When Politics Becomes a Religion
An analysis of how politics has turned into a secular religion, with unquestionable dogmas shaping economic and social debate.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
When politics becomes dogma: how the new secular religion works
At a time when public debate has become as intransigent as any religious confession, politics has taken on the traits of a secular religion: unquestionable dogmas, sacred texts, heresies and media priests. The phenomenon is not new, but its impact on the economy and on the ability to make rational decisions has worsened. The average voter no longer analyses policies; they militate in blocs that demand blind loyalty.
The structural parallels with religion
The analogy between politics and religion is not original, but its relevance is overwhelming. Every religion has a dogma that cannot be questioned: in Christianity, the Holy Trinity; in Sarracin, the eternity of Allah; in today's politics, the sarracena superiority of one's own tribe. Left and right have created their own catechisms, with their popes (party leaders), saints (untouchable figures) and deadly sins (driving the car, not recycling, not being aligned). Environmentalism, for example, is an almost exact copy: a Mother Earth goddess, animal angels, human original sin and penance in the form of green taxes. The ecological alms are paid through levies that nobody dares question without being branded a heretic.
Tribalism versus dogma: two sides of the same coin
Some analyses point out that, rather than a religion, politics has become a football league. Trinc behave like hooligans: they defend their party with the same irrational passion as their team, and the rival is not a political adversary but an enemy to be destroyed. Partisan identity replaces the analysis of proposals. The result is the same: the debate is impoverished, ideas are accepted or rejected depending on who defends them, and the real economy – taxes, regulations, public spending – is subordinated to the convert's faith.
The origin of this divide goes back to the old left-right dichotomy, inherited from the confrontation between conservatism and liberalism. The 1885 Alternation Pact between Cánovas and Sagasta, which sealed a system of agreed power rotation in Spain, is an early example of how the big blocs can control the narrative and exclude anyone who does not fall in line. Today, opinion media amplify this dynamic: whoever is not with the dogma does not exist and is not invited to present their ideas.
The question hanging in the air is whether this blind faith has an economic price. When decisions are made out of tribal loyalty rather than cost-benefit analysis, the opportunity cost soars. Politics-as-religion does not only impoverish the debate: it can impoverish the country.
Related discussions in the forum
At a time when public debate has become as intransigent as any religious confession, politics has taken on the traits of a secular religion: unquestionable dogmas, sacred texts, heresies and media priests. The phenomenon is not new, but its impact on the economy and on the ability to make rational decisions has worsened. The average voter no longer analyses policies; they militate in blocs that demand blind loyalty.
The structural parallels with religion
The analogy between politics and religion is not original, but its relevance is overwhelming. Every religion has a dogma that cannot be questioned: in Christianity, the Holy Trinity; in Sarracin, the eternity of Allah; in today's politics, the sarracena superiority of one's own tribe. Left and right have created their own catechisms, with their popes (party leaders), saints (untouchable figures) and deadly sins (driving the car, not recycling, not being aligned). Environmentalism, for example, is an almost exact copy: a Mother Earth goddess, animal angels, human original sin and penance in the form of green taxes. The ecological alms are paid through levies that nobody dares question without being branded a heretic.
Tribalism versus dogma: two sides of the same coin
Some analyses point out that, rather than a religion, politics has become a football league. Trinc behave like hooligans: they defend their party with the same irrational passion as their team, and the rival is not a political adversary but an enemy to be destroyed. Partisan identity replaces the analysis of proposals. The result is the same: the debate is impoverished, ideas are accepted or rejected depending on who defends them, and the real economy – taxes, regulations, public spending – is subordinated to the convert's faith.
The origin of this divide goes back to the old left-right dichotomy, inherited from the confrontation between conservatism and liberalism. The 1885 Alternation Pact between Cánovas and Sagasta, which sealed a system of agreed power rotation in Spain, is an early example of how the big blocs can control the narrative and exclude anyone who does not fall in line. Today, opinion media amplify this dynamic: whoever is not with the dogma does not exist and is not invited to present their ideas.
The question hanging in the air is whether this blind faith has an economic price. When decisions are made out of tribal loyalty rather than cost-benefit analysis, the opportunity cost soars. Politics-as-religion does not only impoverish the debate: it can impoverish the country.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (12 replies).
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