperialism

ally recreates

rise to

inspired by

example, in the book of Isaiah, or in Psalm 137).

recently,

been taking place

is

babies

and smash

am not exaggerating any of this. This went on time and time

of babies

ing:

little

village,

again. Perhaps Rios Montt, that born-again butcher,

the

would round

and

itself

reinforces, the

and

whole history

mass slaughter

in Africa

in light of the fact that

it

which has created, and continu-

fundamental conditions that give

the conflicts in Africa, and elsewhere; and

it is

often the case

that imperialist financial agencies, along with imperialist political institutions

and political operatives, are

moting such

conflicts,

directly involved in

with their terrible

Here, too, Ronald Reagan

is

toll in

and pro-

human suffering.

a model, in a perverse sense. Dur-

ing the 1980s, in Africa, just as in Guatemala

and elsewhere

in Latin

America, the

U.S. supported, financed and helped to organize the most bloodthirsty death-squads (and governments that spawned

these death-squads), which carried out unspeakable atrocities. For

example, in Mozambique, when a government came to power which the U.S. identified as standing in the in the direction of

way of its interests and tending

alignment with the Soviet Union and

its

camp,

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

41

the Reagan government supported and aided an opposition group called

renamo, which, over a period

of years, systematically carried

out the most grotesque brutality and mass murder,

would

kill

and maim people, then they would go

renamo

forces

into the hospitals

where people were being treated and they would kill and maim

still

more. All this was organized and funded by the CIA and the

U.S.

government under the "kindly" Ronald Reagan.

And

there

is

another incident which, on the scale of what was

going on in the world

may have seemed like a small thing but none-

theless spoke very loudly to what Ronald Reagan, and the "morality"

he promoted, was

all

who, as President,

about. Again, keep in

actively

promoted

Christian morality (even though

it

mind

religion

seems

tic—and we know Nancy Reagan believed

is

man

a

and fundamentalist

that, like that

ator in the Spartacus movie, privately Ronald

like

that this

Roman

in

and practiced things

astrology— publicly, as President, Ronald Reagan promoted

gion on a big

scale).

And, especially in

Sen-

Reagan was an agnos-

light of the relentless

reli-

attempt

of the Christian fundamentalists to impose their morality on the

world, and even to identify morality in general with their specific

notion of this

it, it

is

important to talk about what was the morality of

man, Ronald Reagan, and what he

actually did in the world.

This seemingly small incident, which however

tells

a big story, hap-

pened during the 1970s when Reagan was governor small underground group calling

Army kidnapped ily

fortune. (The

Patty Hearst,

could not

A

the Symbionese Liberation heir to the big Hearst fam-

Symbionese Liberation Army, or SLA, was not a

genuine revolutionary orientation,

itself

who was

of California.

and the

make a

force,

and

tactics that

their overall outlook

went along with

and

that, did

strategic

not and

positive contribution to a real, liberating, revo-

lutionary struggle. But, of course, that did not prevent

being ruthlessly and murderously hunted the powers-that-be.)

One

of the

demands

down and

them from

suppressed by

raised by the SLA, while

they were holding Patty Hearst, was that free food be given out to

poor people

in California.

The Hearst

family agreed to pay for and

Bob Avakian

42

distribute this

food— they

set

up

distribution points in different

areas around the state. In the midst of this,

ence to this distribution of free food to

and

specifically in refer-

poor people, Ronald Rea-

gan declared that he hoped there would be an outbreak of botulism (deadly food poisoning)!

Now, by what conceivable standard could you wish deadly food poisoning on thousands of poor people receiving food that they can't afford to

pay

for?

Whatever you want

to think about the

Sym-

bionese Liberation Army, on what possible basis could a decent per-

son wish an outbreak of botulism on poor people?

wants to say that

this

comment by Reagan was

And

if

someone

a joke, what kind of

person could think that's funny? Stepping back from Ronald Reagan in particular, to the larger process and the larger dynamics into which he the present situation in the world,

about the role of religion and

let's recall

how

it

fits,

and looking

at

Napoleon's statement

helps to justify and enforce

oppressive relations. Given the stakes involved with what is going on in the

world today, and what's been unleashed by the "juggernaut"

(the rolling

monster of war and repression) driven forward by the

Bush regime— which has brought us the invasion and occupation of Iraq

and everything that has

set loose, along

with continuing war in

Afghanistan; the looming threat of war with Iran; Guantanamo,

Abu

Ghraib, and openly justified torture on a large scale; the Patriot Act

and the Military Commissions Act and the gutting of basic such as habeas corpus and the right to sions

trial;

rights,

Supreme Court

deci-

and other means through which there have been continuing

attacks

on abortion and the aggressive assertion of patriarchy and

male supremacy, as well as the reversal of gains made

in the struggle

against white supremacy and racism; officially-promoted attacks on

science and rational thought and on the separation of church and

state— given

all that,

and more, think about what

it

means

that

reli-

gion in general, and fundamentalist Christian Fascism in particular, is

playing such a powerful role within major institutions of U.S. soci-

ety—including not only all the branches of the

"civilian"

government

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the

World

43

but also the armed forces— and in influencing the course of events

what is

as well as in setting the standard for

Evolution, the Scientific

right

and moral.

Method—

and Religious Obscurantism One

of the

main ways

for ruling classes

in

which

which

religion serves its "Napoleonic" role

exploit

and oppress masses of people

is

in

maintaining a unifying mythology which serves these ruling classes while at the same time obscuring— and obstructing people from learning

and

about— the

actual causes

and the basis and

society,

in the U.S. in particular,

and reasons

possibility for radical change. Today,

one of the sharpest expressions of

in relation to the scientific fact of evolution.

country— and, among other its

educational

for things in nature

things, this

system— do not know,

is

Many

this

is

people in this

a profound indictment of

or accept, that evolution

is

a

And especially among the poor and oppressed, most even know what evolution is. Instead of being taught this, in-

scientific fact.

don't

creasingly they are indoctrinated with the fables

creation as told in the Bible,

and a

false

well as the history of human society.

8.

Recently, The Science ofEvolution

What's Real And

rare in that

it

fairy tales of

view of natural history as

8

and the Myth of Creationism— Knowing

Why It Matters, by Ardea Skybreak, which originally appeared as a

series of articles in is

and

our Party's newspaper, has been published as a book. This book

provides a thorough explanation of what evolution

works, as well as providing a living refutation of Creationism, in

its

is

and how it

various forms

most recent mutation, "Intelligent Design"), and it does this in a manner that is consciously aimed at being accessible to people who are ordinarily denied access to and understanding of scientific questions and the scientific method, as well as speaking to those who are more familiar with this. At the same time, while popularizing the scientific method, as it relates to natural phenom(including the

ena, this

book also shows how this scientific method— and in particular the most

comprehensive and systematic scientific outlook and method, communism— can and must be applied to social as well as natural phenomena and processes and the interconnection between the natural realm and the realm of human beings and their societies. For

all

these reasons, this

is

an extremely important book.

Bob Avakian

44

The truth

that in scientific circles— among the overwhelming

is

majority of people

work is

life's

in

question and is

who

are professionals in science, people

science— evolution has not at

is

all

for

some time been

whose

a settled

a disputed or controversial issue; and this

especially true for scientists in the field of biology. Moreover, in to-

day's

out

it

world evolution

is

there could be

no

whole— withBut most people don't even know

foundational for science as a science.

this— they are kept in ignorance of this and preyed on in their ignorance ests, to

is

used to get them to act against their

keep them from

really

this

own

way:

inter-

understanding the world and thereby

being able to change it— from understanding why they're in the conditions that they're in

and what can be done about this.

To the degree that there lution,

is

a controversy in society about evo-

and ignorance broadly about evolution,

and ignorance that has been

promoted by ful

this is controversy

deliberately created, fostered,

religious fundamentalists,

with backing from power-

forces within the ruling class. While, in the field of biology

science in general, evolution

most

is

a well-established

solidly established facts in all of science,

insisted that "the jury

is still

out on

and

fact,

and

one of the

George W. Bush has

how God created life" and he has

undermined the teaching of evolution by promoting the notion that "Intelligent Design"

though

should also be taught in science classes, even

"Intelligent Design"

in fact, the jury

may still be

has no scientific basis whatsoever. Now, out on whether George Bush

of rational thought [Laughter]; but that his deliberate

Beyond the

is

not what

is

is

capable

at the heart of

promotion of ignorance and superstitious nonsense.

fact that a

number

of Christian Fascists

may

actually

believe in a kind of irrational anti-Enlightenment, Biblical absolut-

ism,

and that Bush himself may be among that number, more funda-

mentally at play

is

the fact that powerful sections of the ruling class

are convinced that such a worldview provides a powerful cohering ideological force, pecially, given

which they believe

everything that

ready been set loose

is

is

necessary in these times es-

at stake

and everything that has

al-

by— and the potential for far greater chaos and

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

upheaval to result

from— the

and unchallengeable,

drive to establish

U.S. empire,

and

U.S. itself accompanying that drive for

This

is

why

there

is

World

45

an unchallenged,

radical changes within the

world domination.

a relentless and many-sided campaign to

promote not only religion

in general

Fascist fundamentalism. This

is

but more specifically Christian

why

this

kind of Christian funda-

mentalism has not only been allowed but encouraged within the military of the U.S., and particularly among the ranks of the officers. why, for example, someone

It is

like

General Jerry Boykin can not

only proclaim, but can be promoted after proclaiming, that the war in Iraq

is

justified

and righteous because

his

God

is

a real

God and

the god of Islam is a fake god, and that in 2000 George Bush didn't win

the popular vote but he's in the White House because: "He was ap-

pointed by God." Among other things, Boykin has also declared: "The battle that we're in

nation, he

is

a spiritual battle. Satan wants to destroy this

wants to destroy us as a nation, and he wants

to destroy

us as a Christian Army' (Cited in Revolution newspaper, issue no.

August

13,

by William M. Arkin

The

98,

2007. See also "The Pentagon Unleashes a Holy Warrior," in the

reality is that

Los Angeles Times, October

an insistence on a

literal

and

16, 2003.)

absolutist inter-

pretation of the Bible— or the Quran, or the scriptures and traditions of any of the world's major religions— can only lead to uphold-

ing and enforcing oppression and torment of the most horrendous kind.

sent

Someone,

after

having read some of

me a bumper sticker, which

ruled the world, they called

people represent. They

I

really

my writings

like— it says,

it the Dark Ages." And

embody and seek to

on

religion,

"When religion

this is

what these

enforce an outlook and

values characteristic of the "Dark Ages," but they do so in the service of an

oh-so-modern form of exploitation, domination and plun-

der—capitalism-imperialism—and with the most up-to-date nal of modern military

weapons.

arse-

Bob Avakian

46

If

Gods Do Not Exist, Why Do People Believe in Them?

In looking for a

way

to get into this particular subject,

thought

I

maybe I could just boil the whole thing about "god" down to a really great line from a not really great movie which came out a couple The movie

of years ago.

movie— it

remarkable

these various con

is

played by

Owen

men and women

to run a con,

about

all

at

Wilson,

rupt judge, played by

how

it is

a not

a rather typical "crime caper" movie, with

is

other and get over— but is

called The Big Bounce. Overall

trying to outsmart each

all

one point, one of the characters, who

is

talking to this other character, a cor-

Morgan Freeman, and

Owen

as they are discussing

Wilson's character says: "Yeah, but

these problems we're going to run into?

what

How are we gonna

And Morgan Freeman replies: "Well, we just have to Owen Wilson says, "You mean like in God?" And Morgan

deal with that?"

have

faith."

Freeman's character comes back with the great

imaginary friend Well,

of course is

I

"God

is

just

an

for grown-ups." [Laughter]

thought maybe

it is

line:

I

could just begin and end with that, but

more complicated than that— and more serious— so it

necessary to dig into this more So, let's step

fully

and

deeply.

back and get a broader picture from

Throughout the world, people

in ancient societies

history.

and people with-

out a scientific approach to studying, to engaging, and to changing reality— people who have not yet developed or who have been denied

access to such a scientific approach, or people

who

have resisted

and rejected such a scientific approach— these people have brought forth

and

rallied

around various myths

in the

attempt to develop a

meaningful story of how they came to be, of the

reality

they experi-

enced, of the larger reality they perceived outside themselves, and of

how they wished reality to be. They have treated these myths as the defining element of reality.

For example, the story of creation, as Bible, is It

it's

called in Genesis in the

nothing but the origin myth of the ancient Jewish people.

doesn't correspond to

has taught us about

reality, it is

how

not borne out by what science

the earth and the "heavens"— the stars,

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the

Mind and Radically Cha nging the World

the galaxies— have actually developed. The earth all this,

and the

benefit of man

stars

and everything

on the

else

is

47

not the center of

were not put there

for the

many of these stars have existed being. Some of them existed and

earth. In fact,

long before the earth

came

into

then went out of existence in the period before the earth actually

came

into being

and before humans

(billions of years after the for-

mation of the earth) came into being. And there are many things that are historically inaccurate, besides things proven to be

by science,

in this creation story in Genesis. This

ples throughout the world have to explain things like

is

wrong

not unique. Peo-

myths that represent their attempts

where they came from and how they

relate to

the rest of reality.

book The Science of Evolution and The Myth Of Creationism— Knowing What's Real And Why It Matters, there is a graphic In the

illustration of different creation

including the early Jewish origin ple believed that they

myths from around the world,

myth

were formed

that's in the Bible.

in the earth

Some peo-

and then rose up

to

Some people believed they were formed in down to earth. Some people believed the whole that we know is just the back of a giant turtle. Now when

the surface of the earth. the sky and then existence

we

fell

hear these things, we're tempted to laugh at everybody

creation

myths— because

we're taught that ours

is

else's

the one that's

true— but if you step back from it, whatever myth we were taught to believe in is no less silly than all the others. [Laughter] And no less disproved by the reality of what's actually happened in the history of

humanity and the history of the natural world. So what we learn from

this is that in actuality these stories

were

not and are not a true description of nature, of the development of

human rest of

beings and of particular peoples and their relation to the

humanity and to the natural

universe.

They were

not,

and

and enduring truths handed down or inspired by some supernatural beings (gods) or by one all-knowing, all-powerare not, timeless

ful

supreme being— God, the Almighty— who surpasses

existence

and knowledge while

all

ruling the entire universe

human in some

BobAvakian

48

mysterious

way

that

none of us can understand. Religious

and scriptures were and are precisely rooted in myths: ucts of the

human

stories

fanciful prod-

imagination; attempts to explain things which

people could not accurately, rationally and scientifically understand

and explain

at the time.

In this connection fact:

it is

worth thinking about a very interesting

with regard to scientists— people

profession— the majority of them

What this

who have ever lived are

alive

now

reflects is the fact that, for the great, great part of human

history, there was

who were

who practice science as their

very little scientific knowledge and very few people

investigating reality

Doing that

so are

bound up with why

is

from anything

like

a scientific stand-

a very recent thing, and the reasons

point.

all

these myths grew up and

why that is became

so

much fastened to people's minds. But that

is

not

all.

The explanations

that religion attempts to

provide for seemingly mysterious aspects of reality, and for the larger

and defining principles of reality— these explanations are not just

wrong in some neutral sense. They are not harmless. They do a great deal of harm

and cause a great deal of anguish and

suffering.

Lets look again at some examples from Christianity and the "Judeo-Christian tradition." As referred to

earlier,

today

we know,

as a result of scientific advancement, that epilepsy— which causes

seizures that for

most of human history were very mysterious and

frightening to people, not just the one suffering the seizure but others as

well— is

actually

owing to material

factors

ing to do with the functioning of the brain

But

for

and processes hav-

and the nervous system.

most of the existence of humanity, people thought things

like epilepsy

suffering

were a sign of something terrible— for example, those

from epilepsy and related seizures were possessed by the

demons— and people suffered terribly as a result of this ignorance. Well, as we have seen, this ignorance is put forward right devil or

in the Bible, including in the

way

that the Bible tells us that Jesus

cured epilepsy by casting out demons.

Or look at the story of the creation in Genesis. There we

find the

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the fanciful notion of

no

guilt or

because

it

Adam and

innocence, no

sin,

having no knowledge of good and

Adam

So we have the

into eating fall

of man,

have Jesus come and assume in order to provide a

We

evil

was just all good; but somehow Eve got tempted by a ser-

then seduced

tion.

49

Eve in the Garden of Eden, knowing

pent, ate the one fruit they were forbidden to

there.

World

can see

means

and

went downhill from

it all

which is the reason why we have to

human

to save

through

that,

it...

eat— the apple— and

form, die and be resurrected,

mankind from

this mythology,

its fallen

humanity

is

condicast in

damned and a failed species that could only cause tremendous havoc and harm on its own. And within this— not surprisingly, given the kind of patriar-

the position of being a

chal,

male-dominated

societies that have existed for thousands of

years— we see a special curse upon women. For example, chapter 3, especially verses 14 to

16,

in Genesis

we are told how, because of Eve's

supposedly treacherous role in the Garden of Eden and bringing

about the downfall of mankind, childbirth all

women

thereafter.

Every

woman who

is

to

become a

according to Christianity and the "Judeo-Christian it

because of the sin of Eve— not because of very

tors that

curse

on

suffers pain in childbirth, tradition," suffers

real,

material fac-

we know a lot about nowadays, but supposedly because of

the treachery and seductive nature of Eve. Listen to this— I brought

my

Bible [Laughter]— listen to Genesis 3:16, this

upon women, and To the pangs

it is

woman

God whose words he

is

the curse put

are being recounted:

said, "I will greatly increase

in childbearing; in pain

you

your

shall bring forth chil-

dren, yet your desire shall be for your husband,

and he

shall rule over you."

All

because of

Eve's

supposed misconduct

in the

Garden of

Eden.

These myths and of harm,

curse

stories are not harmless.

They do a great

and have done great harm down through

upon women, including in

childbirth,

is

deal

centuries. This

not just something of

Bob Avakian

50

the Old

Testament— it is

For example, will find

Or

if

you look

also upheld in the at

Paul repeating this curse

who

There

is

have believed

this

verses 8 to 15,

you

I

have sad news

for

story— it never happened. [Laughter]

evidence— from anthropology,

absolutely no historical

from archeology, from any

2,

upon women.

take the story of Noah's Ark. Well,

let's

those

New Testament by Paul.

Timothy chapter

1

kind of historical investigation— to sug-

gest that a flood like this covered the

whole earth

for

40 days and

40 nights. Sure, there were local floods in the area of Mesopotamia (in

and around what

there (the Tigris

is

now

Iraq),

because there are major

rivers

and the Euphrates) and they flood from time do

time, just like the Mississippi or other rivers

in the U.S.

to

But there

never has been any evidence for a flood that covered the whole earth, as

is

described in the Bible— and never any account, outside

of the Bible, of Noah's

Ark being the basis on which humanity (and

and were able

species needed by humanity) escaped extinction

to

anew after the world-wide flood which God sent because God was displeased with what mankind had done. If such a flood had start

occurred,

it

that time

all

in

surely

would have

over the world.

It

affected civilizations that existed at surely

would have

left its

terms of the actual physical structures of those

terms of disrupting the whole nature of those

mark, both

societies,

and

civilizations. Yet

in

you

can look through historical records and archeological records from

one part of the world to another, and there of this kind of a flood ever having

is

absolutely no evidence

occurred— leaving aside the

unreality of the story of Noah's Ark, with

total

two of every species that

has existed since that time crowded into the Ark along with Noah

and

his family!

Once

again, this

is

not

And it's one thing especially when they don't have

reality, it is

mythology.

when people make up mythology, a basis to know any better— but upholding insisting that

tion

it is

literally true, is to

and ignorance of how the world

oped and changed throughout its

this now,

and

especially

uphold and promote superstireally is

real history

and how It is

to

it

has devel-

promote all the

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

and

suffering that goes along with

and ignorance.

is

51

reinforced by this superstition

not harmless— it does a great deal of harm.

It is

It

keeps people mentally enslaved, unable to face reality it

has

reality and to change on the basis of understanding how reality actually is and how

come to be the way it is.

These myths, and other essential part of what

came

fanciful stories in the Bible,

to be crystallized

and

were an

down

set

in writ-

ing as the ancient Jewish scriptures, or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. But these scriptures were not just the of different

myths and attempts

embodiment

to explain reality in the abstract or

without any social content or impact on society; they were, and the reflection of the

They

human

societies in

which these myths

are,

arose.

are a reflection of the relations in those societies between

different

groups of people, as well as the relations between those

societies

and other

societies,

and a reflection of all the ideas that go

along with and reinforce those relations.

and

illustrating this point as

point— once

this is a crucial

sion live

will

keep coming back to

go along.) But, beyond that— and

relations of exploitation

and oppres-

arose— relations embodying the domination of the means

to

and to create wealth, and the domination of political power and

intellectual in

we

(I

life,

by a small group or

class of people— once this arose

human society, religion has been used by the ruling classes to en-

force

and extend these

relations of exploitation

and oppression.

As a leaflet put out by our Party on the movie The Passion of the Christ

summarizes Not only a book

is

full

it:

the Bible not of

what

literally

true— not only

hodge-podge of remarkably violent legends,

and

is it

can charitably be described as a

tribal history, interspersed

with a

tall tales

little lyric

poetry,

a lot of revenge-filled fantastical rants and some origin

myths— but

these were

writing to reinforce

all

first,

told

and then

set

down

in

a patriarchal desert agricul-

ture society several thousand years ago, then a slave

empire

in

Rome, and then an oppressive

feudal society

52

Bob Avakian

in

Europe.

It is filled

with codes of behavior that are

either hypocritical or openly oppressive.

ancient stuff ist

is

Now this same

being adapted to reinforce the capital-

oppression of today, in a 25-million-dollar, cleverly-

promoted, Hollywood

film.

Why Do People Believe in Different Gods? To help shine a light on the question of why people in different times

and places have believed in not

one

all

worship the same god,

in our Party

museum where modern

times.

peoples

who

came

different gods,

who went

there

The

me

recount a story told by some-

with his deeply-religious mother to a

was an

first

let

exhibit about

Mexico

in ancient

and

part of the exhibit focused on the ancient

lived in Mexico, the

Olmecs and

to the period of the Aztecs several

were examples of

and why people today do

artifacts

others,

and then you

hundred years ago— there

from the Aztec

civilization, including

things that were used in their religious ceremonies. But then, at a certain point there

was a huge

cross in the middle of the exhibit.

This cross signified the time when the Spanish conquistadores

came

and conquered Mexico, defeating and decimating the Aztecs and devastating their civilization. Along with that, the Spanish imposed the Christian religion on the people there, and brutally repressed

and killed people who the

tried to continue the old religious ways. Well,

comrade was going through

grew up

in

Mexico but moved to the

was a very devout exhibit

this exhibit

Catholic);

and

U.S.

with his mother (who

when

after they

she was young and

went through the Aztec

and got to the big cross and then everything after that, as

as religion

was concerned, was a representation

far

of Christianity, he

Ma"— pointing to

the Aztec side— "if those people had won, instead of these other people"— the Spanish— "you'd be said to her: "See,

worshipping those gods instead of the one you worship now." This gets to something very deep:

Why do people believe in the

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

god or gods they do? do? Does

really

it

Why

do they practice

religion the

World

53

way they

have to do with supernatural things that have

been handed down to people, or does

it

have to do with very earthly

things— like the invasion and conquest of Mexico by the Spanish who then forced the people there to take up this new religion of Christianity?

erations

And now, someone

ships the Christian god, because that's her,

and

she's just

come to accept this

mother— genthis is why she wor-

comrade's

like this

and centuries later— doesn't know that

in the past,

all

hidden from

as true because the Bible,

a whole religious tradition built around the Bible,

Let s look at this from a different angle.

tells

her

it is

and

so.

Why is it that the cross

associated with Jesus, and the crucifixion of Jesus which that cross symbolizes,

is

a central icon and major point of reference (and rever-

ence) in this society, but the cross on which Spartacus was crucified fact, many people don't know whom I'm when I talk about Spartacus. Spartacus was a slave who,

does not play that role? In referring to less

than a century before the time of Jesus, led a rebellion of slaves

in the

Roman Empire that threatened that Empire to its foundations

before that rebellion

was

finally

drowned

in blood.

And, as a

result

of being finally defeated, Spartacus and thousands of his followers

were crucified on crosses,

ward the provinces,

lining the

for miles

main road from Rome out

and miles and miles. Why is

and that crucifixion not a big symbol in our society, and why is in other societies in the world today?

because what is,

is

The answer is

to-

that cross it

not

simple and basic:

represented by Spartacus, even in his defeat— that

the slaves rising

up— is

not something the ruling classes

in the

societies we live in, and the ruling classes down through the ages, have wanted to promote. Yes, a movie got made about Spartacus,

but that's nothing compared to the continual barrage of propaganda

about Jesus, the

life

of Jesus,

and the crucifixion and supposed

rection of Jesus. Because, again, the people

want us

to have

symbols that

lion.

They want us

that

we

are

call to

mind

who

resur-

rule over us don't

slaves rising

up

in rebel-

to believe that such rebellions are pointless

bound to, and have

to, live

the

way we

live

because

and

that's

Bob Avakian

54

the all

way God wants

you can do

Or

is

it

to be, that's the

accept God's

way God made the world and

will.

look at another example. There

let's

ish religion centered in

New York

is

a sect of the Jew-

called the Lubavitchers. They're

man

fundamentalist Jews. The head of their sect until 1994 was a

named Rabbi Menachem

Schneerson. As you know, Jews do not ac-

cept that Jesus was the Messiah, but the followers of Rabbi Schneerson, or

many of them, started believing that he was the Messiah that

was prophesied the Bible).

And

humorous and

in the old Jewish scriptures (the

their

promotion of

Old Testament of

this idea actually

went

to very

ridiculous lengths— a kind of perverse illustration of

the combination of very modern technology with very backward,

Dark Ages

They were

ideas.

all

getting their cell

phones and

their

pagers out as Schneerson was approaching his death, waiting to find

out if "the Rabbi" was going to finally announce that he was, after

all,

the Messiah. So here you had this really ridiculous and strange scene

where

all

these people were practicing this medieval religion, while

carrying around this in "real time":

is

modern technology

the Rabbi going to

tell

us

in order to get the he's

word

the Messiah after

all?

Then he died without ever giving the word. But what

if,

for a

combination of reasons— having to do with

geopolitical factors, including

the interrelation of that with

among its is

in the

if,

out of all that, what

represented by the likes of Rabbi Schneerson

nate within

power

Israel,

came

and

to

specifically

much more

able.

the

to predomi-

elite in Israel,

and

structure of the U.S.? Then, perhaps, instead of being just a

might come to hold a

world

among

came

be supported by well-placed groups within the

relatively small sect, those

siah

Middle East, and

what was happening with the U.S., and

ruling circles in particular— what

that in turn

a

developments

who proclaimed Schneerson as the Mesmuch more powerful position and exert

extensive influence, not only within Israel but

stage. It is true that, at this time, this

But

it is

on the

seems highly improb-

worth thinking about how probable

it

would have

seemed, 2000 years ago, that a small sect within Judaism— whose

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

leader, Jesus,

55

had just been executed— would, within a few hundred

become

years,

World

a major religious force in the world,

known

as Chris-

tianity—and indeed that this Christianity would be adopted, and

Roman Empire.

enforced, as the official religion of the powerful

So,

changes within the ruling structures and corresponding changes in the official (or semi-official) ideology of

major empires can bring

about major changes in the role and influence of various

currents— and in

fact this has already

religious

happened a number of times

in the history of humanity.

Or

who

let's

look at the Rastafarians, in Jamaica and other places,

believe that Africa will

become

for

Black people a heaven on

known as Ras [Prince] Tafari), head of state of Ethiopia for a number of decades in the last century, and that Haile

earth,

was I

Selassie (also

actually the returning

and conquering Messiah. A few years

saw a movie about Bob Marley, where a woman

talking about the time

when

came

Haile Selassie

to Jamaica,

she believed that she actually saw the stigmata— the the nails driven into Jesus's

body— she

actually

ago,

Jamaica was

in

and

wounds from

saw them, she be-

lieved, in Haile Selassie's hands. Well, in reality they weren't there.

But this delusion about the stigmata flowed from the person, Haile Selassie— who

was

belief that this

actually a brutal oppressor of the

people of Ethiopia and a pawn and instrument of imperialist rule

in

Africa— was somehow the savior and Messiah. In

"Redemption Song" by Bob Marley, who was a Rastafarian,

there are these compelling lines [Singing:] "Emancipate yourself

from mental irony

is

slavery,

none but ourselves can

that Rastafarianism

is

just another

free

our minds." Yet the

form of mental

slavery.

somehow, the world turned and, a century or so from now, Africa emerged as the continent where the most developed im-

But what

perialist

if,

powers were centered and, along with

imperialists held all

up Haile

over the world

that,

those African

Selassie as the real Messiah.

who were conquered by them would

ing Haile Selassie as the Messiah, and

many

of

Then people be worship-

them would

that the stigmata had been there in Haile Selassie's hands.

believe

56

Bob Avakian

Or take the Mormons. The Mormons believe— if you read The Book of Mormon, you will see this— that hundreds of years before Jesus, an offshoot of the Jewish people left their homeland and

Mormon doc-

somehow got

across the seas over to America. In the

trine there

a whole history of peoples in America battling each

is

other— some of them were on the side of god,

and back and

in this ancient "history," Jesus

Day

Mormon

Saints of the

religion,

and then not on the

went— and then

some point

at

supposedly appeared to the Latter

America and told them

religion in

the things that he would do of Mormon—-which

side of god,

forth they

when he

rose. This

was supposedly revealed

Joseph Smith, about 200 years ago,

is all

in

to the founder of this

when an

angel allegedly

appeared to Smith and guided him to a set of plates on which this history

was written (and the angel

to translate these plates

obviously this and, in

is

all

The Book

also revealed to

Smith

all

how

from a previously unknown language). Well,

in very sharp conflict with traditional Christianity—

fact, is in

greater conflict with

because there were no

reality,

such tribes of people in the Americas: there were Native Americans, but not the peoples that are talked about in The Book of Mormon.

There

is

absolutely no evidence that these people ever existed or

did anything here.

Now you have Mormon

desperately digging around for this

all

so-called archaeologists

over the place trying to find evidence

Mormon mythology, but they can't find any that ever stands

up. All this "history,"

was the product

and the theology that

of the

But one thing

mind

cuted in the

U.S.,

as they

to

was meant to support,

about the

that's interesting

may well have something

it

of Joseph Smith.

Mormons— and

this

do with why they are no longer perse-

were

in the beginnings of their religion— is

Mormons in government institutions like the The Mormon religion is a very conservative, straight-laced, obe-

that there are a lot of FBI.

dient-to-authority kind of religion,

and

being in the FBI or the CIA. Today,

persecuted religion but

one of the

fastest

it is

this lends itself very well to

Mormonism

not a marginalized

growing religions

is

not only not a

religion. In fact,

it is

in the world. Part of the reason

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

from the beginning,

for this is that,

its

adults, to serve

Mormons

ing class decided that

it

are required,

two years as missionaries.

some point powerful enough

us suppose that at

would be good

the whole state apparatus in the U.S.

57

doctrine and practice have

included a very aggressive proselytizing. All

upon becoming

World

to have

Then

it

Well, let

sections of the rul-

Mormons running

could well be the case

that (just as in the state of Utah now, where the

Mormon Church

centered and exercises a very great influence) throughout the the

Mormon

religion

would be something

ed by the government.

that

And then many more

is

U.S.

was widely promot-

people would believe

the fantastic tales that are in The Book of Mormon, instead of the fantastic religious

ing

myths that they now believe; and children grow-

up would think that was

just as natural as they

now think

natural to believe in the story of Jesus in the Bible, and

myths that are

it is

the other

all

in the Bible.

We could go on and on like this. And this illustrates a very profound and important point— that people believe these things and

assume they

are true because powerful institutions in society have

indoctrinated

mind; and

them with these ideas, it has been ingrained into their

when you grow up

within a tradition that

is

so deeply

ingrained in this way, and promoted throughout society,

easy to just assume that this

is

the

way

the world

is,

it is

very

and often

ficult to recognize that reality is actually a very different way.

dif-

At the

same time, if you are in another part of the world, where Islam is the dominant religion, then for the same kinds of reasons you very likely don't believe that Jesus

and that religion.

lions of

the Messiah, you believe he's a prophet

is

Muhammad was

And

if

is

the true

somewhere else— if you are among China and India, for example— then you

you

people in

the last prophet and Islam

live

things that are very different— but for essentially the

same

the

bil-

believe

reason:

because the institutions and traditions of society have, from a very early age, conditioned

you

to believe those things.

Of course, those who long for— and those who, beyond

that,

are actively working for— a radically different world, without rela-

58

Bob Avakian

tions of domination, exploitation

and oppression, and without the

corresponding ideas, have every reason to hope, and a basis in the real

world to recognize the actual

possibility, that,

long before thou-

sands, or even hundreds, of years have passed, humanity will be far

along in the struggle to achieve such a

world— and,

new and

radically different

as a key part of that, will be in the process of finally

casting aside the institutionalized and enforced ignorance and superstition that is

represented by religion and belief in the supernatural

in general.

As a kind of summation, then, of the basic points coming

at

I

have been

from various angles:

The notion of a god, or gods, was created by humanity, in its been perpetuated by ruling

infancy, out of ignorance. This has classes, for

thousands of years since then, to serve their inter-

ests in exploiting

and dominating the majority of people and

keeping them enslaved to ignorance and

irrationality.

Bringing about a new, and far better, world and future for

humanity means overthrowing such exploiting classes and breaking free of and leaving behind forever such enslaving ignorance and irrationality.

Part Two:

CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM,

AND ISLAMROOTED IN THE PAST, STANDING IN THE WAY OF THE FUTURE

The Historical Development and Role of Christianity: Doctrines and Power Politics Bart D. Ehrman, Chairman of the Religious Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill,

notes in his book,

Who Changed the Bible and Why. "Many Christians today may think that the canon of the New Testa-

Misquoting Jesus, The Story Behind

ment simply appeared on Jesus,

the scene one day, soon after the death of

but nothing could be farther from the

quoting Jesus,

p. 36)

truth."

(Ehrman, Mis-

Through the course of this book, Ehrman goes

on to analyze how the canon that now is in the Bible, and in particular

New Testament, came about— how it came

the

Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus puts

it.

More

specifically,

to

be "The

New

Christ," as the Christian Bible

Ehrman goes into the fact that, first of all, if

you're going to believe that these scriptures represent the "inerrant

word of God", you have a problem: the original manuscripts scriptures don't exist.

manuscripts don't

A

slight

Even the

first

exist.

detour here, but something that

relevant story,

is

of these

or second copies of the original

is

an important and

Ehrman's account of the development of

his

own

thinking and approach to the Bible and Biblical studies. As a youth

he went to the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago— at that time he was

an evangelical fundamentalist himself. Then he went on to Wheaton College, near Chicago, which lege (as

tians

Ehrman

indicates,

is

a fundamentalist Christian col-

Wheaton

"is

only for evangelical Chris-

and is the alma mater of Billy Graham,

experience in going to

Wheaton

Wheaton from Moody, he was,

is

very revealing.

as he puts

61

for example").

it,

When

Ehrman's

he

"warned that

left for I

might

Bob Avakian

62

how

fundamentalist

the time he

first

Moody

went

to

wherever

ture, philosophy,

my horizons

it

was." So, although

Wheaton, was a

certain point, he recounts, for truth

he became

might take

and history— not

significantly,

to

my

Ehrman

himself, at

fundamentalist, at a

on pursuing my quest

study of English

litera-

mention Greek— had widened

and my passion was now for knowledge, secular.... I resisted

my views.... But my studies

me." {Misquoting Jesus, pp. So,

strict

"intent

me....

knowledge of all kinds, sacred and tion to change

Wheaton— which shows

real Christians at

have trouble finding

6,

any tempta-

up with

started catching

8)

he developed an orientation toward and a

facility for criti-

And one of the things that struck him pretty early on, was God had "an inerrant word" that he wanted everybody to know about, and insisted that everybody follow, then why wouldn't God provide this word in the original form so that everybody could be very clear on what it was? Or, if somehow the original manuscripts got lost, why wouldn't God find some other means to make cal thinking. that,

clear

if

what

word was,

his

further propelled tures

as set forth originally? Questions like this

Ehrman on

and of Christianity and

a course of critical study of the scripreligion

more broadly— going

different fields, learning different languages so

into

he could read

all

scrip-

On the basis of his studies, Ehrman shows how there are conflicting versions of many different parts of these scriptures— speaking specifically about the New Testament, tures in the originals,

although this

is

and so

on.

also true of the

Old Testament. He points out that

there were basic errors in copying scriptures, in addition to political

decisions that

went

into deliberately changing the scriptures at dif-

And in relation to all this, it is important to remember many centuries when these scriptures were being repro-

ferent points. that, for

duced, this was not the age of the Internet— it wasn't even the age of the printing

press— these scriptures were being copied by hand,

often by people in different places

other only very infrequently,

if

at

who were

in contact

with each

all.

For example, Paul— or one of Paul's followers in Paul's

name—

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

63

would write a

letter to a Christian

early Christian

community somewhere else— and they would copy

community somewhere in the Mediterranean area, and at first they would have the only copy of that letter, and then they would copy it and pass it on to others in another it,

and so on. And as these

errors, just

happen

is

that

somebody would

copying the text— maybe doesn't

letters got copied, frequently there

simple transcribing errors.

sound

right" or

it

"it

One

of the

ways

this

were

would

write a note in the margin while

would say something simple

must have happened

that

like "this

way"— and,

at

a certain point that marginal note would get incorporated into the actual

body of the

text

by someone copying

scholarship has revealed

all

kinds of things

it

later on. Scriptural

like this, just in

terms of

incidental changes from one manuscript to another.

And then,

Ehrman points out, there were also conscious and made for theological and political reasons. There decisions made about the canon— the scriptures that as

deliberate changes

were

political

actually

went

into the Bible as

it is

now,

essentially. Particularly in

Roman general Constantine was facing a major battle against a rival Roman general, Maxentius— a battle whose outcome would decide who would rule the Roman empire— and, the fourth century, a

according to the story that Constantine and his mother, Helena

Augusta (who was

his confederate in this)

propagated afterward, as

Constantine was spending the night before

this

major battle, he saw

the sign of the cross in the sky and the words, "By this sign you shall conquer." Constantine conveyed this to his troops

symbol

in battle; and,

having

he adopted Christianity as

was adopted

won

it

it

as his

the battle

Soon

after that Christianity

his religion.

as the official religion of the

the point of a sword,

and used

and become Emperor,

Roman Empire

and, at

was forced on everyone conquered by the

Roman Empire. So Constantine's role

is

pivotal in the history of Christianity.

Not

only because he rose to the position of Emperor and took Christiani-

but because he was determined to structure and shape the religion and its scriptures according to his interests and ty on as his religion,

Bob Avakian

64

his designs.

So he called conferences of religious scholars and had

them, under his ultimate direction, develop a unified doctrine and resolve key disputes of doctrine— such as the Trinity,

which nobody

understands and which has been the focus of bitter and violent putes. There

God, the Father; but then there

is

is

dis-

Jesus, the Son of

God. Did Jesus emanate from the father at a certain point, which

make Jesus a lesser essence? Or was Jesus there from the beginning, part of the same essence as, and co-equal with, God, the Father— and then at some point Jesus took human form? And

would in

then

effect

there's the

whole matter of the holy

spirit.

Holy

shit,

nobody

knows anything about what that means. [Laughter] There have been Trinity.

And,

many

different interpretations of the

in addition to the

way

in

Holy

which Christian authorities

have over centuries persecuted non-believers and "heretics," early Christians,

on opposite

sides of the disputes about the

Holy

Trinity,

fought with each other, often in the most bloody ways, slaughtering

each other in the thousands and committing all manner of atrocities in the process.

Decline there.

and Fall ofthe Roman Empire, you will find all this chronicled

And, because unifying Christianity and its doctrines and insti-

tutions

the

As referred to earlier, if you read Edward Gibbon's The

became very important

to Constantine as a part of unifying

Roman empire under his rule, Constantine in effect enforced the

resolution of much of this doctrinal dispute Political decisions

And then

factional fighting.

were made about what got into the

which versions of which tion.

and

scriptures,

all

under Constantine's

further political decisions about doctrine were

mered out and fought out in the following centuries Church became a powerful

institution.

Bible,

direc-

ham-

as the Christian

9

You can learn about much of this in the book by James Carroll Constanand the Jews: A History. Carroll is a believing Catholic, but he does reveal a lot of this history because he is very much opposed to what Cornel West has characterized as Constantinian Christianity— Christianity that is a weapon and ideological arm of empire (see Cornel West, Democracy Matters, Winning the Fight Against Imperialism, The Penguin Press, 2004, especially chapter 5, "The Crisis of Christian Identity in America"). In Constantine's Sword 9.

tine's

Sword, The Church

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radic ally Changing the

World

65

Returning to the scholarship of Bart Ehrman, he discusses the fact that there are

many discrepancies between

same

scripture in different manuscripts,

what

is

different versions of the

and discrepancies between said about the same subject in one part of the scripture

and another part. For example, in Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman reveals

how the Gospel of Mark has Jesus utter a mistaken version scripture.

of earlier

Mark is considered by almost all Biblical scholars to be the

original gospel

which other gospels, in particular Matthew and Luke,

borrowed from and added to. Ehrman examines how Mark (in chapter 2) tells of Jesus

having a hostile encounter with the Pharisees

(religious authorities

among the Jewish people). They confront Jesus

because he and his disciples are walking through a grain the grain as they go, on the Sabbath, which

is

in

Pharisees, Jesus refers to David as a precedent

and

what he and

in

his disciples are doing.

is;

Now, keep

David establishes the Messianic

eating

a violation of Mosaic

law about the Sabbath. And, according to Mark,

tant David

field,

answering the

justification for

mind how impor-

lineage,

he

is

the great

Remember what David did, says Jesus, how David and his men went into the temple when they were hungry in the days when Abiathar was the high priest. But as Ehrman points out, the problem is that in the passage that Jesus is king from which the Messiah will come.

referring to,

that

from the Old Testament

when David

did

what Jesus

but his father, Ahemilech, Jesus, p. 9,

is

who was

(1

here?

21:1-6), it

How

Samuel

1

mistake? You would think that Jesus would

own

21:1-6.)

Once

again, the reality that's revealed here

is

and of his mother,

and that

I

[el

the point to emphasize here

is

and indeed by the entire history of Christianity,

is

shaping Christian doctrine.

what is shown by this, once again that Christian scripture

that

this

not have any trouble get-

Carroll does a lot of exposure of the role of Constantine in

time— make

scriptures right, especially since he's all-knowing

they're inerrant.

ena Augusta,

indicates

could Jesus— the inerrant

co-equal divine substance from the beginning of

ting his

it

was not Abiathar,

the high priest. (See Misquoting

and compare Mark 2:26 with

Now what happened

Samuel

referring to,

is

And

hardly the "inerrant word of God" Mat was

spoken one day and then immediately appeared

I

in

printed version.

66

Bob Avakian

this

can hardly be the "inerrant word of God"

things,

from

1

Or

it

says

Samuel let's

his

other

to Mark).

take another example from Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus—

Ehrman, it

among

contradicts itself from one place to another (in this case

a famous story in the Bible, of the

Bible;

since,

"is

woman taken in adultery, which,

arguably the best-known story about Jesus in the

certainly has always

been a favorite in Hollywood versions of

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ" This is the story of a woman found in the act of committing adul-

life. It

tery,

even makes

which

is

it

into

a sin punishable by death. She

is

about to be stoned

now famous warning (at least to all those familiar with Christianity): let he who is without sin to death.

cast the

But Jesus intervenes, uttering the

first

This story

is

stone. This prevents the killing, according to the Bible.

found

in the

Chapter 7 into Chapter

Book of John

8.

The problem once more, real difficulties

the Bible. As Jesus's

this

New Testament, from

in the

as

Ehrman points

and discrepancies here with

out, is that there are

this

whole passage

in

Ehrman notes, this raises serious questions concerning

view of the law of Moses, since according to the law of Moses

woman shouldhave been stoned to death. But there is the even

more

significant fact that, as

Ehrman puts

Despite the brilliance of the story,

and

its

inherent intrigue, there

problem that

it

poses.

As

it

is

its

It

captivating quality,

one other enormous

turns out,

nally in the Gospel of John. In fact,

part of any of the Gospels.

it:

it

it

was not

was not

origi-

originally

was added by later

scribes.

(Misquoting Jesus, pp. 63-64)

Ehrman goes on where there

to discuss

are different

ways

a discrepancv,

about the ars

what

woman

who work on

it

instances in the scriptures

to interpret

not entirely clear whether there is

some

is

what happened and

a discrepancy in fact— or,

if

it is

there

arose from. But with regard to this story

taken in adultery,

Ehrman

indicates that "schol-

the manuscript tradition have no doubts about

this particular case."

And he points

to

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

67

a few basic facts that have proved convincing to nearly all

scholars of every persuasion: the story is not found in

our oldest and best manuscripts of the Gospel of John; its

writing style

is

very different from what

we

find in

the rest of John (including the stories immediately before

and

after);

and

and phrases that

it

includes a large

"The conclusion," says Ehrman,

was not

number

of words

are otherwise alien to the Gospel. "is

unavoidable: this passage

originally part of the Gospel." [Misquoting Jesus, pp. 64-65)

we

So, yet again,

see that

Bible that people have today,

what we're dealing with, is

in reading the

not the "inerrant word of God" (not

even "the original word of God"). In another

more

work by a Biblical scholar— one that in my opinion

controversial but nonetheless very interesting— a

book

is

called

The Jesus Dynasty, The Hidden History ofJesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity,

Department

Religious Studies Charlotte),

by James D. Tabor (who

is

at the University of

the Chair of the

North Carolina

at

some very intriguing themes are discussed. Now, as I've al-

luded to, there are some problems with this book. For example, Tabor

engages in certain speculations and then more or less takes his speculations as facts a

little

later

on

in the book. This applies particularly

when he's discussing the genealogy of Jesus: Tabor's interpretation of how to understand what is said in Luke and in Matthew about the lineage of Jesus I

somewhat strained, in my opinion

is

will return to later).

ticularly where

it

(this is

a subject

But there are important parts of this book, par-

analyzes something that

regard to Christianity and

its

whole

is

crucial to understand

historical

in

development, namely,

the dominance of Paul in Christianity. The Jesus Dynasty 'puts, forward

an analysis of not only the Bible, but also Jesus fact

was

how this dominant role of Paul

reflected

is

how this came about. Tabor points out:

was a Jew, not a

Christian. This single historical

opens the door to understanding Jesus as he really in his own time and place; it's a door thai many

have never thought to

enter.

(

The Jesus Dynasty,

C

p.

1

(

>

J

)

in

Bob Avakian

68

And door

the reason

not

is

why "many have

never thought to enter" this

This analysis does not really

difficult to discern.

fit

with the Christian religious tradition, the tradition of the Christian church, which essentially presents Jesus as preaching and practic-

new religion,

ing a

and portrays the Jews as the

Christianity,

killers

of Christ. Tabor goes on:

To understand Jesus to understand his

own time and place we have

deep commitment to the ancestral

faith of his fathers.

other than

in his

fulfilling

He saw

himself as doing nothing

the words of Moses and the Proph-

and the messianic hope that guided

ets,

him

to his death,

was the

his

life,

and

led

central core of his innermost

being. {The Jesus Dynasty, p. 109)

Now, his

arguments are controversial and open to dispute. For example,

many have argued scending—and

in

that Jesus

saw

out

earlier,

there

his mission

and message as

tran-

some ways going against, even negating— the law

and commandments of Moses

as

important aspects of

here, as elsewhere in Tabor's book,

is

in the

Old Testament. But, as pointed

no doubt that the Bible as we have

it

today (and

has existed for centuries) portrays Jesus and the claim that he

it

is

the Messiah as based in the Jewish religious tradition and scriptures.

And

there

is

also

than anyone

no doubt that under the influence of Paul, more increasingly

else, Christianity

moved away from

Jewish religious roots and character, even while

it

not eliminate

it

its

foundation in Judaism. Paul,

did not

its

and could

should be noted,

claimed to have seen Jesus in a vision after Jesus had died and as-

cended to heaven, but in there

is

Christianity as

ing in

its

It is

it

life

Paul never

met Jesus. Nevertheless,

developed historically and as

rupture with and

also undeniably

after the it

real

a very sound basis to view Paul as the dominant influence in

its

and

it

exists today, includ-

eventual antagonism with Judaism.

irrefutably true that over the centuries,

time ofJesus, as Christianity fully ruptured with Judaism, as

became an

established religion itself— and especially after

adopted as the

official religion

of the

Roman Empire

it

was

as a result in

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

69

and role of Emperor Constantine— Chrisbecame one of the main forces contributing to and carry-

large part of the influence tianity

ing out the relentless persecution of people of other religions, with

a particularly

venomous hatred

directed toward the Jews,

who were

cast increasingly in the role not only of rejecting Jesus as the Messiah

but also as responsible for his excruciating death on the cross— the "Jews as the Christ killers" narrative, that has been propagated

through centuries with

terrible

Today, in a country like the

U.S.,

there

in the fact that, as far as persecution

what

is

down

consequences.

and

is

a real and perverse irony

Christianity

concerned,

is

mostly portrayed, and incessantly insisted upon by funda-

mentalist Christian Fascists,

being persecuted. There

is,

is

the image of Christians themselves

on the part of these Christian

a conscious effort to invoke— sometimes directly and

Fascists,

explicitly,

and

sometimes more by implication— the specter of the persecuted Christians in the

today

Roman Empire: These Christian Fascists in the U.S.

like to act as if

they are in a perilous position similar to that

Roman coliseum about to be devoured

of the early Christians in the

by the

lions.

They repeatedly denounce "unelected judges"

as "anti-

Christian," insisting that instead of interpreting the laws, as they are

supposed to do, these "unelected judges" are making laws to discriminate against

and persecute

Christians. In reality, Christianity

all-but-official religion of the world's

most powerful and

is

the

aggressive

empire, the world's only imperialist superpower, the USA; this

reli-

being used as an ideological instrument to reinforce domina-

gion

is

tion

and exploitation of the most

out large parts of the world; and Christian Fascists

cruel

yet,

and barbarous kind through-

because, in the U.S.

have— so far— encountered some

itself,

these

limitations

and

constraints in their drive to use the machinery of the state as official

backing to ram their absolutist version of Christianity down everyone's throat,

schools, they If

you

and

to

promote

it

through public

howl that "Christians

live in this

institutions,

such

.is

are being persecuted."

kind of society and you grew up within the

Christian tradition, you are very likely to have the sense that, from

Bob Avakian

70

the time of Jesus and for centuries, Christians were consistently, ruthlessly fact,

that

and

is

relentlessly persecuted

by the Roman

authorities. In

not a true portrayal of the experience of Christians in the

Roman empire. Persecution of the early Christians did occur, and at times was quite severe, but

when

it

it

was

periodic;

it

became pronounced

served the interests of a particular Emperor, like Nero for

when

example, in deflecting anger toward a particular group, or

some way what the

Christians represented

came

into significant

and

in particular the

conflict with the interests of the ruling classes

Emperor

One

in

of Rome.

of the things that Bart

Ehrman explains— and

portant to understand— is that the pagan religion in polytheistic religion,

it

this is

im-

Rome was

a

had many gods. So when the Christians came

along and said they had another god, a lot of people said, in

effect,

why not? There's plenty of room for another one." The Romans believed in Apollo the Sun God, Diana the Moon Goddess— all kinds of different gods, many of which referred to dif"Yeah, okay, that's cool,

ferent aspects or manifestations of nature.

ran into trouble was because at the

The reason the Christians

same time

as

you worshiped

these pagan gods, you had to not only swear allegiance to the peror, but

you had

Christians refused, of trouble.

Still,

to recognize the divinity of the Emperor.

and that

most of the time,

the position of the

And, again,

is

Roman

became

first

in the early days of Christianity before

official religion

religion,

and

first

it

rose to

of Rome.

religious persecution in the

and the

non-Christians,

lot

not an accurate picture of what went

dramatically once Christianity official

landed them in a

the image of Christians every day being thrown into

the coliseum with the lions on,

refusal especially

Em-

But the

Roman Empire changed

was adopted, and

enforced, as the

in the eyes of the Christians the last

became

last:

and of people alleged

then the persecution— of

to be "heretics"— became sys-

tematic and ruthless, on a continuing basis. Once more, Edward Gibbon's The Decline

and Fall of the Roman Empire vividly illustrates

the lengths to which Christianity once triumphant in the

Roman

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

Empire, went in persecuting those

although

I

identified as

it

believe he overstates the extent

tion of Christianity in

its first

Changing the World

71

enemies. And,

its

and aim of the persecu-

centuries within the

Roman

empire,

the following statement by RE. Peters, in his book The Harvest of Hellenism, does capture and concentrate the dramatic reversal that

took place once Christianity was decisively adopted as the of the

Roman

empire: "As the resources of the

once directed toward the extirpation of

Roman

religion

state

were

Christianity, so they

were

now turned against heretics and pagans." And, Peters points

out:

Very few of the incredible variety of followed in the Empire possessed fourth or

cults

much

and

beliefs

vitality in

the

century, but the difference between a

fifth

dying religion and a dead religion

is

considerable, and

to achieve this latter, a constant ideal from the time

of Theodosius (A.D. 379-395), increasingly stringent

measures had to be taken. The Church's, but

it

ideal was, of course, the

was shared and executed by the

state.

Hellenism, A History of the Near Eastfrom ( The Harvest of

Alexander the Great logue:

James

The End

to the

Triumph of Christianity,

of Paganism,"

Carroll speaks to the

p.

"Epi-

713)

same phenomenon

in

broader and

even more graphic terms: It

was only after Julian, through the

successive reigns of

the emperors Valentinian and Theodosius, that the em-

came to be formally proclaimed Christian; only then that Christian heresy was pronounced a capital crime;

pire

only then that pagan worship was

officially

banned;

only then that the authority of the Jewish patriarchate

was abolished

forever.

And

it

was then

tion of what to do about the Jews

who

yield or to disappear surfaced

the

of secular

seemed

and

simple.

in

religious authorities.

Once church and

that the ques-

refused either to

official

discourse

From one

state

side,

it

had agreed that

Bob Avakian

72

was righteous and legal to execute those Christians— Docetists, Donatists, Nestorians, Arians— who dissentit

dogma on

ed from defined

why in

theology,

who

From

arcane matters of

openly rejected the entire Christian proclamation

be permitted to

for all

relatively

the world should stiff-necked persons

live? (Constantine's

Sword,

p.

that time on, in the "Christian world,"

those

who

206) life

has been

have refused to practice Christianity, or

declared to be enemies of Christianity: those

who were

hell

who were

attacked in

the course of the Crusades, including not only Muslims but Jews

and various by the

cal

sects

official

and denominations of Christians declared Church; the people

who were

Inquisitions carried out over centuries

which

religious

and government

hereti-

victimized by the

by the Christian Church,

authorities tortured

in

and slaugh-

who refused to convert to Christianity or to renounce beliefs that were damned as heretical; or others who ran afoul of Church authorities in some way. Down to the present age,

tered millions of people

wherever Christianity has been the religion,

no

people

religion,

who

official (or

the all-but-official)

have attempted to practice other

religions, or

have been discriminated against where they have not

been more viciously persecuted.

works that have been cited so

far,

(In this connection, besides the

see also

Arno J. Mayer, Why Did

The Heavens Not Darken? The "Final Solution" In History, Pantheon Books, 1990.)

Christianity as a New Religion:

The Pivotal Role and Influence of Paul But

let

us go back before

religion in the

Christianity

Roman

all this,

before Christianity

became a

empire, and return to the question:

grow and become a

significant force?

state

how

did

As I have already

touched on, in the days right after the death of Jesus, this was mainly

owing to

Paul. Paul

was a very aggressive organizer and

proselytizer

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

for his version of the Christian religion.

The reason

for this

different versions

emphasis

and

is

Changing the World

73

And I emphasize his version.

that in fact there were a

number

of

different organized groups within Christian-

ity in its early days.

To get a clearer sense of this,

let's

go back to the time right

the crucifixion of Jesus. Here the leader of this sect a devastating blow.

The Christians were

clusters, trying to figure

do and say about the

out

after

dead. This

is

is

scattered around in small

how to regroup. What are they going to

fact that their leader has

been executed, not

long after one of the other key figures associated with Jesus, John the Baptist (or John the Baptizer), has also been executed? Imag-

you have a movement, and

ine,

wiped

all

of a sudden the top leaders are

So then you have to figure out what to do

out.

in the face of

this devastating loss. If this is a kind of apocalyptic religious group,

based on prophecies of the end of days, or in any case the notion that

monumental changes, mandated by god, are approaching—-and this sect of Judaism

which became

tic movement— well, then,

who

carried

dead

after

it's

Christianity

on there arose the mythology

all,

was such an apocalyp-

not too surprising that

among

that the leader

those

was not

but had risen and overcome death.

These kinds of ideas are not

at all

uncommon among

people

who have been part of a movement led by a charismatic leader. example, about a century ago, many peasants in Mexico, after

For the

rebel leader Emiliano Zapata was killed, used to repeat stories about

how Zapata

wasn't really dead, after all— he was

the mountains. Well, Zapata

he was crucified. But often,

was about

when

still

out there in

as alive as Jesus was, after

people in situations

like this feel

come up with a movement going. while some follow-

a need not to be devastated and demoralized, they

way to not only console themselves but to keep the It's

either that or give

ers of Jesus

regroup

all

up the whole

thing. So,

undoubtedly gave up, others regrouped. But they in one Christian congregation, with

all

the,

now

didn't

familiar,

dark-robed figures going around spreading darkness everywhere,

throwing incense this way and that way, and mumbling incoherently.

Bob Avakian

74

That took some centuries to develop and institutionalize. [Laughter] Instead,

around Jesus.

very

you had Peter,

different factions.

who was one

of the

One was more main

Another was grouped around

little

emphasized

or less grouped

followers, or disciples, of

Jesus's brother

in the Bible. This is

James,

who

is

one of the points that

Tabor emphasizes— that James is very little emphasized in the

Bible,

known and acknowledged to be the brother of Jesus. According to Tabor— and this is somewhat controversialeven though James

is

Jesus passed the mantle on to James as his successor. But, whatever

the truth of that

is,

there's

no question that James was the head of

a Christian sect in and around Jerusalem.

And— this

something about what Jesus's beliefs were, although

might suggest

it is

not definite

proof— from what scholarship has shown, James was an advocate of strict Judaism

and

clearly regarded Christianity (or the "Jesus

move-

ment") as the true form ofJudaism, which meant the insistence upon strict

laws and commandments, in line with the tradition associated

with Moses and the Jewish scriptures generally.

While

I

will return to,

and go more

the Christian message and doctrine a to

examine further the

relation

developed within, and then as

creasingly

came

little later, first it is

between the Christian

the Jewish religion (Judaism). That first

fully into, essential

is,

it

aspects of

important

religion

and

to discuss Christianity as

separated

itself

into hostile conflict with, Judaism;

from and

it

in-

and from there

the love/hate orientation and relationship that Christianity has had

toward Judaism throughout the history of Christianity. Shortly after Jesus

was

crucified, Paul

began to emerge as a mais

actually the domi-

Bible,

even more so than

jor leader. In fact, as alluded to before, Paul

nant figure in the Jesus:

It is

Paul

New

who

Testament of the

sets the

terms to a large degree

for the

New

Testament. But, in the very early days of "the Jesus movement" after Jesus, before Paul's influence

a struggle developed

ment. In this regard,

among it is

became dominant within

Christianity,

the different groupings of this move-

important to keep in mind that insofar as

people believed Jesus was the Messiah, they expected that he would

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

75

be a triumphant Messiah. In the Jewish

tradition, the Messiah was not supposed to be executed on the cross— he was supposed to be a conquering hero, right in this world and for the benefit of the Jewish

people. That

is

no doubt a major reason why the

the Jewish people rejected Jesus as the Messiah: siah

is

this? He's

great majority of

What kind

of Mes-

supposed to lead us out of bondage and conquer

our enemies, and look what happened to him. [Laughter]

So the early Christian communities began to have struggle

among themselves,

over what to do in the face of the fact that Jesus

had not conquered, but had been had

to start inventing stories

feat

and turn

utterly defeated, crucified.

and myths

into a victory. Here again

it

is

the basis for the story

of the resurrection— for which, of course, there

where outside the early Christian religious

of

its

tions

Bible.

is

to take with this

that had been fractured because of the death

leader, Jesus, they

and they had

no evidence any-

But as these struggles developed within the

communities over what direction

movement

They

to take this apparent de-

came up

against

some

different positions— or, as

different "lines"— on

what

to

do about

this.

really

tough ques-

we communists

say,

For example, given his

devotion to traditional Judaism, the position ofJesus's brother James

was to insist that they had to and

stay strictly within the Jewish tradition

among Jews. Peter had sort of a middle position: we be based mainly among Jews, but we shouldn't exclude

recruit only

should

still

other peoples. But Paul increasingly took the stand: to really spread this religion,

we have

to go out

If

among

we're going

the gentiles

(non-Jews) in a big way, because the Jews are rejecting this and we're

going to die off if we don't get some

new recruits.

In reading Paul's letters (or the letters attributed to Paul) in Bible,

it is

very clear that he

to the gentiles.

He

carries

is

I

he

placing emphasis on the need to go

on polemics with other people

in

the

Christian leadership at that time. This struggle took place around

a

number

of issues but a particular focus

was the commandments

and requirements of the Old Testament. For example, there

arc a lot

of very strict dietary requirements in the Old Testament, and

in

the

Bob Avakian

76

And the early Christians were having a lot of difficulty getting people to join their movement because, among

Jewish religious tradition.

grown up with

the gentiles, people hadn't

and they

tions

want

didn't

spirit

on

was a

religion

recruiting

sion.

law to the

letter;

you just have

was heightened by the

this

dominated by men, and

men— the

and Paul

(or

ment") comes to you and

movement.

to

member

another

calls

Well, there wasn't

on you

fact that

their efforts focused

biggest problem they faced

was circumci-

Now, Jewish children were circumcised early But

you're a gentile,

You

of it.

But beyond this— and theirs

those dietary restric-

to adopt them. Paul's position was:

don't have to actually uphold the

uphold the

all

let's

say that

of the "Jesus move-

to convert to this religious

any anesthesia, and they

didn't

have

the kind of medical technology that exists today. Getting circumcised as an adult

was a

big deal.

their recruitment. [Laughter] So,

arguing:

You

And if

was

really

holding back

you read the

Bible,

you

this

find Paul

don't have to be circumcised in the flesh— you can be

circumcised in the

spirit.

them a

Well, that helped

lot.

[Laughter]

And this is one of the reasons why Paul became the dominant figure within the Christian movement— he had his finger on the pulse of things more,

if you'll

pardon the expression. [Laughter]

Now, there are humorous aspects to

this,

a very serious and deadly side. As discussed

but

all

this also

earlier, as

has

Christianity

continued to develop in this way, over the next generations, largely as a result of Paul's influence (even after Paul himself was executed), it

not only increasingly separated

nistic stance

itself from

of "the passion of Jesus" developed, in

the Jewish people in general

this,

the whole story

which Jewish authorities and

came to be blamed, and condemned, for

the crucifixion of Jesus. In this story, at the official

but took on an antago-

toward Judaism. And, along with

trial

of Jesus the

Roman

Pontius Pilate says that he can find no criminal activity on

Jesus's part,

but the Jewish

mob and

the Jewish authorities

are present cry out for Jesus to be punished. So Pilate

hands of this, saying

"I

am

who

washes

his

innocent of this man's blood," and Jesus

Away

is

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

condemned

to be crucified (see

verse 24). This continues to

today— Mel

Matthew chapter 27, especially be promoted and promulgated even

Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ

example of this. But, once again, Biblical scholars that this

very unlikely that the

a striking

Roman

is

very improbable; that

authorities,

when faced with

it is

a person

accused of being a rebel and a trouble-maker, would allow

is

the Jewish this is

is

rather clear from the

work of whole story of how the Jews were the ones it is

responsible for Jesus being crucified

who

77

mob to decide what to do about him. But, unlikely as it is,

a story that, as scholarship has shown, was worked into the

Christian tradition about a century after the death of Jesus. 10

10. As a result of protests, Mel Gibson took out of The Passion ofthe Christthe part where the Jewish people call out about Jesus, "His blood be on us and on our

children!" It is

(Matthew 27:25) But Gibson left

in

more

indirect references to this.

important to recognize, however, that something

like

the movie The

Passion of the Christ was not just a particular personal passion or project of Mel

Gibson. This was supported— openly and aggressively, or more subtly and quietor even indirectly— by Protestant Christian fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, and others with connections right up to the highest levels of the American government, as well as the Catholic Church and its Pope at

ly,

the time, John Paul

II.

But

in today's world, given the determination of the U.S.

imperialists to further reshape the Middle East in a their designs for

as a whole,

domination not only

and given the

particular

way even more

favorable to

in that strategic region but in the world

and

special role of the state of Israel in rela-

tion to that, reactionary Christian fundamentalists,

and

in particular those at

the highest levels of the U.S. government, including the President, at the

same

time as they promote a religious tradition which has mercilessly targeted the killers," they must provide and insist upon the most uncritical and unflinching support for the state of Israel, a Jewish state. The U.S. continues to massively finance, arm and assist Israel in all the many ways in which brae) has not only robbed the Palestinian people of their homeland and continues to viciously oppress them, but also the ways in which Israel serves as a military

Jews as "Christ

outpost and instrument of U.S. imperialism in the world, not just

in the strategic

region of the Middle East, but even in far-flung parts of the globe, such as Latin America and East Asia, where Israel does dirty work for U.S. Imperialism. Im (

portant exposure and analysis of different aspects of this role of Israel, as well as the history of Israel's founding, and its relation to U.S. imperialism overall, is

found

in Revolution

newspaper

"Bringing Forward Another Way."

[on the

Much

Web

at revcom.us], including

of value in this regard

is

my

talk

also found

in

works by Norman Finkelstein, including The Holocaust Industry and Beyond

Bob Avakian

78

Now,

to be clear, Paul

for this level of ity,

is

not responsible, in some direct sense,

antagonism toward Jews on the part of Christian-

and the awful consequences of especially after Christianity

ries,

official religion

On

Chutzpah,

The tion to tion:

Roman

of the

this,

down through

Empire, and has been the

the Misuse ofAnti-Semitism

as the

official,

or

and the Abuse ofHistory.)

imperialist rulers of the U.S. face a rather acute contradiction in rela-

all this.

And here is the way in which they are dealing with that contradic-

they promote an interpretation of the Bible, and in particular the book of

Revelation,

which

insists that the

Second Coming and the triumphant return of

Jesus cannot happen unless the State of Israel exists— and

ceases to

exist,

greatly set is

the centu-

was adopted and enforced

if

the state of Israel

that will delay the Second Coming, the triumph of Jesus will be

back and the forces of the anti-Christ will greatly benefit. Therefore, it Of course, it is also important to keep in mind that, in

crucial to support Israel.

when the Second Coming actucomes about, the choice for the Jews will be to convert to Christianity or be condemned to eternal damnation. This is yet a further contradiction built into all this— which a number of Jews, including even some die-hard supporters of

the worldview of the Christian fundamentalists, ally

Israel, are

aware

of,

misgivings, about

with

it.

many having very ambivalent

feelings, or

the Christian fundamentalists are being held together in a imperialist interests, including in regard to Israel to those interests. This has

been possible to a

essence and by definition, fundamentalist of

and appeal

even serious

For now, in the main these contradictory impulses

to people

who

and

its

way

among

that serves U.S.

special role in relation

large degree precisely because, in

movements

of this type are

the complexities and volatility of the world today, and

made up

and absolute answers

are searching for simple

who

to

therefore, as long as

they cling to this mentality, are inclined to blindly follow people

who

strongly

assert this kind of fundamentalist, absolutist authority.

Unfortunately, while the expressions of this Christian fundamentalism can

take on ludicrous dimensions,

cist-minded force— and a this. ist

At the same time, there

rulers

exist

and reactionary

it

represents a very dangerous reactionary, fas-

lot of oppressed is

the

religious

people

are, at this point,

caught up in

phenomenon that, however much imperialauthorities may try to distort it, reality does

independently of them and does exert

itself,

as has

been seen

sharply, for

example, in Iraq over the nearly 5 years since the U.S. invasion and occupation of that country.

A fuller analysis of this contradiction, bound up with the fact that the Christian Fascists in the U.S. have at the

same time

been conditioned

to see Jews as "Christ Killers"

and

some

dis-

to be fanatical supporters of the state of Israel— and

cussion of the larger context and political implications of this— is contained in

Answer section of the DVD of my talk Revolution: Why It's NecWhy It's Possible; What It's All About, Three Q Productions, Chicago IL.

the Question and essary;

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

semi-official, religion of oppressive

and

today. In Paul's time, ity

became

set

largely

empires since then, right up to

through his influence, Christian-

on a course which would lead

to

its

separation from

Judaism; that separation, in turn, would lead to growing

who

the part of Christians toward Jews ing, objectively

79

rejected— and,

hostility

on

in so reject-

undermined— the claim that Jesus was the Messiah; became a powerful force and then an official

and, once Christianity

state religion, that hostility

found expression

in brutal persecution

and bloody massacre, sanctioned and enforced by the Looking

at this

with historical perspective,

state.

important to

it is

recognize that the course that Christianity took after the death of Jesus involved a definite element of accident and contingency. struggle

between the

different groupings

movement" could have turned out

differently.

could have been killed earlier than he

cuted by the

Roman

authorities,

among

The

the early "Jesus

For example, Paul

was— he was

eventually exe-

but not until he had spent sev-

decades organizing the Christian movement and spreading

eral

around the Mediterranean for a

area. Or,

it

could have been the case

combination of reasons, Paul was not so

cessful, in

effective,

that,

and so suc-

propagating and organizing people around his version of

Christianity. But, as things actually turned out,

and by the time he was

killed, several

decades

he was very effective, after the crucifixion

of Jesus, there were established Christian communities in a of areas.

it

Now,

they, in turn,

could have been wiped

number

out. But, as

it

turned out, they weren't, and instead they began to grow and spread

and become a feature of the Roman Empire. And, once again through a combination of causality and dent

(or contingency), a

acci-

couple of centuries later Constantine found

that adopting Christianity served his larger purposes, and so did

him (and the rulers of the Roman Empire in general in part at least because Christianity was a single-god (monotheisl ic)

Emperors

religion,

of the

after

).

which came

to serve the unification of the diverse peoples

Roman Empire under one

conquered,

it

had

to

rule.

As new

territory

be integrated into an empire

in

would be

which Rome

Bob Avakian

80

ruled;

and

after a certain point

having a single religion was an im-

portant unifying factor in this process. For that, and no doubt for other reasons, Christianity came to be adopted, and enforced, by the ruling class of that

Roman Empire.

Down through centuries after that, this religion has been spread and imposed by

force, as well as

by preaching and

large parts of the world. So, today,

proselytizing, in

hundreds and hundreds of mil-

lions of people practice this religion,

most of whom

believe that the

scriptures they're familiar with (whether they read them, or only

have them presented by others) were, in directly

and have been the same ever

even from what all

this

I've

been able to

was the product

fact,

handed down by god

since. In fact, as

briefly

we can

see,

recount and review here,

of very earthly factors, including political

struggles as well as ideological-theological struggles, over doctrine

and the practical implications of following one doctrine or another. If,

whatever combination of reasons, the outlook and pro-

for

gram (what we could

call

the "line") of James had prevailed in the

very early days of Christianity, that would have placed very serious restrictions

on the spread of that

identified with Paul

But because the doctrine

was brought forward and fought

son of Paul; and because,

was

religion.

for

effective in attracting,

for

by the per-

whatever combination of reasons, Paul

winning

direction to followers— giving

over, organizing

and providing

them a doctrine which they could

act

on and which could be a unifying and cohering factor— this move-

ment grew Here we come back to James D. Tabor,

and

who

argues that Jesus

his closest followers during his lifetime, including in particular

James, the brother ofJesus,

came to see Jesus as a Messiah of the Jew-

ish people

who would bring a new kingdom based on God's word to

the Jewish

people— then and there

"There ered

is

him

no evidence that James worshipped divine."

[The Jesus Dynasty,

assertions are certainly cites in

in this world.

p.

Tabor

flatly states;

his brother or consid-

282) Now,

some

of Tabor's

open to dispute, and some of the things he

support of those claims are open to different interpretations;

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

but one important thing that he argues is

known— that

anyone are

is

clearly in line with

was Paul who shaped even more than Jesus. As one

else,

it

many more words

words of Jesus. Tabor into Christianity the

of Paul in the

Christianity

whole idea of the

it

more than

there are

was Paul who introduced

divinity of Jesus, the notion

that he was not only crucified but rose from the dead, and

doing provided salvation, or the means of salvation, sinful

what

indication of this, there

New Testament than

also argues that

SI

in so

for a fallen

and

mankind.

Well, without here attempting to resolve arguments that are

bound

to go

scholars

and

on

for

others,

some time it

can

in relation to this,

definitely

be said that

among

tianity:

a shift

means

phasis on

shift in Chris-

away from the Old Testament— and from the notion

of works, based

the

the case that

it is

Paul played the pivotal role in bringing about a major

Biblical

on carrying out the laws of the Old Testament,

as

to salvation— and toward an essentially exclusive em-

faith.

Along with

this,

Paul brought a

shift

away from con-

cern with this world toward preoccupation with the supposed next world, and

what would be brought about through the Second Com-

ing of Jesus. At the heart of this, as the

element of Christian doctrine, his resurrection, with its

erlasting

life

is

most

essential

the story of Jesus's crucifixion and

promise of redemption from

with Jesus and the Father in heaven,

who believed in this, who

and defining

accepted

this

through

sin,

and an

for all of

ev-

mankind

faith.

Demystifying Jesus and Christianity

Why

have

I

gone into

tance of this? Well,

and the Christian

this to

first

of all, on an obvious

religion organized

curately, Paul's version of ful

such an extent?

around

What

level,

this

is

the impor-

the story of Jesus

story— or, more ac

it— has exerted a widespread and power-

influence and played a key part in the history of the world

in

the 2000 years since the time of Jesus. And, again, this has been

Bob Avakian

82

especially so after Christianity was

the

Roman Empire and

and has been taken up as the been promoted as the favored

alist state in

is

state religion

down to

of

as with Constantine in the

U.S.,

not

if

rul-

time— or has officially

the

the most powerful imperi-

And now there

toward

the favored religion, but the

by many powerful

the present

religion in effect,

the case with the

the world today.

forces within the U.S.

official religion

spread throughout large parts of the world,

ing classes through the centuries

state religion, as

adopted as the

is

a

move by powerful

installing Christianity as

official state religion

not simply

of America— and,

Roman Empire, to make this religion the

banner under which the imperial armed forces of America carry out their crusade throughout the world. For these reasons, understanding the actual nature and history of this religion

more

and,

specifically,

is

important;

the particular aspects of this religion and

its

development that I have focused on here are important

historical

in

how Christianity came to have the character it does and to play the role it does: how this is owing not to the existence of god and to the role of Jesus as his son who sacrificed his life on

understanding

the cross in order to be the savior of a sinning mankind, and not to the "inerrant

word

of God"

embodied

in the Bible, but rather to very

earthly factors, including ideological, political

among human

beings

In other words, this

is

important,

as a matter of basic outlook

first

of all and

most fundamen-

and methodology, which

is

crucial reality,

and is

military struggles

understanding important aspects of social and historical

tally,

in

and

and human societies.

reality in general,

and

in transforming this reality in a

actually in the interests of

and

will lead to the

the masses of oppressed people and ultimately a part of

now— it remove

that— and

is it

this

way that

emancipation of

all

of humanity.

As

has very particular and great importance

necessary to demystify Christianity (and

from the realm of superstitious awe

for

all religion),

to

some mythical

but non-existent god and for the scriptures which are presented as the perfect and inerrant

word

of this god; to reveal the very

human

mainsprings and dynamics of the development of this religion as

Away

well as

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the World

its

doctrine and

its

role in the world; to help

make more clear

the need to rupture with, and rupture beyond, this and

modes tal

83

all

similar

of thinking that are chains

on the minds of people— men-

down masses

of people and restraining those

shackles holding

masses and ultimately humanity as a whole from achieving emancipation from a society and a world rooted in ruthless exploitation

and oppression, reinforced with ignorance,

ways of approaching

errant

As

superstition and, in fact,

reality.

for Jesus in particular

and

his teachings, despite

words and

sayings of his that can be cited about love and peace and concern for the

poor and the marginalized in

means

11

and despite what cer-

by way of presenting Jesus as a model and

tain people try to say

a

society;

for achieving a

more

just

world among

human

beings;

if,

somehow, Jesus were transported from

his time to ours and we we would not, and we should much. The Jesus who comes through in the

were to encounter him, the Jesus very

not, like this

Bible,

and

in

what

fact is that

Biblical scholarship has

shown about him,

is

an

apocalyptic figure, steeped in the superstitions and ignorance of his

who was

time and place,

his fanaticism, that only

people find the

way to

follow his way, they ture.

religiously fanatical,

and who

by following him and

his teachings could

a righteous redemption and,

would be damned

insisted, in

to eternal

if

they did not

torment and

tor-

What comes through of Jesus and the whole religious tradition

of which he

was a part

gion associated with

at the

time— and

the influence that the

reli-

him has continued to exert to this day— all this

belongs to the past.

Such words and sayings, it should be noted, can also be found in scripmake up the Old Testament of the Bible, including in books such as Isaiah, where, along with pronouncements about justice and lyrical descript ions of the day when peace shall reign, we also find the advocacy of and the insistence on the most horrendous atrocities, such as the mass raping of \v< unen and 11.

tures that

the bashing in of the heads of babies,

destroying whole peoples.

was

to.

as part of wantonly slaughtering and

And it should be noted, again,

said to be the favorite

he frequently refers

all

book of Jesus

in the

that the book of Isaiah

Jewish scriptures, and one that

Bob Avakian

84

some

This belongs to the past, not just in sense, but to a past

marked by

general or abstract

humanity not only must but can move beyond future

worth

living.

What

is

and

cruel oppression

brutality that

in order to

have a

celebrated and advocated in this

reli-

gious tradition has not led, and cannot lead, to the liberation and the elevation of humanity. That tradition this is

taken

literally,

has led

and its

scriptures, especially as

and can only lead

to the perpetration

and perpetuation of horrors. Only by breaking with that, and with all

ways of thinking and traditions, will it be possible

religious doctrine, for

humanity

Islam

Up

Is

to finally

and

put an end to

all

such horrors.

No Better (and No Worse) Than Christianity

to this point

I

have been focusing on Christianity and the

While of course there are in

fully

Bible.

significant differences, theologically

and

terms of religious practice, between Islam and Christianity (and

Judaism), the world outlook that each expresses and the social content each

embodies— what they say about how human

and ought

to

be— are

not only similar in

many ways but

society

is

are funda-

mentally in the service of the same kinds of systems of exploitation

and enslavement.

In the holy

in the Christian Bible

book of Islam, the Quran, no

less

(and the whole "Judeo-Christian tradition"),

kinds of oppressive relations are upheld and even celebrated.

12.

In this

work

I

any depth, with other religious and

revolve around, or at least posit the existence different

all

12

have focused on the world's three major monotheistic

religions— Islam, Judaism, and Christianity— and directly, or in

than

I

have not attempted to deal

"spiritual" belief

systems that

supposedly from and beyond the realm of the material universe— whether gods,

other supernatural forces, "one universal life

of,

entities that are

force," etc.

Nor have I delved into the

various trends within each of these three monotheistic religions, because even

though there arr

differences,

even some significant differences, between these

trends as regards religious doctrine and practice, that

worldview and tenets of the

is

secondary to the basic

religion of which they are a part.

convinced, the fundamental and essential criticisms that are

gard to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam apply as well to

all

And,

I

am

firmly

made here with re-

such belief systems.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

The

historical origins of Islam provide a context

World

85

and

fur-

for,

ther insight into, the content and role of Islam, as a religion and as a geopolitical force in the world, historically

The

pivotal,

and seminal,

figure in Islam

Muhammad, who was born relatively

of course,

is,

about 1500 years ago

to today.

its

founder,

Mecca and

in

Muhammad (Muhammad bin Abdullah)

spent his early years there.

was from a

and down

minor subgroup within the dominant

the area of Mecca, the Quraysh. His status

tribe in

became somewhat more

elevated when he married a wealthy widow, Khadijah; but, although

more or

among

he was

less financially secure,

an increasingly important trade with city,

this, it

was a

fering local religions,

too was a source

site

Mecca was becoming

and center of commerce. Along and the shrine

significant religious center;

was a holy

the Ka'ba,

who

site for

the

travelled to,

many

tribes,

and traded

in,

traditional tribal

way

dif-

Mecca. This

growing commercial center was

ways undermining the

in the

with their

of wealth for the Quraysh. But, at the

this role of Mecca as a

nificant

not a prominent figure

still

the Quraysh in Mecca. At that time,

same

time,

some

in

of life

sig-

and the

superstructure—the politics and political structures, the ideology

and the culture expressed

more It

to a large degree in religious

or less corresponded to that traditional

was

in these

circumstances that

mode

terms— that

of life.

Muhammad began to

spend

long periods alone in the desert and the mountainous areas around

Mecca.

And

it

was during these

to hear revelations

from God

when he would Muhammad, he began

solitary periods,

often fast for several days, that, according to (Allah), as

spoken to

Muhammad

by

the angel Gabriel, which Muhammad memorized and recited. These recitations

would continue throughout the

rest of Muhammad's

and would come to constitute the foundation of the Islamic set

down

in the

Quran and other holy works

Now, of course, this point) to say

believed that he to

it is

impossible for

whether

(or to

me

religion,

of Islam.

(or, really, for

anyone

what degree) Muhammad

was receiving revelations from

what degree) he was conscious

life

Allah, or

that he, himself,

at

actually

whet her

(or

was the source

Bob Avakian

86

some

of these supposed revelations. There are (chapters) of the

Quran (such

as Surah lxvi, "Banning,"

Muhammad

instructions from Allah are relayed by

them not

telling

trouble for

places in the surahs

to be jealous, to be

where

to his wives,

more obedient and cause

Muhammad, and warning them

less

that otherwise Allah

may appoint better wives for the Prophet— see verse 5 in particular) which

are, to

seem more is

say the

likely to

least,

rather convenient for

Muhammad

have been consciously contrived by him. But

quite probable that, for the most part and in essence,

was himself convinced

word

that he

was

of the one true God, Allah.

And

it

would not be surprising

and probably with very little water,

would come

voices and

to believe that he

it

Muhammad

and conveying, the

receiving,

in the course of spending days in the desert or the fasting,

and

if,

mountains while

Muhammad would hear was hearing the voice of

the angel Gabriel in particular, relaying revelations from Allah. What is

clear

is

that Muhammad became familiar with at least

doctrines and beliefs of Christians and ofJews, and this

the

Quran— both in what Muhammad seems

these religions and in

what he came

to have

to reject

is

some of the reflected in

adopted from

and even denounce.

And what is also clear is that, out of these various influences and experiences,

Muhammad created,

over the course of several decades,

what became the Quran and the new religion Now, of course,

of Islam.

was not predetermined

it

that

Muhammad's

would come to be invested with the aura of divine revela-

recitations

tion—they could have been ignored or dismissed as the ramblings of a lunatic. In fact, this

Quraysh

mad

tribe in

Mecca

is

how the elders and powerful forces in the some time. When Muham-

treated this, for

persisted and, moreover began to challenge the established

rulers

and

religious beliefs

corrupt, he

known

was forced

and

and

practices,

to

denounce them as

to retreat to Yithrab (which

as Medina). There,

Muhammad

was

to

become

found more favorable

cir-

cumstances and, over a period of time, was able to establish himself as both a religious

Not only was

and

political authority.

Muhammad

a

skillful

politician— in Medina he

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

87

World

settle disputes among the population there, including a number of Jews who lived in the area, although these Jews ultimate-

helped to

ly

rejected

Muhammad

proved to be a

skillful

consolidated his

rule,

and

his

new

religion of

military leader.

Islam— but he

also

From Medina, once having

he began to lead

his forces in raids against

the trading caravans headed for Mecca, which caused significant losses for

and put a lot of pressure on the Quraysh

after a series of battles in

in

Mecca.

Finally,

which Muhammad was able to inflict dam-

Meccan enemies and to avoid death or capture himself, Muhammad was able to march triumphantly back to Mecca and, age on his

combining military presence with adroit diplomacy— promising

to

spare the lives and the property of his adversaries— he was able to

achieve the capitulation of the leaders of the Quraysh. Mecca became the center of the

new religion of Islam, and the Kaba became a holy

shrine of that religion. In

all this,

once again, we can see the

role of accident (or contin-

gency) as well as causality, and the interplay between the two. certain events turned out differently, at a religion

case

might never have been brought

would never have became a major

Had

number of points, this new fully into being, or in

force in the world.

any

Muham-

mad could have died much earlier than he did— and in particular he could have been killed during the years

engaged

in warfare

But this was not

and the new forged

all

a matter of accident.

religious

and

and developed over

reign in Medina,

when he was

in

Medina and

with powerful enemies then centered

had an

in

Mecca.

The new religious doctrine

political institutions that

Muhammad

several decades, including during his

attractive

power not only because

of the

military force that Muhammad was able to marshal on behalf of this,

but because this religion provided a cohering set of beliefs and prac-

growing and diverse groups of people drawn to Mecca, which could unify them beyond more narrow tribal interests and tices for the

customs. Not simply in some linear and mechanical sense, but larger

and more

overall way, Islam

conformed

to the

new

in a

conditions

that had been brought into being as a result of the growth of Mecca

88

Bob Avakian

as a

commercial

center,

drawing together people from

many differ-

ent areas and tribes.

Here we see the dynamic— or,

in

Marxist terms, the dialectical-

between the economic mode of life and the superstructure

relation

of politics

and ideology (including

changes in the

economy

religion),

a relation in which

case the development of Mecca as

(in this

a commercial center and accompanying transformations) give

new modes

to

become

and

for

forces (in this case, the

course, as

changes

resenting a

of

emphasized

of thinking

life,

in

new

rulers in

opposition to those

Mecca) seeking

here, this relationship

mode

in the

of

life,

uphold

not one where

is

and automatically

well— there

all this,

more or

bound

in the short run.

the role of accident in

causality as

to

even in the face of major changes.

superstructure, conforming

predetermined sense, or

changes

fight, in

the economic mode of life, nor are the forces

changes in the economic

is

new ways

in the superstructure follow directly

from changes

is

which they

Quraysh

and enforce the old way

there

in turn these

formulated in doctrines and programs around which peo-

ple are organized

Of

and

of thinking,

life

but

rep-

less to

those

to prevail, in

some

As has been discussed,

it is

not

all

accident, there

are real material factors, in particular

economic mode of life and

relations

among

people,

which are providing an impetus toward and a more favorable basis for

corresponding changes in the superstructure of ideology and

politics— and there

is

the continual interplay between changes in

the economic base and developments, and struggles, in the super-

way in which Muhammad and of Islam was not bound to but did in fact develop and eventually triumph in the new circumstances that were coming into being as a result of changes in Mecca (which were themselves, in turn, related to changes in the larger world, beyond Mecca and structure. All this

the

is

illustrated in the

new religion

beyond Arabia, which gave further impetus

Mecca

as a

commercial

The same

to the

development of

center).

basic principles

of Islam after the time of

and dynamics apply

Muhammad. Through

to the spread

a combination of

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the military conquest

and often

skillful

over a very large area in the centuries after

Islam and

exists),

down

such as

Iran,

rule

institutions have continued,

to the present time, to exert powerful influence

In

all this,

in the

we can

large

Middle East and other parts of the world.

Christianity,

small sects in one geographic area to its

among

also see a fundamental similarity with the

development and spread of

exerting

even

the form of state

is

where an Islamic Republic now

its religious-political

numbers of people

were spread

Muhammad. And,

where an Islamic caliphate as such no longer (as well as in places,

89

diplomatic and political-admin-

means, Islam and institutions of Islamic

istrative

World

power and influence

its

from

its

among

origins

emergence as a major force

in large parts of the

world and

among huge numbers of people. In both cases we see the crucial role of certain key individuals— such as Jesus himself, but also Paul and

Constantine in the history of Christianity, and early caliphs in the history of Islam— and

Muhammad and the

we see how this is situated,

in an overall sense, in the larger dynamics (the living, dialectical inter-

play)

between accident and causality and between the economic

base and the superstructure of ideology and politics (including tary struggle).

It is

mili-

as a result of all this—and not because of the exis-

tence and will of one or another god, or incarnation of god, (whether

Yahweh, the god of the ancient

Israelites; or Allah; or

Trinity; or any other supernatural being or force)— it

the Christian is

because of

material and earthly/actors that people today still believe in and worship a

god

(or gods), or other supernatural beings or forces,

but do

not all believe in the same god or gods, and in fact often denounce the

gods and religions of others as

false

and even blasphemous.

Returning specifically to Islam, a reading of not only historical

and teachings of Muhammad, but of the Quran makes clear that Muhammad's views— what he under-

accounts of the in particular,

life

stood and what he was ignorant as well as

society cruel

of,

what he upheld and

what he opposed and condemned— all

and world

in

and oppressive

which he relations,

lived,

praised,

this reflected the

and involved many unequal,

and the corresponding

values, views

90

Bob Avakian

and customs which

and

just.

women,

women

Muhammad

regarded as necessary, legitimate

This includes: slavery; the notion of children, as well as as essentially the property of

men; the

to

make war on

men; the subordination of

and indeed the duty of the

right

believers to

unbelievers and to carry off plunder, including

en, as prizes of war;

and

which some

overall relations in

wom-

are raised

above and exploit and oppress others— all in the name and under the banner of the merciful and beneficent god, Allah.

The following clearly— and in

are just a few selections

many

from the Quran that

cases graphically— illustrate

ing at these passages from the Quran, keep in ing to the Quran,

it is

medium

through the

Allah

who

is

speaking to

all this.

mind

In look-

that accord-

Muhammad, usually

of the angel Gabriel.

They question thee (0 Muhammad) concerning menstruation. Say:

It is

an illness, so let women alone at such

times and go not in unto them

And when

till

they are cleansed.

they have purified themselves, then go in

unto them as Allah hath enjoined upon

women are a tilth your for

tilth

your

as ye will,

souls,

you

you... .Your

(to cultivate) so

go to

and send (good deeds) before you

and fear Allah, and know that ye will (one

meet Him. (From Surah

day) 23,

[tillage] for

II,

"The Cow," verses 222-

The Glorious Quran, Text and Explanatory Transla-

tion

by Mohammad M.

Pickthall, 10th

1994, Library of Islam. All citations

from

this edition; unless

Revised Edition,

from the Quran are

otherwise indicated,

all

words

and phrases in parentheses are in the original. The word in brackets [tillage]

In this, there

commandments

is

has been added here.)

a striking similarity to the Bible, and the laws and

in the

Old Testament

in particular,

which portray

women who are menstruating as something unclean which must be avoided by men. In both cases, this

women in general unworthy in

is

part of a tradition which treats

as a source of contamination

relation to

men.

and as

inferior

and

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the

So

we

World

91

read in the Quran:

men be not (at hand), then a man and two women of such as ye may approve as witnesses [may testify] so

If two

that will

if

the one erreth (through forgetfulness) the other

remember. ("The Cow,"

brackets ["may

we

v.

282— the

phrase within

has been added here.)

testify"]

women is considered to be only half as reliable and valuable as that of a man in legal proceedings: it takes two women to substitute for or replace one man in Here

see that the testimony of

such a proceeding. This view of women

also illustrated in the following from the

is

Quran: Beautiful for

from

gold and

and

mankind

women and silver,

cattle

and

land.

That

in,

may have

is

their value,

of service

Him

being

is

made

their mark),

the comfort of the a

"The Family of Imran,"

Here the point

life

is

more v.

life

of

excellent abode.

14)

that worldly things, while they

cannot compare to the glory of Allah and a

and submission

to

Allah— which

submission. But the view here of what reflects social relations in

which women,

is

is

what Islam means:

beautiful for

mankind

as well as children, along

with horses that are branded and cattle and land, erally,

come)

and stored-up heaps of

and horses branded (with

the world. Allah! With

(Surah

love of the joys (that

is

offspring,

are, in effect

or

lit-

we notice a striking similarity with Ten Commandments, and the tenth in

possessions of men. Again

the Bible— for example, the particular,

where

women

are listed, along with slaves, houses

and

farm animals, as things of "thy neighbor's" which "thou shalt not covet."

Another passage from the Quran presents even more graphically: "And

you save those (captives) Here

women

all

married women

this

view of women

(are)

forbidden unto

whom your right hands possess."

as captured slaves or concubines of the faithful

Bob Avakian

92

(men)

is

upheld and celebrated. (See Surah

And there is the Men

are in charge of

them

the one of

"Women,"

iv,

v.

24.)

following:

women, because

to excel the other,

Allah has

made

and because they

spend of their property (for the support of women). So

good

women

are the obedient, guarding in secret that

which Allah hath guarded. As fear rebellion,

apart,

and scourge [whip] them. Then,

seek not a

way

alted, Great.

The meaning are

all

whom ye

(Surah

IV,

"Women,"

v.

they obey you,

is

ever High Ex-

34— the explanatory

here, in brackets.)

of this— and the unequal

and oppressive

embodies and promotes between

social

men and women-

too familiar.

"As for the thieC the

cut off their hands.

punishment from

It is

is

Quran

instructs, "both

the reward of their

Allah. Allah

eth after his wrongdoing

him. Lo! Allah v.

if

against them. Lo! Allah

word "whip" was added

relations this

from

for those

admonish them and banish them to beds

is

male and female,

own deeds, an exemplary

Mighty, Wise. But

and amendeth,

lo!

whoso

repent-

Allah will relent toward

Forgiving, Merciful." (Surah

v,

"The Table Spread,"

38-39.)

Women here

we

see

thieves as well as men will have their hands cut off— women finally receiving equal treatment. [Laughter]

Another passage from the Quran: They ask thee (0 Muhammad) of the spoils of war. Say: The spoils of war belong to Allah and the messenger, so keep your duty to Allah, and adjust the matter of your difference,

and obey Allah and His messenger,

(true) believers. (Surah VIII,

The emphasis here is on of war,

and on the

Muhammad,

"The Spoils of War,"

if v.

ye are 1)

regulating the distribution of the spoils

priority that

must be given

in this distribution to

the messenger of Allah, and to the developing state

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

Changing the World

93

Muhammad headed, in which he ruled as the representative of

that

Allah.

uted

And,

should be kept in mind, the spoils of war to be

it

among

and carried

And

the faithful (men), include

off (see

above

women who

in relation to the surah

in the following passages

distrib-

are captured

"Women,"

v.

24).

from the Quran, the own-

ing of slaves, as well as treating wives as the possessions of their

husbands— and

spoils of war— is upheld,

and

extolled as well:

Successful indeed are the believers/Who are humble in their prayers,/And

who

who shun

are payers of the

modesty— /Save from their right

vain conversation,/And

poor-due/And who guard

their

their wives or the (slaves) that

hands possess,

for

then they are not blame-

xxm, "The Believers," v. 1-6) And marry such of you as are solitary and the pious

worthy. (Surah

of your slaves will enrich

and maidservants.

them

If

they be poor, Allah

of His bounty. Allah

Aware. (Surah xxrv,

is

of ample means,

"Light," v. 32)

O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful unto thee thy whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom

wives unto

Allah has given thee as spoils of war. (See Surah xxxm,

"The

Clans,"

v.

50)

Elsewhere in the Quran, Allah, speaking through

Muhammad,

says:

Each do

We

supply,

both these and those, from the

bounty of thy Lord. And the bounty of thy Lord can never be walled up. See

how We

prefer

one above an-

and verily the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment. (Surah xvn, "The Children of other,

Israel," v.

So here

women, the Allah.

we

20-21) see that, along with slavery, and the plundering of

exalting of

some over

others

is

the

way and

the will of

94

Bob Avakian

Or, again:

We

among them their livelihood in the life of the world, and raised some of them above others in rank, that some of them may take labour from have apportioned

others;

and the mercy of thy Lord

wealth) that they amass. (Surah Gold,"

v.

compared

the Quran,

better than (the

xliii,

"Ornaments of

32)

Worldly worth ing

is

is

considered a value in one context but as noth-

to the glory

Muhammad

is

and the

largesse of Allah. According to

relaying the

words of Allah

here,

who

is

angry at the ingratitude of some who doubt the word of Allah as told

Muhammad. But there is also expressed here, on of Muhammad, and in the name of Allah, a clear approval

to his messenger,

the part

and advocacy of worldly divisions and

in

which some are elevated above

exploit others.

The same outlook and view of what the to be,

and

between

slaves,

different

and so

on),

relations are,

and ought

groups of people (men and women, masters

which

I

have cited so

far

from the Quran

(and these are only a few representative examples)

is

projected by

Muhammad from this life into the promised afterlife: Lo! the is

doom of thy Lord will surely come to pass;/There

none that can ward

it off...

.Then woe that day unto

the deniers/Who play in talk of grave matters;/The day

when the

they are thrust with a (disdainful) thrust, into

fire

of

hell.. ..Lo!

those

who

kept their duty dwell in

gardens and delight/Happy because of what their Lord

hath given them, and (because) their Lord hath warded off

from them the torment of

ranged couches. wide, lovely

hell-fire... .Reclining

And We wed them unto

eyes... .And

fair

there go round, waiting on

menservants of their own, as they were hidden (Surah

And

Lli,

"The Mount,"

v.

shortly after that, the

on

ones with

them

pearls.

7-8, 11-13, 17-18, 20, 24)

Quran

further elaborates

on and

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changin

g the World

95

embellishes this vision of paradise, including the following: Therein are those [women] of modest gaze, ther

man

nor jinni

[spirits

form] will have touched before them. (Surah neficent,"

ing

whom

capable of assuming lv,

nei-

human

"The Be-

56— "women" and "spirits capable of assum-

v.

human form" have been added here, in brackets.)

Here are the

much

talked about virgins

paradise for the faithful— men.

who

are rewards in

And then this vision is repeated, and

further elaborated on: Fair ones, close-guarded in pavilions— /Which

the favours of your Lord, that ye ther

man

nor jinni

will

is

deny?— /Whom

it,

of

nei-

have touched before them—/

Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that ye deny?—/ Reclining on green cushions and Beneficent,"

And

v.

fair carpets.

("The

72-76)

again in another surah:

There wait on them immortal are) fair

youths... .And

(there

ones with wide, lovely eyes,/Like unto hidden

pearls/Reward for what they used to do. (Surah

"The Event,"

v. 17,

lvi,

22-24)

In light of all this, the questions are very sharply posed: Are the

words and commandments and the vision of Islam anything that people should submit to and carry out? different, in

Is

any meaningful way, from "God The Original

of the "Jiideo-Christian" religious tradition? like

the Bible and the religion(s) based on

embody and advocate to,

the Allah of Islam any

or needs to,

it,

Fascist"

not the case

that,

Islam and the Quran

horrors that humanity no longer can afford

endure— and,

to cast off and finally

Is it

instead, can

bury in the past?

and must move forward

Bob Avakian

96

Religious Fundamentalism, Imperialism

and the "War on Terror" Here

it is

important to answer the argument that is not infrequently

made— including

by people whose stance

general— that while ful,

there

is

religious

all

to

oppose

fundamentalism

is

religion in

bad and harm-

something particularly evil and dangerous about Islamic

fundamentalism. This, author of The

and Letter

is

to

for

End ofFaith,

example,

Religion, Terror,

a Christian Nation; and

and quite aggressively

the position of

is

insisted

it is

Sam

Harris,

and the Future ofReason

the stand rather obviously

on by Christopher Hitchens, whose

recent book, and in a concentrated

way

God Is Not

its title,

Great,

How Religion Poisons Everything, encapsulates the contradiction I am speaking to here. On the one hand, as expressed in the secondary part of the in general;

title,

but the

no doubt meant

Hitchens book

first,

a broadside against religion

is

and main, part of the

title

involves— and

is

to involve— a very definite salvo directed against

Islam in particular:

it is

a "negative echo," so to speak, of the com-

mon Islamic invocation: God is

Great.

It is

not hard to see

position dovetails rather neatly with that of the

how this

Bush regime and

the U.S. imperialists in general, with their "war on terror" and

its

declared target of "Islamic extremists."

To begin with, from what has been shown so far, it should be very clear that, with regard to the scriptures

Christianity there

is

and the

religious tradition of

no basis for arguing that it is, in any fundamental

or essential sense, different from or better than Islam. to take

more it is

and apply this

to

religious tradition

and its scriptures— and still

impose and enforce this— in a literalist sense,

the inerrant

word

of

Any attempt

God which must be

insisting that

followed to the

letter,

as the Christian fundamentalists do, can indeed only lead to horrors

of the greatest magnitude.

humanity needs

to

Once more,

move beyond and

Perhaps in recognition of the

all

this

is

something which

forever leave behind.

reality that there is

nothing to

choose between Islamic fundamentalism and Christian fundamen-

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the talism, as

such and on the

the latter

may be

World

97

common component of the position that somehow Islamic fundamentalism is worse than fundamentalist Christianity is the argument that, yes, country

like

level of the literal

just as awful in

the U.S.— where

it is

that Christian fundamentalism it

can have and the danger

it

its

word, a

content, but particularly in a

increasingly hard to ignore or deny

is

a major

poses

is

phenomenon— the

restrained

effect

and mitigated by

the fact that one of the pillars of Constitutional government in this

country

is

the separation of church and state. Well,

first

of

all,

that

separation, while real, has always been anything but absolute; and,

moreover,

it is

a separation that

Christian fundamentalists

is

under concerted attack by the

and powerful

forces in the ruling class

representing, or allied with, these fundamentalists (while the sections of the ruling class that are not themselves advocates of this religious

fundamentalism are

conciliate with as just faith

it

and

to

at great pains to

promote

compromise and

religion in public life— witness,

one example, the repeated professions of profound

on the part of every major candidate

presidential nomination).

for the

religious

Democratic Party

The danger posed by theocratic

Christian

Fascists— and the lack of any real ruling class opposition to this— is very

real.

not at

all

fact that

And this

assault

been rendered

on the separation of church and

state has

toothless, or strategically weakened, by the

13 Bush has become an extremely unpopular president.

Generally speaking (although not uniformly so) the parts of the world where Islam

is

it is

true that in

the dominant religion, there

Besides what I, and our Party generally, have been doing to call attenand build opposition to Christian Fascism, a number of others have from various points of view, been giving emphasis to the dangers posed

13.

tion to also,

by right-wing Christian Fundamentalists.

See, for example,

American

Fascists,

The Christian Right and the War on America, by Chris Hedges; The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans For the Rest of Us, by Rabbi James Rudi n / //< Theocons: Secular America Under Siege, by Damon Linker; Kingdom Coming: The i

;

Rise of Christian Nationalism,

by Michelle Goldberg; With God On Their Side: How

Trampled Science, Policy, and Democracy in George W. Bush's White House, by Esther Kaplan; and Contempt: How the Right is Wronging American Justice, by Catherine Crier. Christian Fundamentalists

Bob Avakian

98

has not been the same phenomenon of a bourgeois-democratic transformation of society than has occurred in countries

the

which one of the main aspects of that transformation has

U.S., in

been a

like

(relative)

separation of church and state.

The prevailing, and

and tenets of Islam

reject a separation

institutionalized, doctrine

between

religion,

on the one hand, and

and the

politics

law,

on the

other hand, as well as between religion and what is generally referred to as

"civil society."

states

But that has been true of

where Christianity has been the dominant

of their history— and

it is

and the

Christianity,

religion, for

most

only a relatively recent period, historically

speaking, that has seen a change in this, through the kind of bour-

geois-democratic transformation to which

important to recognize

that, as a rule,

I

it is

have referred.

And it is

those countries which

have undergone such a bourgeois-democratic transformation, as part of the emergence and triumph of the capitalist system, which

have developed into imperialist powers, and whose imperialist conquest and domination of countries throughout the Third World, including those where Islam

major factor

the dominant religion, has been a

is

in obstructing, in those countries, the

kind of transfor-

mation that would involve the separation of church and relative

state.

The

"backwardness" of those Third World countries has repeat-

edly been invoked as justification for colonialism

and

imperialist

conquest. And, in turn, this imperialist conquest and exploitation,

with

all

the consequences

it

has led

to,

including the installing and

backing of corrupt and tyrannical "local governments" and the devastation of

much

of the

way

of

life

and the

living conditions of the

large majority of the population, has actually strengthened tenden-

which

cies

identify ideas associated with "the

West"— such

as the

progressive aspects of the Enlightenment, with

its

spur to

challenging of religious dogma, and

its

contribution to

thinking,

its

critical

the separation of politics from official religion— as alien and antagonistic to the

needs of the people.

This speaks to the argument that

even

if it is

true that the ideas

is

embodied

also frequently raised that, in Christian

fundamental-

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

99

bit as bad as those of Islamic fundamentalism, there a great difference in that Christian fundamentalists do not go

ism are every is

around blowing up people and buildings and generally engaging in terrorist activity, while such activity is common among Islamic fundamentalists. Besides the fact that Christian fundamentalists

have indeed engaged in acts of

terror, including

within the U.S.—

such as the bombing of clinics where abortions are performed and the

murder of doctors who perform abortions— and

that Christian

fundamentalist forces are being "primed" to carry out reactionary violence on a

much

sary by those for

greater scale, should that be

deemed

neces-

whom they are in fact being readied as shock and

storm troops— there

is

the reality that, up to this point, violence

which serves ends that are passionately supported by the Christian Fascist fundamentalists has been carried out on a massive scale by the imperialist ruling class of the U.S., utilizing the armedforces

andpolice of the imperialist state— with more of

that violence currently being threatened (such as an attack on Iran, in addition to the stan).

And one

wars presently being waged

of the distinguishing features of those

in this period is precisely that by,

in Iraq

and Afghani-

armed

and even indoctrinated with, a fundamentalist Christian

outlook, from the top levels of the military until

now at least,

14.

forces

they are being increasingly influenced

on down.

14

Fascist

up

Therefore,

there has not been a need or compulsion

among

Regarding the influence of Christian Fascism within the U.S. military its higher ranks), in addition to the continuing exposure and

(and in particular

which is found in Revolution newspaper (available at revcom.us), example Making the Corps, by Thomas E. Ricks, Scribner, 1997, and Black Hawk Down, A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999— both of which were written before the advent of the Bush Presidency, analysis of this

see for

which has been marked by an increasing growth of and support for Christian fundamentalism within the U.S. military. Also, a very relevant phenomenon in regard to

all

this is the

emergence of

Blackwater, which has played a

"private" military organizations, snrh

very significant,

occupation of Iraq, as well as within the the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. is

and very

U.S. itself— for

And it is worth

.is

brutal, role in the U.S.

example.

Wu

Oilcans

noting that Blackwater

it

characterized by a fundamentalist Christian Fascist worldview and ethos.

in

sell

BobAvakian

100

Christian Fascist fundamentalists to engage in terrorist activity

reactionary violence on a large scale, separately from the

armed

forces

certainly

and police of the

and

"official"

ruling class— although, again,

it

has

been carried out by Christian Fascists on a smaller scale

and there

is

definitely the potential for this to

be carried out on a

much wider scale. All this,

once again,

a world which

is

is

a reflection of the "lopsided" relations of

dominated by a handful of imperialist countries,

and one imperialist superpower great majority of countries, ticularly in the

in particular at this time, while the

and of people,

in the world,

and par-

Third World, endure extreme conditions of poverty,

exploitation, massive dislocation

and upheaval— all enforced on the

basis of imperialist rule.

In today's world, a particular expression of these contradictions is

the mutually reinforcing opposition between imperialist global-

ization

and

its effects,

on the one hand, and Jihadist Islamic funda-

mentalism on the other hand. Utilizing a phrase (actually a book title)

from Benjamin

"Jihad vs.

R. Barber,

Mc World," and

in which Christian Fascist

ment within the

What we

phenomenon

this to include the

of

element

fundamentalism is in fact a significant ele-

program and ideology of the

have put

I

refers to the

expanding on

prevailing

ruling class of the U.S.,

who

it

this

imperialist

way:

see in contention here with Jihad on the one

hand and McWorld/McCrusade on the other hand, are historically

outmoded

strata

among

colonized and

oppressed humanity up against historically outmoded ruling strata of the imperialist system.

These two reac-

tionary poles reinforce each other, even while opposing

each other.

If you

side with either of these "outmodeds,"

you end up strengthening both. This speaks precisely to what

somehow

Islamic fundamentalism

mentalism and to cally

outmoded

how

is is

wrong with the

position that

worse than Christian funda-

that position lends support to the "histori-

ruling strata of the imperialist system." And, as

I

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

World

have also emphasized in relation to these "two outmodeds": it is

important to be clear about which has done and con-

tinues to do the greater damage, which has posed and

does pose the greater threat to humanity. far, it is

It is

that is

Clearly,

and by

"the ruling strata of the imperialist system." interesting,

I

someone made

correct

and

recently heard about a

which

relating to this,

comment I

do think

getting at something important. In rela-

tion to these "two historically outmodeds," they

made

the point: "You could say that the Islamic fundamentalist forces in

the world would be largely dormant

weren't for what the U.S. and

its allies

if it

have done and are

doing in the world— but you cannot say the opposite."

There

is

profound truth captured

As a matter of general

sitting in this imperialist country,

responsibility to

ing class,

oppose

and what

it is

in that statement.

and

specifically

we have

a particular

principle,

U.S. imperialism,

our "own"

rul-

doing in the world. But, at the

make these Islamic fundamentalist forces not historically outmoded and not reactionsame

ary. It

time, that doesn't

doesn't change the character of their opposition

to imperialism

that

it's

part

and what

of— the

it

leads to and the dynamic

fact that these

outmodeds" do reinforce each ing each other.

and

And

it is

other,

two

"historically

even while oppos-

very important to understand,

to struggle for others to understand, that

end up supporting either one of these two

if

outmodeds," you contribute to strengthening both. crucial to break out of that

dynamic— to

you

"historically It is

bring forward

another way. (See "Bringing Forward Another Way," revcom.us.)

at

101

Bob Avakian

102

Why Is Religious Fundamentalism Growing in

Todays World?

Among the most distinguishing features of today's

situation are the

leaps that are occurring in globalization, linked to an accelerating

process of capitalist accumulation in a world dominated by the

and often

capitalist-imperialist system. This has led to significant,

dramatic, changes in the lives of huge numbers of people, often un-

dermining traditional relations and customs. Here the effects of this in the Third

World— the countries

I

will focus

on

of Africa, Latin

America, Asia and the Middle East— and the ways in which this has contributed to the current growth of religious fundamentalism there.

Throughout the Third World people are being driven

away from the farmlands, where they have

millions each year

and

tried to eke out

but

now can no

urban

areas,

longer do even that: they are being thrown into the

most often

in

urban

it is

lived

an existence under very oppressive conditions

into the sprawling shantytowns, ring after

ring of slums, that surround the core of the cities. For the in history,

in the

now the

first

time

case that half of the world's population lives

areas, including these

massive and ever-growing shanty-

towns.

Being uprooted from their traditional conditions— and the ditional forms in

tra-

which they have been exploited and oppressed-

masses of people are being hurled into a very insecure and unstable existence, unable to be integrated, in into the

economic and

social fabric

any kind of "articulated

and functioning of

way,"

society. In

many of these Third World countries, a majority of the people in the urban areas work in the informal economy— for example, as smallscale peddlers or traders, of various kinds, or in illegal activity.

To a

significant degree

underground and

because of this,

many people

are turning to religious fundamentalism to try to give

them an

anchor, in the midst of all this dislocation and upheaval.

An

additional factor in

all

this is that, in the

Third World, these

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

Changing the World

massive and rapid changes and dislocations are occurring

103

in the

context of domination and exploitation by foreign imperialists—

and

this is associated

and

cally

politically

with "local" ruling classes which are economi-

dependent on and subordinate

to imperialism,

and

are broadly seen as the corrupt agents of an alien power,

also

promote the "decadent

run, can strengthen the

leaders

who frame

who

culture of the West." This, in the short

hand of fundamentalist

religious forces

and

opposition to the "corruption" and "Western

decadence" of the local ruling

classes,

and the

they are beholden, in terms of returning

to,

which

imperialists to

and enforcing with a

vengeance, traditional relations, customs, ideas and values which

themselves are rooted in the past and embody extreme forms of exploitation

and oppression.

Where Islam also countries

is

the dominant religion— in the Middle East but

such as Indonesia— this

of Islamic fundamentalism. In tianity, particularly in

nant

religion, the

where

tion

are being

drawn

manifested in the growth

much of Latin America, where Chris-

the form of Catholicism, has been the domi-

growth of fundamentalism

is

marked by a

numbers of people,

in particular

to feel that the Catholic

Church has

significant

who have come

is

situa-

poor people, failed

them,

into various forms of protestant fundamentalism,

such as Pentecostalism, which combines forms of religious

and oppressed. In parts

fanati-

name of the poor of Africa as well, particularly among masses

cism with a rhetoric that claims to speak

in the

crowded into the shantytown slums, Christian fundamentalism, including Pentecostalism, has been a growing phenomenon, at the

same time

as Islamic fundamentalism has been growing in other

parts of Africa. 15

15.

For

many of the same reasons that have been touched on here, religious in recent decades among sections

fundamentalism has also been strengthened

and marginalized within the U.S. This includes the t.u that there is a conscious strategy, on the part of powerful sections of the ruling class in the U.S., aimed at promoting religious fundamentalism among mass es of people whose conditions of life cry out for radical change, and ensnaring of the poor, oppressed

them

in the reactionary ideology

t

and

political

program of which

this religious

Bob Avakian

104

But the

rise of

fundamentalism

is

also

owing

to

major

political

changes, and conscious policy and actions on the part of the imperialists in

the political arena, which have had a profound impact on

many countries in the Third World, including in the

the situation in

Middle East. As one key dimension of this,

it is

very important not

to overlook or to underestimate the impact of the developments in

China since the death of Mao Tsetung and the complete change that country, from one that

ism to one where

was advancing on the road

in fact capitalism

in

of social-

has been restored and the

ori-

entation of promoting and supporting revolution, in China and

throughout the world, has been replaced by one of seeking to establish for

China a stronger position within the framework of world

power politics dominated by imperialism. This has had a profound effect— negatively— in undermining, in the shorter term, the sense

among many oppressed people, throughout the world, that socialist revolution offered the way out of their misery and in creating more fundamentalism

The growth in the

is

a concentrated expression.

of fundamentalism

broad category of the "middle

tors, including:

among significant numbers class" in the U.S. is largely

a heightened sense of anxiety owing to an

of people with-

due

to other fac-

economy and a culture

which promotes and provides seemingly ceaseless consumption on the basis of expansive credit and debt; a sense of volatility and insecurity in the economy and in society overall; a feeling of losing control

technological changes (cable and satellite

even over their children

in the face of

TV the Internet, etc.); a sense of loss of

"place" and community in a society and culture which produce atomization and promote extreme individualism. But what is very important to understand is that, especially

among the

ing fundamentalism

is

"middle class" in the

U.S., this

phenomenon

also a product of the parasitism of

of grow-

imperialism— of the

imperialism in particular is the world's dominant power, which and could not do without, the super-exploitation of masses of people throughout the Third World, and that people in the U.S., particularly within the "middle class," are "high up on the food chain" among the world's peoples. And, it is important to note, what is involved in the religious fundamentalism that finds adherents particularly in the suburbs and exurbs of America is a deep-seated sense of the role of America as "God's chosen nation," accompanied by an aggressive assertion of American chauvinism, as well as of traditional relations and values which embody white supremacy and male supremacy. The phenomenon of fundamentalism, and in particular Christian Fascist fact that U.S.

lives off,

fundamentalism, in the

U.S. will

be returned to in a later section of this book.

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

ground

for those,

seek to

rally

and

1 05

in particular religious fundamentalists,

people behind something which in certain ways

posing the dominant oppressive power in the world but which represents a reactionary worldview and program. This expert" ist

phenomenon

is

comments

reflected in the

who op-

is

itself

of a "terrorism

who observed about some people recently accused of terror-

acts in

England

that, a generation ago, these

been Maoists. Now, despite the

fact that the

people would have

aims and

strategy,

and

the tactics, of genuine Maoists— people guided by communist ideol-

ogy—are

radically different

and that communists approach, there expert's"

others

something

is

real

terrorism as a

and important

method and

in this "terrorism

comments: a generation ago many of the same youths and

who

religious

from those of religious fundamentalists

reject, in principle,

are, for

the time being, drawn toward Islamic and other

fundamentalisms, would instead have been drawn toward

the radically different, revolutionary pole of

phenomenon has been

communism. And

this

further strengthened by the demise of the

Soviet

Union and the

Soviet

Union had ceased

to be socialist since the time, in the mid-

1950s,

when

(communists

camp" that

"socialist

revisionists

fact) seized the reins of power

it

headed. In

name but

in

reality,

the

capitalists in

and began running the country in

ac-

cordance with capitalist principles (but in the form of state capital-

ism and with a continuing

"socialist"

camouflage). But by the 1990s,

the leaders of the Soviet Union began to openly discard socialism,

was abolished and Russia and the other countries that had been part of the Soviet "camp" abandoned and then the Soviet Union

itself

any pretense of "socialism." All

this— and,

in relation to

by the imperialists and their

it,

a relentless ideological offensive

intellectual

camp followers— has

led

to the notion, widely propagated and propagandized, of the defeat

and demise of communism and, of

communism among broad

those restlessly searching for a

for the

time being, the discrediting

sections of people, including

way to

fight

back

among

against imperialist

BobAvakian

106

16 domination, oppression and degradation.

But

not only communism that the imperialists have worked

it is

to defeat

and

discredit.

They have

and governments which,

to

also targeted other secular forces

one degree or another, have opposed, to,

the interests and aims of the

imperialists, particularly in parts of the

world that they have regard-

or objectively constituted obstacles

ed as of strategic importance. For example, going back to the 1950s, the U.S. engineered a coup that overthrew the nationalist govern-

ment

of Mohammad

policies

Mossadegh

in Iran,

because that government's

were viewed as a threat to the control of Iran's

oil

by the

U.S.

(and secondarily the British) and to U.S. domination of the region

more

broadly. This has

had repercussions and consequences

Among

decades since then.

other things,

it

for

has contributed to the

growth of Islamic fundamentalism and the eventual establishment of an Islamic Republic in Iran,

power

in the

when

Islamic fundamentalists seized

context of a mass upheaval of the Iranian people in

the late 1970s, which led to the overthrow of the highly repressive

government of the Shah of Iran, who had been backed and maintained

in

power by the

U.S. since

In other parts of the Middle East, eral

in fact

the ouster of Mossadegh. 17

and elsewhere, over the past sev-

decades the imperialists have also consciously set out to defeat

and decimate even

nationalist secular opposition; and, in fact, they

have at times consciously fed the growth of religious fundamentalist forces. Palestine is a

forces there

16.

sharp example of this: Islamic fundamentalist

were actually aided by Israel— and the

In addition to

mine that speak to this

what

is

subject,

U.S. imperialists,

contained in a number of writings and talks of

an analysis of important aspects of the actual

perience of socialism in the Soviet Union and in

ex-

China— including very real mis-

takes and shortcomings as well as historically unprecedented achievements—

and answers

and

to the slanders

distortions of this experience,

the project Set the Record Straight. This can be accessed, and

about

this provided, online at

17.

An important

provided by

thisiscommunism.org.

source of information and analysis in regard to these

events in Iran and their consequences

and the Roots of Middle East Publisher, 2003.

is

more information

Terror,

is

All

The Shah's Men: An American Coup

by Stephen Kinzer, John Wiley

&

Sons,

Inc.,

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

whom Israel

for

more

the

acts as an

armed garrison— in order

to

World

107

undermine

secular Palestine Liberation Organization. In Afghani-

stan, particularly during the Soviet occupation of that country in

the 1980s, the U.S. backed and provided arms to the Islamic funda-

mentalist Mujahadeen, because

it

was recognized

be fanatical fighters against the Soviets. Other only

more

that they

would

forces, including

not

secular nationalists but Maoists, opposed the Soviet oc-

cupation and the puppet governments

it

installed in Afghanistan,

but of course the Maoists in particular were not supported by the U.S.,

and

in fact

many

of

them were

killed

by the

"Jihadist" Islamic

fundamentalists that the U.S. was aiding and arming. In Egypt, going

back to the

enon of the popular

1950s, there

was the whole phenom-

Gamal Abdel

nationalist leader

Nasser,

and of

"Nasserism," a form of Arab nationalism which wasn't limited to

Egypt but whose influence was very widespread to

power

to assert

more control over the Suez

colonial

fully

Nasser came

when Nasser

in Egypt. In 1956 a crisis developed

France and England— still not

after

Canal; and Israel, along with

resigned to the loss of their large

empires— moved together

in opposition to Nasser.

as an illustration of the complexity of things, in that "Suez

the U.S. opposed Israel, France and Britain. to support

acted

Arab nationalism or Nasser

supplant the European imperialists

The

U.S.

motive was not

in particular,

who had

Now,

crisis,"

but to further

previously colonized

these parts of the world. To look briefly at the background of in the

aftermath of World

War

1,

this,

with the defeat of the old Ottoman

Empire, centered in Turkey, France and England basically divided up the Middle East between

them— some of it was allotted to the French

sphere of influence, as essentially French colonies, and other parts

were under British control. But then

which Japan as well as Germany and and countries

was in

greatly

like

after

Italy

World War

2— through

were thoroughly defeated,

France and Britain were weakened, while the

strengthened— the

U.S.

moved

to create a

new

U.S.

order

the world and, as part of that, to impose in the Third World,

place of the old-line colonialism, a

new form

in

of colonialism (neo-

Bob Avakian

108

which the

colonialism) through trol of countries

U.S.

would maintain

effective con-

and their political structures and economic life, even

where they became formally independent. And, as part of this, Israel

was made

to find

its

now more fully realized

place in relation to the

and aggressively asserted American domination But, out of his stand in

in the

what became the "Suez

Middle East.

crisis,"

and as

a result of other nationalist moves, Nasser and "Nasserism" devel-

oped a widespread following

in the

Arab countries

in particular.

In this situation, the U.S., while not seeking overtly to overthrow

Nasser,

worked to undermine Nasserism and generally more secular

forces— including, obviously, communist forces— that were opposed to,

or stood in the

1967 war, in

way of,

which

U.S. imperialism.

Israel

And, especially

after the

defeated surrounding Arab states and

seized additional Palestinian territory

(now

generally referred to as

the "occupied territories," outside of the state of Israel which rests

on land stolen from the Palestinians),

Israel

itself

has been firmly

backed by and has acted as a force on behalf of U.S. imperialism. Defeat at the hands of Israel in the 1967 war contributed cantly to a decline in the stature

ism— and

similar,

more

signifi-

and influence of Nasser and Nasser-

or less secular, leaders

and trends— among

the people in the Middle East; and by the time of his death in 1970,

Nasser had already begun to lose a significant amount of his luster in the eyes of the

Here again things.

The

Arab masses.

we can

see another dimension to the complexity of

practical defeats

undermining,

and

failure of

in the eyes of increasing

Nasser had the effect of

numbers of people, the legiti-

macy, or viability, of what Nasser represented ideologically. Now, the fact is that "Nasserism"

and similar ideological and

political trends,

do not represent, and cannot lead to, a thorough rupture with imperialist

domination and

of the people. But that

all

is

forms of the oppression and exploitation

something which has to

established by a scientific analysis of ideologies

what

is

and programs and what they aim

actually capable of achieving;

it is

be,

and

is

in fact,

represented by such to achieve,

not proven by

and

are

the fact that, in

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

109

certain particular instances or even over a certain limited period

of time, the leaders personifying and seeking to implement such ideologies

and programs

and defeats. In the ways in Arab countries (and more broadly) responded to such setbacks and defeats, on the part of Nasser and

which masses of people

suffer setbacks

in the

those more or less representing the same ideology and program, there

was a

in the short run,

losses

element of pragmatism— the notion

definite

what

prevails

is

true and good, and

that,

what

even

suffers

flawed and bankrupt. And, of course, a spontaneous ten-

is

dency toward such pragmatism, among the masses of people, has been reinforced by the verdicts pronounced by the imperialists and other reactionaries— not only, of course, in relation to secular forces

such as Nasser but, even more

communism, which tion to imperialism In

all

this

of decades,

worked in the

to

it is

and

so, in relation to

represent a

and

much more fundamental

opposi-

reaction.

important to keep

in

mind

that over a

at least until very recently, the U.S.

undermine secular

forces

among the

Middle East (and elsewhere) and have

favored,

communists and

where they have not

and

number

Israel

opposition to

have

them

at least objectively

deliberately fostered, the growth of

Islamic fundamentalist forces. During the "Cold War," this was, to

a significant degree, out of a calculation that these Islamic fundamentalists

would be much

Soviet camp. And, to

damentalists over

less likely to align

no small degree,

more

themselves with the

this favoring of religious fun-

secular forces has been motivated by the

recognition of the inherently conservative, indeed reactionary, es-

sence of this religious fundamentalism, and the fact nificant degree, Israel) in

it

can act as a useful

foil for

that, to a sig-

the imperialists (and

presenting themselves as an enlightened, democratic force

for progress.

Now, one of the

and other Arab

ironies of this

whole experience

nationalist heads of state, viciously

is

that Nasser,

and murderously

suppressed not only Islamic fundamentalist opposition (such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt) but also communists. But, with what

BobAvakian

110

has taken place on the world stage, so to speak, in recent decadesincluding

what has happened

China and the Soviet Union

in

(as

discussed above) and the widely propagated verdict that this represents the "defeat" of

communism;

Islamic fundamentalists, with the

the seizure of power in Iran by

fall

of the

Shah of Iran

in the late

1970s; the resistance to the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan, which

by the

withdrawal and contributed

late 1980s forced a Soviet

nificantly to the downfall of the Soviet

and defeats recently

for

more

Union

itself;

sig-

and the setbacks

or less secular rulers like Nasser (and

more

someone like Saddam Hussein) in the Middle East and else-

where—it

has, in the short term,

much more than able to regroup,

and organized

revolutionaries

and

been the Islamic fundamentalists,

and communists, who have been

to experience a significant

growth

in influence

strength.

Another example of this whole

trajectory,

from the 1950s to the

time— which illustrates, in very stark and graphic terms, the points being made above— is the country of Indonesia. During the 1950s and 1960s Indonesia had the third largest communist party present

in the

world (only

in the Soviet

nist parties larger).

following

among

city of Jakarta

Union and China were the commu-

The Indonesian Communist Party had a massive

the poor in the urban areas (whose slums, in the

and elsewhere, were already legendary,

sense) as well as

among

tions of the intellectuals

in the negative

the peasants in the countryside and sec-

and even some more

strata. Unfortunately, the

nationalist bourgeois

Indonesian Communist Party also had a

very eclectic line— a mixed bag of

communism and

seeking revolutionary change but also trying to

revisionism, of

work through par-

liamentary means within the established government structures.

The government leader

Achmed

at that

time was headed by the nationalist

Sukarno. Now, an important insight into this was

made to China in the 1970s, during which some members of the Chinese Communist Party talked about the experience of the Indonesian Communist Party, and they specifi-

provided as part of a visit

cally recounted:

We

I

used to struggle with comrade Aidit (the head

1

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the of the Indonesian

Communist

World

11

Party during the period of Sukarno's

we warned him about what could happen as a result have one foot in communism and revolution and one

government); of trying to

foot in reformism

and

Party persisted on the

1965 the

U.S.,

revisionism. But the Indonesian

Communist

same path, with

its eclectic approach; and in through the CIA, working with the Indonesian military

and a leading

general, Suharto, carried out a bloody coup, in

hundreds of thousands of Indonesian communists, and

which

others,

were

massacred, the Communist Party of Indonesia was thoroughly deci-

mated, and at the same time Sukarno was ousted as the head of

government and replaced by Suharto. In the course of this coup, the rivers around Jakarta

became

clogged with the bodies of the victims: the reactionaries would

kill

people, alleged or actual communists, and throw their bodies, in

massive numbers, into the too familiar, once this

rivers.

And,

coup— which

phenomenon

that

is all

the CIA led, organized and en-

gineered—was unleashed and carried were involved

in a

out,

kinds of people

who

and feuds would

start

all

in personal or family disputes

accusing other people of being communists and turning them into

communists got slaughtered, along with

who weren't even many who were. Once the

and reactionaries unleashed

this blood-letting, this en-

the authorities, with the result that a lot of people

imperialists

couraged and gave impetus to, and swept many people up in, a kind of bloodlust of revenge.

The CIA openly brags about how they not only

organized and orchestrated this coup but also specifically targeted several rectly,

thousand of the leading communists and got

them

di-

within this larger massacre of hundreds of thousands.

The fundamental problem with the

Communist Party was lar

rid of

strategy of the Indonesian

that the nature of the state— and in particu-

the military— had not changed: the parliament was to a large de-

gree

made up of nationalists and communists, but the state was

in the

hands of the reactionary

of the state

classes:

and because

had never been broken, and the old

st

ill

their control

state apparatus in

which they maintained control was never shattered and dismantled,

BobAvakian

112

Suharto and other reactionary forces were able, working together with and under the direction of the CIA, to pull off this bloody coup, with

its terrible

consequences.

was recounted by mem-

In this regard, another anecdote that

bers of the Chinese

They

Communist

Party

is

very telling and poignant.

how Sukarno had a scepter that he used officials who met with him asked scepter you carry around?" And Sukarno replied:

told a story about

to carry around, and the Chinese

him, "What

is this

"This scepter represents state power." Well, the Chinese comrades telling this story

scepter, they let

summed

him keep

up, after the that,

coup "Sukarno

had the

still

but he didn't have any state power."

The Indonesian Communist Party was

all

but totally wiped out,

physically— its membership was virtually exterminated, with only a

few remnants of it here and there— a devastating blow from which it

has never recovered.

and physical terms but litical defeat,

since then,

also

disorientation

the decimation

was not only

in literal

was expressed

in ideological

and po-

and demoralization. Over the decades

what has happened

ing developments

is

talism in Indonesia. its

And

One

in Indonesia?

of the

strik-

the tremendous growth of Islamic fundamen-

The communist

alternative

was wiped

place— in part being consciously fostered by the

other reactionary forces, but partly growing on in the context

most

where a powerful secular and,

its

out. In

imperialists

and

own momentum

at least in

name, com-

munist opposition had been destroyed— Islamic fundamentalism filled

the

vacuum

that had been

left

by the lack of a

to the highly oppressive rule of Suharto installed All

in

power

for

decades by the

this— what has taken place

Palestine sion

and kept

and

real alternative

his cronies that U.S.

was

18

in Indonesia, as well as in Egypt,

and other parts of the Middle East— is a

political

dimen-

which has been combined with the economic and social factors 18.

In addition to brutally oppressing the people of Indonesia

itself,

the

regime of Suharto carried out a genocidal reign of terror in East Timor, masit was backed and assisted by U.S. imperialism, through successive Administrations, including

sacring a huge section of the population there— and in this, too,

that of Bill Clinton.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

1 13

mentioned above— the upheaval and volatility and rapid change imposed from the top and seemingly coming from unknown and/or alien and foreign sources and powers— to undermine and weaken secular, including genuinely revolutionary

and communist,

and

(in

to strengthen Islamic

fundamentalism

a

forces

way similar to how

Christian fundamentalism has been gaining strength in Latin America

and parts of Africa). This

is

obviously a tremendously significant phenomenon.

major part of the objective

who and

It is

a

people throughout the world

reality that

are seeking to bring about change in a progressive direction— still

more those who

are striving to achieve truly radical change

guided by a revolutionary and communist outlook— have to confront

and transform. And seriously engage

in order to

do

and understand

that,

it is

necessary,

this reality, rather

first

of all, to

than remaining

dangerously ignorant of it, or adopting an orientation of stubbornly ignoring

it.

It is

necessary,

the surface of this

grasp all

and indeed

phenomenon and

crucial, to dig its

down beneath

various manifestations, to

more deeply what are the underlying and

driving dynamics in

this— what are the fundamental contradictions and what are the

particular expressions of fundamental

and

essential contradictions,

on a world scale and within particular countries and regions

world— that this

religious

fundamentalism

is

the expression

in

of,

the

and

how, on the basis of that deeper understanding, a movement can be

developed to win masses of people away from

this

and to something

which can actually bring about a radically different and much better world.

Rejecting the

"Smug Arrogance of the

Enlightened"

among those who are "people of the Enlightenment," shall we say— including, it must be said, some comThere

is

a definite tendency

munists—to

fall

into

what amounts

to a

toward religious fundamentalism and

smugly arrogant attitude

religion in general.

Because

it

BobAvakian

114

seems so absurd, and

difficult to

comprehend, that people

living in

the 21st century can actually cling to religion and in fact adhere, in a fanatical

and

absolutist way, to

without any foundation in

dogmas and notions

reality, it is

that are clearly

easy to dismiss this whole

phenomenon and fail to recognize, or to correctly approach, the fact that this is indeed taken very seriously by masses of people. And this includes more than a few people among the lower, deeper sections of the proletariat

and other oppressed people who need

very base and bedrock

of— and be a

driving force

to be at the

within— the revo-

lution that can actually lead to emancipation. It is

a form of contempt for the masses to

the deep belief that

many

of

them have

fail

to take seriously

in religion, including reli-

gious fundamentalism of one kind or another, just as tailing after

the fact that

many

believe in these things

with them to give this up

is

also in reality

and refusing

to struggle

an expression of contempt

for them. The hold of religion on masses of people, including the most oppressed, stacle to mobilizing

to

is

them

be emancipators of

all

to fight for their

humanity— and

own emancipation and it

must be approached,

and struggled against, with that understanding, even as, time, tice

it is

necessary, possible,

and oppression,

among

a major shackle on them, and a major ob-

and

at

any given

crucial, in the fight against injus-

to unite as broadly as possible with people

continue to hold religious

who

beliefs.

The Growth of Religion and

Religious Fundamentalism:

A Peculiar Expression of a Fundamental Contradiction Another strange, or

peculiar, expression of contradictions in the

world today is that, on the one hand, there is all this highly developed technology and sophisticated technique in

fields

such as medicine

and other spheres, including information technology

(and, even

taking account that large sections of the population in

many parts

of the world,

and

significant

numbers even within the

"technologi-

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

advanced" countries,

cally

technology, growing the Internet

and

still

numbers

do not have access

is

to the extensive

the tremendous growth

form of

ignorance, in the

115

advanced

of people actually do have access to

amounts

of information available

through the Internet, and in other ways) and there

to this

World

religion

and

the

yet, at

of, let's call it

what

religious

same

it is:

time,

organized

fundamentalism

in

particular. This appears as not only a glaring but a strange contradiction: so

much

technology and knowledge on the one hand, and

on the other hand so much widespread ignorance and and retreat into, obscurantist superstition.

yet

belief in,

Well, along with analyzing this in terms of the economic, social

and

political factors that

have given

rise to this (to

which

I

have

spoken above) another, and even more

basic, way of understanding an extremely acute expression in todays world of the fundamental contradiction of capitalism: the contradiction between highly socialized production and private (capitalist) appropriation of what is produced. Where does all this technology come from? On what basis has it been produced? And speaking specifically of the dissemination this is that

it is

of information,

what

is

and the

basis for people to acquire

knowledge—

that founded on? All the technology that exists— and, for

that matter, the wealth that has been created— has been produced in socialized

forms by millions and millions of people through an

international network of production

place under the

command

appropriate the wealth

produced— and appropriate

produced as well— and bend

What

is

this

an

and exchange; but

it

this takes

illustration of?

It is,

for

one

the knowledge

thing, a refutation

which argues that the more

technology you have, the more enlightenment there less directly in relation to that

who

to their purposes.

of the "theory of the productive forces,"

ist"

all

of a relative handful of capitalists,

will be,

technology— and which,

more or

in its

"Mai

\

expression, argues that the greater the development of technol-

ogy, the closer things will

look around the world.

be to socialism or to communism.

Why is

this not the case?

Because of

Well.

a very

Bob Avakian

116

fundamental

fact: All this

"go through,"

and have

technology,

the forces of production,

all

to "go through," certain definite production

relations—they can be developed and utilized only by being incor-

porated into what the prevailing ensemble of production relations is

any given time. And,

at

in turn, there are certain class

relations that are themselves

an expression of (or are

in

and

social

any case

in

general correspondence with) the prevailing production relations;

and there

is

a superstructure of politics, ideology and culture whose

essential character reflects

and reinforces

all

not a matter of productive forces— including

knowledge—just and

utilized in a

through which

existing in a social

way that is

it is

those relations. So, all

it is

the technology and

vacuum and being

distributed

divorced from the production relations

developed and employed (and the correspond-

ing class and social relations and superstructure). This takes place,

and can only take social

and class

ways of thinking,

and so on.

dominated as

it is

by the capitalist-imperi-

system, this technology and knowledge

existing capitalist

and imperialist

relations

one of the main manifestations of this disparity lesser

between what

amount

that

is

set of production,

with the corresponding customs, cultures,

political institutions,

In the world today, alist

one or another

place, through

relations,

is

is

is

"going through" the

and superstructure, and the extremely grotesque

appropriated by a tiny handful— and a

meted out

to broader strata in

some

imperialist countries, in order to stabilize those countries

mollify

of the

and

to

and pacify sections of the population who are not part of

the ruling class there— while amongst the great majority of humanity

there

is

unbelievable poverty and suffering and ignorance. And,

along with this profound disparity, contradiction between so edge,

much

we

are witnessing this peculiar

technology and so

much knowl-

on the one hand, and yet such widespread belief in, and retreat

into, obscurantist superstition, particularly in the

fundamentalism— all of which

is

in fact

form of religious

an expression of the funda-

mental contradiction of capitalism. This

is

an extremely important point to understand.

If,

instead

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

of this understanding, one were to proceed with a

proach and method, it,

there

is all

would be easy

it

to

fall

more

into saying:

this technology, all this knowledge,

why

117

linear ap-

"I

don't get

are so

many

people so ignorant and so mired in superstition?" Once again, the

answer— and

it is

an answer that touches on the most fundamen-

world— is

of relations in the

tal

that

it is

because of the prevailing

production, social and class relations, the political institutions,

and processes, and the

structures,

prevailing culture, the on,

rest of the

superstructure— the

ways of thinking, the customs,

which correspond

to

and

habits,

and so

reinforce the system of capitalist ac-

cumulation, as this finds expression in the era where capitalism has

developed into a worldwide system of exploitation and oppression. This

stand the

another important perspective from which to under-

is

phenomenon

disparity grows, the

of religious fundamentalism.

more

there

is

The more

this

a breeding ground for religious

fundamentalism and related tendencies. At the same time, and acute contradiction to

this,

there

is

also a potentially

in

more powerful

basis for revolutionary transformation. All of the profound disparities in

the world— not only in terms of conditions of life but also with

regard to access to

communist

knowledge— can be overcome

revolution,

whose aim

is

only through the

to wrest control of society out

the hands of the imperialists and other exploiters and to advance,

through the increasingly conscious

initiative of

growing numbers

of people, to achieve (in the formulation of Marx) the elimination of

all

class distinctions,

class distinctions rest,

all

the production relations on which these

all

the social relations that correspond to

those production relations, and the revolutionization of all the ideas that correspond to those social relations— in order to bring about,

ultimately

and fundamentally on a world

associating ate for the initiative

scale, a society of freely

human beings, who consciously and voluntarily cooper

common good, while

and

creativity of the

also giving increasing scope to the

members

of society as a whole.

Part Three:

RELIGIONA HEAVY, HEAVY CHAIN

Religion, Patriarchy,

Male Supremacy

and Sexual Repression One of the most important aspects of the role of religion as a shackle on humanity— and here again I am examining particularly the role of the world's three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity,

and Islam— is the way in which this represents a concentrated

expression, acy.

To put

and reinforcement, of patriarchy and male supremit

simply,

all

of these religions are patriarchal religions.

Each one of them pictures a god that ity figure: is

The

Father, the Lord,

a powerful male author-

is

Senor— in whatever language

this

expressed. These are religions in which patriarchal relations, in

the real world, are projected into an other-worldly be, in turn,

reimposed on

this

world— and

the reinforcement of patriarchy,

is

in

which

realm— to then and

patriarchy,

an integral and essential part of

the belief system and of the behavior that this belief system

is in-

tended to enforce, as part of the broader network of oppressive and exploitative relations that characterize the societies in religions arose

and the succeeding societies

have been perpetuated by the ruling

The ways ure,

in

which these

and absolute male

obey— and

this,

of course,

is all

commanded

the more the case

versions of these religions— but

scriptures of

all

promote a strong

can be seen not only

portray the god which people are

talist

which these

religions

classes.

religions

authority,

in

which these

is

found

to in

in

father

how

fig-

they

worship and

the fundamen-

in the heart of the

these religions. Christianity once again provides

.1

clear illustration of this.

In a way you could say that the essential

121

message of tin- Christian

BobAvakian

122

religion is iar

put forward in John

3:16.

with this— those of you who

who

famil-

know the Bible, and/or others of you

just watch sporting events, especially football games, where

when

often,

some

they kick the extra point after a touchdown, there

fool sitting

So

let's

talk about

John

3:16."

God everyone who

perish but may have eternal life"

so loved the world that

him may not

believes in

(or in the classical English rendition:

so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, so

that whosever believeth in Let's dig

life").

[Laughter]

3:16: "For

he gave his only Son, so that

God

is

behind the goalpost with a crazy wig on his head,

holding up a sign saying "John

"For

Now, some of you may be

him shall not perish but shall have eternal

more deeply into this— what

it is

actually putting for-

ward and what it is actually promoting. Let's go back to Genesis: once again, the in this,

myth of the fall of mankind, the treacherous role of woman

and the view of the nature and the fate of humanity that is put

forward in Genesis (see in particular chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis).

It

to the Bible, for God to make this great sacrifice (of giving his "only begotten son") if it weren't

would not have been necessary, according

for the fact that

human beings messed up in the Garden of Eden, and

in particular that

very verse (John 3:16) that

of humanity to do things

away from.

is

us

doing the wrong

or underlying, this

how loving God is to humanity, is

screwed up— that it is the very nature

wrong and

That's the

But, then, there

all

which, on

"fallen" nature,

or get

will. So, built into,

tells

the notion that humanity is

has a

man— Adam— into

Eve seduced

thing and going against God's

its

first

to

commit sin— that mankind

own, humanity can never change

point to keep in

mind here.

a second thing— think about

loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son."

anyway, the idea could have as

is

absurd. [Laughter]

many

patriarchal society, giving

up your son

you can make, because

count

for

"For

God

so

Why a son? And

you believe

in

God, God

sons as he wanted. [Laughter] So what's the

point of "only begotten Son?" Well, for

fices

If

it:

in

more than women.

human is

beings

who

live in

one of the greatest

sacri-

such a male-dominated society

So,

who

a

cares about daughters?

men You

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

can give them up to be raped— and

123

that's there in the Bible, too, for

example in the story of how Lot offered up

his daughters in this

way

(and remember that Lot is looked upon so favorably by God that Lot is spared when God destroys Sodom— see Genesis, chapter 19). But a son, that's a very different matter.

To bring out the point even more Bible saying: "For

God

begotten daughter." fit

It

sharply, try thinking of the

so loved the world, that he gave up his only

doesn't ring true, does

it?

[Laughter]

It

doesn't

with the Bible— because the Bible was written by

living in a patriarchal society

human beings who are reflecting that society in what

they write and projecting an imaginary god into the heavens

makes is

this great sacrifice of giving

the greatest sacrifice that these

up

his "only begotten son,"

human beings can think of.

This takes us back to the role of women and the is

not only a pivotal and seminal story in the

kind and mankind's relation with God, but ried forward letter to

by Paul in the

who

which

fall

of man. This

Bible's history of

it is

man-

picked up and car-

New Testament. For example, in his first

Timothy, Paul repeats the notion of a curse on women, be-

cause of what Eve did in the Garden of Eden; but, says Paul,

can be saved by bearing children

for their

women

husbands and generally

by having the "modest" qualities appropriate to women, including that they are obedient to their husbands

and subordinate

to

men

in general:

woman learn in silence with full submission. permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman Let a

I

was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue faith

and love and

holiness, with modesty. (1

in

Timothy

2:11-15) So, right there,

see two things that are essential

components

and the "Judeo-Christian tradition": women are to be relation to men, and women's essential role is to bear

of Christianity

submissive in

we

Bob Avakian

124

children.

sion

Think of the

terrible influence of that,

and

all

the oppres-

and pain it has contributed to, through the centuries and down

to today.

Now let's that

return to the origin

was spoken

it

starts off

who

first

part of the

with something very few people can follow: the

"begats." [Laughter]

and-so,

When you read New Testament, in Mat-

to earlier in connection with this.

the Bible and you get to the

thew,

myth regarding Jesus and a point

And

so-and-so begat so-and-so,

who

begat so-

begat so-and-so... down through 14 generations; and

then so-and-so begat so-and-so, who begat so-and-so, who begat soand-so... down

through another 14 generations;

this passes

through

David and then on, through more generations, down to Joseph, Jesus's father.

Now, if you actually look at history and compare the historical

record with what is said here in the Bible, there are discrepancies: the

schema

that involves repeated reference to 14 generations doesn't

correspond to what you can actually learn from history about the succession of patriarchs that

But these "begats"

are,

is

being referred to here.

once again,

ing male domination and patriarchy. is

an attempt to trace

Jesus's roots

in the service of reinforc-

The whole thing

from

Abraham— a

in

Matthew

patriarch of

the ancient Jewish people, according to the Bible— through King

David to Joseph, the father of Jesus, even though Joseph's "seed" had absolutely nothing to do with

the Christian mythology

is

it.

Think about

that Jesus

this:

Mary. So what the hell did Joseph have to do with point

is

that this

is

A crucial part of A virgin,

was born— of what? it?

[Laughter]

The

a history ofpatriarchs— &n attempt to put Jesus

squarely within the tradition of patriarchs and patriarchal kings and rulers of the Jewish people in ancient times.

19

Even though Mary is Jesus's blessed mother, her genealogy does

Why? Because she's a woman. Her role is to be the loving, long-suffering mother of Jesus (and, especially in the Roman Cathonot count.

lic

version of Christianity, to be a kind of "intercessor" for people in

19.

It is

patriarch.

noteworthy that

in Islam,

Abraham

is

also greatly revered as a

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the their supplications to God).

But when

it

World

125

comes to tracing the lineage

from the ancient patriarchs of the Jewish people down to Jesus, and to prove his right to be the Messiah, Mary doesn't figure into it at all. Joseph does figure

in,

even though, according to the

Bible,

he had no

part, biologically, in all this. 20

For

many people who have lived in a society in which patriarchy

and male domination and the consequent oppression of women is an integral and indispensable part— a part without which the society in that

form could not exist— one of the attractions of these

ligions (Islam, Christianity,

re-

and Judaism) and of the fundamentalist

versions of these religions in particular, in this period, reassertion of that patriarchy.

Why is

there a

felt

is

need

as aforceful

for this? Be-

cause patriarchy is being undermined in various ways. Not eliminated.

Not transformed in a qualitative

sense. But being

undermined

in

various ways by the very functioning of the society. Even in countries

where there are

20.

still

very open and powerful patriarchal traditions,

As pointed out above,

in Luke, chapter

3,

verses 23 to 38, there

ferent version of this genealogy: the lineage, or family tors

is

17. In is,

than what

different

is

of Jesus

presented in Matthew, chapter

The Jesus Dynasty, James D. Tabor argues that

after a certain point, actually traced

ment here seems somewhat

line,

in

1,

and

verses

is

a

dif-

his ances1

through

Luke the lineage of Jesus

through Mary. But,

frankly, Tabor's argu-

tortured and contrived. Pivotal in his reasoning

is

had a grandfather named Heli; and, continues Tabor's argument, Matthew tells us that the father of Joseph— and the grandfather of Jesus on Joseph's side— was named Jacob; therefore, Tabor concludes, Heli must have been the father of Mary. But, first of all, there are many discrepancies, not just this one, between how Matthew presents the genealogy of Jesus and how this is done in Luke. Thus, when Tabor asks, "So who was Heli?" and then immediately answers, "The most obvious solution is that he was Mary's father," he is drawing a conclusion that is not at all obvious and making a leap that is not justified. (See The Jesus Dynasty, Chapter 2, "A Son of David?"— especially p. 52; that Luke says that Jesus

and compare Matthew 1:1-17 with Luke 3:23-38.) Further, Tabor acknowledges Mary is not mentioned in Luke's account of Jesus's genealogy because 'I .uke abides by convention and includes only males in his list." (p. 52) Thus, even if one were to allow for Tabor's conclusions regarding the role of Mary in Luke's account— which, again, is more than a little problematical— it is clear thai in

that

Luke, as

much

as in Matthew,

comes through.

it is

a patriarchal version of that genealogy thai

Bob Avakian

126

customs and conventions, the uprooting of people, and the changes

accompany

that

this,

tend to undermine aspects of the patriarchy.

People are leaving— or being forced out of— the countryside in huge

numbers and landing slums; families are

in the

urban

shantytown

areas, often in the

moving from Pakistan

to

London, from Egypt or

Turkey to Germany, from Algeria to France— and being confronted

by a very different tol

in

culture.

bourgeois society and

some

it is

is

very different in these "modern"

in the countries

where feudal

rela-

and traditions, or remnants of them, continue to exert a signif-

icant influence, is

for or to ex-

forms of the oppression of women; but,

significant aspects, this

imperialist countries than tions

The point is not to apologize

its

and where, along with

more overt and more entrenched

that, patriarchal

in a traditional form. That's im-

portant to emphasize: in a traditionalform. So, in these stances, fathers

who

domination

new circum-

have had absolute authority within the

suddenly find that their daughters are harder to control. vising the behavior of daughters

is

family,

And super-

one of the main roles of the father

in these patriarchal family relations (although the father is generally

assisted in this by his wife, or often his

of his

wife— will play a

some ways

In

mother— the mother-in-law

significant role as

this is similar to

an enforcer of this). 21

what happens when people

rural areas in the imperialist countries get All of a

sudden the kids don't want

to act

MTV and

any more

in

the Internet.

in the

ways that

have been traditionally expected of them— or at least some of them

don't— and

this gives rise to a lot of clashes within the family,

even

in

an "advanced modern country." Well, imagine people moving from Algeria to

France— it's a whole

different culture

forms of oppressive social relations.

It is

and very

different

not that in these imperialist

countries the social relations are not oppressive, but in significant

ways they are

in a very different form,

bodies a different role for are oppressed

21.

one which envisions and em-

women and a different way in which they

and degraded.

Later in this discussion,

fied in religious scriptures.

I

will return to the

question of how this

is

codi-

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

All this is very

127

complex because, to a significant degree, the ways

in which women are oppressed in a country like France, or the U.S.,

appears, especially to people coming from a traditionalist frame-

Women

work, to involve "an excess of freedom." in all the in the ity,

same ways and not

same way, nor

this "freedom" for

is

required to wear traditional clothing

to act in the

women

is

part of a different

body

tensive

web

In real-

of oppresin its

own

pornography, soft or hard core, everywhere you turn.

Advertising, to a very great extent, to sell

same "modest" manner.

which often assumes extreme expression

sive relations,

way. There

are not regulated

is

based on the use of the female

commodities— and the female body

and very degrading ways, treated

itself

is,

in very ex-

as a commodity.

So the opposite poles once again tend to reinforce each other.

who

Even people

aren't steeped in traditional religious convention

look at a lot of this exploitative decadence and justifiably say: "This is terrible. I

you

are

don't

want my

coming from a

only recoil at

all this,

kids exposed to

this."

And, especially

traditional patriarchal framework,

you are inclined to

all

the

if

you not

mere forcefully assert

patriarchal authority.

Even

if

people in Third World countries don't leave their home-

lands altogether and emigrate to an imperialist country— even

when, instead, they migrate

to the urban areas within their

own

country— these urban areas in Third World countries are very different, in significant

shantytowns

is

the situation

was

ways, from the countryside. The way of life

very different, including in

its volatility,

asserts traditional patriarchal authority

religion

and

chal authority with a seeming supernatural then,

from what

in the rural villages. In these circumstances there

can be a powerful attraction to a form of

And

more

generally, in a

which

forcefully

reinforces that patriar-

power behind

it.

world that appears to be

uncertainty and the unexpected, and seems threatening in

ways— economically, the

U.S.,

in the

but not just economically

you have September

11th, for

(all

full

of

many

of a sudden, in

example)— there

is

a strong

tendency for people, proceeding from within an established pat

I

iar

Bob Avakian

128

chal framework to begin with, to feel the inclination to gravitate to a

powerful father figure who will protect them. This in the U.S.,

is

something that,

George W. Bush and those around him consciously play

on: "I'm a war time president,"

Bush continually repeats, with the im-

who can

plication: "I'm the big daddy, the big strong father figure

keep you safe— if you just get in line with me." And, at the same time, a religious fundamentalist outlook

So that

is

is

promoted

to reinforce this.

another way in which a form of patriarchy is

asserted,

amidst uncertainty, volatility and the feeling that there are constant,

even

often vague, dangers. This feeling

if

ous—it

is

not simply spontane-

promoted and reinforced every time you turn around.

is

you turn on the news, anywhere

If

what do you see? Crime,

in the U.S.,

From this you would think that you are about to be jumped on by somebody every time you go out your front doorcrime, crime.

even though the probability of actually encountering crime, directly

and

personally,

country like the

is

very minimal

U.S.

if

you are

in the

middle strata in a

But the constant barrage of "news" about crime,

reinforced by "entertainment" which very extensively revolves

around

this

in a society

same theme, adds which

is

to this general feeling of alarm.

steeped in a tradition, thousands of years old,

of powerful patriarchal authority, get

some

security? Relying,

ure, wielding big

And,

weapons,

what

is

a

way to

feel

that

you can

once again, on a big powerful father

who

will protect

fig-

you— who is gonna get

those "bad guys" out there before they can get you.

But just presenting such a powerful father figure

form

is

not enough for

tion of an even ure, in the

absolutist

image of an all-knowing,

lo

and

whom he speaks and acts.

and behold, the powerful head of state

being threatened, and in which people

feel

the whole gay question. In the U.S. right It is

not that something

like

asser-

form of this father

all-seeing, all-powerful

Another major dimension of the way

posed.

human

many people. So there is an aggressive

more extreme and

whom, for

in a

in it

now

is

fig-

God— for

a representative

which patriarchy

is

being threatened,

is

this is rather acutely

gay marriage in

itself is

going to

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

undermine and destroy in the confines of a

World

129

patriarchy. So long as things remain with-

system built on exploitation and oppression,

patriarchal relations will assert themselves within gay marriage as

well— and

this is already the case in

many gay

relationships, even

where they do not have the formal sanction of official marriage.

But,

at this juncture, the assertion of the right to marriage for gays

and

lesbians does, in

some

significant ways,

pose a serious challenge to

traditional patriarchy.

While Christian fundamentalists, from the

down, repeatedly only between a

insist the Bible ordains that

man and

a

woman,

it is

not at

on

U.S. President

marriage must be

all

the case that the

Bible consistently presents things this way. In fact, Joseph Smith, the

founder of Mormonism, and his successor Brigham Young, as well as

Mormon fundamentalists today, have plenty of evidence for their

claim that polygamy (a marriage in which one person has multiple spouses) and

than one wife) If

more

specifically

is justified

you look at

First

supposed great kings

you

in

polygyny (where a

many places

has more

and Second Chronicles, which discuss

(as well as the

bad

will see that the greatest king of

wife,

man

in the Bible.

all,

kings) of Israel

David, had

David

is

not

condemned

for this in the Bible. In

and Judah,

I

spoke of

earlier

(which in Matthew

these "begats" go from

Abraham

let's

fact, all

presented as part of his majesty and glorious nature that

and extolled in the Bible. And looking once more

the

more than one

and besides that he had hundreds of concubines. Now,

clear:

all

is

be

this

is

upheld

at the "begats" that

trace the genealogy of Jesus),

to David

and from David down

Jesus— and once again the point of all these "begats"

is

to

to establish

that the line of Jesus descends from David, which, according to the

ancient Jewish scriptures (the Old Testament of the Christian

was a necessary requirement negative figure in

for the Messiah.

So David

the Bible— on the contrary, he

than one wife— and,

well.

when Abraham's

is

hardly a

highly exalted.

figure in the Bible,

Solomon, David's son and also an exalted

hundreds of wives and concubines as

is

Bible),

Abraham,

wife

too,

had

had more

was apparently

barren,

Bob Avakian

130

he "went

in to" his wife's servant in order to

and

in Genesis 29

30,

have a

child.

As we see

another prominent Biblical patriarch, Jacob,

and

also "went in to" his wife's servant in similar circumstances;

Jacob had more than one wife at the same time. In Deuteronomy 21, along with setting forth how, in war, a beautiful

do

so,

woman whom you

there

"you see

among the

captives

and want

to marry,"

you may

if

desire

a whole discussion of what should happen

is

"If

has two wives, one of them loved and the other disliked, and the loved and the disliked have borne

him

sons." (See

a

man

if

both

Deuteronomy

21:11-15 and 16-17.) But, as

not

we have

really strictly

adhere to Biblical literalism— they, too, practice

"salad bar Christianity"

what

represent

is

when it serves their purposes. And they miswhen that serves their purposes.

said in the Bible

gay marriage and the ways in which they

Now,

in their opposition to

see

as a threat to patriarchy, they have fashioned this saying:

it

do

seen, the Christian Fascist fundamentalists

"God

Adam and Steve." Well, the fact is that God didn't create either Adam and Steve or Adam and Eve. [Laughter] Human beings came into existence as part of the overall process created

Adam and

Eve, not

of natural evolution, stretching back over billions of years in the history of life on the planet earth.

And

in the history of human beings,

they have had different kinds of societies, and relations

and

practices,

both exploitative

many different sexual

and non-exploitative, de-

pending ultimately on the basic character of the

human

society.

A study of

society throughout history reveals a very great diversity of

sexual relations, both heterosexual and same-sex. In the ancient

Greek society of Plato and chal, a

man— a

men and

boys

Aristotle,

which was

definitely patriar-

real "man's

man"— had

sexual relations with other

the time.

My point is

not to promote the notion

all

of a "man's man," or any kind of "manhood," in the sense of male

supremacy and domination. What we need

is

for

people— female

as

male— to assert and give expression to their humanity, and moreover to become emancipators of humanity, struggling to finally

well as

abolish

all

relations of domination, oppression

and

exploitation.

My

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the point

precisely to emphasize that there

is

is

some way more

131

nothing about hetero-

sexual or about same-sex relations, which, in and of positive or negative, or in

World

either

itself, is

or less "natural."

And

nei-

ther heterosexual nor same-sex relations, as such, constitute either

an embodiment question

does

is

of,

what

is

or a negation

of,

patriarchy. Rather, the essential

the content of any intimate and sexual relation:

embody and promote

affection,

mutual respect and equality

between the partners— and contribute

to the realization of equality

it

men and women— or

between

does

tribute to the degradation of people

particular? But in a society in tial

it

constitute

and further con-

and the oppression of women in

which patriarchy has been an essen-

and defining element, even breaking out of the more

forms of patriarchy— including by

raising the

demand

traditional

formal

for

equality for same-sex relations— at particular junctures, such as the

present one, can pose a serious challenge to traditional, oppressive relations,

even while

many

of the individuals involved are simply

trying to form traditional marriages. That's one of the ironies and

complexities of this situation.

And

the fact

that opposition to gay marriage

is

an election gimmick to get more Republicans

is

involved

is

much more profound The

bigger implications.

is

some

in that way.

than that and has

But

much

real objective of the Christian Fascists

around the issue of gay marriage, and sexuality in general,

not simply

elected. Yes,

Republican Party functionaries have used this issue

what

is

their

condemnation of homo-

to enforce "traditional morality"

and

all

the

embodied in and enforced by that traditional morality— including patriarchy and the oppression of women, the relations of oppression

subordinate position of women in society, and their essential as the Bible presents

it,

role,

as breeders of children within the confines

of male-dominated marriage relations, sanctioned not only by the

church, but also by the state.

This

is all

very deeply rooted, but in a real sense today

abolition,

but

in a

way

that

be-

way that is going to lead to does undermine some of the forms

ing challenged at every turn. Not yet in a its

it is

BobAvakian

132

which

in

it

And

has traditionally existed.

around this

offensive

is

the Christian Fascist

a forceful and absolutist reassertion of these

oppressive relations.

This has also found sharp expression in the contention around the raising of children: ily

what should be the

between children and parents?

forceful reassertion of patriarchy. ists in

the

U.S.,

main reasons

there

In this regard as well, there

country

what does the

the Bible,

a

a definite current that insists that one of the

is

going to hell

is

that, for several

now, parents have not been able to beat their children so all,

is

Among the religious fundamental-

(and one of main manifestations of) the fact that,

for

in their view, the

is

relationship in the fam-

Bible advocate? There

"Spare the rod and

is

decades

freely.

After

that familiar saying from

spoil the child" (or, as

it

actually says in

Proverbs 23:13-14: "Do not withhold discipline from your children; if

you beat them with the rod, they will not die. If you beat them with

the rod, you will save their lives from Sheol"— or, in the sical

more

clas-

English version: "Withhold not correction from the child, for

thou beatest him with the rod he

not

shall

die.

with the rod and shalt deliver his soul from

Thou

hell.")

him

shalt beat

This

is

if

what a lot

of these Christian fundamentalist leaders are actively promoting.

Here

I

have to say

much

that, as

as

I

love Richard Pryor,

never enjoyed his routines that seemed, in the hold the beating of children to keep them in a

I

have

final analysis, to

line.

up-

This was treated in

somewhat contradictory manner in the routines that he did where

this

was the subject, but it does seem that there was always a certain

element of drawing the lesson beat

me

that, "after

all,

when my grandmother

with a switch, this did have the effect of keeping

getting completely out of

line."

echoed even among people

In

who

any

me

from

case, sentiments like this are

many ways advanced politically and revolutionary-minded; even among such people, one will sometimes hear the complaint: "Things are all messed up now beare in

cause you can't beat your kids anymore, can't get out that switch

grandma did and beat the it

kids back into line, so they do

right."

like

And

should be said that even though, as in the case of Richard Pryor,

it

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

World

133

sometimes might have been grandma who was wielding the switch, was still done as part of an overall assertion of relations marked

this

by patriarchal domination— relations

in

which a strong father

fig-

ure would be the ultimate authority in disciplining the children and, with regard to daughters in particular, would ensure that they

remained virgins so that

their value as property, to be realized at

the time of marriage, would not be diminished or spoiled. This

thoroughly embedded in the Christian tradition, every as the Islamic traditions

their sisters

if it

becomes known

before marriage— even in itself, as

much

which lead to the horror of "honor killings,"

where family members, and brothers kill

bit as

is

if

in particular, are sent out to

that they are no longer virgins

this occurs as a result of rape.

While

not,

extreme an expression of this, beating children ("sparing

not the rod in order not to spoil the child")

package of oppressive patriarchal

is

part of the

same overall

relations.

Let us be clear: female children, and children in general, should

not be seen and treated as the property of their parents, and their

That

father in particular.

world worth years,

and

scripture

and

way

it

are aiming

for,

has been for thousands of

has been embodied in and promoted by religious

tradition,

but this

is

not

how we want the world to be, need

discipline.

But they

in order to

be

it

needs to

be. Yes, children

disci-

and to have a sense of purpose. They need to be led— inspired,

yes, at times,

taken firmly in

hand— as

part of an overall vision

and goal of bringing into being a radically different and much world. And, as they tive,

not a

need to be beaten with a switch or a rod

plined,

and

we

not the world

living in. This is the

this

and not how don't

is

become

older and

more conscious

of this objec-

and capable of acting consciously to contribute to

increasingly

become

better

it,

they can

a part of that process. But even before they are

capable of being consciously a part of this, the principles that apply to bringing such a world into being should apply, in a fundamental sense, in relating to children— your

conscious

own and

others. Children are

human beings, even as their consciousness is in a process

of development.

They can be and need

to

be reasoned with— and

Bob Avakian

134

yes, at times,

they have to be told,

have to do

this way,

it

because the

way it

the

"that's

ability to

is,

and you just

understand

this,

why it has to be this way, is beyond you right now." Now, at the same time, it is not hard to see why many gravitate

that

if

toward "spare the rod,

you

directions.

are

all

country

the

like

analysis ity,

who

cases but in fact

of,

is

class,"

par-

a whole approach of in-

may have less selfish motivations bound up

often

is

another expression

is

there

U.S.,

dulgence toward children— which

some

in line, they will turn out

kinds of things pulling kids in terrible

And, especially among sections of "the middle

ticularly in a

in

them

people

child"— toward the logic

spoil the

don't beat kids to keep

badly— because there

and

with,

and

in the final

treating children as a

commod-

have to be pampered and indulged as part of giving them

every opportunity and advantage in the race to achieve a privileged position in society, in the context of the overall parasitism that

part of living in a powerful imperialist country. Here

about phenomena such as parents for a

new-born child

cially if this is

an

(or

even

who

for a fetus

done with the idea that

early age, will have a better

start playing

I

am

is

talking

symphonies

during pregnancy), espe-

in this

way

the child, from

chance to develop as a

"talent,"

or a

"genius"— will be able to go to the best music academy or the most prestigious university,

and be launched into a lucrative

permissiveness on the part of parents

is

career.

Often

bound up with— and seeks

22

of— that. Somewhat as a reaction to this kind of permissiveness— but more in response to the kind of madness that too many of the youth

to be in the service

22.

While

I

disagree with

him on a number

a certain point of unity with George Carlin missiveness toward children. and-forth

(all

He does

voiced by Carlin himself):

people are raising their

kids." "He's

of things these days,

when he

talks

I

do have

about excessive per-

a routine, which begins with this back"I

want to say something about the way

not going to say something bad about

kids, is

Now, some of this is tied up with a sort of narrow, "working class revengism" toward yuppies, which Carlin frequently gives voice to. But there are points that he is making that are valid about excessive permissiveness— which, again, is often wrapped up with views of commodity exchange as applied to relations involving children and their parents. he?" "Yes, he

is."

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

caught up in— a

in the inner cities get

lot of people in the

communities look around and see the kids acting the all

World

135

oppressed

and doing kinds of crazy things, and they are drawn to the conclusion that fool

something strong has got to be done to get these kids

to act right.

This becomes another factor reinforcing the role of the church and religion.

What

are

two prominent

alternatives that are available to

the most oppressed in the U.S. right

on the one hand, with volves; or the church,

all

now?

Well, there are the gangs

mayhem

the madness and

on the other hand, with

its

that this in-

assertion of tradi-

tional, oppressive and, yes, patriarchal values, relations,

codes and

customs. For the youth in particular: when you get tired of the gangs,

then go to the church;

if

you get

sick of the church, then go

the gangs. Neither of these offers a

way forward

for the

back to

masses of

people, a way out of the oppressive conditions that are driving

many

to a lot of madness in the first place.

Here again,

is

another sharp manifestation of the need to "break

through the middle." Just

as,

on another

McCrusade cannot be allowed tives,

here too there

different alternative,

is

don't

Mc World/ alterna-

an urgent need to bring forward a

radically

on the basis of the communist world outlook

boldly saying to people:

we

Jihad and

two

and the communist program and

the switch,

level,

to stand as the only

"We

objectives.

It is

necessary to be

need the church, we don't need

don't

need the rod and,

no,

we

don't

need the gangs

and the drugs— we need revolution." Yes, this is a

hard road. But what are people dying and

each other over now? ing?

Where

is

What

is

that serving?

that leading people?

one—except those who

What good is

rule over the

couldn't be happier than to see

it

do

killing

that reinforc-

that doing for any-

masses of people and who

for the

masses of people to go

oppressive and patriarchal authority,

down on

their knees to

which

invested with the aura and

is

is

them killing each other over nothing

worthwhile? And what good does

some

What

awe

of supposed supernatural

power, and which acts as a shackle helping to reinforce conditions of enslavement

and powerlessness?

Bob Avakian

136

The Bible Belt Is the LynchingBelt: White Supremacy and Religion in America

Slavery, For a

number

of years now,

dering the implications Belt" in the U.S.

is

of— the

powerfully rooted, and historically the

has been

fact that what's called the "Bible

also the Lynching Belt.

where fundamentalist

try

have been thinking about— and pon-

I

is

religion

Those parts of the coun-

has been historically and most

so even today, are also the places where

most brutal oppression has been carried out and

justified,

In America, with

over and over again, in the

its

name

of Christianity.

whole history of oppression of Black people-

beginning with slavery and continuing in various forms

present— upholding tradition and

on unthinking obedience to

down to the

traditional morality,

and

bound

hand

authority,

is

to go

insisting in

hand

with white supremacy, as well as male supremacy.

The questions

arise in this connection: Is this just

an accidental

association— between the Bible Belt and the Lynching Belt— or

something more deeply rooted and causally connected? And,

this

the

latter,

what are the

historical

tion between the Bible Belt

of the key events

and the Lynching Belt, between Christian in the history of the U.S.?

and turning points

took place in the aftermath of the

Civil

in relation to all this

War, with the reversal and

betrayal of Reconstruction in the southern U.S. crucial period: For a

if

and material roots of this connec-

fundamentalism and white supremacy

One

is

decade

after the Civil

To briefly review this

War, from 1867 to 1877,

the federal troops that had conquered the South, remained in the

South to enforce changes that were being brought about through

amendments eral.

ity

And

but

to the Constitution

and government policy

there was, for a very short-lived period of time, not equal-

real

advances

for the

masses of former

some poor people among the

slaves,

whites. This included

a decisive dimension: the acquiring of land. Not

was promised the Civil

in gen-

to the former slaves

War (the famous 40

acres

who

and even

for

what was then

all

the land that

fought on the Union side in

and a mule that you see

referred

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

to in Spike

137

Lee movies), but some land was acquired by the former some poor white farmers. And, although still under

slaves, as well as

the domination of the bourgeoisie and within the structure of bour-

number of important rights that were extended to the former slaves that obviously had not existed under slavery— including the right to vote. As a result of this, there were

geois relations, there were a

also a

number of Black elected

in the

southern

officials

during this very brief period

But then, the bourgeoisie centered

in the North, having consoli-

dated

its

states.

control of the country, including the South, economically

as well as politically,

sent the

23

army

that

needed to expand further

had fought the

Civil

War

to the west,

and

it

(and had remained in

the South for a decade after the Civil War) to the west, to carry out the final phases of the conquest and genocide against the native peoples, the theft of their land, and the driving of those

onto reservations, which were in

left

Pulling these federal of Reconstruction

army troops out

who were

effect concentration

camps. 24

of the South signaled the end

and returned the masses of Black people

ticular to a situation of being viciously exploited

in par-

and terrorized by

and new plantation owners and the Ku Klux Klan, which was

old

and

started by former Confederate officers for the defeat in the Civil

soldiers seeking revenge

War and a restoration of the "southern way

of life."

23.

The

U.S. is a

weird country— the oppressive relations

have taken some peculiar forms.

number

of years ago,

remember doing some

and discovering that

if

in this

country

research into this a

you were determined

to be Vieth

you were counted as Black in some on the basis of this definition, there was one person (I still remember name: P.B.S. Pinchback) who became Lieutenant Governor in a southern of these calculations in the South.

African,

And his

I

so,

state during the period of Reconstruction; he held the highest political office in the

South of any person of African origin (defined

recently.

But even

that were brought about as a result of the Civil

in this way), until quite

it is

a reflection of changes

War and

the very brief period of

with certain peculiarities to this,

Reconstruction.

These federal troops were also used against strikes carried out by what was then an overwhelmingly white labor movement. 24.

Bob Avakian

138

Along with

this

came the development, among white southern-

of a certain strain of Christianity,

ers,

and in particular Christian fun-

damentalism, that viewed the southern U.S.— and more specifically

South— as a people who, like the ancient Israelites, had been favored by their God but then had lost favor with and had

the whites in the

been chastised by Him. Their chastisement, in the eyes of these white southerners,

was not because ofslavery, but rather because they had

not been strong enough in defense of their way of life— which in fact

was based on slavery. And now, in their view, there was going to be a restoration of this people, as there

was

in past times

when God had

returned his favor to the ancient people of Israel.

And what went U.S. as

along with

this,

a whole, was that increasingly the history of the Civil War was

rewritten,

and the

role of Black people in the Civil

washed out of historical accounts David Brion Davis speaks to

and Fall of Slavery in the war

and

not just in the South but in the

the

War was basically

of this

war (this is something that

in his book,

Inhuman Bondage: The Rise

New

World).

Even the basic

reality of what

was fought over was to a large degree blotted out, obscured,

distorted.

Though the

Civil

War

involved a complex of factors

and motivations (people on the northern

side

were not fighting only

many people motivated and many who were in-

out of moral conviction, though there were to fight

on a moral basis against

spired, for example,

was

led

by the

slavery,

rebellion,

even though unsuccessful, that

by John Brown against the slave system shortly before the

start of the Civil War), the essence

and decisive point of the

conflict

was— and it became increasingly clear that it was— the question of slavery. On the side of the North, whose victory led to the abolition of slavery,

what was

essentially involved

was the

fact that the inter-

ests of the rising bourgeoisie (centered in the North)

into

more profound and acute antagonism with the

and the slaveowners

in the South. This heightening

tween these two modes of production, these two

were coming slave

system

antagonism be-

different systems

of exploitation— capitalist and slaveowning— was at the root of this conflict;

and the

reality,

which became increasingly

clear,

was

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the World

that the bourgeoisie, and

without

mode

its

of production, could not prevail

finally abolishing slavery. Still,

notwithstanding the contra-

dictory nature of the bourgeois side in this conflict (which,

other things,

139

among

was manifested in the halting and partial way in which

Lincoln approached the abolition of slavery), there the central and pivotal issue in the Civil

War was

no doubt that

is

slavery.

But, again, especially after the reversal of Reconstruction, there

began to be a rewriting of this. "The War Between the

how it was

increasingly referred

to.

enactments of key engagements versions of

what

it

was

people— would dress up

all

States"

was

to have re-

war which were

in that

about:

in gray

And then you began

sanitized

people— overwhelmingly white

uniforms and blue uniforms (repre-

senting the South and the North) and re-enact key battles (this

goes on). This even found expression in the realm of sports.

was a

kid,

and

for

some time

Gray football game, an

after that, there

all-star

still

When I

was the annual

Blue-

contest pitting college seniors from

the South against others from the North.

The

Civil

War became ritu-

alized,

and reduced to almost a non-antagonistic

family,

even while there was deeply harbored resentment among the

un-reconstructed southern segregationists ingly to the "glory" of the Confederacy it

was more among the people— that

looked back long-

and slavery

is,

North that the sense of antagonism had

who

conflict within the

days. Actually,

the white people— in the

largely faded.

This rewriting of history— and cultural expressions of this

re-

writing—were linked with a fundamentalist Christianity which had its

roots in the South but was

spread— and increasingly these days is

being very actively spread— to other parts of the country, not only rural areas but also within the suburbs and exurbs. And,

in

what

in

is

a

and outrageous irony, this same religious fundamentalism is being spread in the inner cities as well, promoted among Black peoterrible

ple in particular In the

by patriarchal-minded and reactionary preachers.

way that the

tional tragedy, there

is

Civil

War has come

great irony as well: In

a far greater scale than the American

War

to

be presented as a na-

reality,

the Civil War, on

of Independence, had a

Bob Avakian

140

genuinely liberating content, on the part of the North. Even though this

was

led

by the bourgeoisie and was ultimately contained with-

in the confines of bourgeois relations, the Civil

on the part of the

U.S. capitalist class that

sidered just,

and even

ashamed

[Laughter] This

rible

of.

glorious. is

And it's why we

way by the slaves— I

is

the last war

the only war that they are

repeatedly hear of the ter-

tragedy of "brother killing brother." Well,

seen that

War

can legitimately be con-

I

don't believe

it

was

don't think the 200,000 former slaves

who, once they were permitted to do

Union Army, thought that they were

so,

fought heroically in the

killing their "brothers"

when

And I don't know if a lot of the white troops in the northern army who went to battle singing in they were fighting the Confederate Army.

Brown thought they were

praise of John

killing "brothers."

I

believe

they thought they were carrying on a righteous fight to end a

ter-

rible evil.

But, as seen through the eyes of the ruling bourgeoisie

today—

way it has molded, or sought to mold, public opinion— the Civil War was a terrible national tragedy. And the truth is that it was fought at terrible cost. The 600,000 who died in that war repand

in the

resent the equivalent of something like 6 million people, in relation to today's U.S. population. But, despite the very real cost, the peo-

ple

who

fought

it

at the

focusing on the people

time— actually on both

sides,

but here I'm

who were on the liberating side of the war, on

the side opposed to slavery— they believed that they were fighting a righteous war, a just war.

And

that

was profoundly true — but

it

has

been rewritten. In relation not only to the Civil

non

of religion

the Bible Belt in

Kevin

War but to

the larger

phenome-

and white supremacy in America— and why it is that

is

also the Lynching

Phillips'

Belt— there

is

important analysis

book American Theocracy: The

of Radical Religion,

Oil,

and Borrowed Money

Peril

and

Chapter 4, "Radicalized Religion: As American as Apple Pie"

makes

this observation:

as the region

"The

South... long

most caught up

Politics

in the 21st Century. In

ago passed

in manifest destiny

Phillips

New England

and covenanted

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

141

relationship with God." {American Theocracy, p.125)

What

Phillips is

speaking to

New

origins of the country, in

is

the fact that, going back to the

England there was a strong current

among the settlers of seeing the establishment of their new home in America as expressive of a rying out of His

will.

special relationship with God,

receded into the background in

much more

powerfully

felt

New England, while

it

is

of them).

And

car-

largely

has become

and asserted on the part of southern-

to say, once again, white southerners (or a large

ers—that

both to the

and a

But over the period since then, that has

number

those southerners fervently believe that this applies

U.S. as a

whole but

more particularly and

also,

to the southern U.S. Thus, referring with the

specially,

term "American excep-

tionalism" to the notion that America occupies a special destiny and

a special place in God's plan and

is

Phillips continues: "It [the South]

of

marked by a

special goodness,

has become the banner region

American exceptionalism, with no small admixture of southern

...exceptionalism." (p. 125) In other words, in the eyes of religious

fundamentalists

who

and the

are rooted in the South

traditions of

the South, since America in general and the South in particular

is

characterized by this special exceptionalism, when the U.S. ventures into the world it is

and does what might otherwise be regarded

on the contrary good, because America has a

and what

inherent in

it

in a special

way in the

it

does

eyes

of,

is,

by

definition...

the South

good— it

and has the support

Phillips reviews how, in the aftermath of the

was defeated and the

slave system

as

evil,

special goodness

of,

Civil

was

is

favored

God. War, although

abolished, after

the reversal of Reconstruction the South "rose again" in terms of political

power and influence within the country

nection with

all this,

Phillips points out, a religious

and took root widely among white people (white) South

had a

as a whole. In con-

special covenant with

of a special design by

God

to restore

it

to

mythology arose,

in the South, that the

God and was its

proper place, right-

ing the terrible wrong that had been done through the Phillips

makes the very

relevant

and

telling

the object

Civil

War.

comparison between

BobAvakian

142

southern whites in the

and white

U.S.

Africa, as well as Protestants in

who founded and rule the diately resonated with

South

settlers (Afrikaners) in

Northern Ireland and the Zionists

state of Israel.

me, because

I

When

I

read

this, it

imme-

had been repeatedly struck by

the fact that, in listening to a Northern Irish Protestant, an Afrikaner, or an Israeli

spokesman

seemed, and

in certain

(or Israeli settler in the

West Bank), they all

ways even sounded, remarkably

similar,

not

only in terms of the kinds of arguments they would make, but in their

whole posture and

attitude. Phillips points

out that

all

these

groups, including fundamentalist southern whites, see themselves as people being restored to their rightful,

with

and righteous,

relation

God— re-establishing a broken covenant and exercising a spe25 divinely-established destiny.

cial,

As Phillips sums up: "The reason for spotlighting history's relative handful of covenanting cultures

is

the biblical attitudes their people

invariably share: religious intensity, insecure history, to sign

up with an Old Testament god of war

and willingness

for protection." {Ameri-

can Theocracy, p. 128) This insightful observation on Phillips' part applies to the

South of the U.S.— to southern whites

applies as well to those literalist,

particular— and

who are drawn to a Fascism. And Phillips goes on to

more broadly in the

fundamentalist Christian

in

emphasize that the importance of this

U.S.

in today's

world has

"less to

do with Ulster [Northern Ireland Protestants] and South Africa and

more to do with the United States and particularly the South. Israelis and, to an extent, Scripture-reading Americans are on their ways to

being the

last

peoples of the covenant."

chilling point that this

(p.

128) Phillips

makes the

outlook and the corresponding values are

among growing numbers

gaining currency and force

of people

over the U.S.— and once more, in a bitter irony, this includes

among those who 25.

Here there

particular: while

is

are

most

directly oppressed

all

some

by white supremacy.

a notable irony, with regard to the Zionist rulers of Israel in

many of them

are actually secular, they nonetheless base their

claim to the land of Palestine on religious-scriptural grounds. As a joke, which

used to circulate they do

in Israel itself,

puts

know He promised them

it:

"Most

Israelis don't believe in

the state of Israel!"

God— but

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changin the World g

143

As this worldview has increasingly spread beyond the traditional Bible Belt in the U.S.,

and

ruling class of the U.S.,

it

as this gains increasing weight within the

poses the prospect of a move to impose,

through force and violence, is

mind by

called to

in the

US. and on a world

scale, all that

the slave whip and the lynch rope.

(employing again a formulation from

Phillips) this is

And today

embodied

as,

and comes with, the destructive power of "the preemptive righteousness of a biblical nation become a high-technology, gospel-spreading superpower." (American Theocracy,

One

(and this

Cant We Do

by Aristotle apologists Bible.

103)

26

of the things that David Brion Davis speaks to in Inhu-

man Bondage racy:

p.

Better

is

something

Than That?)

justifying slavery,

and defenders of

I

Democ-

also pointed out in

is that,

along with arguments

one of the main things cited by the

slavery in the southern U.S.

was the

how Noah's son Ham incurred God cast Ham into Africa and put a curse descendants of Ham, beginning with his son, Canaan— was

More

specifically,

the story of

the wrath of God— so that

on the

repeatedly invoked to give a religious sanctification to the massive

enslavement of people of African origin

in the

American South. 27

Along with the important analysis and insights in Kevin Phillips' book, in Inhuman Bondage by David Brion Davis,

26.

American Theocracy, as well as

observations that are very relevant to this question are found in The Baptizing

ofAmerica, by Rabbi James Rudin, as well as in a talk, in May, 2005, by AfricanAmerican theologian Dr. Hubert Locke, "Reflections on the Pacific School of Religion's Response to the Religious Right." 27. In more recent times, once again we have seen arguments seeking to justify and reinforce white supremacy being treated very respectably in the bourgeois media and other "mainstream" institutions. This was the case with The Bell Curve, for example— a book that was published and was promoted very aggressively in the 1990s. In setting

more

specifically,

out to justify oppressive relations

white supremacy— this book did not

what

it

in

general— and,

much on

religious

arguments on pseudo-scientific rationalinferiority and superiority of various innate the alleged were

scripture for justification, but based ization for

rely so

its

argued that there is a genetically-based inferiority of people of African origin, particularly with regard to intellectual capacities. This was raised to oppose programs such as affirmative action, but also more generally

groups.

It

explicitly

unequal and oppressive relations and to reinforce the ideology of white chauvinism (racism) that goes along with the way in which white supremacy

to justify

ifl

144

Bob Avakian

For

the reasons that I've been speaking to (and which the

all

statements

I

have cited from Kevin Phillips shine a

light on),

avoidably bound up with religious fundamentalism in the the whole history of this country,

is

U.S.,

un-

given

a definite and pronounced com-

ponent of white supremacy. And this

is

objectively true, even

though

not every individual caught up in this religious fundamentalism conscious of this

And,

again,

is

fact.

one of the

bitter

and acute

ironies in

all

this is the

spread of this religious fundamentalism— to a large degree with the battering

ram

of the forceful reassertion of absolutist patriarchal

authority— among those

who

are

most

directly the victims of white

supremacy. To the degree that this takes hold

among them,

it

will

have the effect of binding them more firmly into a whole process

which will not only greatly intensify their oppression, but which has genocidal implications, particularly in a situation in which already

huge numbers of inner city youth— a large percentage of Black youth

and many Latino youth as well— are already in prison or ensnared in the "criminal justice system" in one form or another. Before turning is

more

directly to these genocidal implications,

it

worthwhile looking at another dimension in which, in the history

of this country, white

supremacy has been mutually reinforcing with

the promotion of religion. In the book White:

An

When Affirmative Action Was

Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century

America, in the course of analyzing the

and the

policies effected

way

through the GI

Authority, the Veterans Administration, ally reinforce

in

Bill,

which the

New Deal

the Federal Housing

and so on, served

to actu-

and promote white supremacy and a widening of the

gap between whites and Blacks in the U.S., 28 Ira Katznelson discusses

whole history and foundation, and the dominant institutions and However, increasingly in these times in the U.S. we see religious fundamentalism being brought forward as a unifying ideological basis for the most openly reactionary viewpoints and political programs, including white supremacy as well as male supremacy. 28. An analysis of the role and effect of the New deal and related programs in reinforcing white supremacy and inequality is also found in Working Toward built into the

structures, of U.S. society.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

145

specifically how this affected colleges and universities. He examines how government funds went in greater proportion to universities

from which Black people were, still

in the early years after

almost entirely excluded, and the disparity

and otherwise,

port, financially

for

in

World War

Black universities compared

to universities that largely, or entirely, excluded Black people.

thing he touches on, as part of this overall analysis,

is

of the

whole

and funding— but

trades, teaching,

Action Was

Chapter

5,

Booker

Washington— their

T.

and emphasized, three

WW Norton & Company,

"White Veterans

In other words, there

Inc.,

Only," especially part

things:

was a much

Publishers, III,

2005—

pp. 129-34.)

greater emphasis

on

religion

Black colleges than there was in other universi-

from which Blacks were

tinuing after

under the influence

and theology. (See Ira Katznelson, When Affirmative

White,

in the traditionally ties,

to,

With their

also partly

tradition associated with

curriculum was largely limited

One

the historically

restricted curriculum of these traditionally Black colleges.

limited resources

2,

government sup-

World War

2.

largely excluded for

Katznelson's focus here

the period right after World

War

2,

many years is

con-

particularly

on

but the differences he discusses

cast a larger

and longer shadow and have broader application and

implications

and

effects,

extending

down

to today.

The promotion

of theology in the traditionally Black colleges reinforced the role

that historically highly

had been played by the Black church, which was a

and acutely contradictory role.

From the time of slavery, Christianity has been promoted among Black people in the U.S. by the powers-that-be. The various peoples in Africa

from which the slaves were taken practiced a number of dif-

ferent religions,

and along with forcing them

and customs— down

names

new culture take on new

to adopt a

to the level of requiring

them

to

(as dramatized, for example, in the televised special series

Roots)— the slaveowners generally imposed Christianity

How America's Immigrants Became White, The Strange Journey from Island to the Suburbs, by David R. Roediger, Basic Books, 2005.

Whiteness, Ellis

in place of

Bob Avakian

146

29 the slaves' traditional religions.

At the same time, as ple,

is

not surprising

among an oppressed peo-

beginning in slave times Black people have sought to take parts

of this

new religion, introduced to them under the yoke of the slaveand use

master, So, for

as a

it

means

of fighting back against oppression.

example, the Old Testament story of the Israelites enslaved in

Egypt and of Moses leading the people out of bondage— the theme

my people go," expressed in gospel songs and in other ways-

of "let

became a powerful part

of the Black religious tradition and culture.

But the role of the Black church has always involved a certain kind of dual role,

and the

role of Black clergy has always

dictory one, at times acutely so.

It

been a contra-

has involved negotiating with the

slavemasters (and the white supremacist authorities

power

ercised

improvement

after slavery

was ended)

in the conditions of the

so on a basis that

sors;

have ex-

to try to bring about

some

people— but always doing

would keep things from

way that would fundamentally threaten

who

getting out of

hand

in a

the interests of the oppres-

always waging the struggle, or seeking to confine struggle that

breaks out, within a form that wouldn't fundamentally challenge the oppressive relations.

mount and

Time and again, especially when tension would

the anger of the masses would threaten to boil over, the

preachers would go to the oppressors and give

me

say, in effect: "If you don't

something to go back to the people with,

way to keep

I

won't have any

things from exploding."

Martin Luther King played

role— and

this

explicitly so. In the

midst of the massive urban rebellions of the 1960s, King repeatedly took the stand:

If

you don't

give

me

something, I'm not going to be

able to contain the anger of the masses any more.

down

to

it,

fines that

when

And when it came

the anger of the masses did erupt out of the con-

were acceptable to the powers-that-be, King joined

in the

some useful background in this reOf Africa: A Pilgrimage Into Traditional Religions, by Noel Q. King, Harper & Row Publishers, 1970; and The Religions Of The Oppressed: A Study of Modern Messianic Cults, by Vittorio Lanternari [Translated from the 29.

gard

is

Italian

Despite

found

by Lisa

some

definite limitations,

in Religions

Sergio], Alfred A. Knopf, 1963.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the

chorus calling

put

government

for the

down mass urban

to send in the

rebellion. This

is

World

army

147

to forcibly

the stand King took in the

context of the extremely powerful urban rebellion in Detroit, in the

summer

of 1967;

and

must be

it

said that the

when

the

army was

sent into Detroit, violence did not then stop but

characterized by violence on the part of the police

and other agencies of the

army and police. This Even

if

we

state) directed against the

many of whom were murdered in

of Black people,

ment

was increasingly army (together with the masses

cold blood by the

a matter of history.

is

allow that King did this because of sincere commit-

to pacifism, a strategic opposition to violent struggle

on the

part of the oppressed and a feeling that Black people would only

harm their own interests by engaging in violent uprisings, it must be said that this reasoning line

is

fundamentally wrong and

is

objectively in

with the interests of the oppressors. In fact, King's role in relation

to these rebellions,

and

overall,

view that equality and justice

for

was consistent with

be achieved within the confines of the terms of this system, ied, in its

when in reality this system has

most murderous forms,

and only sweeping aside

put an end to This

capitalist system,

only,

and on the

always embod-

very foundation, and continually reinforces, inequality and

oppression, in the people,

his expressed

Black people must, and could

is

this.

this

for the

masses of Black

system through revolution can

30

the role that this whole stratum of Black preachers has

30. See Cold Truth, Liberating Truth: How This System Has Always Oppressed Black People, and How All Oppression Can Finally Be Ended, available at revcom. us/coldtruth, where the following statement by Martin Luther King is cited,

which makes very

clear his outlook

and orientation and the unity between the

objective he put forward of pursuing (the illusion of) achieving equality within

system and his insistence on what the character of the struggle must be: "The American racial revolution has been a revolution to get in' rather than to overthrow. We want a share in the American economy, the housing market,

this

the educational system and the social opportunities. This goal itself indicates that a social change in America must be nonviolent." (Martin Luther King Jr..

Where Do We Go From Here, p. 130, cited in Cold "Any Other Way Is Confusion and Illusion")

Truth, Liberating Truth, Part

7.

Bob Avakian

148

played historically, even while they have been portrayed as the leaders of the struggle. In truth, their role has

been much more contra-

dictory—and often much more acutely contradictory— than In relation to

One,

it

tion,

31

clearly today:

necessary to be very clear that this ideology— the theology

it is

of Christianity, that

two things stand out very

all this,

that.

and of religion

in general,

and the

expresses— cannot lead the way to

and on

its

own

it

will

real

overall

worldview

and complete

libera-

always end up seeking to confine things

within the limits set by the existing system. To put

it

in basic terms,

to the degree that they are willing to stand with the oppressed in

the fight against oppression and injustice, religious clergy and others with this outlook

and the

can and must be united with, but the outlook

political orientation that

they represent cannot lead the

You can see these contradictions portrayed, for example, in a movie in the '60s, Nothing But a Man. This movie was not widely distributed, but it is a very interesting and overall a very positive movie, even with its limitations, which are reflected to some degree in the title. It is the story of a Black railroad worker in the South who, because his job provides more mobility for him, and he has some experience with unions, doesn't want to put up 31.

that

came out

with

all

the overt racist crap that Black people were subjected to in the South

at that time.

At one point he meets,

of a preacher, of his

and he comes

falls in

love with

and marries the daughter

into very sharp conflict with the preacher because

whole attitude of refusing

to put

Black people, including this preacher,

up with

who do

all

this— and his contempt

for

put up with or compromise with

The movie very well portrays the kind of conciliating preacher— negotiating to get a few concessions and at the same time struggling to keep the people in line, so that they don't anger the Man and upset the whole arrangement. This movie captures a lot of the acutely contradictory role, historically, of this stratum of Black preachers and the theology they have purveyed. Contrary to the mythology that's promoted by the ruling class, as well as by many of these preachers— that they've always been out in front, leading the struggle— the reality is once again much more contradictory: While some Black the whole racist set-up. role of the

clergy have played a positive role

and made

real contributions to the struggle,

there has also been a significant aspect in which

many

of them have sought to

contain the struggle within limits that are more acceptable to the ruling classparticularly in circumstances

and

at times

when the struggle has powerfully strained against,

broken through, the

limits they seek to

impose on

it

in order to

maintain this arrangement with the ruling class whereby the preachers can get certain concessions in return for keeping the

them from

getting

all

out of bounds.

masses

in line

and preventing

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the struggle, or

World

149

not go where

it needs to go in order to bring about emancipation from oppression and exploitation. And secondly, there is at this time a whole stratum or section of Black preachers

which cist

is

it

will

openly going along with and promoting the Christian

fas-

program, to a large degree on the basis of aggressively asserting

patriarchy in particular.

And that can only lead to disaster: it cannot

be united with and has to be very vigorously exposed, called out

what it

32.

is,

and

for

relentlessly struggled against. 32

As an aside here, dealing with a secondary but not insignificant part it is worth thinking about why is there an unusually large rep-

of the picture,

resentation of white people from the South not only in the U.S. military overall

but more specifically in the

officer corps.

Now, as

for the "grunts," that

can be

explained to a significant degree by the fact that there actually are a significant

number of white people in the South whose options are limited. But there is also macho and militaristic ethos that has historically gone along with the

the whole

influence of religious fundamentalism and generally conservative culture and

values— it

is

not accidental, or incidental,

archy" are words with the

same

root.

for

And,

example, that "patriot" and

"patri-

specifically with regard to the large

numbers of white southerners in the officer corps of the U.S. armed forces, along macho and militaristic ethos, there is the whole history of the south-

with this

ern aristocracy, beginning with the slave system but then continuing after

literal

was abolished (and replaced with a system of sharecropping and plantation exploitation, in what was essentially a feudal form, for a period of about 100 years after the Civil War). This whole aristocratic tradition in the South was consciously carried over and copied from Europe, and if you look at a country slavery

like

England, with

its

aristocracy, there

is

the tradition where one son inherits

the family's property, another joins the clergy, and yet another son goes into the military.

And

there are not only ideological but also practical factors that play

With a system where wealth is based on land ownership, to the degree that you are not able to more intensively exploit people on the land, then there is a limit to how much wealth you can accumulate; and if you keep dividing up the land, you will end up in a situation where the family wealth will actually begin to be used up. But, if you send one son into the clergy and another into the military, into that.

there will not be so

many to divide the land among (and less basis for

rivalry

and

To a significant degree, this was historically part that is, of the rich white land-owning aristoU.S.— of the culture of the southern cratic strata in the South— and this is quite possibly one of the factors that has

antagonism among the

sons).

contributed to there being so

many white

tary overall but specifically in

its officer

particularities of the South, as

of white southerners

is

southerners not only

in

the U.S. mili-

corps. And, in turn, given the historical

spoken to above,

this

a factor contributing to a

presence

more

oi a large

number

favorable environment

Bob Avakian

150

Christian Fascism

and Genocide

In this connection

important to examine the genocidal implica-

it is

tions that are part

and parcel of the Christian

program. This, again,

promotion of

is

this religious

who

oppressed people

Fascist outlook

one of the great ironies and

fundamentalism among the masses of

are already the

most

direct victims of white

supremacy. In "The Truth About Right-Wing Conspiracy... and Clinton and the Democrats Are leading Christian Fascist, Pat

this— advocates a

legal

and

injuries of the

No

Answer,"

I

Why

pointed out that a

Robertson— and he

is

not alone in

system based on the Old Testament of the

And what does that call for? It calls for things like public floggings and the shaming of people who commit minor offenses, and with regard to people who commit more serious offenses, it insists upon the death penalty— not just for what are now considered capiBible.

tal

crimes, such as murder, but also acts which, in the eyes of people

like

Robertson, would turn the society against

fabric of society.

As

I

God and destroy the

pointed out in "The Truth About Right-Wing

Conspiracy": it is

necessary to place this in the context of American

society today, in which, through conscious

government

policy as well as the "normal operation" of the laws of capitalist

accumulation and competition, whole sec-

tions of people are being consigned to the ranks of

"unemployables," people for whom the only viable alternative within this system

may be

underground economy. With

participation in the

this in

mind,

we cannot

avoid recognizing that the logic of Robertsons

call for

applying "the biblical model" for crime and punish-

ment

involves an unmistakable suggestion of a "final

solution" against the ies as well as

sion,

for the

masses of people

in the inner cit-

preparation for the use of extreme repres-

and even execution,

to punish a

broad array of

spread of religious fundamentalism— Christian Fascism— within the U.S.

military, including its

top ranks.

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the World

activities

as

151

which today are treated as minor offenses or

no crime

spiracy"

at all. ("The Truth About Right-Wing Conwas first published in the fall of 1998 in the Rev-

[now

olutionary Worker in the

October

17,

Revolution]

2004 issue

at revcom.us. For the

and was reprinted

[no. 1255].

It is

available

arguments by Pat Robertson on

applying "the biblical model for crime and punishment" that

is

referred to here, see Pat Robertson, Answers to

200 ofLife's Most Probing Questions, Bantam Books, 1987 edition, pp. 198-99.)

As has been pointed out

several times,

among

those things for

which the Bible insists people must be put to death are homosexuality

and adultery and— particularly for women— sex before marriage.

And if you think of all the people who

are currently caught

up

in the

penal system in the U.S.— with over 2 million in prison at this time

and many more on parole and probation— particularly youth from the inner

cities,

and then you add

"why should we spend ons,"

you can very

is

this

to that a certain logic that says,

money housing

these people in pris-

easily see the genocidal implications of a Chris-

tian Fascist "Biblical"

This

all

approach to crime and punishment.

not hyperbole. People

like

Robertson are very serious

about what they're seeking to do. What did they say after 9- 1 1? Jerry Falwell insisted that this

was brought on by liberals, the ACLU,

idol-

worshippers and secularists, people upholding the right to abortion,

homosexuals and others of like mind. This, Falwell claimed, brought

down

the wrath of God on America.

to express strong

33.

agreement with

On September

13,

And

this.

Pat Robertson

jumped

in,

33

2001 Jerry Falwell appeared on The 700 Club, host-

ed by Pat Robertson, and here

is

a part of the exchange between Falwell and

Robertson: Jerry Falwell:

The ACLU's got

to take a lot of

blame

for this [terrorist

attack].

Pat Robertson: Well, yes. But. throwing I know that I'll hear from them for this. God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out

Jerry Falwell: And,

of the public square, out of the schools.

The

abortionists have got to bear

some

Bob Avakian

152

These people, and others like them, firmly and fanatically believe that the unadulterated assertion of their fundamentalist outlook,

backed up by the force of law and the

state, is essential in

achieve and maintain their vision of what America

and what it needs

to

do as

it

is

order to

and should be,

goes out into the world to carry out the

grand design of God and to realize the special destiny of an excep-

whom God has chosen to rule the whole world— once

tional people

they have gotten right with God.

Religion,

Fundamentalism, and the Slave Mentality

At the same time, there

is

in religion,

but more especially in

liter-

fundamentalism, the promotion of a mentality that

alist religious

sees people themselves as inherently sinful, that accepts the notion

that the reason people in, is

burden lion

who

are suffering are in the situation they're

because they have come into disfavor with God, because they

for this

little

and the

because God

innocent babies,

not be mocked. I

And when we

actively trying to

all

finger in their face

of

and the

pagans,

feminists,

them who have

tried to secularize

and say "you helped

Pat Robertson: Well,

I

totally concur,

what the top people

America.

I

point the

this happen."

do.

is we have adopted And so we're responsible as

and the problem

that agenda at the highest levels of our government.

a free society for

destroy 40 mil-

really believe that the

and the gays and the lesbians who are make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the

abortionists,

American Way,

will

we make God mad.

And, the top people, of course,

is

the

court system. (A press release from People for the American Way, dated Sep-

tember

17,

2001 provided a transcript of this discussion between Falwell and

13, 2001, and this appeared on "Common Dreams progressive newswire," September 14, 2007.) Coming under pressure from various quarters, Falwell issued an "apology" shortly after this. But this was the kind of "apology" in which someone "giveth with the left hand, while he taketh away with the right": In "apologizing" Falwell continued to make the same arguments about how America had become vulnerable to terrorist attack because God had been angered by the kinds of things Falwell spoke about in the statement for which he was supposedly "apologizing."(See

Robertson on The 700 Club, September

14, 2001. Stories regarding this were also posted on and the Washington Post websites [www.nytimes.com and www.washingtonpost.com], September 14, 2001.)

CNN.com/U.S., September

the

New

York Times

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the

down

the wrath of

them,

it is

because, despite

all this,

mercy has shown compassion

for

God in his infinite greatness and

them.

Let's call this

what

is— it

it

a slave mentality, with which people are being indoctrinated. All

this

"thank you Jesus!"

"God works Now,

I

a slave mentality.

is

in mysterious ways," with

know some

tell

you what you want

whether you

like

to hear,

or not.

it

all

goes right along with

It

the horrors that involves.

when you say didn't come here

people are highly offended

things like this. But, to paraphrase to

153

them) have committed acts which have brought God on them; and if anything good happens to

(or others close to

is

World

Once

I

Malcolm

X,

came here

again,

it is

I

to

tell

you the

truth,

a form of contempt for

the masses of people to think that they can't be challenged with the truth and can't

come

embrace the truth and wield

to

emancipate themselves and to emancipate

humanity.

all

it

to

When you

say that people are being indoctrinated with, and are even taking up, a slavish mentality, is

something they

lenging

them to

actually capable

you are not saying it is

can't change.

You

get rid of this, to cast

of— and you

their fault, or that this

are calling it

off— to

on them and

rise to

chal-

what they are

them an understand-

are bringing to

ing of why they are really in the situation they are in today and what is the.

way out of this. But you

mentality.

And you

can't

do

can't it

do that without challenging

this

while being apologetic about chal-

lenging this mentality.

Now some people say, with regard to Black people in particular, "religion is

an essential part of the Black experience." To

this

I

say:

What about slavery? Or segregation and Jim Crow? Sharecropping and the KKK? Or continuing discrimination today, along with massive

imprisonment and

brutality

and murder

at the

hands of the

police? Isn't all that "an essential part of the Black experience" too?

The question rience,

is, if

something

what role has

it

played,

I've

an essential or integral part of expe-

and what effect does

Where did this particular, come from?

or bad? Positive or negative?

worship of Jesus in

is

it

have?

religion,

Is it

good

where did the

talked about the contradictory character and effect of this

Bob Avakian

154

But

historically.

in today's

world— and where we stand in relation

to

the possibility of the emancipation of humanity from thousands of years of oppressive relations and tradition's chains— religion, and

more so

the

in its literalist fundamentalist form,

is

all

a direct obstacle,

a shackle, a chain holding back the masses of people from being able to emancipate themselves

they

and

beyond the

to leap

drawn towards some kind of

feel

situation

where

religion as consolation for

oppression and suffering. So, while

ple

who

it is

right

and necessary to build unity with many peo-

hold religious viewpoints,

on what can

also crucial to

it is

be very clear

actually enable people to engage, to understand,

to transform reality in order to finally bring

an end to

all

and

the truly

which masses of people are subjected— and,

horrific conditions to

together with that, bring an end to the need to seek consolation for the suffering that accompanies these conditions.

To win entific,

real

and complete emancipation means taking up a

not a religious, approach to understanding and changing

reality— changing talist religion

literally

sci-

it

through revolution.

that insists

on taking the

And

fundamen-

especially

Bible, or

any other

scripture,

and as the absolute and inerrant truth— and which refuses

to believe anything that contradicts a literal reading of the Bible or

other religious scriptures— that kind of religious viewpoint and conviction

is

extremely harmful.

It

can only keep those caught up in

completely in the dark about what

and

afraid of trying to

is

really

change the world

it

going on in the world

in the only

way it can

really

be changed— through resistance and ultimately the revolutionary overthrow of billions of

this

system that

is

oppressing millions and

literally

people here and throughout the world. Fundamentalist

religious fanaticism

can only help to reinforce the oppression and

enslavement of masses of people. In this spirit

and

this light,

it is

crucial to grasp

ward, boldly and straight-up: Oppressed people

or unwilling to confront reality as to

it

remain enslaved and oppressed.

and

who

actually is, are

to put for-

are unable

condemned

Part Four:

GOD DOES NOT EXIST-

WE NEED LIBERATION WITHOUT GODS

The "Left Hand of God"—

And the Right Way to Go About Winning Liberation I

want

to turn

now to

a discussion of The Left Hand of God: Taking

Back Our Countryfrom

the Religious Right, by Rabbi Michael Lerner.

is

a

book that seems

among

a

number

This

to be having a fair

of progressive people, and

it

amount

of influence

represents a serious

presentation of a position and a viewpoint which deserves to be

engaged I

seriously.

have spoken to

many of the

issues raised by Lerner, or closely

related issues, in the second part of Preaching From a Pulpit ofBones, in

commenting on Jim Wallis and

Press, Orbis Books, 1994).

But

Lerner's The Left Hand of God,

book The Soul ofPolitics (New

his

it is

worthwhile speaking directly to

which

is

written

more

recently, in the

context of a situation marked by the growing power of what he the Christian right, which

we

identify as the Christian Fascists.

However, before getting further into a discussion of

and some of the particular questions first

discussing this concept of the

god.

As Lerner presents

(identified

it,

it

"left

addresses,

I

book

this

have to begin by

hand" and the "right hand" of

there are these two opposing worldviews

with two "hands" of God) within the religious tradition

with which he identifies— the Jewish Christian") tradition. sion, of love, of

The

concern

"left

hand

for the poor,

(or

more broadly the

of god"

and

is

such a division can be regarded as

for justice;

and the

"right

don't think

valid.

To use a very relevant analogy, with people lot

"Judeo-

the one of compas-

hand of god" is the vengeful, wrathful aspect of god. But I

accept a

calls

like Lerner,

who

of the mischaracterization and distortions about com-

munism—and

the stories about horrors committed under Stalin,

157

Bob Avakian

158

Mao—

and even under

of examining what

when

they were

I

wonder how they would respond

really

socialist,

happened

we were

if,

instead

Union and China

in the Soviet

to argue instead: "Those things

hand of Stalin,

you're talking about, that's the right

of Mao. [Laughter] You're ignoring the

or the right

left hand— that's

hand

the part

we

want to talk about— all the ways in which land was given to the peasantry and the people's needs were met. We're building our tradition

on the 'left hand' of communism." Well, the fact is that, whether we're a talking about the actual historical experience of the communist

movement and

where they have

socialist countries

the actual content of

communist

and

existed,

theory, or about the scriptures of

various religions and the traditions associated with those scriptures,

these things have to be looked at overall, and not by applying yet an-

other version of the "salad bar" approach: focusing on what

we

like

and want to talk about, or what might seem more acceptable according the conventions of the times, while ignoring things that might be

more

controversial or things that

Now, having said

that,

I

we might not want to defend.

do want to emphasize that there are

things to unite with in Lerner's position, his that

we can and

characterizing

should learn from. So

some

some key aspects

of this,

of what

Throughout The

is

and there I

want

are insights of

to begin

by briefly

and then examine more extensively

put forward in this book.

Left Hand of God Lerner emphasizes

the need

for— and in American society the crying lack of— larger meaning and purpose ests

in people's lives,

and what we would

beyond narrow and identify as

selfish

economic

inter-

an "economist" orientation— the

whole approach of reducing everything

to people's

economic

inter-

ests as the only real, or only legitimate, motivating factor in their lives. is

Lerner argues— and here

an impoverished vision of

To put

it

I

have basic agreement— that

human

beings and their capabilities.

another way, to use Biblical terms, Lerner

that people cannot live by bread alone.

people— and he does not deny that not enough to

make

for

is

As important

emphasizing as bread

is

to

them— this is and fulfilling human existence

it is

meaningful

this

important to

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

and human

this,

erism and what

Lerner makes a very sharp critique of consum-

we would

call

amount of the world's

which lation.

(and he does to some degree iden-

parasitism— which, among other things,

tify as)

resources that are

way out of proportion to the U.S.

is

159

relations.

Along with

great

Changing the World

is

measured

in the

consumed in the U.S.,

share of the world's popu-

Lerner emphasizes the need to struggle against

whole

this

consumerist culture, and the idea that the worth of a person should

be measured by what s/he

is

able to

consume and

that

life

should

be organized around and given meaning through the pursuit and acquisition of consumer goods.

Lerner emphasizes repeatedly the need to change people's ways of thinking,

and

their motivation, in relation to this.

He makes an

extensive argument in this regard, which recognizes that

were to

strive for the

if

people

kind of world that he envisions and argues

for

(which, as I'll get to, is ultimately unrealizable— although that doesn't

mean

nothing to unite with in his

there's

not be such a luxurious

life

for so

vision),

many people

United States— but, he asks, what would be so

What

if

people in the

they didn't use so

U.S. didn't

much

oil,

consume

what

of the world's technology

and use

purposes? Wouldn't

after

life,

if it

all,

so

then there would

in countries like the

terrible

about that?

many things? What if much

the U.S. didn't control so

for

narrow and even destructive

be more meaningful— wouldn't

that be a worthwhile tradeoff?

This

is

one of Lerner's main themes, and it is not without validity

or value. There

is

real

importance to struggling against the idea

Americans have some sort of inherent a

life

which

objectively

and

right to,

in significant

a parasite on the rest of the world.

If

that

and should pursue,

ways amounts

to being

you think about restructur

ing society on the basis of having had a revolution and no longer living off the

my on

backs of other people— no longer basing the econo-

exploitation of people, in large numbers, within the country

and even more extreme exploitation of even greater numbers of people, including millions of children, all arour.H the world— the itself,

Bob Avakian

160

ideological struggle over that question

is

going to be very sharp and

very decisive; and in this regard, while there are certainly aspects of Lerner's views

on

this question that

and foundations of the problem, the emphasis he does give to Similarly, there are

do not penetrate to the essence there

still

is

much to

this.

important insights in his discussion of the

corrosive effect of market relations, including pelled to

sell

unite with in

how people

are

com-

themselves in competition with others for jobs and

advancement in the work place— the corrosive tions generally in society, including personal

and the way that people are driven

on rela-

effect of this

and family

relations,

to see each other as obstacles to

the realization of their desires and objectives. Lerner argues that this carries over

from the realm of work, where

defining principle, into

all

it is

the prevailing and

parts of people's relationships, including

the most personal and intimate ones.

Besides these critiques in the realm of culture, there

sphere of political struggle,

much

war

in Iraq

dimension

in

and much of the

overall, as well as significant aspects

of Lerner's opposition to "the Christian Right." tional

in the

in Lerner's positions to unite

with, including his opposition to the

program of the Bush regime

is,

And

there

is

an addi-

which unity should be sought with people

like

Lerner, even while carrying out principled struggle over impor-

tant and decisive ideological, as well as political, questions.

following from the conclusion of "The Truth

The

About Right Wing

Conspiracy... And

Why Clinton and the Democrats Are No Answer,"

speaks to

this, in

emphasizing the need

culturally

and

we

in

politically:

believe that, together with building this political

unity in struggle, there

broad

unity,

among

is

between

also a

need and a basis to forge

diverse forces, around values

cultural expressions that ity,

for building a united front

terms of values, as well as

and

promote and celebrate equal-

men and women, and between

people?

and nations; that stand against oppression and against violence which furthers and enforces such oppression;

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing th e

World

161

that oppose imperial domination by one nation over others and military bludgeoning to impose that domination; that foster relations

among people based on an

appreciation for diversity but also for community; val-

ues and culture that prize cooperation

among people

in place of cut-throat competition, that put the

needs

of people above the drive to accumulate wealth, that

promote the global interests of humanity as opposed to narrow national antagonisms and greatactually

power domination.

The development

of unity around such values and

cultural expressions, like the furthering of political unity in struggle, will

unity

who

is

be an ongoing process. Building

a challenge that must be taken up by

recognize the horror of what

is

all

this

those

represented by the

fundamentalist reactionaries and the implications of this for the

masses of people; who refuse

to accept that

the only "alternative" to this

is

one which shares essen-

common with

it;

who

tial

to

things in

confront— and to

whole

politics of poverty,

and the ideological

recognize the need

offer a positive alternative

to— the

punishment, and patriarchy

rationalizations for this politics.

It is

a challenge that must be boldly and urgently taken up.

At the same time, limitations

and

it

must be

said that there are

errors in analysis— and even, frankly,

positions— in what

is

some very

real

some very bad

put forward by Lerner. Examining not only

some of Lerner's political positions, but also his ideological and philosophical viewpoint, will help to bring

some

of this to light

and

to

underline why, while unity can and must be sought with progressive religious people like Lerner,

sense, to bring to the fore a

it is

necessary, in the

more radical critique of capitalist society

and a corresponding program

for revolutionary change,

from a thoroughly and systematically od, the outlook

most fundamental

scientific

proceeding

outlook and meth-

and method of communism.

While, as I have noted, Lerner speaks,

in

some ways penetratingly

Bob Avakian

162

and

insightfully, to effects of

sometimes

identify

carries over into

it

as

the capitalist market (and he does

that— "the

capitalist market")

and how this

spheres of people's relations, including the most

all

intimate and personal, what Lerner addresses are ultimately only the

more outward and secondary expressions of a deeper and more

essential problem.

The problem

is,

in reality, rooted in the funda-

mental contradiction of capitalism itself, which involves the fact that exploitation

is

the driving

means through which wealth is produced

and accumulated under capitalism, and that this wealth is produced socially

but appropriated privately by

capital. In regard to the

outward expressions that Lerner speaks

to,

more

the deeper basis for this

resides in the production relations of capitalism, as well as the social relations that correspond to these capitalist production relations.

One is

of the things that

is

34

very important to stress in this regard

that production relations are not just— and not essentially— rela-

tions of distribution. But distribution

ing with

an

when he

is

mainly what Lerner

focuses on the market. As

overall sense the

is

Marx pointed

deal-

out, in

system of production determines the system of

distribution. For a given

system of production, there

responding system of distribution, and

will

be a cor-

an overall sense the

in

sys-

tem of distribution is derivative— it derives from and corresponds to the fundamental nature of the

production 34.

is

carried out

In a talk

(GO&GS), there

I

is

relations through

which

fact that,

gave about a decade ago, Great Objectives and Grand Strategy a discussion which overlaps to

servations about the cultural talist

means and

and accumulation proceeds. The

market. However,

and

some degree with

Lerner's ob-

ideological effects of the operation of the capi-

GO&GS puts this in the framework of a more fundamen-

and in that framework speaks to more unrestrained market and of capitalist relations generally in this period has in fact given rise to a certain spiritual malaise and how, in turn, this spiritual malaise has both impelled some people spontaneously toward religion, and religious fundamentalism in particular, but has also been consciously played on and utilized by powerful sections of the ruling class tal critique

how the

of the capitalist-imperialist system,

functioning of the

to strengthen the attraction of religious fundamentalism. (Excerpts

fiom Great

and Grand Strategy have been published in the Revolutionary Worker #1127-42 [November 18, 2001 through March 10, 2002] and are available online Objectives

at revcom.us/avakian/avakian-works.html#gogs.)

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

under capitalism, things are distributed through

World

capitalist

163

market

mechanisms flows from the ownership system, and from the production relations overall, 35 of capitalism, and from the fundamental contradiction of capitalism between socialized production and private appropriation.

Given the

reality that the relations of

production (and most

decisively the ownership system) fundamentally determine the sys-

tem and nature

of distribution (and of distribution relations),

merely try to change the market root of this and uprooting

35.

The production

it,

machinery and technology corresponding

to, this

to

any economic system,

means

in general,

if

you

without getting to the

you will not be able

relations, in

of the system of ownership of the

relations,

do

so.

consist, first of

all,

of production (land and raw materials,

and so

on).

Along with, and

system of ownership, are the

relations

essentially

among people

in

the process ofproduction (the "division of labor" in society overall)

and the system produced. To take the example of capitalist

of distribution of the wealth that is society: Ownership of the means of production

the capitalist class, while the majority of people

is

dominated by a small group,

own

little

or no

means

of pro-

duction; the "division of labor" in society, the different roles that different groups of people play in the overall process of production, including the profound division

between those who carry out intellectual work and those who carry out work (the mental/manual contradiction, for short), corresponds to

physical

these relations of ownership (and non-ownership) of the

means

of production;

and the distribution of the wealth produced is also in correspondence with this, so that the wealth that is accumulated by capitalists is, in a basic sense, in accordance with the capital they have (the means of production they own or control) and their role as exploiters of the labor power (the ability to work) of others, who own no means of production; while those who are not big capitalists but may own a limited amount of means of production, and/or have accumulated more knowledge and skills, receive a share of the wealth in accordance with that; and those on the bottom of society find their small share in the distribution of social wealth to be determined by the fact that they own no means of production, and

have not been able to acquire

much beyond basic knowledge and skills. It should

not be surprising that these— highly unequal— relations and divisions in society continue to be reproduced, and even tend to be accentuated, through the

ongoing functioning of the

capitalist system, the

ongoing process of

capitalist

accumulation and the social relations, the politics, and the ideology and culture

which are

in essential

correspondence with and which enforce, and reinforce, And especially in todays world,

the basic nature and functioning of this system. this functioning of the capitalist

capitalist countries

but above

all

system takes place not only within particular

on a world

scale.

BobAvakian

164

Along with

has to be noted that there

this, it

more than a little romanticizing of feudalism, accompanied by a

in contrast to capital-

ism;

and

and

religious institutions in pre-capitalist society,

this is

on Lerner's part,

is,

prettifying of the role of religion

and

in the early

stages of capitalism. In several places in The Left Hand of God Lemer

argues that certain institutions have served to modify, or mitigate,

And, not surprisingly-

exploitation in earlier periods of history.

given Lerner's position that there should be more of religion and god, or rather

more

of "the

left

hand

of God," in

sphere— Lerner points

ing in the public

American

especially to the church

He

religion as exercising this mitigating role. that,

with the further development and

this mitigating role is

more naked and

view of Lerner's

is

Not that

full

and laments,

asserts,

now exploitation

without this modifying influence. This

seen, for example, in the following:

supported

religious institutions hadn't long

patriarchy and oppressive social relations. But they

had

also provided

our

human

an important framework

desire to care for

imposed

"fair

in

one another could be

wage" and

.

at

and a

vailed in religious

communities around the world.

similar ethos has generally pre-

religious institutions declined, over the past

three hundred years or so, however,

the marketplace to

become

it

became easier for

a haven for manipulation

and domination. With the weakening of the framework and the demand it made

and communal

mutual support market was

and

media that

would work in tandem sponsibility in the

own

for

religious

responsibility, the capitalist

freed to reshape education

our

mar-

a maj or feature of what it meant

to be a Christian,

When

for

demands

"fair price"

on those who employed workers or sold goods ket. ..Care for others was

which

The medieval Church,

legitimated and sustained. instance,

and

triumph of capitalism,

has been undermined, so that largely

society, includ-

to create a

to teach us that our

contemporary world

is

primary

to

re-

maximize

advantage. (The Left Hand of God, pp. 59-60)

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the

What

Lerner argues here very

much

calls to

World

165

mind what

is

polemicized against in the Communist Manifesto: certain critiques

which proceed

of capitalism

some

in

respects from a romantici-

zation of feudalism and put forward visions of a society in which feudal relations

ed

as— what

is

would be mixed

in

with— and sometimes

alleged to be socialism. And, given

what

present-

is

known

about not only the actual content of the Christian Bible but also the real role of Christianity

and the Christian Church,

especially since

the time of Constantine— with the ruthless and relentless persecu-

and slaughter of heretics, Jewish

tion

"Christ killers"

and

others; the

Holy Wars and Crusades; the Inquisitions and the savage suppres-

and ideas that

sion of knowledge

at

any time challenged established

Church doctrine— one is forced to ask what world it is that Lerner is talking about in

which

religion

of positive role he attributes to gion, for centuries

reinforcing

and

and adding

and the Church have played the kind

them?

In reality, the

centuries, constituted a

to the oppression

Church and

reli-

tremendous weight

and misery of the masses

of people in feudal society— not a force mitigating and lessening the effect of this oppression. Besides the

way

in

which

religion has

em-

bodied organized ignorance and served to weigh the masses down with. superstition, fear and

guilt,

the fact is— a fact which Lerner

overlooks

here— that the medieval Church was itself one of the larg-

est feudal

landowners and

in that capacity ruthlessly exploited the

and other working people. The following from "The Truth About Right-Wing

serfs

And Why Clinton and the Democrats Are No Answer" ing the period when Clinton was impeached, though

(written dur-

not removed

very relevant in relation to what Lerner

from

office) is

both

in the aspect in

of truth

Conspiracy...

is

raising—

which Lerner's arguments have some elements

and importance, and with regard

to the limitations in his

views and the ways in which his outlook also leads him

in

the

direction: in

some important

economy

aspects, the "recovery" of the U.S.

that has taken place during the Clinton

wrong

166

Bob Avakian

and the more highly

administration, "flexible"

and

"globalized"

production that has been a marked feature of

this "recovery,"

has also contributed to "undermining the

traditional family."

And

it

has fostered the fluorescence

of an outlook, particularly (though not exclusively)

among more highly paid professionals, small

amount

weakening of some

In

sacrifice for the

defined and proclaimed "national interest."

some

significant ways,

years ago in the

what was written 150

Communist Manifesto, concerning the

consequences of unfettered bourgeois commodity tions, is

no

"traditional values," including old-

and the willingness to

style patriotism officially

that involves

of self-indulgence and, related to that, a

rela-

assuming a pronounced expression among

sections of the U.S. population in the context of today's "post-Cold

War" world

capitalism.

The following

phrases from the Manifesto have a particular and powerful resonance:

"The bourgeoisie, wherever

ten the upper hand.. .has

between

man and man

callous cash payment.'

left

has got-

remaining no other nexus

than naked

It

it

self-interest,

than

has drowned the most heav-

enly ecstacies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthu-

siasm, of Philistine sentimentalism in the icy water of egotistical calculation.

into

by

exchange

religious

It

value... .In

and

has resolved personal worth

a word, for exploitation, veiled

political illusions,

it

has substituted

naked, shameless, direct, brutal exploitation." There a great irony here: the very "triumph"

is

and "triumpha-

lism" of capitalism in today's circumstances has pro-

duced mine,

effects

and sentiments which tend

to under-

among significant sections of the U.S. population, make personal sacrifices for "god and

the willingness to

country"— that

is,

for the interests

and requirements of

the imperial ruling class, within the U.S.

itself and in

the

world arena. In reaction to this, the "conservatives," with the Christian Right playing a decisive ing to revive

and impose

role, are

precisely "the

attempt-

most heavenly

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the World

167

ecstacies of religious fervor, of chivalrous enthusiasm,

of Philistine sentimentalism"— to resurrect a situation

where worldwide exploitation that its

brutality

is

same time

at the

unsurpassed

is

by

"veiled

religious

in

and

political illusions."

Here

it is

important to observe, among other things, that

in

these incisive passages in the Communist Manifesto (cited in "The

Truth About Right-Wing Conspiracy") on the naked expressions of capitalist exploitation,

and

in their critique of capitalism in general,

Marx and Engels were not looking backward to an and romanticized vision of feudalism— which

idyllic,

in reality

idealized

was charac-

terized by endless horror for the masses of people— but, in contrast,

were lookingforward, to the overthrow and advance of humanity be-

yond capitalism, and

all

systems of exploitation and oppression,

and any of their adornments, apologies and Now,

in this light,

among

clearly the very severe

other things

rationalizations.

we can

title,

book is,

as reflected

"Taking Back Our Country From The Religious

Lerner's approach to

more

shortcomings in Lerner's analysis of the

Religious Right, even though the purpose of his in the

see even

Right."

combatting— or, perhaps more accurately said,

attracting people

away from— the Religious Right is one that cannot

succeed even on

its

own

terms. His analysis of the problem in gen-

and of the Religious Right

eral

by a

failure to grasp

and

fully

in particular

is

marked, and marred,

confront the fascist nature of what

represented by this Religious Right, the depth of the danger

it

is

actu-

ally poses, and the kind of thoroughgoing and resolute struggle that

must be waged

to defeat

it,

while at the same time, yes, seeking to

win as many people as possible away from

it.

Even in this formulation ("Taking Back our Country from the Religious Right") the limitations of Lerner's outlook and objectives

stand out. Why should the objective be characterized, and confined, in

terms of "taking back" and "our country"? "Taking back" im-

plies that there is

to

something— the country— which once belonged

"us"— which presumably means the people of the

U.S.

But

in a

Bob Avakian

168

fundamental sense that has never been the case, since country has, from the beginning, "belonged to"— that

in reality the

is, it

has been

ruled by and the masses of people have been dominated, oppressed,

and exploited by— the

capitalist

and slaveowning

classes.

The

for-

mulation "our country" not only suffers from the same shortcomings as "taking back" but also involves an aspect of national (Ameri-

can) chauvinism, even

if

unintentional, because

country" that people should be concerned

more try

the case

whose

all

not just "our that

is all

the

an imperialist coun-

is

not only oppresses masses

its state,

home but exploits, indeed super-exploits, and brutalizes

over the world, most intensely in the Third World, and

has time and again brought people in

with— and

the country in question

ruling class, through

of people at

people

when

it is

down horrible destruction and death on

many other countries, whenever they have resisted domi-

nation by U.S. imperialism or

become

the target of U.S. attack for

some other reason. And it is not, simply or essentially, the "Religious Right" from

whom

Right alone but,

things

must be "taken"— it

more fundamentally, the

not the Religious

is

imperialist ruling class as

a whole, which holds power in the U.S. and uses that exploitative

and oppressive ends spoken to

power

for the

here.

Repeatedly in The Left Hand of God we find Lerner emphatically insisting that, while

he strongly disagrees with and

will strongly op-

pose the Religious Right, he refuses to say that those the Religious Right are bad people. But that or not the heart of the problem: issue

is:

what kind

of program

is

not really the issue,

bad people or good people. The

and ideology

are these people being

mobilized around, what does that represent, and

problem does that pose, let

alone get to

if you're

who make up

trying to get to a

how

serious of a

more just

communism?

In the "Introduction" to The Left

Hand

of

God we

find the

following: It is

society,

perfectly legitimate to be

alarmed

at the

growing

power of those on the Right and the way they use to challenge their ideas forcefully,

and

to

it,

warn of the

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

World

169

dangers should they succeed in their stated intentions. I

will certainly

do everything I can to prevent them from

popularizing the notion that people have to be religious

God to be moral and to challenge their par-

or believe in

understanding of what

ticular

What

will

not do, and what

evil

my

urge

I

and progressive movements not

liberal

bute

I

God wants of us. friends in

to do,

is attri-

motives to those on the Religious Right or to

view them as cynical manipulators

solely interested in

power and self-aggrandizement. The certainly has

its

Religious Right

share of power mongers and hypocrites.

But the vast majority of those involved are people who are driven

by principles and who want what

best for

is

the world, (pp. 8-9) This,

mark.

it

must be

What

and

said, is highly naive

matters,

and

of great

is

people are sincere, or even

seriously misses the

moment,

self-sacrificing,

is

not whether these

but rather around what

viewpoint and toward what ends are they being organized and precisely

what

deed "driven for the

is

by";

led;

the content of the "principles" these people are

and what would

result

if

the vision of "what

in-

best

is

world" around which they are being galvanized were actually

to be realized?

Lerner's limitations here are directly related to his

outlook, to his proceeding from

and prism, including spirituality in

and through a

his notion that there

American

life

is

and society— too

own world

religious standpoint

too

religion

and

While the

reli-

little

little!

gion and spirituality that Lerner advocates and wants to see flourish

and exert greater influence, as embodied "left

hand

of god,"

is

in

many

significant

conception of the

in his

ways very

different

from

the religious fundamentalism of the Christian Fascists, Lerner does

share the

same

religious traditions with

them,

his beliefs are, to a large degree, rooted in religious scriptures,

even

if

Lerner

in

a broad sense, and

and flow from the same

may view and

interpret parts oi

this scripture differently as well. Lerner's conviction

that a religious

and insistence

and spiritual worldview and approach to real ity needs

BobAvakian

170

to exert

more of an influence

and of acting reality,

in society

world that

in the

and therefore

in conflict

in accordance with the

real

promotes a way of thinking

in fact, in essential conflict with

is,

with the means for changing

and fundamental

reality

interests of the great

majority of humanity, and ultimately humanity as a whole.

Along with

and

tionary,

despite his very real differences with the reac-

this,

truly fascist, religious fundamentalists, Lerner's insis-

tence on the promotion of the same religious traditions and scriptures cannot help but contribute to the strengthening of reactionary

religious-based ideological

and

political

viewpoints and programs,

and actions flowing from them. This is so because, regardless of how Lerner might seek to "reinterpret" these traditions and these scriptures,

they do, after

stand for what they stand for— they do say

all,

what they say and mean what they mean. And, limitations are also

bound up with why he does not recognize the antagonism that objectively

depth of difference and,

yes, the

between even what he

seeking to do and what

so

ironically, Lerner's

is

is

exists

represented, not

much by particular individuals who may be drawn to be the rank

and

file

of this fascist

movement, but by the basic character and

content of that movement, and where In other words,

what

it is

it is

seeking to take things.

important to come to grips— to confront—

the real nature of the "Religious Right":

is

Christian Fascist

movement, aiming for a

capitalist-imperialist rule within the U.S.

its

character as a

theocratic fascist form of

and domination on this basis

throughout the world. As has been examined here, this Christian Fascist

movement

is

not only powerfully built around, and has as a

major engine, the forceful reassertion of an absolutist kind of patriarchy, but also white supremacy, with a potentially genocidal sion.

And

this

movement

is

dimen-

an ardent advocate of militarism and

the military marauding of U.S. imperialism throughout the world.

This

movement is waging a fanatical battle

tion—not just by

individuals, but

against the recogni-

by society and

its

educational in-

stitutions— of the scientific fact of evolution. Why? Because essary, in order to further its

it is

nec-

program, to promote an epistemology

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the that causes people to

and

move away from

ridicule the scientific

rational ideology

which

and

1 71

rational thought, to reject

method, and to be enslaved

fosters

World

insists

ence to the dominant forces and relations

to

an

anti-

upon unthinking obediin society

and

to the ab-

solute authority of powerful figures wearing the mantle of religious

righteousness and proclaiming a special, covenanted relationship

with the Almighty.

The it

around evolution

is

important

has a great deal to do with the battle

all,

is

battle

in its

own

for revolution.

right,

and

It is, first

of

a battle in the realm of epistemology— over questions of what

truth

and whether and how human beings can acquire a true un-

derstanding of reality. Are tific

we going to proceed according to a scien-

approach— investigating

evidence about

reality,

reality, to

accumulate experience and

and then drawing

rational conclusions? Or,

are we going to blindly adopt an outmoded way of understanding how the world works and what its driving forces are, and insist upon

superimposing that on reality and on smashing down anything which conflicts with that non-rational (or irrational) approach? Are

ing to insist

on a

priori notions of

which are not drawn from rule out of order things

tested

and shown

reality

and not

testable in reality— and

which are drawn from

in reality to

we go-

truth— dogmatic assumptions

reality

and have been

be true?

This battle over epistemology is a profound one, with very great stakes

and implications. There

political struggle

is,

in the U.S. in particular, a fierce

being waged around evolution, but this is a political

battle that not only involves the particular question of evolution, as

important as that

is,

but concentrates the contention between two

fundamentally opposed epistemologies. There

than a few people fact of evolution

are, of course,

more

who hold religious beliefs but accept the scientific

and

try to reconcile the fact of evolution with their

religious worldview. In the final analysis, these are not reconcilable,

but at any given time

many people are capable of embracing at least

the basic realities that are concentrated in the scientific theory of evolution, even while they cling to religious beliefs. But we're talking

BobAvakian

172

about something radically different than Fascist outlook

and approach. We're

that,

with the Christian

talking about something that

defines truth a priori— in advance of and divorced from investigating reality

and synthesizing what's learned from

an apriorism

just

in a general sense,

but

reality.

And

this is

not

an apriorism that serves

is

a comprehensive reactionary political program, aiming to impose

and enforce a

theocratic-fascist capitalist dictatorship in the U.S.,

together with waging a crusade to forcefully

impose— even more

extensively,

and mercilessly— the hegemony of America, as God's cho-

sen nation, throughout the world. It is

in this context that evolution has

such sharp struggle. The tific

method which

evolution

is

a

fact,

leads to the very clear

believe

it,

that settles

it."

which cannot be penetrated by tion of reality in

becomes so

expressed in slogans

That

is

forceful that

worldview with rational and

it

people

like:

"God

a self-contained worldview unless and until the asser-

reality,

one way or another. But, while

this

is

more

this truth ever

this is a great obstacle to mobilizing

behind the kind of worldview that it, I

and firm conclusion that

and which demonstrates

comprehensively— all

said

become a concentration of

scientific fact of evolution— and the scien-

it

explodes this worldview

remains important to "assault"

logical

such arguments, simply by themselves,

arguments about

will

not

really

reality,

penetrate this

worldview And it can be seen how promoting such a worldview, and galvanizing a forceful political is

movement around such

a worldview,

extremely important for particularly the core of the ruling class in

the U.S.

now

(which has been grouped around the Bush regime) in

the context of what they are setting out to do in the world, and how,

together with that, they are determined to radically remake the U.S. itself in

a fascist direction.

A blindly fanatical religious fundamental-

ism can, they hope, act as a kind of steel band, in place in a situation

tightly holding things

where what they have

world, and within the U.S. itself— all of which

is far

control— has the potential to cause things to

opposed

directions.

set in

fly

motion

in the

from under their apart in sharply

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the

It is

in this light that the

World

173

attempts to impose a "self-contained

world"— and how and why evolution has become such a major focal point of struggle in relation to that— can be more fully understood.

As things stand now, one accepted as a valid

of the key elements in having something

theory

scientific

is

what's called "peer review,"

where work that has been done and conclusions that have been drawn are subjected to critical review by people who are knowledgeable in the relevant field (or fields) of science, to see

can punch holes in

it.

determine the validity

Although

this, in itself,

if,

in effect, they

does not and cannot

(or lack of validity) of a scientific theory,

it is

a crucial part of any legitimate scientific process and of determining whether or not something should be accepted as scientifically

besides continually employing their unscientific— and

valid. Well,

in fact anti-scientific— methods to attack scientific theories

evolution

(

for

example, claiming that gaps in the

fossil

such as

record ren-

der the theory of evolution invalid, and then every time one of these "gaps"

is filled

by a new

fossil

discovery turning around and claim-

ing that this has simply created are

now working both

institutions,

to set

more up

gaps!

their

36 ),

own

the Christian Fascists

spurious educational

even on the university level (such as the Pat Robertson-

founded Regent University, graduates of which have been brought into the

Bush Administration

in very large

numbers) as well as to

have people get advanced degrees, including

in fields

ogy, from more legitimate and even prestigious

such as

biol-

universities, so that

they can then use these degrees as credentials to lend credibility to their attacks

truths In

tions

on evolution (and other well-established

all this,

the Christian Fascists are facing some sharp contradic-

when it comes to the realm of education. There is

36.

scientific

which conflict with fundamentalist religious dogma). a significant

For important exposure and analysis of not only this particular tactic

of the Creationists (in relation to the fossil record) but of the Creationist assault

on evolution

overall, including Creationism's recent incarnation as "Intelligent

Design"— and the

larger ideological

and

political implications of

this— see The

Science ofEvolution and The Myth of Creationism— Knowing What's Real And Why It Matters" Ardea Skybreak, Insight Press, 2006.

BobAvakian

174

movement among them

to

"quarantine" or "inoculate"

would

public schools that

a more

literalist

home-school

them

their children in order to

against things they

would learn

conflict with fundamentalist

in

dogma and

reading of the Bible. At the same time, with assist-

ance from wealthy individuals and institutions (right-wing foundations, etc.), ist

they are building and financing Christian fundamental-

schools as an alternative to public schools. But then they run

into a

don't

problem when the students

want

want them tion,

their kids to

be stuck in the lower

to have successful careers,

and educational

this regard,

finish high school: the parents

credentials, to

and

and "cachet"

still

mainstream, non-fundamentalist universities

and you take

all

if

it is: it is

into the

across the coun-

be taught as a

not really possible to teach

biology without teaching evolution as a well-proven theory— it that foundational to

the young people tradition,

all

in

the Christian

you go

biology, at this point evolution will

the simple reason that

fact... for

this,

And

do not yet have enough prestige

At the same time,

in society at large.

they

enough educa-

pursue those careers.

although they are working to change

fundamentalist universities

try

tier of society,

to have

is

of biology. Here arises the contradiction that

who have been "educated" in the Christian Fascist

and indoctrinated with that worldview, then go

to main-

stream universities and run right up against the fact that evolution is

presented to them as a thoroughly established and proven theory.

So the Christian Fascists are developing ways to try to work around this.

They have summer camps where they send high school gradu-

ates to prepare

them

for college: "This is all the secular

propaganda

you are going to hear when you go to the university— all that lar

sec-a-

hoomanist stuff, and all these lies about eee-vo-lution. [Laughter]

So here tests

is

what you need

and get a good

to learn to say in order to

grade.. .but

remember: Genesis

absolute truth, and the rest of this that exhibit in the

tion—that's ize tours

museum

all lies."

in

is all lies

New York

Along with

where they take people

this,

do well on the is

the real and

and nonsense. You go

to

about Darwin and evolu-

fundamentalist groups organ-

to these creationist

museums

(one

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

recently

opened

1 75

in the state of Kentucky, for example)

learn such things as: the

where you Grand Canyon was formed by the great

flood associated with Noah.

Once

again, the point of all this

is

to create, as

much as possible,

a self-contained world which will be ideologically sealed off from

and impervious to the penetration of the

larger world

and a

fact-

based, rational and scientific understanding of reality.

For those in the ruling class who support and promote this Christian Fascist

movement— and fundamentally for the ruling class as a

whole— there is science to do

and

also an acute contradiction, in that they need some what they're seeking to do in the world— economically

militarily. But, in

population that

is

the society at large, they increasingly need a

trained to not think critically and to accept an

absolutist worldview that

understanding that there

is

then you can

reality. If

is

not based on engaging and actually

you are trained and conditioned

a higher truth than scientific truth founded in say, as

is

reality,

some of these people do: "Never mind that there

were no weapons of mass destruction cause he

to believe

in Iraq.

Bush

didn't

carrying out God's will in the world, and that

and greater truth than any

fact

you can

cite

is

lie,

be-

a higher

about some statement

may have made on some occasion. It doesn't matter. There's a higher truth involved." And when you get people thinking in that kind of way, then— short of a major eruption in their lives and in Bush,

the larger society

and world

they're a part

of— that

is

relatively (not

absolutely but relatively) impenetrable to facts, scientific analysis

and

rational discourse.

This goes along with a whole other dimension to the assault on critical thinking,

and

dissent,

universities at this point. ties to

which

is

particularly focused on the

Led by individuals and organizations with

the highest levels of the U.S. government, there

drive to target

and

silence,

is

a concerted

and/or drive out of academia altogether,

professors whose work and teaching run counter to, or even raise nificant questions about, policies and actions of the

and

particularly those

who

challenge the

sig-

government—

"official narrative"

on the

1 76

Bob Avakian

nature of this country, is

history

its

a spearhead of a broader

from which to

and its role in the world today. This

move to purge out of public life any basis

question the whole juggernaut of war and

call into

repression which has been unleashed by the ate a self-contained all.

As an

and

newspaper recently put it:

article in Revolution

On one

level,

Bush regime, and to cre-

self-reinforcing world, within society over-

these right-wing forces are setting out

to forge university administrations into instruments of

coercive enforcement

and

and

control over faculty

stu-

dents—intimidating, threatening, and "cleaning house" of dissident thinkers

when

called

on

to

do

so,

while

leaving scholars under attack to fend for themselves.

On

another

level,

they are setting out to turn the

university into a zone of uncontested indoctrination,

where severe limits would be placed on permissible discourse—in terms of professors speaking

out, writing, or

encouraging engagement over controversial issues in the classroom, ting

programs

and

etc.;

like

in

terms of restricting and gut-

African American studies, women's

studies, etc., that challenge

ratives

and

refute the official nar-

and explanations of U.S. history and present-day

inequality

and global lopsidedness.

And on

a very basic

level,

they are setting out to

break the commitment of the university to rational scientific discourse

ence society

and

to undercut

in that direction.

its ability

and

to influ-

The attempt by Christian

fascist forces to insinuate "intelligent design" into the

universities, to blur

tween science and

and overwhelm the boundary bereligion,

and

to train, accredit,

and

mobilize a generation of "creationist science" advocates is

a signal and ominous development.

The

Nazification of the

tion,

issue no. 99,

August

American 26, 2007,

("WARNING:

University," Revolu-

emphasis

in original;

available at revcom.us)

This

is

a sharp illustration of the

links,

and the fundamental

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

unity,

between the drive

to suppress dissent

and

academia, the role and aims of the Christian ruling class interests to

which

this is

critical

Fascists,

World

1 77

thinking in

and the

connected and which

larger it ulti-

mately serves. Besides at

overall importance, the reason

its

some length

God,

is

have gone into

that Lerner's epistemology incorporates in

aspects— and makes

significant concessions

which are ultimately not to

I

here, in the context of discussing The Left

do with

is

Hand

to— ways

of thinking

represented

by,

fails

to fully

and

correctly

and the extent and depth

the danger represented by, the Christian Fascists. Lerner even into attributing

much

of the growth of this reactionary fundamen-

as he conceives of it— in

a general sense. And, according to Lerner, the fact that "the insisted

and fostered an atmosphere

for spirituality

left,"

which he includes the Democratic Party

made no room for religion, and has tributed to

of

falls

not only the mistakes but the arrogance of "the

talist force to

of

some important

rational but in fact irrational. This has

how Lerner understands— or

understand— what

this

in

left"

in

has

on secularism, has conwhich people searching

and higher meaning are driven to the

right.

This

large part (though not entirely), Lerner's explanation for the

is,

in

growth

of the "Religious Right." In reality, this Christian Fascist

movement

is,

to a large degree,

an ideologically and politically reactionary response to challenges certain entrenched privileges

to

and to the traditional ways in which the

oppressive and exploitative relations of this system have taken shape

and been reinforced in American in the world.

Once

Americas

role

again, this focuses to a very significant extent

around patriarchy. Changes now, for god's sake,

society, as well as in

all

in the role of

women

these gay people making

in

society— and

demands

for legal

recognition and equality!— and the ways in which the traditional val-

ues that are associated with, and to a significant degree concent ed

in,

this

rat

patriarchy are being challenged and undermined, even though

has ultimately remained within the framework and confines

the capitalist

system— this

is all

too

much

for those

who

are

oi

drawn

BobAvakian

178

to Christian Fascism. refer

Along with

that,

American exceptionalism

back to the formulation employed by Kevin

(to

Phillips), that

the notion of Americas unique goodness, based on

its

is,

special rela-

and its manifest destiny and divine mission in the

tionship with god,

world— this is a fundamental and essential part of the Christian Fascist belief

system.

And this,

too,

is

being challenged in the practical

realm, in struggle throughout the world, cally it is

and ideologically and politi-

being rej ected by significant sections of American society it-

numbers of people who, for a variety of reasons and com-

self—large

ing from different viewpoints, do not accept this vision of America

and

its

relation to the rest of the world.

of people in the U.S.

occupation of

American

and even though, full

and

the large

numbers

have opposed the American invasion and

the sentiment has been broadly expressed that

Iraq,

lives are

who

Among

not more valuable than the for the

most

radical rupture with

lives of other people;

does not yet represent a

part, this

American imperialism, and as such

not a revolutionary viewpoint,

it is

is

nonetheless completely alien and

antagonistic to the traditionalist, absolutist Christian Fascist world-

view and those

who are galvanized around that worldview

These people are being mobilized around a

program— this

is

something that Lerner does not

grips with, or even fully lutely

fascist-imperialist really

recognize— an orientation which

determined that the only way the

rightful

come

to

abso-

is

and righteous

or-

der of things, in American society and Americas role in the world,

can be reasserted and reestablished

is

through the imposition of a

theocratic form of government in the U.S. nation.

It's

those sec-a-lar people that got

out of the schools, schools,

who

who

got us

insisted

today and

in

While one can point to "left,"

God and

is

a Christian

prayer taken

on teaching eee-vo-lution

in the

why

we're

people are attacking us and

New York City, and why we gotta go get em

world before they get

part of the

"This

away from the word of God— that's why

in the trouble we're in

blowing up buildings in the

itself:

us."

real

mistakes and shortcomings on the

broadly speaking— including a paralyzing influence

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

Changing the World

of rampant relativism, linked with identity politics— it

misguided and disarming, ideologically and

tally

tribute the rise of this Christian Fascist

is

1 79

fundamen-

politically, to at-

movement, and

its powerful connections to and support from the highest levels of government,

to mistakes or arrogance

on the part of the left. Now, there is a way in

which, despite the widespread revolutionary sentiments and

among large

sections of American society that

late 1960s, the reality that there

actually

some '60s,

was no

mood

was manifest by the

revolution at that time has

been turned into a factor that has contributed to the

rise of

of this religious fundamentalism. Through the upsurge of the

many

things were called into question— not just in the realm

of ideas, although that

was extremely important, but

in practice, in

the realm of political struggle— things that are foundational to this society.

mass

And many changes were brought about, partly as a result of

political struggle

and partly because of the changing

and needs of the economy. Once

features

again,

one of the most important

dimensions of this was in relation to the

role of women, particularly

among professionals and it

other sections of the middle

class,

where

became both possible and necessary for women to work full time,

in the effort to

maintain a middle class standard of living.

When you

combine that with political and ideological expressions of feminism, and other movements that came forward out of the

'60s, this

did

pose a very direct challenge to traditionally institutionalized forms of oppression in this society.

But

this didn't

structures

go

all

the

way— it

and power that enforce

tion—and so

it

was not

of those relations.

this oppression

able to reach to

middle

ment. With regard to

movement

strata,

many

and

political

exploita-

the root and foundation

ruling class

of the things that characterized

"counter-culture" of the '60s, there particularly in the

overthrow the

As that movement receded, and

where there was a regrouping by the

many

didn't

in the context

and an

the political

assault

on

movement and

was a retreat on the part of many,

who had been

part of that move-

of the spheres of society in which the

of the '60s (and into the early '70s) had taken a radical

Bob Avakian

180

and objectives of much of the "left" much more limited, narrow, reformist. To a significant degree, this devolved down into and got reduced to identity expression, the orientation

increasingly became

politics— sometimes, yes, in rather narrow and petty forms which didn't get to the essence

sion of different groups

and the foundation of what the oppres-

was rooted in, and instead often turned into

a form of narrow commodity competition

group with which

I

identify

is

("the oppression of the

the special province— and, in

effect,

the property— of people like me, and no one else has the right to say

anything about, to

make any demands

cessions in relation to So, in a very

this").

secondary way,

against the very legitimate

this

has contributed to a backlash

and necessary movements of opposi-

and exploitation which

are in

an integral part of the capitalist-imperialist system; and

in this

tion to various forms of oppression fact

or to negotiate for any con-

sense,

it

has contributed— again, very secondarily— to the growth of

Christian Fascism in particular. But this

defining reason

is

in

no way the

essential or

why this reactionary movement has grown. This is a

movement which is being led from on high— and here I am referring not to some non-existent god but to powerful sections of the ruling class, which have made the determination that such a movement, and quite possibly even a theocratic, Christian fundamentalist, form of capitalist dictatorship,

out to do in the world,

is

necessary, given

how they envision

what they

the role of the U.S. in the

world and what the corresponding character of to be.

And

are setting

U.S. society

needs

these Christian Fascist forces are absolutely relentless

in pursuit of their objectives.

The

foot soldiers of this

movement,

whether "good people" or not, are being trained in a fanatical "onward Christian logical sense,

soldiers," right

spirit

of

now largely in a political and ideo-

but already as a potential military force, should that be

deemed necessary at some point by those who head these Perhaps, ironically,

forces.

we could say that Rabbi Rudin (author of The

Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us)

has a better understanding of this than Rabbi Lerner, even though

Away

in

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

Changing the World

181

an overall sense Lerner's views are more alienated from and

opposition to

in

much of the character of American society and Amer-

icas relation to the rest of the world,

and the whole direction

now taking. But Rudin (who

of a "mainstream liberal") has

grasped very Right"

more

is

even with

clearly,

the character of American society and in

is

his limitations, that the "Religious

an unrelenting movement that

is

this

determined to change

is

how

ruled— to change,

it's

important ways, some of the forms and some of the particular

instrumentalities through

tem

carried out

is

makes

it

which the oppressive nature of the

and enforced.

very clear— and

frankly quite refreshing to read this

it is

book by an author with

in a

Rudin's

compromise with these Christian only lead

them to be more

sys-

In The Baptizing ofAmerica Rudin

viewpoint— that attempting

Fascists will not work,

aggressive.

and

to

will

37

For example, around the crucial and pivotal issue of abortion,

many

liberals— and in this they are "led" by the likes of the Clin-

tons—promote the idea of seeking "common ground" with the Chris-

"We can all agree that it is desirto limit the number of abortions and make abortion rare, so let

tian Fascists, with

able

arguments

like:

make sure that birth control is widely and easily experience has already shown that the Christian Fas-

us unite together to available." Yet cists are

as well,

is

"common ground"

for

only

make them

This basic point on the need to uncompromisingly confront and oppose

37.

what

determined to eliminate not only abortion but birth control

and that such pleas

represented by the Christian Fascist

from his cists: "All

own

movement

is

also strongly argued,

point of view, by Chris Hedges in the conclusion of American Fas-

Americans— not only those of faith— who care about our open society to speak about this movement with a new vocabulary, to give up pas

must learn sivity,

to challenge aggressively this

tianity

and

to

movement's deluded appropriation

do everything possible

to defend tolerance.. ..Tolerance

but tolerance coupled with passivity of value

and importance

Fascists,

even while

it is

in Hedge's

is

a

vice." (p.

arguments

limited by his

is

207) Overall, there

here,

of

Chris

a virtue. is

much

and throughout American

own outlook, which

includes a progress^ e

significantly influenced by

interpretation of Christianity and, unfortunately, the erroneous and anti-communist views of the 20th century philosopher Karl Popper, as embodied in his work The Open Society and Its Enemies, as well as by is

Hannah Arendt and her

unscientific theories of "totalitarianism."

182

Bob Avakian

more

fanatical in seeking to

states,

with a clarity

and progressives these

erals

do away with both. As Rudin plainly

and decisiveness that

too rare

is all

among lib-

days:

For Christocrats [Christian theocrats], the battle to ban abortions in the United States

is

their Gettysburg or

Stalingrad, the turning point in the

dominance over our

ing to gain

their overriding passion

war they

it is

wag-

Abortion

society.

and for them,

are

is

a fight to the

finish. If

they succeed in banning legal abortion in Amer-

Christocratic leaders

ica,

and

their followers will

be

even more energized and empowered to press forward in the

campaign

to baptize America. (The Baptizing of

America, pp. 205-06)

This

more

is

fully

one important thing that the Rabbi Rudin grasps much

and

correctly than the Rabbi Lerner.

And, as their determination to eliminate birth control, along with abortion, makes abortion,

first

tions in

what

and of the Christian

it illegal, is

the

clear,

not the

is

the heart of the issue of

Fascist's unrelenting

killing of babies

place) but

which

lies at

(which

is

attempt to make

scientifically

wrong in

the chaining of women in oppressive rela-

their essential role

is

reduced to that of being

the property of men and the breeders of their children, according to "gods plan" and the dictates of theocratic interpreters of "god's will."

The cist

fact is that

you are not going

force— everything

it

to defeat this Christian Fas-

represents and everything

bound up with

it— and you are not going to win significant numbers of people away

from

it,

without taking

it

on

in a very direct

yes, offending people. In the fullest sense,

this

movement, and those who

and foundationally,

are

now

and

it is

a part of it, fundamentally

in the context of building a

to the objective of overturning

way— and,

necessary to challenge

not only opposed to this Christian Fascism but

won

forceful

is

movement

that

is

increasingly being

and transforming society as a

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

183

whole and uprooting

all

this Christian Fascist

movement is seeking to reinforce in extremely

the outmoded, exploitative relations which

oppressive and repressive forms.

And

has been shown that in the course of challenging— and,

it

even offending— people, they can change. Not just individuals

yes,

but masses of people. This was experienced on a grand scale '60s.

I

personally

ment who had

knew many people

in the course of the '60s

in the

move-

previously been "Goldwater Republicans" but

who

ruptured with that and became very radical, in a positive way, in the '60s.

This kind of transformation "from reactionary to revolutionary"

took place on a very large scale in the course of that whole upsurge. is

true,

religious

fundamentalism and

its

epistemology which has a tighter

hold on people than more secular "conservative" also, in is.

politics,

but this

profound ways, crashing up against the way the world

That provides an important material basis

out of this. But that it.

It

and important to recognize, that there is a particularity to this

is

for

is

really

wrenching people

what will be required— wrenching them out of

In building the kind of struggle that needs to be developed against

the crimes and atrocities being committed by the Bush regime— and the whole system of which it is a key part and is

winning over people Fascist

movement is

jective;

but

it

who not,

now a leading force-

are currently caught

up

in the Christian

and should not be, the focus and main ob-

should be an aim to win over as

many

as possible, as

part of a broader effort to repolarize society, politically and ideologically, in

a more positive direction and ultimately in a way that is more

favorable for a revolution that can in reality transform society as a

whole to uproot relations of exploitation and oppression. Instead,

and

in opposition to this,

ideologically interconnects with

mate and of

power— as though

"left,"

that

repeatedly talks about

in

some

what

it's

Throughout The

how

the

"left"

Left

Hand

can get back

a question of whether the "right" or the

classless sense, holds

exists is

see that Lerner's position

finds expression in an ulti-

essential political reformism.

God Lerner

into

and

we

a system that

is

power— rather

ruled by a class,

than grasping

a system whose

Bob Avakian

184

nature

is

rooted in the underlying production relations and which

takes expression in the superstructure, in terms of political rule, as

one or another form of bourgeois

dictatorship. In relation to this, the

among

following three sentences— which are found, in "Bringing

some

other places,

Forward Another Way"— are very relevant and capture

essential reality in a concentrated way: In a world

marked by profound

social inequality, to talk

class divisions

talking about the class nature of that

which

class

democracy and

serves— is meaningless, and worse. So

it

divided into classes, there can be no

long as society

is

"democracy for

all":

will

and

about "democracy"— without

one

class or another will rule,

and it

uphold and promote that kind of democracy which

serves

its

interests

class will rule

democracy,

and

goals.

and whether

The question

its rule,

which

is:

system of

and the corresponding

lations of exploitation, oppression

"Bringing Forward Another

As noted above, Lerner often which

he does make

its

will serve the continuation, or the eventual

abolition, of class divisions

ocratic Party,

and

valid,

is

Way"

and

re-

inequality. (See

at revcom.us)

38

identifies the "left"

with the

objectively a party of the ruling class.

and

DemWhile

at times sharp, critiques of policies,

even of the orientation, of the Democratic Lerner actually believes that

it is

Party,

it is

and

clear that

possible to influence a section of

the ruling class, as represented by the Democratic Party, to adopt the kind of program he advocates.

He

recognizes that people are

going to accuse him of being unrealistic— to which he answers that

38.

More extensive discussion

of questions related to

what

is

contained

in

the three sentences above, on democracy and class rule, and on the transition

from

all

systems of class rule to a communist society— without class distinc-

and exploiters, and without dictatorship of any kind— is found works by this author, including Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That?; Phony Communism is Dead... Long Live Real Communism (Second Edition, 2004); and the pamphlet Dictatorship and Democracy and the Socialist Transition tions, exploiters in other

to

Communism.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the the

way things

are

now is

Lerner's part that the Democratic as he identifies

it,

a

185

neither positive nor realistic in the sense

of bringing about a better world. But there

"left"

World

"left"

fines of the capitalist system,

that

is

no recognition on

is

Party— and,

for that matter, the

situated well within the con-

even while opposing some of its more

egregious injustices— is a superstructural expression of underlying

production and social relations, and of the dynamics of

accumulation taking place through those production

capitalist

and

relations;

that these production relations and this process of accumulation

fundamentally and ultimately establish the framework, and the limits,

within which struggles in the realm of politics take place within

this system.

For these essential reasons

it is

not possible to win the

Democratic Party to the kind of viewpoint and program that Lerner argues it

for,

passionately. Taking Lerner's

forward— and leaving aside

for the

program

as he himself puts

moment the fact that, from the

standpoint of the complete abolition of relations of exploitation and oppression, Lerner's program nificant aspects

falls far short,

and even

works against this goal— the truth

and so long as things remain within the confines tal relations

and processes of capitalism,

totally unrealistic

The severe

and

this

is

of,

in

some

sig-

that in light

of,

the fundamen-

program of Lerner's

is

unrealizable.

limitations of Lerner's ideological viewpoint, as well

come through very sharply in relation to the oppression of women. Now, I have to admit that I am tempted here to say: Never trust somebody religious when it comes to patriarchy. as political program,

[Laughter] Never trust them, at least, to have a thoroughgoing stand in opposition to this oppression

and

emancipation of women. Maybe it is generalization, but

it is

in

support of the complete

unfair to

make such a sweeping

not incidental that Lerner's ideological and

political limitations take

very stark and concentrated expression

around the question of abortion, where he puts forward— really be honest— quite horrific positions, which centrated way,

some

in turn reflect, in a

to

con-

of the fundamental weaknesses of his overall

outlook and approach.

Bob Avakian

186

"The Family,

In a chapter entitled, significantly,

and

Sexuality,

Personal Responsibility," in The Left Hand of God, Lerner starts right out, in a section

mula God,

on

on abortion, with

(or mantra):

"make

it

267) In this, and overall,

p.

and

safe, legal, it

this question is closely in line

now

by

the,

all-too-familiar, for-

rare."

can be seen

(The Left

of

how Lerner's position

with that of bourgeois politicians

and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, and the Democratic Party lead-

like Bill

ership in general.

Now, Lerner does say

that, "Spiritual progressives

make

should be unequivocal in opposing any attempts to tion

Hand

illegal."

However, he then immediately adds: "But

we

equally unequivocal in recognizing abortion as a tragic

abor-

should be loss."

And

things go further downhill from there.

women who

Lerner makes the claim that, "Most

through abortions

will tell

been to experience

two

essential

is far

you how very emotionally painful

this loss of

life."

things— wrong with

is

this.

it

has

267) There are two things-

(p.

this. First

of

who

from the truth that "most women"

would agree with Lerner on there

have gone

not true.

all, it is

It

have had abortions

And, second, to the degree that

any truth to it— to the degree that

this

does apply to some

women who have had abortions— this cannot be divorced from the larger social context in

sault

which there has been a whole right-wing as-

around the question of abortion,

an assault people

in relation to

which

liberals

politically

and

ideologically,

and progressives— including

like Lerner, as well as ruling class politicians like

the Clintons

and Gore— have been ceding the moral ground and joining chorus declaring abortion a tragedy, even not believe

it

should be

made

if

people

like

is

talking here about abortion: "The miracle of

through us deserves to be treated with sanctity and life is

snuffed out, this

mourning."

(p.

is

an occasion

the Lone Ranger and Tonto.

I

feel like

mind

life

care,

that

flowing

and when

communal sadness and individual but communal

for

267) Note: not even just

"sadness and mourning." Here

Lerner do

into a crime.

Listen to this language from Lerner, and keep in

he

in the

invoking the old joke about

The Lone Ranger is out with Tonto, and

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

suddenly they're surrounded by Indians, shoot at them; and, as the situation

Lone Ranger turns

finally the

we're in

bad shape,

we, white

man?

them down and becomes more and more grim,

Tonto and

And Tonto "the

pin

says: "Well,

replies:

[Laughter] So here, in the

What do you mean

to Lerner:

white

Tonto".

to

who

187

looks like

it

"What do you mean

same

spirit,

I

would say

miracle of life flowing through us"

man?" [Laughter]

And let's look further at this statement that begins: "The miracle of

flowing through us deserves to be treated with sanctity and

life

Note the choice of words "when

care."

to

an

abortion: this

wanton taking murder.

word

of

And even

does very

human

much sound like

snuffed out" to refer

a description of the

life— something akin

more benign,

the

life is

to, if

not

literally,

or supposedly joyful-sounding,

"miracle" insinuates into the discussion a feel of mysticism

about the process of reproduction. Childbearing— if it

is

wanted,

tended and planned for— may well bring great joy, but there ing "mystical" about the process. Identifying

it

life

noth-

with notions of the

miraculous— and especially when phrases are employed miracle of

is

in-

like "the

flowing through us"— fosters a sense that childbear-

somehow a duty— one imbued with a sense of religious obligation. Note also how Lerner makes the "tragedy" of abortion one that

ing

is

involves not only the in line

woman

but also the whole community; and

with the view of this as a kind of communal experience, note

how Lerner speaks, with very deliberate language, of "the miracle of life flowing through us! This, as we will see, is not accidental

again

or incidental phrasing.

Just a

a "tragic

minute ago, when

loss,"

I

I

quoted Lerner saying that abortion

deliberately did not cite his

whole statement

but held part of it back. The full content of what Lerner says acterizing abortion as a "tragic loss"

the individual

is

that this

is

woman who has chosen to undergo

is

there,

in char-

so "not only for

it

but also for the

emphasis added here) And things become even worse as Lerner continues his discourse on this: a little later he entire

community"

(p. 267,

goes so far as to argue that with an abortion "this loss of life affects

Bob Avakian

188

man who was apart of the conception, this woman lives, and the entire global

not only the woman, but the

and

the

community

community"

emphasis added here) 39

(p. 268,

Lerner's view

which

in

that the position he advocates "does not relieve

is

one of the burden and moral responsibility of making those

and he

is

careful to add: "nor does

intervene and

make our

munity process."

to

is

(pp.

empower

a

community

woman

to be part of this

268-69) But, Lerner argues, such a

positive because

"situates us as

it

others about the impact of our actions on them." is

com-

communal

fundamentally linked

one another and as having some responsibility to check

does say that this

to

choices for us" and that he would "caution

against anyone trying to pressure a

process

it

choices,"

(p.

in

with

268) Now, he

not a checking in that can or should be legally

mandated. And he goes on: I

talked above about building a

ed an ethos

in the liberal

movement

was disapproving of the demeaning of too,

we should seek to

feel invited to

ers affected

that creat-

and progressive culture that sexuality. So,

create an ethos in which

women

consult and receive support from oth-

by their decision to abort, and conversely

for those involved to offer

support and comfort should

such a decision be taken by the pregnant woman. At every stage of this process, the relevant community needs to

be involved in a caring

and

supportive way.

(p. 269,

emphasis added here)

One of the main forms of "support and caring" that Lerner advocates

is

that, as

he puts

to provide emotional

the

woman to

it:

and

"A spiritual

community should be

spiritual support, to

Recent moves,

effectively give "the

woman's position

possible for

for

example

man who was

on abortion.

and

to

And Lerner even goes so

in the state of Ohio, to

pass laws that would

part of the conception" veto power over the

right to abortion, bring into sharper relief is

it

really grieve the loss [in the case of abortion],

affirm a shared vision of the sanctity of life."

39.

make

there

how

truly terrible Lerner's

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

189

ceremonies to formalize this individual and communal grieving; he calls for— get this— "rituals of mourning and purififar as to call for

cation to acknowledge ally

what

is,

in the

absence of these

rituals,

usu-

experienced only as a personal tragedy" (See pp. 267-68, 272.) It has to be said, straight out, that— despite the language of car-

community, nurturing and support, and despite disclaimers about not trying to pressure a woman into taking part in these com-

ing,

munity processes— these views of Lerner's, and the implications of what he advocates, will very rightly cause shudders among people with a deep understanding (or even a basic sense) of how,

sands of years, not only the force of the

for thou-

but also social customs

state,

and traditions— and, yes, the pressure of the community— have been used to maintain

women in

an oppressed condition, and

to

punish

them, often in the harshest and crudest of ways, where they have sought to break out of these oppressive confines.

Here I'm reminded of Richard Pryor's remarks about how he didn't like to hear

white people use the word

"nigger."

He

said

it

made him respond in the same way as when he heard good ole boys shouting in the middle of the night: "YEEEE HAA!"

down his spine— and not in

It

sent shivers

a good way.

Whatever Lerner's intent, the fact is that what he calls for around abortion would in reality

amount to nothing less than perpetuating

patriarchal oppression— and even the worst horrors associated with

it— and institutionalizing the communal enforcement of patriarchal traditions, values

and

relations, reinforced

a heavy shroud of guilt.

forward here

wedding Not

is

And

not that

far

it

must be

by wrapping

said that

women

in

what Lerner puts

removed from the bloody sheet of the

night. [Applause]

surprisingly, there

is

a very close link between these genu-

views of Lerner's and his sentimentality about the famHe writes: "No matter what our own child experiences may have

inely horrific ily.

been, no matter

how much we had

to struggle later in

life

to repair

some of the damage done by less-than-perfect parents, almost of us recognize that the family

is

all

the only institution in our society

BobAvakian

190

and

whose

explicit goal is to provide love

God,

241) Here again, one has to ask: exactly what world

p.

talking about? This

parents; but

is

caring."

(The Left

not to say that there aren't loving

what has been the

Hand of

is

Lerner

and caring

down through

actual experience,

thousands of years, and up to the present time, especially for women in the context tal

and confines of the family? It is far from this sentimen-

and romanticized view of the

so-called

"modern

(as

I

down to

and

today,

in

tremendous horrors have been perpe-

society,"

trated and perpetuated

family. Right

in the context of the family. Let's

remember

pointed out in Preaching From a Pulpit of Bones) that

it is

only

within the last few decades that the concept of marital rape has not

been considered and

treated, socially

and

in terms; that "Well into the 1980s, in

most

could legally rape their wives"; and that

as a contradiction

legally,

it

states in the U.S.

was not

until nearly the

end of the 20th century that this was declared a crime in with North Carolina being the

last state to

Preaching From a Pulpit ofBones,

p.

do

men

all states,

this, in late 1993.

(See

20— emphasis in original.)

And let's not forget what I also pointed out in Preaching— which still

has great relevance today:

Women are more likely to be raped by their husbands— and children more

likely to

be sexually assaulted and

molested by their fathers— than by strangers. in recent

years— and

upheaval of "the into the 1970s), en's

'60s"

and

It is

only

largely as a result of the social

(which actually carried over well

in particular

because of the

wom-

movement that was brought forth out of that upmuch light has been shed on this horren-

heaval—that

dous "domestic" violence. Before shrouded

in darkness,

that, this

was

largely

behind the closed doors of "the

home," protected by the "sanctity" of the "traditional family." (p. 19,

So, to say the

statement

I

emphasis

least— and

in original)

in fact to wildly

have cited here from Lerner on

only institution in our society

whose

understate things— the

how

the family

is

"the

explicit goal is to provide love

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the World

191

and caring" represents a highly romanticized, and distorted, picture of the family and the oppressive relations that still essentially and fundamentally define the family as a patriarchal institution and as an integral part of the overall oppressive relations of capitalist

society— notwithstanding the intentions and

some

ents (including

fathers) to have

many

efforts of

some other kind

par-

of relation-

ships within the family.

Now, Lerner nore, the reality ily.

But in

line

is

not entirely ignorant

with his overall views, he does not present inextricably,

most

ig-

essential part of

definitely including

this as

with the division of society into

antagonistic classes— something that

and

nor does he entirely

and history of oppression associated with the fam-

something bound up,

gral

of,

bound

is

to exist as an inte-

any society ruled by an exploiting

modern

class,

capitalist society.

Lerner s approach to this is, accordingly, one of reformism, which

not provide the means

cannot and

will

and

abolishing— patriarchy and the oppression of women.

finally

Lerner puts

this

it

of being a place

way: "Of course, not

all

families live

up

where genuine caring and nurturance

would only seem

fair to give

statement here. [Laughter]

"Nor,"

that award. [Laughter]

of—

to the ideal

are given."

Lerner some kind of award

represented our highest values."

tury,"

for getting to the root

It

under-

for

he goes on, "have families always

Two

times in a row he should get

"One great achievement of the twentieth cen-

he continues, "was our realization that the patriarchal family

oppressed

women and children and supported class divisions in the by legitimating the notion that

larger society,

are natural.'" "Spiritual progressives," he says,

inequalities of

power

"seek to encourage the

evolution of families from a structure based on domination to one spiritual partnership." {The Left Hand of God, p. 242)

founded on a

Note is

first:

evolution— not revolution— when

really required.

And

it is

revolution that

along with the other limitations

of,

and con-

tradictions in, Lerner's position here, the unavoidable fact as

I

have discussed here and

traditions

is

that,

elsewhere, the spiritual and religious

and related values that he wants

to base things

on are

BobAvakian

192

themselves powerful forces serving to rationalize and to reinforce patriarchy and the oppression of women.

those traditions and values ure to get to the root

even to deed,

So

of— and with an

see the way, to rooting

fully

all

The failure to rupture with

completely interwoven with the

is

fail-

inability to lead the way, or

out— that

oppression and,

in-

oppression.

not surprising that, once again, as with the question of

it is

abortion, Lerner

fails

to understand the essence of

what

is

going

on with the aggressive assertion of reactionary, patriarchal positions by the Christian Lerner's

own

Fascists;

and

He

fails

fact that

to understand, or to agree,

absolutely no good basis— said that

is

in principle— to seek

mined not only

any

common ground

at

it is

all

entirely

wrong,

with people deter-

to outlaw abortion, but to forcibly assert absolute

patriarchal authority

To get a

bound up with the

views on this share certain basic assumptions with

the religious fundamentalists. that there

this is

fuller

and oppression.

sense of this,

it is

worth

citing

an

article

by Russell

New York Times, Among other hor-

Shorto in the Sunday magazine section of the

May 7, rors

2006, entitled "Contra-Contraception."

mentioned

fundamentalists

in this article,

Shorto describes what the Christian

call "Purity Balls."

sponsor of these "Purity

Balls,"

Shorto quotes Leslee Unruh, a

where fathers attend, with

their teen-

age daughters: '"We think the relationship between fathers and their

daughters

is

the

key,'"

she says. Shorto recounts

Balls" a father "gives a purity ring' to his

how at such "Purity

daughter— a symbol of the

promise she makes to maintain her virginity for her future husband. Then, during her marriage ceremony, the daughter gives the ring to her

new husband."

Among [Laughter]

other things, the appropriate

tion to her: this conjures all

word

for this

is:

"sick!"

As a comrade commented when I read the above descrip-

at once.

And once

up

again,

visions of incest

how

far

away

is

and

this

cattle auctions,

from the bloody

sheet of the wedding night— and the death penalty

not bloody?

if

the sheet

is

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the World

193

Along with this, although Lerner seeks to uphold the rights of homosexuals and to oppose the attacks on them from the "Christian Right,"

he

is

forced into

some

of the

most astounding and

ridiculous

contortions in the attempt to reconcile this stand with the religious traditions with

which he

mote. For example,

identifies

and which he wants

around same-sex relations and gay marriage are infamous statement in Leviticus

18:22,

with another man: "You shall not it is

lie

about a

men

man

not having sex

with a male as with a woman;

should develop sexual behaviors appropri-

do not seek

ate for gay relationships that

to imitate the behaviors

appropriate for heterosexual relationships." (The Left p. 264) I'm not kidding— this

all

is

Hand

what Lerner actually says.

familiar with this passage, of,

and

of God,

[Laughter]

frankly hard to believe that anyone, including Lerner,

a part is,

debate

familiar with the

an abomination." Well, Lerner claims, these words "allow for the

interpretation that

It is

to pro-

many people who have been part of the

who

in general with the scriptures

is

at

it is

could seriously believe what Lerner says here. But Lerner

in a real sense, stuck,

lectual contortions, sive spirituality"

and cannot help going through these

intel-

because he is determined to promote a "progres-

which is rooted in those scriptures and the

traditions associated with them,

religious

and yet his sense of justice compels

him to oppose the condemnation of same-sex relations. And matters

become more

strained because not only does any reasonable inter-

pretation of the verse in question from Leviticus

between

men

is

make clear that sex

being condemned in the strongest terms

abomination"), but a

little

("it is

an

later in Leviticus the penalty for sexual

between men is spelled out in no uncertain terms: "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them." relations

(Leviticus 20:13)

And I am

obviously says— it

means

sorry,

that a

but Leviticus means what

man

can't

it

rather

have sex with another

man, he is only supposed to have sex with a woman, within the proper confines of property relations— that

is,

within a marriage sanctioned

by the religious and political authorities. There is no other reasonable

BobAvakian

194

interpretation of this. fully

I

don't believe there

say that the Bible, in Leviticus,

have sex with a woman, have

it

is

is

merely

Next,

This

is

it

in

"When you but

if

you

that, so naturally you'll

another position." [Laughter]

want

I

insisting:

in the missionary position;

have sex with a man, you won t be able to do have to do

any way you can truth-

about Lerner's views of awe and wonder.

to talk

a repeated theme in his book: the need of human beings for

awe and wonder. Now, I do Lerner on this

—

it is

find significant areas of agreement with

something

I

have brought out in a number of

writings and talks, including Preaching

there are

From a

Pulpit of Bones. But

two serious problems with Lerner's views on

First of

all,

this.

while at times he just refers to awe and wonder,

quently he will formulate

as "awe

it

and wonder at creation." So

fre-

right

away, he's brought a religious element, or the suggestion of a religious experience, into this. And

and method leads you religious

sense— that

if

you understand, as a scientific viewpoint

to understand, that there

is,

there

is

no

but only matter in motion, existing

Creator,

is

no creation

in a

no supernatural being,

infinitely

and undergoing con-

change— then you understand how, while awe and wonder important, there is not and there cannot be awe and wonder "at

tinuous are

creation,"

fold

but rather awe and wonder at what

is

in reality the

mani-

forms and the changingness of nature, and the way in which

this presents itself in

Secondly, Lerner

many diverse and often unexpected ways. is

one-sided on awe and wonder.

Owing to

the

influence of his religious viewpoint— his philosophical idealism and

metaphysics— he doesn't grasp the

we would

say,

dialectical relation

between, as

materialism and romanticism; between the experi-

ence of awe and wonder on the one hand, and solving mysteries on the other hand, which will be a continuous, never-ending process as

human beings exist. To put this and wonder— but not superstitious awe.

long as

In Observations on Art

and

another way,

Culture, Science

and

we need awe Philosophy,

I

spoke to both sides of the picture, both aspects of the contradiction involved.

As I put

it

there:

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

Human

World

195

beings do need to be amazed. You don't need

religion to realize or appreciate that. In the

motion of

the material world and the interaction of human beings

with the rest of reality, mysteries get resolved and

new

mysteries emerge. ("Intoxicated With the Truth," in Observations on Art and Culture, Science and Philosophy, p. 69)

I

have also emphasized,

example

for

in Preaching From a Pulpit

ofBones:

Communism— the Lenin,

real,

vibrant

and Mao, not the phony,

communism

of Marx,

"communism"

lifeless

of

Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Deng Xiaoping— does not

weigh down on but gives the fullest flight to the "human spirit,"

to the imagination

of things

which

at

and the continual pondering

any point are the source of mystery

and of awe. Communism rejects the notion that mystery

and awe must be identified only with things that cannot be known or understood; that the highest expression of this mystery

and

is

some unknowable

belief in

ineffable essence beyond material

we should tion

and awe

obliterate the distinction

and objective

reality

reality;

and that

between imagina-

through the pretense that the

supernatural forces and beings that

human beings have

created in their imagination are not only real but are the ruling and controlling forces of existence. (Preaching

From a

Pulpit of Bones, p. 87. This

is

in "Materialism and Romanticism: Can

Myth?" which

is

also

spoken to

We Do Without

included in the Observations book.)

Another way to put

this

is

that materialism and mystery form

a contradiction (in "Maoist terms," they constitute a unity of opposites).

A

materialist

mysteries,

and

sometimes

them even before resolved them,

dialectical

method enables us

to resolve them;

it

enables us to appreciate

resolving them, to appreciate

and

to recognize that

to explore

them

after

we have

new mysteries will continually

196

BobAvakian

arise,

including in relation to ones

we resolve.

The communist world outlook is a materialist outlook. Now, that does not have the same meaning as the way in which "materialism" is

commonly used:

"materialism," in the popular sense,

is

associated

with acquiring material possessions (you go to the mall and you get

many consumer goods as you can possibly buy). And one of the things that many people feel sick about and rebel against— often as

turning to religion as a result— is the never-ending quest for more

and more material

things. This

always need more. But this scientific,

never ultimately satisfying. You

not what materialism means in the

communist sense. In this sense it refers to the basic under-

standing that ity

is

is

all

of reality consists of matter, in

motion— that which

consists only of actually existing material things,

many

different

anything that

not matter does not

stars are matter, energy

is

matter,

exist.

The sun

we human

moving and changing.

and there

is

no

reality that is

That's

matter, the

is

beings are matter, the

processes within our brains are matter— these are

sists of,

exist in

forms and are constantly undergoing change— and

is

things that are

real-

what

something

all

all

else

real material

of reality con-

than

that.

Contrary to the claims of many— including 20th century philosophers Karl Popper and Bertrand Russell— Marxism scientific

approach to understanding and changing

a religion.

40

Here,

I

want

to cite the following

is

a science, a

reality. It is

not

from The Science of Evolution

and The Myth of Creationism— Knowing What's Real And Why It Matters,

by Ardea Skybreak, since

it

powerfully provides an answer to

who hold similar views concerning the fundamental question of how to appreciate human existence and its rela-

Lerner and to those

tion to the larger universe, to the rest of material reality:

40.

See for example, Karl Popper, The Open Society

Volume

and

Its

Enemies, es-

The High Tide of Prophecy: Hegel, Marx, and the Aftermath, Princeton University Press, 1971; and Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian,

pecially

II,

and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1957. In another work, Making Revolution and Emancipating Humanity (available at revcom.us), I speak to some of Popper's attempts to discredit Marxism and the distortions involved in this.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

We now know

that our

own human

World

197

evolution as well

as the evolution of all living things can be explained by entirely natural processes

and requires no super-natural

explanations. But will our ability to increasingly under-

stand life without god leave us feeling in some way adrift

and empty?

Why

should

We

still can, and should, be duly amazed, sustained, and even humbled, by the

it?

recognition of the wonders of diversity and complexity that naturally evolving

life can itself bring forth, and by both the limitations and ongoing potentials of our own

humanity... Far from being a recipe for a grey, cold and

passionless outlook, a truly materialist scientific method, systematically applied to uncovering the actual

genuine wonders of the natural and social world, can

uncork the imagination, the sense of purpose and the transformative consciousness and initiative of

human

beings in ways no reference to a presumed higher power ever could. Isn't that

an outlook worth

striving for?

(See the last page of the centerfold pictorial section of

The Science ofEvolution, emphasis

in original.)

Before moving on to the next section of this book,

examine a

little

I

want

to

further Lerner's views in relation to the question

of epistemology— and

more

specifically

what

is,

and

not, rational

is

thought. Lerner critiques "scientism" but this critique of "scientism" involves a confusion

and mingling of actual science and the scientific

method, on the one hand, with positivism— the tendency

to reduce

things to their immediate physical cause (or to empirical evidence in

and of itself and as a thing unto

nothing

else,

no

larger factors

itself)

and

to argue that there

and processes, which

is

are involved, or

which interact with the immediate and instant phenomena, and no leaps from one state of matter to another, as a result of such often

complex processes and

41.

This positivism

carries within sity be.

it,

is

their interactions.

41

an expression of determinism, since

the conclusion (or implication) that whatever

it

is

embodies, or

must

q)

BobAvakian

198

At times, Lerner treats science as the reduction of everything to what, as Lerner puts

it,

can be "observed and measured";

at other

times he refers to "the tools of science— empirical observation and rational thought." (The Left eral

Hand of God,

pp. 131, 133) But his gen-

tendency to conflate, or equate, positivism and reductionism,

on the one hand, with the actual

scientific

outlook and method, on

the other hand, creates a muddle which then serves to discredit ence. In

reality,

the scientific outlook and

method

ply empirical evidence, but also qualitative leaps to theory ceptions, synthesizing facts

and observations

comprehension of reality; and

and theories world.

in practice

And this

is

it

sci-

involves not sim-

and con-

into a higher level of

involves the testing of hypotheses

and engagement with the

larger objective

most of all, of the communist world outlook

true,

and methodology, which is a synthesis of materialism and dialectics and provides the most consistent, systematic and comprehensive scientific

This

approach to

is

all

qualitatively

of reality.

and

radically different

among other things, are charac-

positivism and reductionism, which, terized

from scientism, from

by the notion of a linear connection, a more or less

tension,

happens

direct ex-

between experience and concepts, instead of what actually in reality— where, as

repeatedly, qualitative leaps

Mao

Tsetung pointed out, there

are,

from experience and perceptual knowl-

edge to conceptual or rational knowledge. Rational knowledge, correctly understood,

what

is

is... well,

and experimentation— into an abstraction

reflects reality in a

more concentrated and higher way.

Lerner wants to argue that religion

thought than science. But the truth thought.

which synthesizes

learned through experience of various kinds— including

scientific investigation

which

rational knowledge,

It

involves

to— and

and

relies

is

is

no

less a

mode

that religion

on leaps of

faith,

is

of rational

Azcw-rational

which are

in op-

with— rational thought and which do not and cannot involve leaps to correctly synthesize what position

is

represent a rupture

learned through experience of the objectively existing world.

Religion puts forward as truths— even as essential

and defining

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

truths— things which are not derived from, and cannot tested

in,

1 99

in turn

be

the objective world of material existence. To identify the

non-rational nature of religion

is

not a matter of hurling

insults,

but

of speaking to the essential reality and character of religious thinking.

And

in reality, this non-rational

izes religion

cannot help but lend

way

of thinking that character-

itself,

in

one way or another, to

//rational thinking.

From

all this, it

can be seen more

fully that,

there are important insights in Lerner s The Left there

who

is

on the one hand,

Hand

of God, and

a significant scope for building unity with Lerner and those

hold similar views; but, at the same time, Lerner's worldview,

and the

political orientation

and

objectives that go along with

cannot lead things where they need to

go,

thoroughly transforming and uprooting the in the relations

among

it,

even in terms of fully and ills

in the

people that Lerner points

world and

to— sometimes

quite incisively— and definitely in terms of uprooting and advanc-

ing

beyond

sion,

all relations of exploitation,

and the

culture

domination and oppres-

and ways of thinking that go along with and

reinforce them.

The Myth of the Truthfulness and Positive Role of Religious

Myth

want to briefly discuss Karen Armstrong's basic thesis about myth, and its social role, as put forward in her book A Short History ofMyth, in particular in Chapter 1, "What is a Myth." She writes:

Next,

I

Mythology

not an early attempt at history, and does

is

not claim that

its

tales are objective fact....The

prepared their dead companion

derthals

who

new

were, perhaps, engaged

life

spiritual ers:

make-believe that

"What

would

if

Nean-

this

this affect

is

common

world were not our

in the

all

for a

same game

to

all

of

mythmak-

that there is?

How

lives— psychologically, practically

BobAvakian

200

Would we become

or socially? plete? And,

if

we

did find that

different?

we were

so transformed,

would that not show that our mythical in

More com-

belief

was

true

some way, that it was telling us something important

about our humanity, even though we could not prove this rationally?" (A Short History ofMyth, pp. 8-9)

And

she goes on:

A myth, therefore, is true because it is effective, not because

it

gives us factual information.

not give us it

has

new insight

failed. If

it

more

live

however,

into the deeper

works, that

it

does

meaning of life,

forces us to change

is, if it

our minds and hearts, gives us us to

If,

new hope, and compels

a valid myth. (p. 10, emphasis

fully, it is

in original)

Once again we

get back to the question of the difference— the

qualitative difference— between art, including myth,

well as

between

pit ofBones,

I

art

and

science.

and

reality,

as

At the end of Preaching From a Pul-

spoke to these questions and

made

the point that

art,

as distinguished from science, generally does not ask us to believe

that

what it presents is actually and literally true; rather, as a general

characteristic, art presents things

things which are other than the art

and

science.

religion

have

in

presents

and

as

it is.

Religion, too, presents

way reality actually is. That is what

common— and where they both differ from

Where the difference lies between art and religion— and it is

an essential difference— is that it

about life which are not represen-

mere reproductions of life

tations or

is

actually true,

essential truth

As I put it

about

religion asks us to believe that

and not only the truth but the defining

reality

and

motive causes and

its

in Preaching:

If religion

were to present

itself in

the

same way and

with the same expectations and requirements that art typically

what

does— if it were

to allow

and encourage peo-

ple to have the ultimate recognition that

its

fantastic

forces.

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

201

creations are not real— then

it would no longer be harmful and a hindrance to the all-around development

way

of humanity in the

longer be

now

it is

religion. In this era

mation and

in the future to

But

it

would

come, humanity

will

never

be able to do without the imagination and without it

must and will do without— and do much

out—religion,

emphasis

(p. 88,

no

also

of world-historic transfor-

art;

better with-

in original)

To get into another dimension of this, we can discuss what there is

in

common, but

what is

also

Both are important

different,

own

in their

right.

and

in the discovery of truth,

beauty— beauty, or

art in a

new

tant truths, often from

beauty and what

is

more

and

is

in

and often

are interconnected: there can be, in truth,

between beauty and

And,

truth.

important ways, they

is,

an aspect of beauty

and an aspect of the truth

general sense,

angles. But

may

in

reveal impor-

beauty— or conceptions of

not beautiful— are, unlike truth, socially

conditioned and have social content, and in an overall sense corre-

spond to and are part of one world outlook or another.

Different

viewpoints, which, in class society, ultimately correspond to

ent class outlooks (and fall

important to stress

ultimately,

into reductionism), have different ideas of what

not beautiful. There

is

consensus about what trast, is

it is

a scientific

is

differ-

and not

beautiful

and

not a scientific way to arrive at a universal is

beautiful

and what is

not.

There

way to arrive at determining what is

is,

by con-

true and what

not true. 42 Truths are important for changing the world— but not, again,

in a narrow, utilitarian sense. selves, in the

what to

is

sense that

it is

They

are important in

and of them-

important to know what

is

true and

not true, regardless of whether that has specific application

any particular endeavor or sphere of activity at a given time (and, 42.

For a discussion of views which have points in

common

but also some

differences over the question of beauty and truth, see Bob Avakian and Bill Martin, Marxism and the Call of the Future, Conversations on Ethics, History, and Politics,

Open Court Publishing/Carus

the Question of Truth."

Publishing, 2005, chapter

3,

"Ethics

and

Bob Avakian

202

with regard to communists, whether or not political objectives at

Or

to put

it

relates directly to our

any given time). Nonetheless, truth does have a

universality which beauty does not: truth

I

it

is

not socially conditioned.

another way: truth does not have a class character. As

have emphasized previously, 43 so long as there are

classes, truth

(what is known to be true and truths that are continually discovered) will enter, in

but truth

classes;

can is

one way or another, into the not reducible to and

is

be determined— by

it

objective: truth

is

how it relates

overall struggle

it is

between

not determined— nor

to the class struggle. Truth

a correct— or more or less correct— approxima-

tion of objective reality,

and does not depend on the

class position of

the person or persons

who discover that truth; nor does the truth of

something depend on

its

All this is directly

strong

and fundamentally opposed

truth.

what Arm-

And, besides other aspects of what

wrong with her viewpoint, she

that the

to

putting forward about truth, specifically in terms of the re-

between myth and

lation is

is

social impact.

is

wrong

in her essential assertion

myths of religion do not present themselves as though they

are to be taken as truth in a factual or historical sense.

do and certainly have. What

tainly

They

cer-

the battle over evolution

is

all

about? Evolution cannot be true, argue Christian fundamentalists, because, they

insist,

the origin

myth

in the Bible

is

true— and

this

myth has, throughout history, precisely been intended as something to be taken as

literally,

historically true.

The

Bible says that

God cre-

ated the heavens, the earth and everything therein in six days, and

on the seventh day He that's

not presented as a myth which

"effective." It is

(or was). It is

43. lar

is

"true"

merely because

it is

not presented, nor intended to be taken, as art that

not representing is

rested. That's presented as historical fact,

reality (in this case, historical reality) as

it

is

actually

not something that you are supposed to approach as

See Observations on Art and Culture, Science and Philosophy, in particu-

"Bob Avakian

in a

Discussion with Comrades on Epistemology:

and Changing the World."

On Knowing

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

some

sort of "organizing experience" 44

World

203

which may have a useful

role

in getting people to act in certain

what really happened in more

ways but doesn't correspond to history and in fact. Quite the contrary. And

many religious myths have been presented as truth and historical fact— and have been fought for as generally throughout history,

such. That

is

not to say that there have never been myths presented,

including in religion, which were not meant to be taken as

literally

But to put forward as a general statement and a general charac-

true.

terization of myths, particularly in the context of religion, that they

are not intended to be taken as literal

and

historical

truth— that

is

completely wrong.

What Armstrong presents This

valid.

is

also

an expression of pragmatism

in her

concept of what makes myth

is

and instrumentalism, as shown

another expression of what Lenin called "truth as an

organizing experience." Or, another way of more crudely formulating

this— and

with the pragmatic outlook that

this is in line

is

so widely

propagated and popularized in American society especially— is that if

something

is

true— that

it is

truth. This

myth

is

is

useful

and helps achieve a desired

this is the

what Armstrong

true "because

information." She

is

it is

is

arguing for

effective,

not because

us

she says that a gives us factual

it

Armstrong truth

whether or not it "works"— and what "works" "it

when

positing a subjective definition of truth: at least

as applied to myth, according to

by whether

objective, then

meaningful definition and criterion of

forces us to change our

is,

is

determined by

in turn,

minds and

determined

hearts,

and

gives

new hope, and compels us to live more fully." To underscore what is wrong with this view, and the epistemology

"truth as an organizing experience" was utilized by major philosophical work Materialism and Empirio-Cntu ism) as

The formulation

44.

Lenin

(in his

part of his critique of various philosophical viewpoints that treated truth as a subjective rather than an objective phenomenon. "Truth as an organizing expel ience"

is

expressive of a viewpoint which today

we would

generally describe as

an "instrument'' f subjective to make it conform to those reality desires and aims— and attempting to torture

"instrumentalist," in the sense of

desires

and aims.

making

reality

Bob Avakian

204

embodies,

it

it

need only be said that more than a few people

in

Nazi Germany would have said— and in fact acted as if— the mur-

derous mythology propagated by the Nazis

the criteria

fulfilled all

Armstrong mentions here with regard to the truthfulness— that the usefulness— of myth. And the question also poses

itself:

agrees to criteria of this kind with regard to myth, then is

there for refusing to apply the

asserted, Let's

same

criteria to

new insight into conclusion

anything which

is really

"the deeper

is

in essence a tautological

a restatement of its

meaning of life," except

begin with? Who

whether or not

the deeper meaning of life." First of all,

priori notions with is

initial

as that

is

it

it

"gives

us

should be

assumptions.

What is same a

defined by the

to say what

is

"the deeper

meaning of life,"

divorced from the criterion of correspondence to reality? criteria,

of whether or not that something corresponds

anyone

whether something

to real

then "the deeper meaning of life" has in

If

if that

life,

life,

regardless

to objective

reality lost all

mean-

except as part of apriorist and tautological reasoning. And, of

course, this

is

concentrated, rather crudely, in the pragmatic and

instrumentalist assertion:

This

is

by the

subject,

A

works" then

is

idealist

true or not

is

valid.

it is

epistemology (the notion

a matter to be determined

by a particular individual, without regard to whether

conforms to a

45.

"if it

unvarnished subjective

that whether something

for

es-

argument whose

provides greater insight into the deeper meaning of

it

is

which Armstrong is approaching the question to

can determine, by the use of subjective

reality,

basis

examine another aspect of how Armstrong seeks to

pointed out that this

ing,

once one

what

by someone, to be true? And where does that lead?

tablish criteria for the validity of myth:

is

is,

larger, objective reality).

fundamental dividing

example, Anti-Duhring),

is

45

But

line in philosophy, as

whether

it is

this is a subjective

Engels pointed out

understood that

(see,

reality exists objec-

and independently of the perception (or beliefs) of anyone (any subject), and that in fact people (as well as other conscious beings) and their thought processes themselves consist of matter, and nothing else— that all of reality consists ofmatter in motion— or whether, on the other hand, it is believed that ideas exist independently of matter, that ideas and matter are two separate categories (that

tively

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the idealism in the service of objective idealism— that

World

205

religion

is,

and

belief in the supernatural as objectively true (or as functionally the

same it

as objectively true).

doesn't matter

illusion

if

And we know where

something

with regard to

reality,

not

lead,

literally

where

but to

all

it

the truth— we

has led and

kinds of horrors.

and true according

to

if it fulfills

will lead. If

problems with relativism— including,

myths

conflict with

often gone, er

to

all

kinds of errors,

choose what's valid

free to

them, we're back to

all

ultimately, particularly

the

when

which myth can be imposed over the other.

makes right"— this

is

where things can

go,

and have

when there is no objective criterion to determine wheth-

something is true and valid or This leads

tific

as the truth,

each other, the reduction of things to a contest

of power relations to see In short, "might

is

suits

it

good

that kind of thing can

Not only

everyone

a function as defined

that's as

know where

whether

not— it can be an

factually true or

is

but

by someone somewhere, a priori, then if

the viewpoint that

me

to the

not.

more general question

and moral certitude— what

is

the

of certitude, scien-

same and what

is

different

about them. In science, and through the application of the scientific

method, we can

seems

like

tively, in

arrive at certitude. Or, to invoke

an oxymoron, we can

the sense that reality

is

what perhaps

arrive at certitude, relatively: rela-

constantly changing and our best

approximations of it are taking place in that context; and the sense that whatever part of reality

we understand

nected with other parts of reality, as well as with

all

is

relative in

intercon-

the changingness

and consciousness constitute something other than matter in motion) and that the reality that is perceived by an individual is the extension of the mind, or ideas, of that individual and is therefore in essence subjective (in which ideas

case there can be different realities for different individuals or subjects) or is the extension of the mind of one transcendental and universal being, which of course

is

a

way

of saying (or of positing something equivalent to) god.

former outlook (recognizing that

all

that reality exists independently of the

mind

one form or another (broadly speaking, either

tive" idealism).

he-

or ideas of any particular being)

corresponds to a materialist understanding of reality; the idealism, in

I

of reality consists of matter in motion and

latter to philosophical

"subjective" or "objec

Bob Avakian

206

of

But nonetheless, while

reality.

certitude

is

real This

is

relative, this (scientifically

based)

another way of formulating a fundamental

philosophical principle that Lenin emphasized. Lenin pointed out that

Marxism

rejects relativism philosophically— it recognizes,

upon the

insists

recognition, that there

and that things that are

is

and

in fact objective reality

objectively true have the quality of absolute-

ness in their being true. But, Lenin added, while rejecting relativ-

Marxism

ism,

tive in

the absolute. For example, that

then die truth

also recognizes that there

is

(it is

objectively true, definitely true

an element of the

is

human

rela-

beings are born and

and this truth has the

quality of absolute

and not true only in a relative sense— not

only in relation to and as determined by subjective criteria, such as

whether or not someone believes objective basis, that

is,

it,

regardless of whether

whether or not

it

and

society, while real, are also conditional

put

it,

the range of things

is

vast

has an

corresponds to objective

But because, as Lenin also stressed, boundaries

reality).

it

and

and there

is

in nature

relative (or, as

Mao

the interconnected-

ness of things); because once again any particular aspect of reality is part

of,

and interconnected with, a

larger reality;

and because

reality is

undergoing constant change;

we have

correctly understood about a part of reality

true— corresponds solute tive.

truth— but

to objective reality,

at the

same time

it

rialist

and fundamental,

is

of

whatever

objectively

and has the character of ab-

contains an aspect of the rela-

This basic Marxist understanding

objective,

for these reasons,

all

is

distinction

crucial in maintaining the

between a

scientific,

mate-

(and dialectical) outlook and approach, on the one hand, and

a relativist (and philosophically idealist) outlook and approach, on the other hand. So, yes,

tain things.

the test

of,

to disprove

it is

possible to be,

on a correct

basis, certain

Evolution— we can be certain about

that.

It

about cerhas stood

not just time in the abstract, but of repeated attempts it,

and

in fact

it

has been reinforced rather than under-

mined by the continuing accumulation of evidence and the

leap

from evidence to the synthesis of further knowledge. So we can say

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changin the World g

with certitude that evolution simple and basic terms:

it is

is

a scientifically established

true.

fact. Or, in

And we can say, with certitude, that

the account of creation in Genesis

Now, when you get

207

is

not

true.

to the question of morality, things are

complex. Arriving at the truth through

scientific

means can

more often

be complex; but with questions of morals, things are complex different way. Science deals with

been and what not answer it

all

cannot by

is

coming

what is— and can

It

us what

tell

answer the question of what ought to

that mean, therefore, that

what has

into existence. But science by itself can-

the questions of "ought."

itself

also with

in a

we cannot have any moral

we can have moral certitude— relatively. We

but

is,

be.

Does

certitude? No,

can, to take a crucial

example, scientifically determine what the communist revolution

aims

for

about in

and will achieve, and the changes

human

society, in

this revolution will bring

human social relations and

in the think-

We can scientifically establish that with certitude (but a relative aspect within that certitude, as spoken to here). We

ing of people.

with

can say that the advance to communism represents an emancipation, the bringing into

of people

being of a better world, for the great majority

and ultimately

therefore, that in

making

for

humanity as a whole. And we can

this leap

we

are acting in

say,

correspondence

with the interests of the great majority of humanity and ultimately

humanity as a whole. About this, we can have a moral

Of

say: "that

ly

will,

ought not to happen," [Laughter]. And they will argue that

in fact this is Is

certitude.

course, people representing the bourgeoisie can, and

not good for humanity. So,

the argument that

communism

let's

is

sort this out further.

good

for

humanity mere-

a relative— or relativist— argument, and can there be no objec-

tive

determination of whether this

determine

this.

is

true? No.

We

However, to make the leap to say

can objectively it

ought

pen requires something beyond merely science— it does and involve a partisan standpoint.

All this

is

to

hap-

require

related to points I've

discussed previously about communist universalism— univri salism in the sense that we can say that communism, as a world outlook

Bob Avakian

208

and methodology, embraces

all

the various spheres of knowledge

and endeavor of human beings, while not replacing them, and versalism in the sense that

communism,

as a political objective,

uni-

em-

braces the interests of the great majority of humanity. 46 About that

we can have moral that achieving

certitude,

and from that standpoint we argue

communism, and being guided by

the

communist

outlook and method, ought to be done.

Once more,

of course, the defenders of the present order,

who

communism, would argue

that

passionately oppose the advance to

what goes on

in capitalist society

and under the

rule of imperial-

ism does not constitute exploitation, oppression and domination but

is

in fact in the best interests of those

they would insist that

all

who

are subjected to this;

this is non-exploitation, non-oppression,

and non-domination. But what happens

to people

tem

reflected accurately in the

constitutes

an

objective reality that

is

under

this sys-

concepts "exploitation," "oppression," and "domination"— and calling

something

this

and

else (even rcorc-exploitation, non-oppression,

non-domination) would not change the essence of that objective

would only involve employing words and terms

in a

reality

(it

that

very different from, and in fact conveys the opposite

is

of,

way

what

has evolved as the socially agreed upon meaning of those words and terms).

The same

ests of the

is

true with regard to concepts such as "the inter-

masses of people, and ultimately humanity as a whole"

and "emancipation" from exploitation and oppression: correspond to a sible to

46.

reality that exists objectively.

argue that the advance to This point

"Thus, while

is

made,

for

this era:

it

it

the

pos-

all

other morality— is not transcen-

any

historical

and

social basis

and

does have the quality of universality precisely for

corresponds to the leap that humanity must make in this era and to

means for making that leap." (p. "Communist universalism" Strategy.

it is

does not represent

example, in Preaching From a Pulpit ofBones:

dental, in the sense of being independent of era,

And, while

communism

communist morality— like

being applicable in any

these, too,

80, is

emphasis

in original)

also discussed in Great Objectives

and Grand

Regarding the principle that Marxism embraces, but does not replace,

many different spheres of human knowledge and endeavor,

on Art and Culture, Science and Philosophy.

see Observations

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the these interests (and that

it

World

209

does not constitute an "advance" or an

making that argument does not negate the objecreality to which the statements— the advance to communism is

"emancipation"), tive

in the interests of the

masses of people, and ultimately humanity as

a whole, and this will constitute an emancipation from exploitation

and oppression— correspond. This relates to the basic principle, and fundamental truth, that

communism partisan.

as a world outlook

and method

is

both objective

and

both a thoroughly, systematically, and comprehen-

It is

sively scientific

outlook and method for engaging reality— for under-

standing and transforming reality— and it corresponds in the largest sense to the interests of a gle to

transform

all

class,

the proletariat, in leading the strug-

of society, achieve the "4 Alls" that

and bring forth the era of communism

all

Marx spoke of,

over the world. 47

Here enters in the importance of my statement that, "Everything that

actually true

is

get to

is

good

for the proletariat,

communism." As I have contrary to the

all

truths can help us

also recently emphasized:

way in which

it is

often,

even generally,

presented in this society, ideology does not necessarily

mean an

instrumentalist approach to "organizing real-

pursuit of desired ends, which bears

ity" in

relation to is

or

no

how reality actually is. Communist ideology

definitely a

worldview and

on the one hand;

47.

little

at the

set of principles to live by,

same time

it is,

in

fundamental

The "4 Alls" is a characterization of a statement by Marx that was popu-

larized during the course of the Cultural Revolution in China. This

is

referred to

speaks of "the elimination of all class distinctions,

all where it on which these class distinctions rest, all the social relations that correspond to those production relations, and the revolutionization of all the ideas that correspond to those social relations." The original statement

earlier in this text,

the production relations

by Marx, from which

this is

drawn,

is

as follows:

the declaration ofthe permanence ofthe revolution, the class dicproletariat as the necessary transit point to the abolition of class tatorship of the distinctions generally, to the abolition of all the relations of production Oil which "socialism

is

they rest, to the abolition of all the social relations that correspond to these via tions of production, to the revolutionizing of all the ideas that result from these i

social relations." (The Class Struggles in France, 1848-50,

emphasis

in original

|

210

BobAvakian

terms, in accordance with reality and

development, and ing

reality.

ogy

is

side

This

means

a

is

why we

is

engag-

communist

say that

both partisan—it stands with and

among

motion and

its

for scientifically

for

ideol-

a definite

the contending social forces in the world,

the side of proletarian revolution and the advance to

communism— and in

it

seeks an objective,

accordance with the advance to communism, and

since that advance

dictions in

there

is

contort

on the

way the fundamental

to

course,

for

communists

to distort reality, or

work against the advance it

pos-

contra-

make it fit their aims and objectives— and,

contrary, any such distortion

actually

its

human society are tending, on a world scale,

no need it,

and

objectively possible

is

expressed in the

sibility is

nists

objective:

understanding of reality, in order to transform

scientific it

it is

and contortion will to

communism. Of

has not always been the case that

have acted

in

accordance with

this

truth— there have been marked tendencies tory of the

communist movement

to

commu-

fundamental in the his-

into adopt-

fall

ing various forms of "political truths"— in other words, stating as truths things

which seem convenient

which are at the

identified philosophically

and

in reality not true

but

time (an approach Lenin criticized as "Truth as

an

organizing principle" or "organizing experience"). But the fact remains that, as a matter of basic principle,

communism

as a worldview

and method

rejects

such

instrumentalist approaches and recognizes the funda-

mental epistemological principle in is

that, as

another discussion: "Everything that

good

for the proletariat, all truths

is

I

have put

it

actually true

can help us get to

communism." (Footnote by the author to "Bringing For-

ward Another Way," emphasis cited at the

sion with

end here

is

from "Bob Avakian

statement

in a Discus-

Comrades on Epistemology: On Knowing and

Changing the World", ture,

in original; the

Science

in Observations

and Philosophy)

on Art and Cul-

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

211

Reason Has Not "Failed Us"— Reason Is Absolutely Necessary— Though, In Itself,

me

This leads

a conclusion. overall

and

Not Enough

It Is

to the next point

I

want

to discuss, before

moving

to

And that is the question, which is of great importance terms of the

specifically in

tween science and

and which

religion,

relation, or the contrast, beis

frequently posed in today's

world: Has reason failed us?

To begin to get into free, in is

this,

and of itself, but we

closely

we can

will

say:

is

good

truth will not set us

not get free without the truth. This

bound up with the statement

tually true

The

that "Everything that

for the proletariat, all truths

ac-

is

can help us get to

communism."

The

fact is that reasoning

can, in certain aspects

and science and the

results of science

and certain dimensions, be used not only by

the proletariat, but also by the bourgeoisie and other reactionar-

ies—they can be used to

promote

for

very different purposes and be employed

radically different

reason— or the process of in

and of

itself,

world. But

ends and objectives. As with

rational

thought— will not by

truth,

itself,

and

necessarily lead to a radically different and better

we can

never achieve the emancipation of humanity

without reason and the process of rational thought— and, above reason and rational thought as this

is

all,

applied as part of the most

comprehensive, systematic and thoroughly

scientific

outlook and

method, the outlook and method of communism.

Bound up with

this is the question of

two

radically different

kinds of leaps: the leap from perceptual to conceptual (or rational)

knowledge about "a

leap of

faith."

reality,

on the one hand; and, on the other hand,

In this connection

passages from an article

I

it

would be

helpful to cite

some

wrote, within the last few years, dealing

with this subject:

As Mao Tsetung pointed out in his important philosophical works, such as "On Practice," in the gaining

212

Bob Avakian

(or

accumulation) of knowledge by people, there are

two basic

stages:

The

the stage of perceptual

first is

knowledge, and the second stage knowledge.

that of rational

is

And arriving at the second stage, of rational

knowledge, not only involves and requires building on

what also

is

learned through the

making a leap

identifying the "patterns" in essential character

first

(perceptual) stage but

in systematizing

what

and basic

is

what

is

perceived:

perceived and the

identity of things that

lie

beyond the outward appearance of things....

As Mao anything,

observing

also pointed out,

we

see

some

it

when we

in only a partial

first

encounter

and scattered way,

of its features but not

what

"ties

them

together"— what is the essential character of something,

which it is

gives to that thing

its

both different from and at the

other things. This

is

such— and how same time relates to

identity as

the stage of simply perceiving some-

thing, of perceptual knowledge....

The understanding of reality that is gained, through the leap from perceptual to rational knowledge, be-

comes, in turn, the

basis, the foundation,

further perceptual

knowledge that

is

analyzed and synthesized to

this

is

from which

accumulated

make further

leaps of

kind (from perceptual to rational knowledge yet

again... and

then

again...).

So the acquiring of knowl-

edge—by individuals and by society and humanity overall—is not a "one-time" thing, but an ongoing process.

This applies to "everyday

life"

and

it

applies in a con-

centrated way with regard to the conscious and systematic application of the scientific

another point

Mao

method. This

relates to

emphasized: beyond the leap from

perceptual knowledge to rational knowledge, there further

leap— from

rational

knowledge to

the course of which material reality ther perceptual knowledge

is

is

is

a

practice, in

changed and

fur-

gained, laying the foun-

dation for a further leap to rational knowledge... and on... and on.

("A Leap of Faith' and a Leap to Rational

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the Knowledge:

Two

Very Different Kinds of Leaps,

World

213

Two

Radically Different Worldviews and Methods," Revolution #010, July 31, 2005,

posted at revcom.us, emphasis

in original)

As that

article

(and

its title)

emphasize,

"a

leap of faith"

is

the

opposite of a leap from perceptual to rational knowledge of reality: a "leap of faith"

a leap

is

ences which are

The

awayfrom

reality

and

to conclusions or infer-

in conflict with reality.

article cited several

examples which

illustrate the

funda-

mental contrast between those two kinds of leaps: viewing a football game; weighing evidence as part of a determine

when

it is,

these cases— and the

examined— the

and

is

many

and a

jury;

child learning to

not, safe to cross the street. In each of

others from everyday

life

that could be

contrast can, and must, be drawn between, on the

one hand, learning more about the

realities of

something and then

systematizing that into a higher level of understanding which concentrates in

what

is

essential in this reality ("identifying the patterns'

what is perceived and the essential character and basic identity of

things that

lie

beyond the outward appearance

what takes place and,

away from the process

what

is

belief

which

learned, is

"faith,"

which involves rupturing

and adopting instead an approach of relying on

traffic,

is guilty,

(

for

god

is

a

superimposed on the

example: telling a small child, "don't

will protect you"; or insisting,

"I

know

because the Lord revealed that to me").

short, a scientific outlook

and method involves and

thought, while a religious worldview, with

its

In

requires rational

"leaps of faith," involves

and embodies non-rational thought And, as I pointed out in ing Michael Lerner's viewpoint, and his epistemology

such non-rational thought cannot help but lend

ways of approaching

is

of learning about reality and systematizing

reality that is taking place

the defendant

leap of

not drawn from but rather

worry about the

which

from perceptual to rational knowledge;

in the leap

on the other hand, a

of things"),

discuss-

in particular,

itself to //rational

things.

Now, speaking of

rational thought,

one important element of

BobAvakian

214

this is formal logic. if

48

For example,

something happens

not,

it.

can be clearly determined that

something

after

and could not have been,

before

it

the second thing

else,

the cause of the thing that

was

happened

true that when you get to certain levels of matter that

(It is

are investigated

by theoretical physics, things become more com-

and

plicated in regard to time

limited realm of reality with

causality. But, in

terms of the more

which we normally deal in everyday life,

formal logic can and does lead to the valid conclusion that something which happens after something else cannot be the cause of that previous thing.) But, even aside from questions posed by theoretical physics,

to

formal logic has

understand as

its

way— observed that, with also a conclusion. (This

is

regard to syllogisms, every affirmation

is

another illustration of the dialectical inter-

connection of things, which

mean, that

and that is important

Mao— in his typically "Mao-esque"

Pointing to these limitations,

this

limitations,

well.

Mao

also emphasized). But

what does

in syllogisms every affirmation is also a conclusion?

Well, a syllogism

is

a kind of logical construct which starts with

a primary premise, or affirmation; then states a second premise, in relation to the

body

in

Texas

therefore,

all

first;

and then draws a conclusion. For example: Every-

is brilliant; all

the people in Lubbock are

Now, that follows

Lubbock

the people in

logically.

are in Texas;

brilliant.

You have an

affirmation, or a major

premise, followed by a secondary premise, and then a conclusion—

and

it is

all logically consistent.

affirmations) accurate

and

The question

true?

To answer

is:

Are the premises

that,

it is

(or

necessary to

step outside of the particular syllogism and the formal logic involved

48. In Anti-Duhring Engels said that, once the philosophical breakthrough had been made by Marxism which established materialism on a firm, scientific basis, all that was left of previous philosophy was dialectics and formal logic. While I have some significant disagreements with this argument by Engels,

there

is

a continuing importance to formal logic, correctly understood. For a

and Not 'The

discussion of differences with Engels on this point, see Observations on Art Culture, Science

End

and Philosophy,

of Philosophy"

especially

"Marxism

Is

a Science,

It Is

Away

in

it.

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changi ng the World

That was Mao's point about how, already in the

affirmation, there

is

a conclusion.

that everybody in Texas derive from,

mine

if

to step

Was

logic.

or affirmation, arrived at by scientific

and validated by

example

is

that,

and

to deter-

back and make an

and the

scientific

this first (major) premise,

methods and can it be verified

methods? No,

in this case (speaking of

city of Lubbock).

Or take another example. Richard Pryor had he

premise, or

and synthesis, by applying scientific methods that are more

all-encompassing than formal

Texas,

determine

you have

is valid,

first

in this

But where did that conclusion

is brilliant.

how was it arrived at? To

the conclusion

analysis,

The conclusion

215

said: 'All Italians are

for the Mafia." [Laughter] Well, in reality, that

examine

this

more

this routine

where

not in the Mafia, but most of them work

closely.

And

let's

make

is

his

not true. But lets

second statement

more "universal," so that it says: 'All Italians work for the Mafia." Let's

make

that the major premise of our syllogism.

Giuseppe

is Italian;

know if this

Then we can go

on:

therefore Giuseppe works for the Mafia. Well, to

we have to determine whether the first affirmation, the first premise, is true? Do all Italians in fact work for the Mafia? (Once again, in reality, that is not true.) And then we would also need to know if the second(ary) premise— that Giuseppe is Italian— is actually true, before we could determine whether the conclusion

is

actually true,

is valid.

ond premise has

So not only the

must— be

what

is

a part of this, but

true and not true. This

tion to formal logic: of,

is

reality.

in

Formal

logic

can— and

and of itself it cannot

important to understand

what is valid about, and what

tell

us

in rela-

are the limitations

formal logic?

We

could go on endlessly playing around with examples.

Black people are good at basketball; James is

and

to be tested in a larger context of engaging

drawing rational conclusions about in fact

affirmation but also the sec-

first

good

at basketball." Well,

premises are true. Are this is

not the case.

Is

all

we have

is

to test

whether the

Black people good at basketball?

James

actually Black?

"All

Black; therefore Jam es

I

first

two

In reality,

don't know, we'd

haw

BobAvakian

216

to go find out

who James

his "race" (or nationality)

is

is.

and discover what [Laughter]

his

despite

Still,

background and its

limitations—

and with an understanding of its limitations— formal logic tant, in the scientific

context

of,

and on the basis

approach (and

the outlook and

Formal

method

this,

itself is

once again,

thought

most

is

impor-

and all-around

fully

expressed in

(or reason)

more

generally, is

not enough.

Religious "Faith"— Lets Call In contrast to logic

is

overall

of communism: dialectical materialism).

logic, like rational

necessary but in

an

of,

and reason,

What It Is: Irrational

It

let's

talk

some more about

faith. In

the Bible, in the words of Paul (or words that in any case are attrib-

we

uted to Paul) things

hoped

"Now

find the following:

for,

faith is the

assurance of

the conviction of things not seen"; and "we look

not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen

is

temporary, but what cannot be seen

and 2 Corinthians

11:1

This

is

Hebrews

very similar, frankly, to the (non-rational) reasoning of

owns standard

would

eternal." (See

4:18.)

Karen Armstrong about myth. What its

is

of validity,

which

is

being argued

is

that faith has

not the standard that science

is

establish. In fact, the claim of faith to validity

cluded from the realm of science, because faith

is

is

explicitly ex-

the conviction— of

what? Of things not seen— things which not only are not seen, but

which cannot be seen, by definition. And why is that important? Because, as

we

porary"— it seen

"What can be seen

see in Second Corinthians:

is

of this world, in other

is

tem-

words— "but what cannot be

is eternal."

Here we find another tautology.

A

realm,

beyond the actual

world, has been invented— and, by definition, things pertaining to this

realm cannot be tested— and then

"other worldly" quality of this realm, tested,

it is

more important than

it is

declared that, given the

whose existence cannot be

that

which can be experienced,

7

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the World

21

and tested, and from which rational conclusions can be drawn. This logically no different than arguing: A is greater than B, because B

is is

lesser

than A.

This

why faith

is

by

is,

its

very nature, thinking that

from the realm of rational thought.

It

involve consistent formal logic, but

ily

is

removed

doesn't even necessar-

more fundamentally than

that— and even where there may be expressions

of religious faith

that are consistent with formal logic— the premises of faith do not

conform to

reality

and to a rational approach

shown by scientific methods no foundation if they

to

in anything

are true. So let us

which

it

to

to reality:

They can be

be untrue, or can be shown to have

which could even be tested to determine

remove

faith

from the seemingly lofty place

has been assigned by the ruling interests and dominant

institutions of contemporary capitalist society (and previous societ-

and assign

ies),

than

faith its rightful designation: Faith

is

nothing more

irrationality.

God Does Not Exist— And There Is No Good Reason to Believe In God Here we get to the whole question of burden of proof. You often hear religious people arguing: "Despite

proved and you

what you

You

play that

game

invisible

dinosaur hovering in the sky above

forever.

clare "by faith" that there

see it— can

am

say,

you haven't

dis-

can't disprove the existence of God." Well, you can

is

can't disprove that right

now there

us. [Laughter] If

is I

an de-

such a dinosaur but you simply cannot

you disprove that? By

definition

you cannot, because

I

not putting forward any attributes of this alleged dinosaur that

are testable in the real world. Or,

if

I

were to inform you that

here— who by the way exists— is

I

(invisible) friend

James,

going to rob and murder you

later

you would demand of me some proof of this. [Laughter] And or couldn't provide any proof, other than my insistence on this—

today, if

my

Bob Avakian

218

by quoting some "holy

James appeared

scripture" that

I

wrote to back

and the

in a glorious blaze of light,

up ("And

this

light

shone

about him, so that others could not see him; but James was

all

and

evil

had determined to rob and murder all those about")— if that is what I

offered,

by way of proof, you would say that maybe

I

needed some

help from a mental health professional. [Laughter] In that case, you

would

quite correctly insist:

exists,

which no one can

onstrate

its

If I tell

"If you

see,

and

are going to say that something

there's

no material

reality to

existence, you have to provide the proof of that."

you about a god that

have come to believe

in,

and

I

is

different

from the god that you

say that this god

is

more powerful

than your god, that terrible things are going to happen to you

to me: "Prove

and that your god

you any protecare going to say

it."

In situations of that kind

which there

is

onus

it

is,

can be readily seen, and people

correctly,

no evidence,

on

me

to prove

son people respond this way in these circumstances

alien to

them— it

dominant

that the

is

The

rea-

because they

this particular

god

not the case, with this particular god,

is

relations, structures, institutions, ideas

ture in the society in

will

something

in the real material world.

have not been socially conditioned to believe in is

you

can't offer

readily agree, that the

that

if

more powerful and awful god— you

don't follow this god,

tion from this

for

dem-

which they

live

and

cul-

have been working to make

them feel as if belief in this god is simply "natural" and it would make you somehow it

comes

believe

to a

in, all

worse, not to believe in this god. But,

of sudden they want to argue that

do not believe exist,

"odd," or

when

god that people have been taught and conditioned to

in the existence of that

even though there

is

it is

up

to those

god to prove that

no more evidence,

it

who

does not

in the real material

world, for the existence of that god than for any other gods. This calls to

mind an observation

religion in the tion.

I

made

a

number

world believes that every other

And they're all

of years ago: "Every religion

is

supersti-

correct."

Sometimes people

will argue,

"God may not

exist for you,

but

9

Away

god

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

definitely exists for me." [Laughter] Well, then, that's just a

you invented. [More laughter] Because exists for

if

god

me— even if

everyone— including

reality, it is

I

really exists,

only because, for reasons spoken to

tions of a given society insist that this or that for that

they

reason that

then god

earlier, belief in vari-

prove

it

does not

to those

To those

only

This

is

up

it is

to

turning reality upside down.

you

It is

to

not

not believe in god to prove the non-existence of

something which does not exist— and valid proof has

is

many people believe in this or that god, and that

exist."

who do

institu-

god exists— it

you deny the existence of this god,

insist: "If

god

don't believe in god. In

ous gods has been institutionalized— because the dominant

up

21

for the existence of which

no

been provided. [Laughter]

who

continue to

insist,

despite

all

the evidence to the

contrary, that the imaginary gods that have been invented by people

do it.

really exist,

And

circle is

necessary to say: You provide the evidence

arguments such

The Truth;

this

it is

god

for

evidence must be something other than round-in-a-

this

therefore

in the real

"The Bible says that god

as:

God exists." Provide some

world— how

god) has manifested

this

exists;

the Bible

actual evidence of

god (and not just

belief in this

the real world and has had an effect on

itself in

things in the real world. Provide arguments and evidence about the

existence of this god which can be tested in the real world. It is

necessary to insist that the same standards and

criteria that

are applied to other things also apply to assertions about the exis-

tence of god:

If

someone posits something,

provide proof for what they are positing. will strike a city,

born

if

I

I

up

to that person to

predict that a hurricane

somewhere a thousand miles from any ocean,

the middle of winter, sertion. Or,

If

it is

up

it is

to

me

to provide evidence for this as-

claim that in the next year a

who will be able, all on its

earth in ten minutes,

up

it is

to

own,

in

to fly

human

being

will

be

around the equator of the

me to provide the evidence

for this.

And if anyone posits the existence of a god whose existence can be known only through "faith," then it is up to that person to provide evidence— other than the

tautological

arguments of faith— for the

Bob Avakian

220

existence of that god. Merely saying,

"I

choose to believe

it is

so, as

a

matter of faith," does not make this anything other than a subjective notion on your part— which there believe, if you

And

to say, "Well,

believe

I

it,

and

me" is not evidence of its actual psychological need to believe cal

no

it's

for

it

in the real world.

true because

existence.

this.

embrace or

valid reason to

It is

it's

important to

only evidence of your

Nothing beyond that psychologi-

need has been established by your assertion that this thing exists

because it

is

cannot provide any evidence

it

makes you

feel better to believe in

it,

or that you

know

as a matter of faith. That only tells us something about you, not

about the existence of this thing that you are calling god. So, the "substance of things

stance. This

is

not seen," which

not rational thought. This

which inevitably verges on and lends

is faith,

has no sub-

is fzo/2-rational

itself to irrational

thought

thought and

leads to //rational action— action that is qualitatively and essentially

out of line with

reality.

As emphasized insult,

before, calling this irrational

but of scientific analysis. And, while there

rational basis for belief in

there

is

is

not a matter of

is

no

scientific or

any god or supernatural beings of any kind,

a rational and scientific basis for grasping the very harmful

effects of belief in

gods and the supernatural, and the negative role

of religion, in the history of human society and in this era of human history especially.

Here, the following passage from The Science of Evolution

The Myth of Creationism— Knowing What's Real And answering the claim that religion inquiry,

is

highly relevant:

In

my

view

it is

"science doesn't

is

outside the realm of scientific

actually very unscientific to claim that

have anything

to

say about religion" It

is

of course true that science cannot test for the presence of any supernatural force or power,

(and believers admit to

this)

ideas about gods

which by definition

has no tangible existence

in the natural material world.

and

Why It Matters,

But what about

and other supernatural

human

forces or

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

powers? Doesn't science have anything that? Can't scientific

to say about methods be applied to uncovering

where such ideas came from, and how they have been given material expression by human beings? What about the social history which concretely records when

and how human beings started to

tell

in different parts of the

world

or write down stories about various super-

natural realms (the social origins of the

many different

kinds of creation myths and religious scriptures from

around the world)? What about the belief, rituals

and practices have

all

roles that religious

played,

and the par-

poses they have served, at everything from the personal individual level to the larger societal (and world) level?

And what about the history o{ how religious beliefs have changed over time (whatever happened,

for instance, to

in as firmly

Roman gods that people as many modern-day peo-

God

of the Jewish, Christian, or

the ancient Egyptian, Greek or

used to believe ple

now believe

in the

Islamic scriptures)?

same kind

Can't the

of scientific

methods which

are used to investigate questions in any other historical science (evolution, cosmology, archaeology, compara-

and so on) be applied

tive linguistics,

the history of

And

can't the

human

belief in supernatural

methods of science be applied

a better understanding of

have at times been or, alternatively,

officially

religious beliefs

encouraged and promoted

phenomena— and

beliefs in a supernatural

undeniably have if

why some

powers?

to gaining

severely restricted or even targeted for

annihilation? All these

human

to investigating

real, tangible,

the various

realm themselves—

material existence even

the objects of such beliefs (gods or other super-natu-

ral

powers) by definition have no such tangible material

presence....

In short,

I

would argue

methodology— and

that applying a scientific

in particular the

outlook and meth-

odology of dialectical and historical materialism— to

221

BobAvakian

222

an understanding of what

arrive at

and how

religion,

it

actually leads

is

understanding and changing

atically

possible

represented by

away from systemreality,

both

is

and necessary. (Ardea Skybreak, The Science

of Evolution and The Myth of Creationism— Knowing What's Real

And Why It Matters,

pp. 291-92,

emphasis

in original)

Religion as an Opiate of the

People—

And an Obstacle to Emancipation This leads us back to the question: is it

really

harmful?

A lot of people

but what harm does dies

it

do?

It

What is the role of religion— and say: "Alright,

makes people

feel

maybe

it's

not true,

better— a loved one

and they want to believe that the loved one went to heaven, and

when they die they'll be reunited with that loved one. Or something happens

terrible

and solace

in

someone's

life,

and she wants

in the belief that there is

by some god, that makes

this

some

to take comfort

larger purpose, directed

have meaning in some form.

How can

that do any harm?" Well,

paraphrase Stevie Wonder's song "Superstition":

let's

"When you

believe in things

superstition's in

believe in things that point.)

You do

and they don't

exist

your way. [Laughter] (Actually he

suffer

and you

says,

you don't understand..."— but

when you

believe in things that

don't understand, but that, by definition,

whether or not Stevie Wonder had

you

religion in

suffer,

"When you

it's

the

same

you not only

can't understand.

mind

And

in saying this,

it

definitely applies to religion.

Now some

might argue: "You're not Stevie Wonder, so

you to say that it applies Well,

it's

to religion?" [Laughter]

simple and basic: I'm someone

you believe

in things that

superstition

is

How can

I

who

are

say that?

who sees very clearly that if

you don't understand and you

indeed in your way. And this

is all

the

suffer,

then

more true when

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World

you believe

in things that

you don't understand and they

223

don't even

exist.

When you shape your life and determine the course of your life, or try to, by belief in these things, you are going to suffer. You seek,

and even achieve

but you are going through

solation, tally

out of keeping with

how you

because

long-lasting,

tem

reality, to

and how you see

act

like this, for

may some temporary cona way that is fundamen-

in a short-term sense,

life

will

life

in

the degree that this belief guides

things.

The consolation

keep asserting

itself.

will

never be

And under

the great majority of people in the world,

a sysit

will

continually bring forth horrors.

As

have discussed, some people— good-hearted, well inten-

I

tioned people— try to use the Bible, especially the

and more

particularly the

words of Jesus

New Testament

himself, as the basis for

promoting tolerance and diversity, being against discrimination and injustice, fighting

oppression and promoting peace, and even as a

way of trying to provide an inspiring vision of a better world. But the fact

is:

this will

Now,

it is

not work, and

it

will

not do.

important to understand why many people, especially

oppressed people in a world that seems so crazy and intolerable, often turn to religion in the

hope of finding something

can hold things together amidst

all

religion as "the opiate of the people."

this

But Marx didn't approach

simple-minded way. He also said that

in a

less world."

This world of capitalism

as things to be used to children, this,

is

it is

heartless.

It

does treat people this

even

horrific ways.

And

and then cast on the junkpile— it does

on a massive

scale

and

in

toward seeking an

the most

many people toward

illusory way out of this heartlessness.

In regard to the narcotic ("opiate") role of religion,

the following example.

Many

people turn to

all

the afflictions, and even

experience. This reminds

me

some

I

use

like to

religion, especially

absolutist kind of religious fundamentalism, as a

deal with

this

"the heart of a heart-

spontaneously, strengthens the impulse in

religion,

solid that

madness. Marx spoke of

way

an

of trying to

addictions, that they

of the situation where

someone

gets

a

BobAvakian

224

deeply into

debt— they

owe

are in debt everywhere they turn, they

this,

they owe that— and then there are the companies that adver-

tise:

"We'll consolidate

your debts,

all

your debt into one debt. We'll pay

of trying to pay

all

these other creditors." Well, the role of religion,

especially fundamentalist religion,

to take everybody's afflictions

is

and addictions, and consolidate them diction. [Laughter,

way

out,

what

into one big affliction

and ad-

Applause] But, along with offering people no real

this

ends up doing

suffering, oppression

Many

off all

and you can just pay us (with interest of course), instead

blaming people

is

for their

own

and miserable conditions.

people, feeling that their hopes have been crushed for a

better life in this world, have fallen back on hoping for a better future in another, future existence,

and seek

preparing for that supposed "future is

that this

is

an

And this

illusion.

to organize their lives

life."

around

The problem, once

quest for happiness, or

again,

relief from

suffering in this way, cannot bring about the satisfaction that people

are seeking. Like a narcotic, the relief or escape provided by this kind

of religious belief

and

this

is

never sufficient. You always need another

"fix,"

soon turns into yet another chain on people.

we do not want— have any need— to be imprisoned

And, more fundamentally, the point and, beyond that,

we no

within a heartless world.

longer

is

that

We need and can bring into being a world

with heart: a world freed of the oppression and misery that

is

im-

posed and enforced by the way human society is structured and controlled.

A world in which people do not think of each other— and do

not treat each other— as mere objects to be used and profited from. Religion, at least as practiced

by more

gressive-minded people today, salve for people in their

truly

compassionate and pro-

may aim at providing consolation—

agony and torment— but we can bring into

being a world in which people no longer need this kind of consolation,

because poverty and oppression, and

all

the needless suffering

bound up with that, will have been eliminated and uprooted forever, along with the ideas and culture that reinforce

But in order to do

that,

we need

this.

to confront reality as

it

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the World

actually

We

is.

need to engage and transform

reality,

225

the reality of

human society as well as nature, with a consciously and consistently scientific outlook and method. And the point is this: For the first

human

time in

history, there is the possibility to

do

that.

Mea-

sured against that, religious doctrine and tradition, and the religious

way of conceiving reality, fall way short— and, in fact, lead away from what, for the

first

time, has

become possible

Closely connected with this

cept of Sin is

is

"sin" is

is

a big part of the religions

defined as deviation from the

for

humanity.

the question of I've

guilt

been speaking about.

fear;

of "sin"

accompanied

It is

and continually reinforces— a sense of shame,

gives rise to

and

This con-

way of God. This notion

a tremendous weight on the masses of people.

by— it

"sin."

we have

and, as

seen,

it

even promotes the idea that

things like disease are caused by sin, or possession by evil beings

("something's

wrong with that boy, the

devil got in him"). This keeps

people from understanding and dealing with what

actually going

is

on and what is actually the problem with individuals and, more

fun-

damentally, with society and the world.

As

I

pointed out in "Putting an End to

in Preaching

From a

here. One, there is

mal no

Pulpit of Bones), there are

sin.

That

because

two things involved

premises are true:

is

objectively true, and obviously important, but what

is

is

that there

is

is

to

on the masses of people. And,

promote the idea that an

which weighs

the concept of sin,

again,

what

to a large degree the purpose, of preaching about It is

"Sin" is defined

no God; therefore there

also objectively true

heavily

its

from the way of God; there is

(the second essay

no such thing as "sin"— here's a syllogism of for-

logic that is valid,

as deviating

'Sin'"

individual

who

is

the effect, and

this notion of sin? is

in

torment, and

generally the masses of oppressed people, are responsible for thru

own suffering. You must have done something wrong, you must have made God angry, you must have gone away from the right way. This

is

what

is

promoted with the concept of "sin"— instead

looking to the real causes.

And

you don't look to the

problem,

real

if

you

don't look to the real causes,

how can you

of if

eliminate the real

BobAvakian

226

causes,

how can you find the real solution? If you think the problem

resides in you,

you can do

all

insult to injury.

It is

Think how terrible of this system,

is

be weighed down. This

is

adding

an additional burden of oppression on people.

it is

to suffer every

day as a result of the workings

and then to have it drilled into you that that's not why

you are suffering— you are

suffering because of

something wrong

with you, and some way in which you did something wrong. Don't

tell

me that religion doesn't do

any harm.

It

does tremen-

dous harm.

There

Is

No Such Thing As

Unchanging, and Unchangeable, Tied in with religious notions specifically

some

essential,

beings that causes to themselves

"Human

them

to

is

the idea of

"human nature"— and

and unchangeable, nature of human

do wrong, to do things that are harmful

and to other human beings. How often have we heard:

nature

is

just this way; people are just naturally sinful?"

"people are naturally selfish— it's just

over on everybody of

Human Nature

else."

'human

in

want

to get

In fact, these are not qualities that are part

some unchanging and unchangeable

These inclinations

nature' to

Or

"nature" of

human

beings.

people are a reflection, and an extension, of

the production and social relations, and the corresponding culture, as well as the political rule, of a

and coerces people

system— & system that encourages

into acting in this way. People are

thrown into

competition and even into antagonism with each other

time— both by the conscious policies and actions

and by the underlying dynamics and workings of the perialist system.

a

means

this also

to

live,

Under

happens

in

capitalist system, as tion,

this system,

you are thrown

many it

all

the

of the ruling class capitalist-im-

even to get a job, even to have

into conflict with other people.

And

other ways, through the workings of the

has in previous systems founded on exploita-

domination and oppression of the many by the few This has

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

human

characterized

communal

sons, gave

way

monopoly

of wealth (and the

the

monopoly

not since "time immemorial," but

society,

since the time that early

societies, for very material rea-

and were supplanted by

to

of political

227

World

means

societies

based on the

to produce wealth), as well as

power and of intellectual

life,

by a small

part of society. 49 In The Poverty of Philosophy,

tant observation in this regard:

Marx made an extremely impor-

"All history,"

he noted,

"is

nothing but

the continuous transformation of human nature." Concentrated that sentence

is

a tremendous

draws from— and concentrates

amount in a

of wisdom,

profound

if

you

will.

way— Marx's

in

This

analysis

of how, in any given set of circumstances, people in a society enter into relations with each other in order to

ments of

life.

These

determined— they

meet the material

require-

relations of production are in turn historically

are not chosen, at will, by the people

into them, but are, at any given time,

and

in

who

any particular

enter

society,

fundamentally determined by the character of the productive forces at

hand

(resources, technology,

etc.,

as well as people

and

their

knowledge). The prevailing production relations are accompanied

by certain

social relations.

And

arising

on the basis of the mode of

production— embodying the prevailing

relations of

production-

there exists a superstructure (forms of political rule and institutions

and ways of thinking and

culture)

which stem from and

reinforce

the underlying relations of production and the corresponding social relations. Further,

and of decisive importance, Marx showed how the

development of human society does not consist only in incremental 49.

built

on

Reasons

for the

replacement of early communal societies by societies

class exploitation— and characterized by oppressive social relations, in-

cluding very importantly and pivotally the oppression of women— are discussed in my talk Views on Socialism and Communism. A Radically New Kind of State, a

and Far Greater Vision ofFreedom, an edited version of which was printed in Revolution and is available at revcom.us. Important analysis of and insights into these and related questions, with a particular focus on the oppression of women, are also provided in Of Primeval Steps & Future Leaps, An Essay on the Emergence of Human Beings, the Source of Women's Oppression, and Radically Different

the

Road to Emancipation, by Ardea

Skybreak, Banner Press, 1984.

Bob Avakian

228

evolutionary change but is driven forward by the constant dialectical interplay

between the forces of production and the

relations of pro-

duction, and between the economic base and the political-ideological superstructure; that this repeatedly involves radical leaps

and

ruptures from one form of society to another, qualitatively differ-

ent one; and that in circumstances where the prevailing relations of production have

become more a

than an appropriate form

fetter

on the productive

for their further

forces

development, the need

for the radical transformation of society, for revolutionary change,

in the

economic base and the superstructure,

will increasingly find

expression in the realm of the superstructure— in the formulation of ideas

and programs seeking

lutionary change,

and

rection of society,

which

to bring about, or to prevent, revo-

in the political struggle to will ultimately take its

expression in military struggle to determine

determine the

di-

most concentrated

who

(which

class, rep-

resenting which way of carrying out production, through which pro-

duction relations) will exercise power in society. To boil things to a single sentence:

down

When the productive forces are fettered by the

production relations, there will be a need for a revolution in the superstructure, to bring about a sentatives of the class

production

new form

of political rule;

which represents the new,

and

repre-

rising relations of

formulate ideas and programs, and mobilize masses

will

of people around them, in order to carry out the struggle to seize political

power and, on that

basis, to

transform society in accordance

with the interests and viewpoint of that qualitatively

new economic base and

To a great

deal, all this is

tion: "All history is

human era,

nature."

superstructure.

concentrated in Marx's pithy formula-

And, accordingly, what seems "natural" in one

seems very unnatural as ridiculous

of the globe, as

bringing into being a

nothing but the continuous transformation of

about the future of

seem

class,

it

in another.

communism— that

and outrageous

now seems

for

for

Marx made

this

statement

in that future era,

it

will

one person to own one part

one person to own another. But

for

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically

thousands of years, at least in

Changing the World

229

did not seem at all ridiculous and outrageous, terms of the viewpoint of the ruling class and the ruling it

ideas in society, for one person to

own

another. That

ered very "natural"— it was "in accordance with things were that

way— such

human

was considnature" that

were the dominant relations and the

corresponding ideas.

when human society has moved to a point where the capitalist mode of production has largely taken hold— or at least wherever this capitalist mode of production has more or less thoroughly taken hold— the idea and practice of some human beings In this era,

owning others, and exploiting them in in

outright, literal slavery,

accord with the accumulation of profit by the

ism needs a

class to exploit that

the motion of capital and the

is

not

literally

is

not

capitalists. Capital-

enslaved: because of

way in which different capitalists com-

pete and proceed through competition to accumulate more wealth, there are times

when

it is

many) workers.

If you

buy a slave, and you

in their interests to lay off

some

(or

back your

don't get

even

initial

investment, plus an additional amount, you will be in trouble economically.

If

you get

rid of that slave before you've

made back what

you've invested in buying the slave, you've lost on your investment.

But

if

you

are a capitalist,

you

somebody— you pay them by whatever, and as soon as this way,

it's

don't

pay

in

one lump sum to own

the hour, by the day, by the week, or

not profitable for you to employ them

you let them go and you're not responsible

anything any more. You

it's

paying them

haven't laid out an investment in advance to

buy them, which you have period of time. So

for

in

to recoup by working

them

for a certain

not profitable, generally, under the capitalist

mode of production— wherever it has more or less thoroughly taken hold— to buy and own people as slaves, have them literally be your and exploit them in that way. It's more profitable to be able them and let them go, and have them be more mobile, free

property, to hire to be

employed or discharged according

to the dictates of capitalist

accumulation. Therefore, according to the "human nature" that cor-

responds to the capitalist

mode of production, slavery doesn't make

Bob Avakian

230

sense and

is

contrary to what's good and right and natural. 50

All of this is

an illustration of the fact that there is no such thing as

"human nature" in the sense of some unchanging and unchangeable essence of human beings (which, however, just happens to conform to whatever, at the time,

embodies and serves the prevailing forms

of exploitation and oppression). Just as there

there is

no such thing

is

as

"human

is

no such thing as

sin,

nature" in the sense in which this

propagated by the dominant class and popularized through

institutions of rule

Human

its

and of molding public opinion.

beings do have certain qualities as a species, broadly

defined, including the capacity for rational

thought— a

relatively

high level of consciousness and ability to synthesize concepts—

which distinguish humans as a

species.

But one of the things that

most distinguishes human beings, including in their ability to is

their plasticity: the ability to

es,

change with changing circumstanc-

and to change circumstances by consciously

This

is,

think,

acting

upon them.

perhaps, the most essential quality that distinguishes

human

beings from other species.

The notion

of "unchanging

human

nature"

is

completely erro-

neous, and the idea that people are naturally selfish

nothing but

is

Commu-

another tautology. As Marx and Engels pointed out in the nist Manifesto, this

amounts

to nothing other than saying that, with

the domination of the bourgeois

mode of production, the dominant

thinking and ways of acting will be in accordance with the dictates of the bourgeois

50.

into

its

It is

mode

true that capitalism has been able to

make use

overall process of accumulation, exploitation that

capitalist" forms, including

that

As the Manifesto

of production.

some forms

is

of,

and integrate

not only feudalism but outright slavery.

overall sense, the results of this

form of exploitation feed into the

of capitalist accumulation, especially

on a world

Century Slavery Under Global Capitalism," 2007, also available at revcom.us.) But this

scale. (See, for

in Revolution #102,

manner ("in

It is

and

nor

is

also true

that, in

an

overall process

example, "21st

September

of exploitation

acteristic of capitalist production/exploitation as such,

openly advocated and defended as "natural"

it,

carried out in "pre-

of slavery continue to exist in the world today

ture") in capitalist society.

also puts

is

23,

not char-

outright slavery

accordance with

human

na-

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Ch anging the

World

231

the ruling ideas of any age are ever the ideas of the ruling class—

and these ideas are spread and have great influence not only within the ruling class

itself

but also

among

tion, including the class (or classes)

pressed by the ruling

class. But, as

other sections of the popula-

most brutally exploited and op-

spoken to

earlier,

from era to era

human history, and even within the confines of the era of capitalist rule, when there are upsurges of mass struggle people undergo in

great changes in their In a basic sense, this

long as there

change

tive

is

ways of thinking and of relating to each other. is, and can only be, temporary and partial, as

not a successful revolution and a radical qualita-

in society as a whole. Nonetheless, especially in cir-

cumstances of great

social upheaval

and

struggle against the estab-

lished order, people go through great changes in their thinking their

way

of relating to each other.

could never be

made and

If this

were not

social relations could never

by people consciously reacting back upon them. history of

human

and

so, revolutions

Yet,

be changed

looking at the

beings and their society, this has happened

fre-

quently—radical changes in society as a whole have been brought

about repeatedly— and

more

radical way, with the

In light of this,

harm that is sin,

this will

communist the

more

again, in a far greater

and

revolution.

possible to recognize the great

done by religious worldviews and associated notions of

of unchanging

ity: "It all

it is all

happen

human

nature and the "fallen nature" of human-

Adam and Eve. That's where a-1-1-1 the trouble convinced Adam to eat that apple, and that's why we're

goes back to

began. Eve

in the position we're in today." [Laughter] No. This has nothing to

with

reality.

But the notion that

this

is

and keeps people from understanding tion we're in today, So,

so does a great deal of harm

why we're

and what to do about

on the one hand,

it is

really in the posi-

it.

necessary to struggle, boldly and vigor-

ously, against religion in all its

forms— and

especially against funda-

mentalist religious obscurantism and absolutism and politically as Christian

way underestimate

do

Fascism

in the U.S.

It is

its

expression

crucial not to in

the importance of the struggle

in

any

the realm of

Bob Avakian

232

thinking, of ideology,

worldview in

and

specifically struggle against the religious

manifestations, because of the

all its

and leads people away from

interferes with

and therefore being able

reality,

to engage

cordance with their

own fundamental

and

it

for a long time,

will also

versity of forces, including

it

way in which this

really

understanding

and transform

interests.

it

in ac-

At the same time,

be crucial to unite with a broad

many people who hold religious views. In

terms of the basis of unity in the

political struggle, the dividing line

should never be whether or not people believe in god and are

reli-

whether they are willing to unite, and can be won to unite,

gious, but in

di-

ways that are

masses of people.

objectively in the interests of the

To the degree that they do

so,

it is

necessary to build unity with

them, and to struggle with them to do so more fully and consistently,

even while struggle

is

also carried out with them, in the ideological

realm, over the question of which worldview actually corresponds to reality

unity,

and

it is

among

will lead to

emancipation. In order to forge the broadest

important to recognize and act on the understanding that

those

who

have carried out and are capable of carrying out

self-sacrificing

and inspiring acts

oppression are

many people who hold religious beliefs and are moti-

in the fight against injustice

vated in significant ways by those religious

beliefs.

But

a religious view of the world, cannot lead us where

As important as

to build

it is

for

as unity in the political struggle it

we need

and

is,

religion,

and

and

to go.

as important

as broadly as possible at every point, the striving

such unity must not involve avoiding or downplaying the impor-

tance of the profound struggle that must be waged in the ideological realm, including over the question of religion;

the

more and the better this ideological

ger,

not the weaker, the basis

struggle against oppression In

be

struggle

is

for building

and exploitation and

fact is that,

waged, the stron-

broad unity for a

in the

new world.

sum, to achieve, through the course of the overall struggle, the

leadership that

take on

and

will

and the

all

is

necessary in order to thoroughly and consistently

the pillars of oppression weighing on the masses of people

finally

uproot them through the revolutionary transformation

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

World

of society, and ultimately the world as a whole— to achieve nist leadership, practically

and ideologically— will

to unite as broadly as possible

diverse people it

233

commu-

require working

on a principled

basis with many and and forces, including progressive religious people; but

will also require bringing

forward and struggling consistently,

sys-

tematically and vigorously to win people to the

communist program and to the communist world outlook and method— to grasping and applying materialism and dialectics— and

specifically, as a

key part

of that, atheism.

The understanding— not the opinion but the scientific understanding—that there is no god, and that belief in god and the organized ignorance and superstition that great

harm and

different

is

is

embodied

in religion

does

a direct obstacle to the struggle for a radically

and better world:

forward and struggle

this is crucial to actively

and boldly put

for.

At the same time, among those

who do

seek to build unity in

the political struggle, this process should involve honest wrangling and, yes, the confrontation of views, around decisive questions of politics

and ideology, such as the basic issue of reform vs. revolution,

as well as fundamental principles of epistemology

and philosophy

This should include: •

What

is

the actual content, as well as the historical influ-

ence and

effect,

of the major religions and religious tradi-

tions in the world,

and •

traditions of those religions actually lead?

What is real

and where does following the teachings

and

the actual content of communism and what

is

the

essential nature of the experience of socialist coun-

tries ruled

by the proletariat and led by

(the dictatorship of the proletariat)?

its

What

vanguard party lessons can and

should be drawn from this? •

What is the correct understanding of what the ills of society are,

to

what they stem from, and what is necessary to put an end

them and to bring a better society and world

into being?

Bob Avakian

234

What are the correct means and methods for understanding the development of human society, including in the realm and

of ideas, as well as in terms of economic, social, cal relations

and

politi-

and the broader question of

institutions,

the nature of human beings and their relation to the rest of reality?

What

is

the best

way

to understand,

and what are

fullest

implications of the principle, that while meeting the basic

material requirements of

life

for all of

humanity

the bedrocks of a just society and world, this

is

is

not

one of all

that

human beings need, that people cannot live by bread alone; and how do we understand the role of awe and wonder and the need of human beings to be amazed, in relation to the material world and to the realm of ideas and philosophy?

Liberation Without In concluding, then,

Gods pose the question: As opposed to being

let's

enslaved to things seen, and "things unseen," what would

and what would

feel like,

To a

it

mean, to be

significant degree, especially as things are

society (and

more broadly

it

really

free?

posed

in U.S.

in the world) today, this involves the

questions not only of whether brutal and powerfully entrenched

oppressors can be uprooted from power but also whether the

masses of people can themselves be transformed

in order to carry

out a revolutionary struggle that would really result in a better world.

Can this be led by communists, who

in the supernatural,

can, understand their

and

insist that

reject religion

and belief

people themselves must, and

and change the world

in essential ways,

through

own conscious efforts and in their own highest interests, in the

interests of humanity as a

whole?

Can we be good without god? From a

Pulpit of Bones,

Well, as

I

spoke to in Preaching

we can be— and we have

to

be— for two

Away

With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Cha nging the World

reasons. First,

be good, world,

if

and fundamentally, there is no god. So if we're going to

we are going to bring into being a good society and a good

we have

for all the

different

235

to

do

it

without god. But

also,

and very importantly,

reasons that have been spoken to here, a

and better— world can

into being

new— radically

in the final analysis only be

by people increasingly casting

off belief in

brought

god (and the

supernatural in general) in the process, and as a crucial part of the process, of ever

more consciously confronting reality as it actually is,

and transforming it

Can

there be

in a revolutionary way.

meaning

to

human

existence without god?

answer that communism gives to this is

The

But the mean-

definitely yes.

ing there is to human existence is only the meaning that we human

beings give to

it.

For those

who are ruthlessly exploited, oppressed,

dominated and demeaned, under the tates of the capitalist

system— and

rule

and according to the

for all those

dic-

who are deeply con-

cerned about the future of humanity and recognize the need and the potential for a radically different

can be given to existence

new world

into being,

is

and

world— the

greatest

meaning that

to be part of the struggle to bring that to take

up the

scientific

world outlook

and method of communism, which can illuminate the way and provide the basis for forging, through struggle, the

through

all

means

So in conclusion: For generation those parts of the world where

after

generation— not only

and

is

live in

lands where

the dominant religion, and in places where other religions

religion-like traditions

thousands of years ity

in

the "Judeo-Christian tradition" has

held sway, but among the billion or so people who

Islam

to advance,

the twists and turns, to the realization of that goal.

and notions have been dominant— for

in this way,

human

society

and the great major-

of humanity have literally groaned, not only under the weight of

material relations of exploitation and oppression, and the accompa-

nying agony, poverty and violence, but also under the weight of religious notions of

"sin,"

and

similar concepts such as "karma,"

which

have served to confuse people as to the source of their suffering, and indeed have served to convince people that they themselves

Bob Avakian

236

are responsible for this suffering, since they

acted in a

way

to displease

must have somehow

some supernatural being

or beings, or

other supernatural forces, which ultimately determine the destiny of humanity.

As

it is

put in Preaching From a Pulpit ofBones:

With communism

will

come

the end of

way

defined as deviation from the

"sin." If "sin" is

of god, then objec-

tively there is

not and never has been any such thing,

because there

is

beyond

when

that,

not and never has been any god. But, the point

reached where the

is

human-

material and ideological conditions exist for ity to

voluntarily

and consciously change

and the

itself

world, then there will also be no (subjective) basis for "sin,"

because there

still

no longer be a need or a basis

At that point and into the

for belief in god. will

will

future, there

be right and wrong, good and bad— in the sense

of what does

and does not conform

and does and does not contribute

to objective reality to forging

freedom

out of necessity and enhancing the ability of society and

who comprise

the individuals

it

to continue develop-

ing in an all-around way. But there will

notion of "sin."

(p.

no longer be the

81)

When we have reached that point, great burdens will have been lifted

from people; and

dented

all

this will

be a

true, a great,

an unprece-

liberation.

The communist revolution and the communist world it

will bring into

art

and

to the

being will give flower and give

flight to

imagination— to the "human spirit"— on

a far broader basis and far higher level than ever before in

human

religion

history,

and

all

and

it

will

superstition.

Internationale, "free the spirit it

remove the shackles of

It will,

to soar to heights unseen,

from

in the

words of The

its cell"

and allow

and unimagined,

{Preaching From a Pulpit ofBones,

p. 89)

before.

Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the

This

is

what

it

will

mean

where

to live in a world

it

will

sible to give flight to the imagination without being caught

illusion that the life

imaginary

fearing the supposedly

which

in fact

do not

ger stand in the

way

in the interests of

desperately for suffering

exist;

is real;

where people

awesome power where

religion

will

be pos-

up

in the

not go through

of supernatural beings,

and

superstition

no

lon-

of consciously engaging and changing reality

humanity; where there

some other

"next"

life

in

will

be no need to search

which the endless night of

and anguish, mental as well as physical, which is the exper-

come

ience today of the vast majority of humanity, will finally

end— no need, because that ended

237

World

suffering

and anguish

will

to

an

have been

in this world.

This

is

what it will mean to be

greater way than

free in a qualitatively

ever before in the history of humanity.

new and far

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Index Bible (continued) political decisions

Abiathar, 65

in,

about scriptures

63-65

abortion, 14, 181-182, 185-189, 192

and polygamy, 129-130

Abraham,

reflecting society, 6-7, 51, 123

124, 129

abstinence. See virginity.

and slavery, 7-8, 17, 18, 26, 30, 143 and women, 9, 11-14, 17, 19-24, 34,

Abu Ghraib, 42

Adam and Eve, 49,

122-123, 130, 231

122-123

49, 83n,

adultery, 23, 66, 151

Bible Belt, 136-149

affirmative action, 143

birth control, 181-182

Afghanistan, 42, 99, 107, 110 Africa, 40, 55, 102-103, 113

Black people, 136-154. See also slavery. Black religious tradition, 144-149

African-Americans. See Black people; slavery; Black religious

Bonaparte, Napoleon. See Napoleon

Blackwater, 99n

Book of Mormon, 55-56

tradition.

Afrikaners, 142

bourgeois democracy. See democracy Bowden, Mark, 99n

Ahemilech, 65

Quran American chauvinism, 104n, 168 Allah, 85-86, 89-95. See also

"American exceptionalism",

Boykin, General Jerry, 45 Brock, David, 36-37

39, 141, 178.

Brooks,

See also U.S. imperialism.

A.,

7-11

Brown, John, 138, 140 Bush, George W, 35, 37, 44-45, 97, 128 Bush regime, 42, 96, 172, 176, 183

Angel Gabriel. See Gabriel aphorism, 172, 204 Arab nationalism, 107 Arendt, Hannah, 18 In Armstrong, Karen, 199-210 art, 200-201, 236 Arulraja, M.R., 19n awe and wonder, 194-197, 234

Canaan, 9-10 capitalism/capitalism-imperialism

accumulation under, 162-163, 185, 229 and bourgeois-democratic transfor-

B

mation, 98

and bourgeois dictatorship, 184 fundamental contradiction of,

Babylon, 13 Barber,

Benjamin R M 100

beauty, 201-202

114-117,162 as heartless world, 223

Bennett, William, 30 Bible. See also Jesus;

New Testament;

Old Testament;

and "human

and adultery, 22-24, 66, 151 and children, 12, 29, 34, 132-135 errors and discrepancies in, 5-6,

Carlin, George,

27,

15,

134n

Carroll, James, 64n, 71

31,62-63,65,124

and homosexuality,

nature", 226-231

Marx's critique of, 166-167 and slavery, 229 and spiritual malaise, 162n

sin.

151

2.49

250

Index

communism

Carter, Jimmy, 38

and

Catholic Church, 77n, 103

flight of the

human

spirit, 195,

236

Central America, 39

and liberation, 233-234, 235-237 and morality, 207-210

childbearing, 187-188 children, 18, 20-21, 29, 34, 90, 91,

132-135, 174-175. See

ideological offensive against, 105

also patriarchy.

scientific

China, 104, 110, 158, 209n

Communist

Christian Church, 12n, 64, 68, 72,

164-165 Christian Fascism. See also theocracy; "salad bar" Christianity; church

and

separation

state,

world outlook 235

of,

196-197,

198, 233,

of;

Chris-

tian fundamentalism; U.S. military, fundamentalism within, and assault on critical thinking,

175-177 Black preachers, 149 divorce, 23 education, 173-175 gay marriage, 130-131 science, 43-45, 170-173

Manifesto, 165, 166-167,

230 Constantine, 63-64, 69, 79, 89 consumerism, 159 Corinthians (book of), 216 covenanted cultures, 140-142, 171 covenant marriage, 23 creation, 48, 194, 207. See also creation

myths.

and and and and and and support for Israel, 77n and white supremacy, 42, 136-149,

Creationism, 43n, 173n, 176. See also "Intelligent Design",

creation myths, 46-47, 221

Crusades, 72, 165 Cultural Revolution (China), 209n

D

170

and women, 181-182, 192-193

Dalits,

Christian fundamentalism, 14, 44-45,

19n

Darfur, 40

96-97, 103, 104, 113, 138, 144.

Dark Ages,

See also Christian Fascism.

David, 4-6, 31, 65, 124, 129-130

Christianity, 52-53, 165. See also "salad

bar" Christianity,

and Black people, 145-149 and Roman Empire, 63-64, 68-72, 78-80, 82 as sect of Judaism, 20n, 31, 54, 68,

54

Davis, David Brion, 138, 143

democracy, 184 Democratic Party,

184-185

97, 177,

demons, 18, 24, 36, 48 Deuteronomy, 10, 22, 28n,

29,

130

dialectical materialism, 195-196, 198, 206, 214n, 216, 221. See

72-81

also

development

of,

among white

southerners, 138-139

Christians

45,

(early),

81-82, 89

persecution

Chronicles (book

of), 5,

church and

separation

state,

of,

69-70

communism:

world outlook divorce, 20, 23

scientific

of.

"domestic" violence, 190

129 of,

97-98

Dracula, 13

CIA, 41, 56, 111 circumcision, 76 Civil

War

(U.S.),

136-140

Clinton Administration, 112n, 165-166 Clintons,

Bill

and

Hillary, 165, 181,

186

Colossians (book

of),

21, 25,

See also Ten

Ehrman, Bart

D.,

61-67, 70

Engels, Friedrich, 167, 204n, 214n, 230

colonialism, 40, 98. 107

commandments,

Egypt, 7-8, 107, 109, 112, 146

17

74-76, 90, 95.

Commandments.

Enlightenment, 44, 98, 113 epilepsy, 18, 24, 48 epistemology, 170-172, 183, 197, 204-205, 209-210, 233

Index

Eve, 49, 122, 123, 231. See also

and

Adam

evolution, 43-45, 170-175, 197, 202, 206

Exodus (book exorcism,

Holy Wars, 165

home

Eve.

of),

schooling, 174-175

homosexuality,

7-9, 14, 29, 30

15, 18, 24,

15, 34, 37, 151, 193, 194.

See also gay marriage

human

36

251

nature, 226-234

Hussein, Saddam, 110

I faith, 81,

211-213, 216-217, 219 idealism, 204-205

Falwell, Jerry, 39, 77n, 151 family, 125-126, 132-134, 166,

189-191

identity politics, 179-180

Family Channel, 35 Family Values Coalition, 35 fascism. See Christian Fascism; Nazis.

imperialism.

feminism, 179 feudalism, 164-165, 167, 230n

Inquisitions, 72, 165

Finkelstein,

Norman, 77n

See capitalism-imperialism. Indonesia, 110-112

instrumentalism, 203, 209-210 "Intelligent Design", 43n, 44, 173n, 176.

4 Alls, 117,209 fundamentalism. See Christian Fascism; Christian fundamentalism; Islamic fundamentalism.

See also Creationism. Internationale, 236 Iran, 42, 89, 99, 106, 110 Iraq, 35, 42, 45, 50, 78n, 99, 175, 178

Isaiah (book of), 13, 40, 83n

Islam, 57, 84-89, 96-101

Islamic fundamentalism. See Gabriel, 85, 86, 90

also Quran and Christian fundamentalism,

gangs, 135

gay marriage, 128-132, 193-194 Genesis (book of), 10, 46-47, 48-49, 122, 123, 130, 174, 207 genocide, 112n, 137, 144, 150-152, 170 gentiles, 19n, 75-76

96-100 growth of, 102-113

Germany, 16, 107, 204 Gibbon, Edward, 27n,

U.S.

imperialist globalization and,

100-101, 102-103

and separation of church and and women,

70

64,

support

of,

state,

98

106-107

21, 133

Gibson, Mel, 77

Islamic Republic of Iran. See Iran.

globalization, 100, 102, 166

Israel (biblical), 5, 11, 14, 17, 129

Goldberg, Michelle, 97n

Israel, state of, 54, 77n,

Gore, Al, 186

Israelites, 7-11, 12n, 14, 89,

106-109, 142 146

Guantanamo, 42 Guatemala, 39

J

H

Jacob, 125, 130 James, 74-75, 80

"honor killings", 4, habeas corpus, 42

Ham,

21,

133

143

Sam, 96 Hebrews (book

Jericho, 12

crucifixion

of,

and exorcism,

Harris,

216 Hedges, Chris, 97n, 181n Helena Augusta, 63, 65n Hitchens, Christopher, 96 Holy Trinity. See Trinity of),

New Testament.

Jesus. See also Bible;

genealogy

53-54, 73-75, 76-77

48 124-125

18, 24,

of, 31,

and Judaism, 20n, resurrection

31,

of, 75,

67-69, 74

81

and slavery, 18 and subjugation of women, 19-20, 23

252

Index

M

Jesus (continued) virgin birth, 20, 31-32, 124

vision for humanity, 25-27

Jews. See Judaism.

Malcolm X, 153 male supremacy, 19-20, also patriarchy.

Jim Crow, 153 John, Gospel of, 66 John 3:16, 122-123 John Paul II, 77n John the Baptist, 73

Mao Tsetung,

Marley, Bob, 55

marriage, 20-23, 129, 151, 192. See also adultery; gay marriage.

of), 12n,

"Judeo-Christian tradition",

Bill, 201n Marx, Karl, 117, 162-163, 166-167, 209, 223, 227-228, 230 Marxism, 196, 206, 209, 214n. See

Martin,

14

Judaism, 20n, 68, 74-76, 79, 84n, 121, 125 84, 95, 123,

104, 158, 195, 198, 206,

211-213,214 Mark (book of), 65

Joseph, 31-32, 124 Joshua, 12n, 14 Joshua, (book

42, 104n,

121-135, 136, \A4n.See

"Jihad vs. McWorld", 100, 135

4, 22, 48, 49,

also

235

communism.

Mary, 20, 31, 124-125

K

materialism, defined, 196

Matthew (book of),

Ka ba,

85,

87

Kaplan, Esther, 97n

karma, 235 Katznelson,

18, 20, 23, 24, 25, 27,

31, 65, 67, 77, 124, 125, 129

Ira,

144-145

Khadijah, 85

Mecca, 85-89 Mesopotamia, 50 Mexico, 24, 52-53, 73 Middle East, 54, 77n, 89,

King, Noel Q., 146n

102, 103, 104,

106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 112. See

King David. See David. King Solomon. See Solomon. Kinzer, Stephen, 106nl7 KKK. See Ku Klux Klan. Koran. See Quran. Ku Klux Klan, 137, 153

also Iran; Iraq; Israel; Egypt.

Midianites, 11-12 military. See U.S. military,

fundamental-

ism within. Military

modes

Commissions

Act, 42

of production, 138, 227-230

Montt, Rios, 39-40 Moore, Judge Roy, 28

moral certitude, 205-207 Lanternari, Vittorio, 146n

Latin America, 40, 77n, 102, 103, 113 Latter Left

Day

Saints. See

Mormons.

Hand oj God (Lemer), 157-199

Lenin,

V.

I.,

203n, 206, 210

Lemer, Rabbi Michael, 157-199 Leviticus (book of), 10, 29, 193-194 liberation theology, 19n Linker, Damon, 97n Locke, Dr. Hubert, 143n logic, formal, 214-216, 217, 225 Lot, 123

morality, 38, 41, 207. See also traditional

morality;

communism: and

morality.

Mormons, 56-57, 129 Mosaic books, 14, 28 Mosaic laws, 19n, 29-30,

65, 66 Moses, 7-9, 11-12, 13-14, 28n, 68, 146n Mossadegh, Mohammad, 106 Mozambique, 40-41 Muhammad, 57, 85-90, 92-94

Muhammad bin Abdullah. See

Muhammad.

Lubavitchers, 54

Mujahadeen, 107

Luke (book

Muslim Brotherhood, 109

of), 17n, 23, 24, 31, 65, 67,

125n Lynching Belt, 136-149

myth. See also creation myths, and art, 200-201

Index

myth

(continued)

253

patriarchy (continued)

46-52 Karen Armstrong on, 199-205 and science, 46-47, 200 and truth, 201-205

and Christian Fascism, 170 development of, 20-23 and the family, 189-191

biblical, 12n,

forceful reassertion

of,

125-128, 132,

144, 149, 192

N

and homosexuality, 130-131, 177-178 Jesus and, 19-20, 23

Napoleon, 38, 42 Nasser and Nasserism, 107-109 Nazis, 16, 204

and major monotheistic

neo-colonialism. See colonialism.

in

religions,

121, 125

and

149n

military,

modern and

Nero, 70

traditional society,

125-127

New England, 140-141 New Testament. See also Bible; Jesus; Old Testament.

and Old Testament, 17, 31-32 and Paul, 67-68, 72-81, 123 and slavery, 17, 18 and women, 19-23, 50, 122-123 1967 war, 108 Noah's Ark, 50, 175

Patriot Act, 42 Paul, 19

and "divinity" of Jesus, 81 on faith, 81, 216 pivotal role in Christianity, 67-68,

72-81, 89

and slavery, 17 and women, 17,50, 123 Pentecostalism, 103

Numbers (book of),

9-13, 14

Peter, 74

Peters, 71

o

Phillips, Kevin, 140-144, 178

plagues

Old Testament. See also Bible; New Testament; Ten Commandments;

Adam and Eve. and Christian Fascism,

16, 28,

31-32,

150

(Biblical),

5-11

PLO. See Palestine Liberation Organization,

polygamy, 129-130 polygyny, 129 Pontius Pilate, 76-77

commandments, 25-26, 75-76

Popper, Karl, 181n, 196

god of war, 142

pornography, 127

andjesus's genealogy, 31-32, 129

positivism, 197

and slavery, 7-8, 143 and women, 11-14, 22-23, 49, 83n original sin. See Adam and Eve; Eve. Ottoman Empire, 107

pragmatism,

109,

203

prisons, 151

production relations, 116, 117, 162-163, 184-185,226-228 productive forces, 115-116, 227-228 Protestants, Northern Irish, 142 Pryor, Richard, 35-36, 132, 189, 215

"Purity Balls", 192

psalms,

13, 29,

40

Palestine, 77n, 106-107, 108, 112, 142n

Palestine Liberation Organization, 107

Passion of the Christ ( film), 51-52, 66,

77n patriarchs, 32, 124-125 patriarchy. See also abortion; virginity;

marriage;

women;

Testament; Quran,

and father

Bible;

Old

New Testament;

figures, 121

Quran, 45, 84 and afterlife, 94-95 development of, 85-86 similarity to Bible, 91

and slavery, 90, 93-94 and women, 86, 90-95 Quraysh, 85-88

254

Index

R

science (continued) as distinguished

racism, 42, 143n27. See also Black

133

marital, 190

Rastafarians, 55

Reagan, Nancy, 41 Reagan, Ronald, 38-43 Reconstruction, 136-139, 141 reductionism, 197-198

Regent University, 173

Marxism and Communism

fundamentalism. See Christian

Fascism; Christian fundamentalism; Islamic fundamentalism.

"Religious Right", 167-171, 177, 181. See also Christian Fascism,

reproductive rights. See abortion; birth control,

revisionism, 105, 110 revolution, 114, 117, 135, 147, 154, 183, 191, 231,

Thomas

as,

scientific

method

as applied to society

and nature, 43n,

206, 225

and formal logic, 214-216 and leap from perceptual to

relations,

relativism, 179, 205

233-234 99n

E.,

Robertson, Pat, 29, 36-37, 39, 77n, 150-152,173 Roman Empire. See also Constantine; Christianity, 55, 63-64, 70-72,

rational

knowledge, 198,211-213 as opposed to "leap of faith", 211-213

opposed to positivism and reductionism, 197-198 and rational thought, 171, 197-199, 211-217,220 and religion, 220-222 "scientism", 197-198 scriptures. See Bible; Quran. Second Coming, 27, 78n, 81 as

Selassie, Haile, 55

Set the Record Straight, 106n

sexual relations, 130-131

Short History ofMyth, (Armstrong),

199-200

Helena Augusta.

and

religion,

196-197,198,233,235 and standards of validity, 173, 204, 216 suppression of, by Christian Church, 12n and understanding reality, 46-48, 196, 210, 224-225

relations of production. See production

Ricks,

and

172-177 killings", 21,

in Bible, 11-14, 15, 123

religious

art

and Christian Fascism, 43-45,

people; slavery, rape, 4, 40

and "honor

from

200-201

sin, 18,

23-24, 225-226, 230, 235-236

Skybreak, Ardea, 43n, 196-197, 220-222

78-80, 82 slave rebellions in, 53

Romans (book of),

17

slave rebellions, 26, 53, 138 slavery. See also Spartacus.

Rudin, Rabbi James, 180-182

in Bible, 7-8, 17, 18, 25-26, 30, 143

Russell, Bertrand, 196n

and capitalism, 229-230 in Quran, 90, 93-94 and story of Ham, 143

Rwanda, 40

in U.S.,

Sabbath, 29, 65 "salad bar Christianity", 32-37, 130, 158

Samuel (book

of),

4-5, 65-66

Schneerson, Rabbi Menachem, 54-55 science. See also evolution; scientific

method, and absolute and 205-207

relative certitude,

136-146

Smith, Joseph, 56, 129 socialism, 104-105, 115, 209n. See also

communism,

socialized production, 115, 163

Solomon, 29, 129 South Africa, 142 southern exceptionalism, 141 "southern way of life", 137-138 Soviet Union, 39, 40, 105, 107, 110, 158

Spartacus, 53

Index

Stalin, Joseph,

255

157-158

subjective idealism, 204-205

Suez Canal, 107-108

Valentinian, 71

Suharto, 111, 112

"virgin birth", 20,

Sukarno, Achmed, 110-112

virginity,

superstructure, 85, 88, 116-117, 184,

virgins (in scriptures), 12, 15, 20-23, 95

227-228

Supreme Court,

31-32

20-23, 192

Vlad the Impaler. See Dracula. 37,

42

w

syllogisms, 214-216, 225

Wallace, George, 28 Wallis.Jim, 157

Tabor, James D., 67-68, 74, 80-81, 125n

Ten Commandments, 28-30, 91 terrorism, 99-100, 105. See also "war

on

terror"

theocracy, 16, 180. See also Christian

"War Between the States". See "war on terror", 35, 96-101 Washington, Booker T., 145

Civil

War.

Weinstein, Mikey, 17n West, Cornel, 64n

Theodosius, 71

white chauvinism, 42, 143n white supremacy, 42, 104n, 136-149, 170

"theory of the productive forces", 115

women.

Fascism.

Third World, 98, 100, 102-105, 107, 127, 168

Timothy (book of),

50, 123

Torah, 28 totalitarianism, 181n traditional morality, 16, 131, 136 Trinity,

27n

truth, 171-172, 175, 198-199,

200-210

See also patriarchy; rape; honor

killings; abortion; birth control.

in Bible, 9, 11-14, 17, 19-24, 34, 49,

83n, 122-123 changing role of, 177-178 as property of men, 20-23 in Quran, 86, 90-95 stoning of, 22, 66 Wonder, Stevie, 222

World War

Turner, Nat, 26

2,

107

"two outmodeds", 100-101

u U.S.

armed

forces. See U.S. military:

fundamentalism within. U.S. imperialism, 168. See also U.S. mili-

tary:

fundamentalism within, 77n

Yithrab (Medina), 86

Young, Brigham, 129

and Israel, and death-squads, 39

drive for empire, 42, 45, 69, 143, 172

and lopsided

relations in world, 100,

Zionists, 142

104n, 159

nuclear atrocities

of,

4

and "the Suez crisis", 107-108 and "two outmodeds", 101 and undermining of secular forces, 106-113 fundamentalism within, 17n,45,99n, 149n Union Army, 140

U.S. military,

Zapata, Emiliano, 73

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Avakian

is

a veteran of the Free Speech

Movement and the

olutionary upsurges of the 1960s and early

founding the Revolutionary Communist its

Chairman ever

Bob Avakian has an

to

to

extensive

Marxism and the

Among these works are:

[a

memoir]

Call of the Future: Conversations on Ethics, History

[co-authored with

Observations on Art Revolution:

body of work, including numer-

talks.

Mao and Beyond: My Journeyfrom Mainstream America

Revolutionary Communist

and Politics

1975 he led in

USA, and has been

since.

ous books, other writings and

From Ike

'70s. In

Party,

rev-

Bill

Martin]

and Culture,

Science

and Philosophy

Why It's Necessary Why It's Possible, What It's All About

[a video/DVD of a talk by Bob Avakian]

Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That?

Phony Communism

is

Dead...Long Live Real

Communism!

[2nd edition, includes Appendix: Democracy: More Than Ever

Do Better Than

We Can and Must

That]

Reflections, Sketches

& Provocations

Recent talks by Bob Avakian include "Communism and Jeffersonian Democracy" and "The NBA: Marketing the Minstrel Show and Serving the Big Gangsters" [available as audio

files]

****

For audio downloads and recent works by Bob Avakian, see

www.bobavakian.net 257

Praise for Other Works by Bob Avakian

From Ike to Mao and Beyond: My Journeyfrom Mainstream America to Revolutionary Communist, a memoir "Bob Avakian

a long distance runner in the freedom struggle

is

against imperialism, racism and capitalism. His voice and witness are

indispensable in our efforts to enhance the wretched of the earth. his powerful story of commitment

Cornel West,

Class of 1943 University Professor of Religion, Princeton University

'A truly interesting account of Bob Avakians

of

someone who

understand

He speaks

And

is timely."

is

life,

why Bob Avakian

has drawn so

many

to people's alienation from a warlike

and holds out the

a humanizing portrait

often seen only as a hard-line revolutionary.

I

can

ardent supporters.

and

capitalist society,

possibility for radical change."

Howard Zinn, Author of A People's History of the United States "Beyond the compelling ideological and philosophical ruminations from the book's early chapters, when

all

the fun of football vanishes

and he struggles with a dreadful sickness, rests the evidence of and resilience that are hallmarks of his character

Avakian's fortitude

and

integrity."

Herb Boyd,

author, journalist

Preaching From a Pulpit ofBones: We Need Morality, but not Traditional Morality "For this clergyman who has struggled with the relevance of the Biblical faith in the face of the crises in

comes

our

society, the critique of Bob

as an urgent challenge... There

this vital

book which those

is

of us of religious

which we need to respond." Reverend George

W Webber, President Emeritus, New York

Theological Seminary

259

Avakian

and truth-speaking faith need to hear and

insight

in

to

"Avakian points the

that

is

way toward what some doubt is

Like Mao's, this

ialist ethics.

is

a

Marxism

possible, a mater-

that aims at a social analysis

and systematic but not cold'— a Marxism with

clear

heart."

Bill Martin, Associate Professor of Philosophy, DePaul University, Chicago

Marxism and the Call of the Future: Conversations on Ethics, History and Politics (co-authored with Bill Martin) "At this

dark time in the history of our country and of the world,

need some new conversations about Marx and the —conversations

free of

we

socialist tradition

dogmatism, open to ideas from

all sides,

but

oriented in a progressive direction and eager to learn from thinking

within the Marxist tradition. This book provides us with one model of what those kinds of conversations can be like." critically

Allen Wood, author of Karl Marx and "...so

important that

it

Kant's Ethical

Thought

who cares beginning of a new

should stand on the shelf of everyone

about the destiny of the

political Left... marks the

approach." Slavoj Zizek (from the Foreword)

Revolution:

Why It's Necessary. Why It's Possible. What It s All About.

A talk by Bob Avakian (video/DVD) "Avakian... lucidly explains

concepts ranging from dialectical material-

ism to irony without condescending to sharp

when

he's

his audience... He's

answering questions than when

no

less

he's outlining his

revolutionary program."

Jonathan Rosenbaum, "Just like

delivery

Chicago Reader

landmark art work or historically seminal music, Bob Avakian's

and timing

is

truly inspiring.

The only thing more

the vision and message he presents to us. Avakian leader

whose voice must be heard

Wil-Dog, Jiro

and

far

Uli from Ozomatli

260

and wide

is

today."

inspiring

is

a revolutionary

8

1

Whether readers enthusiastically embrace or reject its claims and Away With All Gods! is a book that cannot be ignored.'

arguments,

Peter McLaren, Professor,

Is

believing

in

Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California

gods actually harmful?

an ideology of conquest and subjugation? "lynching belt"?

Why

is

there a

rise

the intensifying conflict between

many

has Christianity for centuries served as is

the "Bible Belt"

in

the

U.S. also

the

of religious fundamentalism throughout the world?

U.S.

choice to take one side or the other? tional to so

How Why

imperialism and Islamic fundamentalism,

Why

is

is

In

the only

and the oppression of women founda-

patriarchy

Can people be good without god? These are just some of the provocative work by Bob Avakian.

religions?

questions explored

in this

Bringing a unique revolutionary

communist voice

to the current discourse about god,

atheism and morality, Avakian demystifies religious belief and examines how, even

in its

most progressive interpretations, religion stands in the way of the emancipation of humanity. A thread deeply woven throughout Away With All Gods! is the need to fully rupture with all forms of superstition, and to take up instead a truly scientific approach to understanding and transforming

reality.

Whether you believe you with

his

in

god, or are an agnostic or an atheist, Bob Avakian

powerful critique of long-established traditions and

will

challenge

his liberating vision of a

radically different world.

and timely. While I did not personally agree with everyBob Avakian has to say in this book, I found his arguments cogently articulated and provocatively put forth. Angry, humorous, provocative, and hopeful in equal measure, this was an enjoyable and engaging read."

"Forceful, scathing,

thing

Phil Zuckerman,

Associate Professor of Sociology, Pitzer College

of people haven't actually studied what that Bible says. Bob Avakian He exposes the hypocritical bullshit. ..This book is serious reading."

...lots

has.

Eric G.,

former Black Panther member

"One needn't be a Marxist to learn a lot from

this

work.

I

especially like

the forthright critique of the obfuscating epistemology of religion, religion's appalling

and of

consequences for women."

Laura Purdy, Professor of Humanities and Professor of Philosophy, "...necessary, critical

Wells College

and timely..."

John Hutnyk, Professor, Academic Director, Centre for Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London "...may just spearhead a return to the Age of Reason."

Harry Lennix, actor, instructor

US$14. 95/CAN$16. 95 ISBN 978-097602368-5 5

Insight Press

4064

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Chicago,

IL

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