Anarchism and religion

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    Anarchists have traditionally been skeptical of or vehemently opposed to organized religion.[1] Nevertheless, some anarchists have provided religious interpretations and approaches to anarchism, including the idea that the glorification of the state is a form of sinful idolatry.[2][3]

    Anarchist clashes with religion

    anticlerical demonstration as the banner reads "Free from dogmas, always heretics
    "

    Anarchists "are generally

    Auguste Blanqui in 1880: ‘Ni Dieu ni maître!’ (Neither God nor master!)...The argument for a negative connection is that religion supports politics, the Church supports the State, opponents of political authority also oppose religious authority".[1]

    left-Hegelian, post-Feuerbachian atheist, rejecting the ‘spirit’ (Geist) of religion as well as of politics including the spook of ‘humanity’".[1] Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, "the first person to call himself an anarchist, who was well known for saying, ‘Property is theft’, also said, ‘God is evil’ and ‘God is the eternal X’".[1]

    Published posthumously in French in 1882,

    Anarcho-communism's main theorist Peter Kropotkin "was a child of the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution, and assumed that religion would be replaced by science and that the Church as well as the State would be abolished; he was particularly concerned with the development of a secular system of ethics which replaced supernatural theology with natural biology".[1]

    insurrectionary anarchist Johann Most wrote an article called "The God Pestilence".[8]

    In the United States, "freethought was a basically

    freethinkers' movement, advocating atheism.[10]

    In Europe, a similar development occurred in French and Spanish individualist anarchist circles. "Anticlericalism, just as in the rest of the libertarian movement, in another of the frequent elements which will gain relevance related to the measure in which the (French) Republic begins to have conflicts with the church...Anti-clerical discourse, frequently called for by the french individualist

    anti-theist obsession, philosophy which will also work for pointing out the incompatibility between science and religion, faith and reason. In this way there will be a lot of talk on Darwin´s theories or on the negation of the existence of the soul."[12] Spanish anarchists in the early 20th century were responsible for burning several churches, though many of the church burnings were carried out by members of the Radical Republican Party, while anarchists were blamed. Church leaders' implicit or explicit support for the Nationalist Faction during the Spanish Civil War greatly contributed to the anti-religious
    sentiment.

    In Anarchism: What It Really Stands For, Emma Goldman wrote:

    Anarchism has declared war on the pernicious influences which have so far prevented the harmonious blending of individual and social instincts, the individual and society. Religion, the dominion of the human mind; Property, the dominion of human needs; and Government, the dominion of human conduct, represent the stronghold of man's enslavement and all the horrors it entails.[13]

    Chinese anarchists led the opposition to Christianity in the early 20th century, but the most prominent of them, Li Shizeng, made it clear that he opposed not only Christianity but all religions as such. When he became president of the Anti-Christian Movement of 1922, he told the Beijing Atheists' League: "Religion is intrinsically old and corrupt: history has passed it by" and asked, "Why are we of the twentieth century... even debating this nonsense from primitive ages?"[14]

    Religious anarchism and anarchist themes in religions

    Religious anarchists view organized religion mostly as authoritarian and hierarchical that has strayed from its

    Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed.[15]

    Buddhism

    See also: Gary Snyder § Dharma Bums, and Uchiyama Gudō

    Many Westerners who call themselves Buddhists regard the

    transcendence
    and ultimate happiness is possible for all, without exception.

    The Indian revolutionary and self-declared atheist

    Oakland, which he described as "the first monastery of anarchism".[16][17]

    Zen priest and critic Hakugen Ichikawa, in his condemnation of Buddhist support for

    Śūnya means "the vertical foundation of both the subjectivity that engages in social revolution and, in terms of that subjectivity's basic choices, the humble and open spirit that has been purified from dogmatism, self-absolutism and the will to power." Ultimately, Hakugen suggested that this results in, "negating, in the horizontal dimension, state power; politically, this constitutes anarchism...Through the mediation of the reckoning of philosophical conscience (controlling desires) and by means of social-scientific discernment and praxis, one negates the capitalist system of private ownership and eliminates the social basis of the commodification of human labor power; economically, this amounts to communism." For Hakugen, Śūnya represents a "vertical, existential freedom, whereas anarchism and communism pertain to horizontal freedom, and the 'origin' is the point where the two dimensions of freedom intersect."[19]

    Christianity

    Main article: Christian anarchism
    socialist cartoonist Art Young
    , which depicts Christ as a man wanted for sedition and other crimes (printed to protest arrests of radical left-wing activists at the time who opposed US involvement in World War One)

    According to some,

    Golden Rule (see also liberal Christianity
    ).

    As per Christian communism, anarchism is not necessarily opposed by the Catholic Church. Indeed, distributism in Catholic social teaching, such as Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum novarum and Pope Pius XI's Quadragesimo anno,[20] is philosophically similar to anarchism.

    Gnosticism

    The discovery of the ancient gnostic texts at

    better source needed
    ]

    Islam

    The Bedouin nomads of the

    Muʿtazili thought paralleled that of the Najdat: if rulers inevitably became tyrants, the only acceptable course of action was to depose them.[24] The Nukkari subsect of Ibadi Islam reportedly adopted a similar belief.[25]

    Judaism

    Further information: List of Jewish anarchists

    Tanakh chronicles them trying to live with this decision.[28]

    The first known Jewish Anarchist organisation in the United States was the

    Knights of Liberty group, which sprang from the Pioneers of Liberty, the two organizations together founded the long-running Yiddish-language anarchist newspaper, Fraye Arbeter Shtime, in 1890. The Pioneers of Liberty also published an annual paper, Tfileh Zakeh (Pure Prayer), which circulated during the Jewish High Holy Days
    between 1889 and 1893.

    The

    libertarian communism, based on principles of Kabbalah, which he called altruist communism. Ashlag supported the Kibbutz movement and preached to establish a network of self-ruled internationalist communes, who would eventually "annul the brute-force regime completely, for 'every man did that which was right in his own eyes'", because "there is nothing more humiliating and degrading for a person than being under the brute-force government".[29]

    A British rabbi,

    anarcho-communist and very active anti-militarist. Rabbi Zalkind, a close friend of Rudolf Rocker, was a prolific Yiddish writer and a prominent Torah scholar. He argued, that the ethics of the Talmud, if properly understood, is closely related to anarchism.[30] Zalkind's philosophy was not popular with British Orthodox Jewry and Zalkind was shunned by the community, with Chief Rabbi Hertz denying Zalkind's rabbinic credentials and Zalkind being forced to renounce his rabbinic title.[31]

    The Yiddish

    Russian Revolutions and continues to be sung by artists who identify with political tendencies like anarchism.[32] Many versions of the song have been updated to talk about modern issues such as government corruption, police brutality, and general anarchist themes, along with translating them into languages like English and German. The song is actually a portmanteau of two different Jewish Anarchist songs from the period of the Russian Revolutions, which were combined by Zalmen Mlotek for the film "The Free Voice of Labour: The Jewish Anarchists", 1980.[32]

    Over the past decade, there has been a renewed interest in Jewish anarchism due to the growth of organizations like

    Immigrants against the State, and the reissuing of documentaries such as The Free Voice of Labour,[33] which details the final days of the Fraye Arbeter Shtime. In January 2019, The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research organized a special conference on Yiddish anarchism in New York City, which drew over 450 people.[34]

    Jewish anarchist newspapers include

    Dos Fraye Vort, Fraye Arbeter Shtime, Germinal, and Kagenna Magazine
    .

    Many people of Jewish origin, such as Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, Paul Goodman, Murray Bookchin, Volin, Gustav Landauer, David Graeber, and Noam Chomsky have played a role in the history of anarchism. However, as well as these anarchists of Jewish origin, there have also been specifically Jewish anarchist movements, within the Yiddish-speaking communities of Eastern and Central Europe, and the Western cities to which they migrated, from the late nineteenth century until the Second World War. All the members of the first anarchist group in the Russian Empire, which was formed in 1903 in Białystok, were Jews.[35]

    Freie Arbeiter Stimme
    , vol 1 no 4, Friday, July 25, 1890

    Different anarchist groups had different views on

    Israeli Gaza Strip barrier and Israeli West Bank barrier
    .

    Taoism

    See also: Precursors to anarchism § Ancient China

    Many early Taoists, such as the influential Laozi and Zhuangzi, were critical of authority and advised rulers that the less controlling they were, the more stable and effective their rule would be. There is debate among contemporary anarchists about whether or not this counts as an anarchist view.[38] It is known, however, that some less influential Taoists, such as Bao Jingyan, explicitly advocated anarchy.[39]

    References

    1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Anarchism and Religion". The Anarchist Library. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
    2. ^ Christoyannopoulos, Alexandre (March 2010). "A Christian Anarchist Critique of Violence: From Turning the Other Cheek to a Rejection of the State". Political Studies Association.
    3. ^ Christoyannopoulos, Alexandre (2010). Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel. Exeter: Imprint Academic. p. 254. "The state as idolatry"
    4. ^ Michael Bakunin (1916). "God and the State". Dwardmac.pitzer.edu. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
    5. ^ Car, E. H. (1975). Michael Bakunin (PDF). MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke: Macmillan Press. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2019-03-09.
    6. ^ Mikhail, Bakunin Archived 2019-03-06 at the Wayback Machine  E. H. Carr
    7. ^ "Sebastien Faure. Twelve Proofs of God's Inexistence" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
    8. ^ "The God Pestilence". The Anarchist Library. Archived from the original on 2020-05-15. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
    9. ^ a b "Culture of Individualist Anarchism in Late 19th Century America". Mises Institute. July 30, 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
    10. ^ Sharon Presley. "Exquisite Rebel: Voltairine de Cleyre". Voltairine.org. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
    11. ^ "Xavier Diez. El anarquismo individualista en España (1923-1939) Virus Editorial. 2007. pg. 143" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-24.
    12. ^ "Xavier Diez. El anarquismo individualista en España (1923-1939) Virus Editorial. 2007. pg. 152" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-24.
    13. Anarchy Archives
    14. ^ Zarrow (1990), p. 156-157.
    15. ^ Peter Marshall (2011). Alexandre Christoyannopoulos (ed.). Religious Anarchism: New Perspectives. p. xx. Introduction
    16. ^ Anarchist Portraits by Paul Avrich, Princeton University Press, 1988, p30
    17. ^ Ghadar Movement: Ideology, Organisation and Strategy by Karish K. Puri, Guru Nanak Dev University Press, 1983
    18. ^ Imperial Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen's Critique and Lingering Questions for Buddhist Ethics by Christopher Ives, University of Hawai'i Press, 2009, p6
    19. ^ Imperial Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen's Critique and Lingering Questions for Buddhist Ethics by Christopher Ives, University of Hawai'i Press, 2009, p165
    20. ISBN 978-0-8014-8663-0
    21. OCLC 870902313
      .
    22. ISBN 978-0-8386-1707-6. Archived
      from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
    23. JSTOR 1595697
      .
    24. ISBN 978-1-61451-394-0. Archived
      from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
    25. ISBN 978-0-19-973893-9
      .
    26. Christoyannopoulos, Alexandre
      (2010). Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel. Exeter: Imprint Academic. pp. 84–88. Old Testament
    27. ^
      ISBN 9780802804952
      . The Hebrew Bible
    28. ^ Vernard Eller (1987). Christian Anarchy: Jesus' Primacy Over the Powers. Wm. B. Eerdmans. God and Samuel accept (and honor) Israel's (bad) decision as accomplished fact and proceed to live with it rather than try to reverse it.
    29. ^ "Building the Future Society | Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam) | Kabbalah Library - Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute".
    30. ^ Гончарок, Моше (2002). ПЕПЕЛ НАШИХ КОСТРОВ, Очерки Истории Еврейского Анархистского Движения (ИДИШ-АНАРХИЗМ) (in Russian). Jerusalem: Problemen.
    31. ^ "Dr. Yaakov Zalkind: The Vagaries of a Rabbi". The Jewish Chronicle. 22 December 1917. p. 6.
    32. ^ a b "In Ale Gasn\ Hey Hey Daloy Politsey | Jewish Music Research Centre". jewish-music.huji.ac.il. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
    33. ^ Pacific Street Films, "Free Voice of Labour: The Jewish Anarchists"
    34. ^ Andrew Silow-Carroll, "A YIVO conference finds a new audience for Yiddish anarchism" Jewish Telegraphic Agency, January 22, 2019
    35. ^ Гончарок, Моше (1996). Век воли. Русский анархизм и евреи (XIX-XX вв.) (in Russian). Jerusalem: Mishmeret Shalom. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
    36. ^ Templer, Bill (2003). "From Mutual Struggle to Mutual Aid: Moving Beyond the Statist Impasse in Israel/Palestine". Borderlands E-journal. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
    37. ^ Noam Chomsky "Advocacy and Realism: A reply to Noah Cohen" ZNet, August 26, 2004 Archived September 29, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
    38. ^ Josh. "Anarchism and Taoism". The Anarchist Library. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
    39. ISBN 1551642514
      .

    Sources

    See also

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