Monday Musings: I'm Telling Dad

Modern Clergy as Bratty Older Siblings

I think about the modern clergy and how we got in this situation where Christian Nationalism is once again knocking down the door and I’m reminded of an analogy that seems all too apt. It’s the fundamental behavior of a sibling, one left in charge of the younger while the parents away. It’s human behavior stretched to its logical limits but the motivations are largely the same.

It should be said I’m not picking on Christianity here, I respect everyone’s right to express and practice their own religion within the bounds of respect of others and it is certainly not only Christianity that suffers from this misalignment of ethics…in fact it seems to be at the core of most modern spiritual practices and has been for thousands of years, it’s the I’m Telling Dad (or Mom) principle.

When kids are left alone, whoever is the oldest tends to be ‘in charge’. It’s their responsibilty to keep order, enforce the rules, and report any mishaps when the ‘authority’ returns. Modern clergy take this role naturally in their intercession for the deity, whoever it may be that has temporarily left this space. But when they return, we’re told all of our misbehaviors will be laid bare and we’ll be sorry then.

These so named spiritual leaders see themselves as elders, as spiritually older and therefore appointed to a position of surrogate authority, not as equals, not as children left alone in the same home, with the same limitations. Which is an entire different argument. But often when I think of spiritualism I think of being a parent. I think, if I was a deity and I chose to refer to creation as my children, how would I treat them? Would I threaten, scare and intimidate them in the name of love?

With my own child, I revert, inevitably to compassion, caring and gentle guidance whenever possible. It is the way of love. It is the way you treat someone you are both responsible for and deeply committed to the safety of. But how would that look if a surrogate intervened?

“Make sure to brush your teeth, don’t eat too much junk food and get to bed on time so you’re rested for school tomorrow” sounds a lot like a list of reasonable guidelines to help a child lead a healthy life.

But in the hands of a power-corrupted sibling…it becomes a threat. “Do what I say or you’ll be grounded.”

What happens when something not on the list comes up? How easy to create a new set of rules, adhoc and enforce them with the authority of a parent. They did after all leave you in charge and it’s your job to interpret the rules. This could go on forever, and after thousands of years, corrupted, co-opted, changed, misinterpreted, and subject to absolute adherence without question…the rules have gotten twisted far beyond a culture’s reasonable understanding of healthy behavior and more and more into a system designed to favor the enforcers.

All I can say is, if Mom ever does come home, we’re going to have a lot to talk about.

Note: This is just metaphor. There are way too many ways to argue why the kids are alone in the first place, the intricacies of whether spiritualism applies to government at all, whether we should build our ethics on tradition or science or both or…..it’s impossible to cover these things in one post but the core behavior, the ‘appointed enforcer’ is an attitude that is inherent in our society. Even as children we understand how to dominate others through fear.