Is it possible to set up a "religious organization" - let's call it the Church of Labor - where the whole point is to be a front for leftist organizing? All the rhetoric would be about "restoring the value of labor" and all that to really sell the idea that it's worship of muh hard work. That way you could set up what's basically a worker cooperative or syndicate or what-have-you, but do it with a mask that would fool or distract the government and exempt you from taxes while keeping your finances off the books. Then it could go about setting up chapters that serve a community by filling important needs, it could even specifically recruit homeless people, felons, and anyone else who has a hard time getting employed.
Wouldn't this kind of shit be perfectly in line with the capitalist narrative on the surface level while also being extremely subversive?
I was talking about cynically using religious rhetoric and pretense to game the system, like when Satanists put up a pentagram to make people take down religious symbols from government buildings.
Grayson Collins
Religon is an evil thing.
Gabriel Brown
Why dont you focus your energies on creating something rather than destroying
David Barnes
I don't see why not. If it got too influential your preachers might have their beards removed.
Jack Reed
Thats literally what jim jones did, he was a communist using the aesthetics of christian Pentecostalism.
When it comes to catholic leftism, look up liberation theology.
I actually do think using Christianity as a trojan horse for communism was a good idea, especially in america.
Wyatt Sanders
Oh shit… is he /our… ?
Isaiah Brooks
Jones saw the McCarthyism going on and used Christianity as a way to mask his true intentions and not get caught. It was a very clever sociopathic move
Asher Murphy
he was also a sadistic psychopath who created a death cult
I know Jones mixed Christianity and Communism. I'm aware of liberation theology. I'm talking about something new, from whole cloth. It doesn't have to be Christianity and I think it would hold it back particularly with younger people. What makes more sense to me is something that calls itself a religion, has religious trappings, but doesn't conflict with religious views people may already have.
I believe he wanted to be but he ended up making Communism look crazy.
Tyler Hernandez
Do you have any fucking idea how history works? No historical movement has been the developement of "something new" that has been created seperate from the rest of society. History is a force that transforms society, and creates the future just as much as it destroys the past. You can't have one or the other. Any movement that has full focus on "creating" the future while dismissing the destruction of the past is impotent and will never be able to alter society.
Cooper Morris
To make this clearer, I'm thinking wrap it up in some new age faux-mysticism bullshit aesthetics but it's actually labor theory of value and de-urbanization and shit.
Brandon Cooper
If your so smart how come we arent in communist utopia right now. Checkmate bitch
Alexander Hernandez
wew
Michael Anderson
Is knowledge not power?
Asher Parker
the old good one that always works - socialist ideas as solutions to capitalist problems.
what fascism actually pretends to be but for real.
David Perry
Not in that way.
James Butler
You commies like to call your thing a science, so why dont you have the engineering skills to back it up?
Hudson Thomas
True spiritually is a good way to fight against materialism. I know what you mean by we need a new way, i was thinking that communism, anarchism, and fascism, have been destroyed and discredited by capitalism, so maybe we need a new ideology, dont know what that would be, but something new, for the 21st century.
I think what you basically want it to turn communism into a religion.
Leftists are materialists by nature, dont know how you would succeed with that
Brayden Jenkins
sounds cancerous.
what you can do is run satire organizations like church of capitalism. Zero Theorem is nice neoliberalism satire.
OP these already exist. They are local/community charities. They're not consciously fronts for left organizing, but nor would yours be after some time and organic evolution.
They come in two forms, the religious and the non-religious. Either way, they operate on the same principles, do the same good work, but ultimately lose their political edge due to their focus on short-term community development (e.g. teaching homeless people to read, feeding hungry families, etc - all vital work, but time and energy consuming, especially when you only have volunteers).
I fail to see how your "Church of Labor" would end up being anything except a good intentioned, locally useful, community charity. Such work is commendable, but doesn't exactly slingshot us into a socialist revolution.
Evan Gray
You're thinking of MLs.
…I think you mean "consumerism." Materialism is the basis for leftism. And it's only spirituality because it was co-opted by the religious. People used to get that sense of fulfillment and belonging from belonging to a community and having their needs fulfilled while doing so for others.
Bookchin.pdf but with relligious characteristics to throw Porky off the trail.
No I'm talking about using religious pretense to scam the government and religious rhetoric to hook people, especially people in a bad place. The difference is instead of taking advantage of them the organization would actually help them.
By fucking lying to the bourgeoisie.
No, it's pretending to be cancer while actually being chemo.
Not sure how this is relevant but it's pretty funny.
Not what I was going for You can build a religious movement that is involved locally. The local charity work was more a consequence of that, so there would be something concrete for people to do and a reason to stay involved.
Christopher Rodriguez
It would be easier to twist the messages of current religious institutions to fit a socialist worldview. There are some definite socialist messages in the Bible, it's just a matter of conveying those messages to the uninformed masses. Religion can be a useful tool, we just need more radicalized religious leaders
Liam Peterson
To create, first you must destroy, comrade
Logan Russell
...
Landon Edwards
TBH Jim Jones had the right idea with the whole "killing yourself" thing
Daniel Phillips
I think another route would be to radicalize soon-to-be priests. Convert young theology majors on college campuses while their minds are still young and open to new ideas. You don't have to believe in Jesus to point out to those who do that his teachings aren't compatible with capitalism.
