Secular religions and the sacralization of power

Although history may give the impression of a coherent and uninterrupted flow when viewed from the outside, it is in reality more like a river that accumulates drop by drop, occasionally wanes, becomes murky, and loses its way. The waters of this river never appeared all at once; on the contrary, they found their current bed by being fed from various tributaries over long processes. Moreover, the power centers within the river often decided where this bed would pass. For those who wrote history were largely those who held power; those who seized the crown also determined the ink in the pen.

One of the most powerful tributaries to join this historical flow has been religion. However, religions did not emerge all at once as coherent and complete structures, as is often thought. On the contrary, they were constructed over long periods of time; they were nurtured with myths, sacred elements, rituals, and hero narratives. Important days and events were placed on calendars, legends replaced historical reality, and narratives were moved over time to a foundation that could not be questioned. This state of immunity was not accidental. This silence was consciously maintained, sometimes to protect areas of power, sometimes to avoid breaking the spell, and sometimes to sustain rent-seeking systems established in the name of sanctity.

At this point, the following question becomes inevitable: Were religions limited only by the secular sphere in their historical forms of existence, or did they also shape the ways in which the secular world reproduces itself? To put it more clearly, could we be living with secular forms of religion today?

If certain ideas and ideologies have produced unshakable heroes; if party buildings or organizational headquarters have turned into sacred spaces; if the past of these structures is presented as untouchable, uncriticizable, and absolute truth; and furthermore, if all these areas have been turned into tools of politics and commerce to build a system of interest, then one can no longer speak of an innocent secularism. It must be stated clearly that at this point, a “secular religion” has been established.

The manifestations of these secular religions are surprisingly familiar from traditional religious forms. Charismatic leaders and chiefs, narratives that function as sacred texts, political discourses written in a fairy-tale language, commemorative ceremonies that carry the quality of rituals, and “zero point” historical narratives that erase the time before them… All these constitute the symbolic world of secular religion. The image reflected in the mirror is clear: only the names change; the mechanism is the same.

In this context, the gods and prophets of secular religions also appear in different forms. While gods embody power, authority, wealth, and ideology, prophets take the form of leaders, bosses, kings, and charismatic figures. The relationship these figures establish with the masses, their charisma, and their unquestionable positions resemble religious devotion. Just as the gods and prophets of some religions have been erased over time throughout history, the sacred elements of secular religions meet a similar fate. However, the understanding and the system continue to exist under different forms.

One of the expressions that most strikingly reveals this interaction belongs to Miguel D. Lewis. Lewis defines capitalism in the context of secular religions as follows:

“Capitalism is a religion. Banks are churches, bankers are priests, wealth is heaven, poverty is hell, and property is sacred. Money is God.”

The fact that capitalism is presented today almost like a law of nature, and is accepted as an unquestionable and alternative-free order, makes this assessment not only striking but also extremely accurate.

In conclusion, it is possible to say this: Where the means become the same, the ends also resemble each other. Even if names, dates, and places change, the operation remains the same. Therefore, what needs to be done is to stop for a moment, lean back, and question the allegiances we hold. This questioning will not take long; for the gears of the mechanism reveal themselves immediately when looked at carefully.