The Gods of Our Time
Some ruminating on what fills the role of religion these days
The World Not So Long Ago
Only a few generations back, our societies were not so heavily steeped in technological advances and global markets and governments:
- Children across the planet died in droves to diseases we’ve practically eradicated in the rich world.
- Weather was catastrophic and crop technology was simple; mass starvation was a common occurrence
- Transportation and communication were unbearably slow, with blistering speeds of 1–5 mph being the way people and goods moved
All of these sorts of externalities plus many others (Illiteracy? Being female equating to a life of servitude? Slavery?) meant that there was a lot of suffering. And the mechanism most folks turned to was God/Religion (e.g. the Gods, or the Buddha etc.) to seek alleviation from suffering, as well as to explain why people suffered.
- Suffering brings us closer to God
- Attachment is suffering
- Suffering is the result of karmic retribution
While not always reassuring, God(s) and religions helped humans to make sense of the world and helped preserve the systems that humans set up, like governments and multi generational religious communities.
But then the industrial revolution came along.
With it, cities became unlivable hellscapes for a time, but then the quality of life (in the rich world) improved as technology allowed us to live longer and more healthily.
We could talk to people instantly, and soon enough, we were able to share information instantaneously, bringing you to this article and Squid Games among other things.
So which gods have displaced the gods of old? Let’s go through them:
Religion #1: Money (Polytheistic)
Money is the most omnipresent religion in a globalized capitalist world. We review stock prices and index values more frequently than any religious text. People check their expensive phones, over even more expensive wireless networks, to communicate about new job opportunities, or try and sell/buy goods and services.
“Money talks, bulls — t walks” and many other aphorisms abound. The world is an economic engine and as long as it turns we live prosperous lives.
Money is the religion though, so who are the gods? Well there are many, including:
- The Transistor Titans (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, TSMC), who make the world of technology possible
- The Software Seraphs (Meta, Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon), giving us devices to stare at and websites to visit/buy things on
- The Energy Gods (Exxon-Mobil, Saudi Aramco), keeping us moving along in our cars/planes and keeping our houses the perfect temperature
- The Financial Furies (VISA, the Wall-Street Banks) making sure “clients stay on the Ferris Wheel”
These Gods are so prevalent in our existence that multiple times a day we pay obeisance to them, even if we don’t know about it. Here’s an example:
You get in your car and turn it on. If it’s gasoline powered, thank the energy gods for that, and if it’s electric, well, thank them again, since they also produce all your electric power needs.
The computer kicks on in your car (because they are all computers on wheels these days), so thank the transistor titans for that.
You drive down the street to the store. When you go to purchase something, the cashier pulls up your account on a system that runs in Amazon/Microsoft/Google’s cloud (thank the Software Seraphs) and swipes your credit card (thank you financial Furies).
Within an hour you’ve performed so many of the rituals that the money pantheon requests from you. And those rituals keep the money gods perfectly content.
But what other religions might play into your daily life? Well —
Religion #2: Oppressive Governments (Old Testament)
While the money system is very polytheistic, if you live in Russia or China, there’s a more important God you must respect: the state.
Think you’re safe in your money pantheon? Just ask all the tech companies President Xi cracked down on. Russian Oligarchs? Subservient to Mr. Putin of course.
The religion of Oppressive Governments is pretty well summarized by Deuteronomy 28:45:
All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD (Government) your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you.
A war or two in Ukraine? Steam rolling Hong Kong and thinking about Taiwan/the South China Sea? Despotic governments only have one version of the Truth, their own.
And don’t get me started on North Korea. They probably mirror Dante’s Inferno more than anything, a hell-scape people are desperately trying to flee and starving to death in. All to celebrate their God, Kim Jung Un.
These governments are all very much godless, in the sense that no religion has more power than they do; they follow in the tradition of Marxist/Rousseauian “the state does what’s best for everyone.”
To obey them is your only choice, otherwise you risk destruction (of yourself and those you love).
And even if you don’t live in an oppressive government, China and Russia and other despotic countries have an outsize influence on the world. The way their societies function matters in a global economy (just see the near energy crisis in Europe).
What remains between these realms of money and power?
Religion #3: Doom (Book of Revelations/Ragnarok)
The doomers are some of the most vocal on the left and right at this point. As the gods of money and government have consolidated their power, people stretched both ways cry out:
- Our society is a racist/sexist/bigoted construct
- Our planet is dying
- Our cities will all be under water
- Don’t have any children
- America won’t last a decade
- This generation is the dumbest/fattest/laziest generation
- Liberals are tearing America to pieces
- Conservatives are gunning people down
Doom doom DOOM.
This reminds me of the Book of Revelations for sure:
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them
Doomers don’t have an agenda except to either tear down the existing order or seeking to preserve the old one. Either the country/planet is doomed because we’re changing or because we’re not changing.
Protests, angry message boards, vehemence, violent acts; these are all ways doomers practice their faith.
A lot of what the doomers cry out about is true, but unfortunately the money and government gods are more concerned with their own domains… Also the methods of doomers are generally at cross purposes (they want things to change, but refuse to work with the existing order? OK…)
The culture wars in America (and elsewhere) are great for social media traffic. People being scared leads to more gun sales? Works for weapons manufacturers. Fear sells.
Rising global temperatures are worth it for Saudi-Aramco and Exxon-Mobil. The green economy will just be (is?) another cash grab as well. China’s all in on making solar panels for the world. Russia would love to use its Siberian coastline, which is currently locked in ice.
And fear and anxiety are things that despotic governments can easily dissuade with a brush of propaganda; Chinese and Russian media outlets are only going to scare their people if it’s in their best interest.
Doom takes a backseat to governments and cash.
Summary
In our time, Money, Governments and Doom have replaced the standard religions of the world. While these ancient religions still all exist, their power and presence in our lives have diminished, as the forces of wealth, hegemony and anxiety have grown in strength.
What are we supposed to do as individuals, caught up in this new era of religions?
Well, we can do what anyone does in the face of other faiths: either join one of the groups, or keep practicing our own faith. But it’s important to know the power of gods, even if they’re not the ones you keep.
