The American Spirit vs. Woke-ism
A House Divided
America has lost its unifying vision. The political shift from Bush to Obama to Trump to Biden has whipsawed American law and policy. We’ve gone from a country in which we feared that our political opponents would enact expensive, ineffectual plans to one in which we fear that our political opponents will transform America into a country in which we would not want to live.
America is now a house divided against itself. Our disagreements transcend vigorous public policy debate. We can no longer even agree on basic terms of discussion: Man, woman, sex, racism, supremacism, antisemitism, peaceful, freedom, secure, misinformation, authoritarian, recession, insurrection, and so many other words long considered self-explanatory have been deconstructed to the point of meaninglessness. Today’s America lacks a consensus about even such basic notions as good and bad.
A healthy nation must have a unified vision, a common purpose and a committed mission. America was founded with history’s finest mission statement: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” For more than two centuries, people around the world have looked to America as the beacon of liberty.
How did our political struggles become existential? How can those of us who still embrace America as the greatest nation made by man prevail? How can we restore the values that made America exceptional and great? How can we revive the full glory of the American spirit?
This essay series offers a simple answer: America is mired in a deep spiritual crisis. Intentionally pushing religion and spirituality out of public life and national consciousness has resulted in a national crisis affecting nearly every important aspect of modern American life – cultural, social, and political. A new Woke religion grounded in the utopian tradition, rather than in the biblical tradition, has arisen to fill the vacuum.
Woke-ism has quickly become the dominant faith of our elite – the urban, affluent, credentialed, professional classes who control our most important institutions. Left unchecked, Woke-ism has undermined our nation and our republic. Only a reconnection to the spirit of America’s founding, and a reintegration of our traditional faiths into the national fabric, can save us.
The widespread rejection of traditional religion and God has created a spiritual vacuum. Many of the basic human needs that history’s faith traditions rose to address now go unmet, unrecognized, and ridiculed in today’s America. Ironically, our proudly anti-religious elites are screaming for spiritual fulfillment while shunning anyone who approaches them speaking a spiritual language. They are lost, wandering, and seeking meaning.
Enter Woke-ism
Woke-ism was the perfect spiritual fit for the anti-religious elite. Woke-ism speaks directly to a class of people that is younger, whiter, better credentialed, more affluent, more professional, and far more likely to name their religion as “none” than to the overall American population. It appeals largely to those who dismiss and put down traditional faiths as obsolete superstitions. It manifests itself as Black Lives Matter, Antifa and other “social justice” organizations, and most prominently seen in issues such as apocalyptic climate change, Critical Race Theory (CRT), Covid alarmism, the trans movement, and redistributive economics.
Woke-ism is a utopian movement that rejects both the biblical narrative and biblical morality. It is hostile towards both Christianity and Judaism, and especially towards devout, practicing Christians and Jews. Its beliefs are diametrically opposed to the American vision of liberty, as well as to all traditional faiths.
Predictably, Woke-ism is not concerned about defining its terms. Most Woke concepts are intentionally vague and lack clear definitions. This lets the Woke accuse all who question such vagueness of acting hatefully or of inciting violence. Anyone who dares to question their definitions or try to establish some semblance of categorization from woke examples are subject to a barrage of defamations and insults on social media and other forms of media. In a very real sense, any essay discussing Woke-ism is an exercise in definitions.
The Woke of course insist that Woke-ism is not a religion. This has allowed them to take great strides towards turning it into just that, and something that has never before existed: THE established religion of the United States. This onslaught is possible only so long as we allow Woke-ism to hide the true nature of their faith. Once identified, properly defined and exposed for what it truly is, the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause can provide much of the protection we need…which we will discuss in great detail later in this essay series.
