This podcast explores the rise of religious anti-liberalism and the challenges it poses to liberal democracy. It discusses the historical influence of religion on politics, the relationship between natural and supernatural common good, and the role of violence in establishing religious regimes. It also examines the idea of liberal thinkers within the Islamic world and explores the impact of consumerist culture on politics and religion. The podcast concludes with a discussion on the relationship between socialism and religion.
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Quick takeaways
The 20th century saw the suppression of religion worldwide, but now older religious traditions are resurfacing, rejecting liberalism as their oppressor.
Religious anti-liberal movements, like Catholic Integralism, critique liberalism by arguing for the role of religious faith in shaping political order.
The decline in popularity of liberalism among younger generations highlights the need for adaptation, including engaging with religious anti-liberals and building alliances across ideological spectrums.
Deep dives
The Rise and Challenges of Global Secularizing Movements
The 20th century witnessed the worldwide suppression of religion, with global secularizing movements spreading beyond Western Europe. These movements culminated in the political persecution of religions in countries like the Soviet Union and Mao's China. However, older religious traditions are now reemerging, rejecting liberalism as their oppressor. The podcast episode explores different anti-liberal movements, critiques them, and emphasizes the need for Christian liberals to engage with these movements.
The Influence of Religion and Politics Throughout History
Religion and politics have always been tightly interwoven in human societies. Throughout history, religions shaped laws, morals, cultures, arts, and politics. Religious belief is a universal human tendency, and even in secular cultures, spirituality persists, often manifesting in eclectic forms. While religion and politics have coexisted harmoniously in many societies, the rise of liberal and socialist ideologies in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the suppression of religion in the public sphere. However, the revival of religious expression in the 21st century challenges the dominance of liberalism.
Exploring Religious Anti-Liberalism and its Arguments
Religious anti-liberal movements, such as Catholic Integralism, draw on historical and theological arguments to critique liberalism. These movements often claim that religious faith should shape political order, and they appeal to history and symmetry to support their positions. While they present potent arguments, critics point to the infeasibility and potential violence required to establish an anti-liberal regime. Furthermore, they argue that these regimes tend to regress into milder forms of themselves. The justice argument challenges the unequal treatment of religious minorities within religious anti-liberal regimes.
The Importance of Adapting Liberalism in the 21st Century
The decline of liberalism's popularity among younger generations raises concerns about its future. To preserve the achievements of liberal democracy, adaptation is necessary. This adaptation includes building alliances across different ideological spectrums, granting political autonomy to dissenting groups through charter cities or significant federalism, and engaging with religious anti-liberals in intellectual discourse. Liberals must rediscover the concrete achievements of liberalism throughout history while acknowledging its flaws and addressing the challenges posed by religious anti-liberal movements.
The Challenges and Limiting Factors of Anti-Liberal Regimes
Religious anti-liberal movements, like Catholic Integralism, propose coercive religious establishments to promote the spiritual good of society. However, the feasibility of such regimes is limited due to the violence and violation of religious principles required to establish them. Moreover, the stability of anti-liberal regimes is compromised due to cultural pluralism and the persistence of religious minorities. The issue of religious freedom becomes a significant concern within anti-liberal frameworks, challenging their claims to justice. Liberalism's adaptability and willingness to engage with anti-liberals are crucial in addressing these challenges.
In this episode, we bring you a recent Acton Lecture Series event with Kevin Vallier.
The 20th century featured an unusual phenomenon: global secularizing movements. In the 19th century, these movements were confined mostly to Western Europe, but in the 20th century they exploded, suppressing the influence of religion around the world. In some milder cases, as in Turkey and India, the political expression of only the great religions was throttled. In others, such as in the USSR and Mao’s China, ferocious religious persecution was an ideological necessity. In light of new political realities, however, older religious traditions are beginning to take back their influence in the public square. And they’re doing so by rejecting the “liberalism” they see as their oppressor.
Dr. Vallier discusses these different anti-liberal movements, critiques them, and explains how Christian liberals can understand and engage them.
