The early Christian scholar, Elaine Pagels, opined in her book, “The Gnostic Gospels,” that Christianity was able to flourish into a world-wide religion because of the hierarchical, authoritarian structure of the early Catholic church. It was their version of Christ’s message resounded across time and across continents. Doctrinal authority came from the top down in the guise of the Pope. Formal power was invested exclusively in men, heresies were not tolerated, and when the Biblical canon was agreed upon, it stayed on message, excluding other “apocryphal” texts like those the early gnostic scholars had created. This type of organization, which tolerates little dissent and which doesn’t deviate from its goals is the perfect vehicle for proselytization. Saving souls is a motivation that cannot be argued with, and converting the masses takes on a higher significance when there is true belief that humanity is being saved from the fires of Hell.
On the other hand, the early gnostics tended to be loosely organized and much less hierarchical. Meetings were small and informal and women had status. Instead of one dominant leader, members took turns directing discussion groups. The writings of the gnostic scholars included works by women, such as “The Gospel of Mary.”The egalitarian structure of the gnostics may have been their doom. They were declared a heresy by the Catholic church and their version of Christ’s teachings was never widely disseminated. Elaine Pagel’s book refocused attention on these lost teachings during the latter part of the 20th Century.
Today’s American political parties are the natural heirs to these two very different organizational structures. George Lakoff has written extensively about how the Republican party is based upon the idea of an authoritarian family. Just as the father is boss in the home and insists upon his will being carried out, so the Republican party manages to keep its flock in line. It is patriarchal and authoritarian in the same way as some churches are patriarchal and authoritarian. It is indeed a natural political home for today’s Evangelicals. There is little sympathy for nuanced arguments. Causes and effects are simplistic. The “Butterfly Effect,” suggesting that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause disturbances across time and space, would not be looked upon kindly by most Republicans. This is one of the reasons some of them are climate change deniers. They don’t grasp that a subtle change in the temperature of the earth can lead to more wildfires, rising sea levels, etc, because the chain of connection is too long to hold their attention. Solutions to problems are often oversimplified and direct. We see this all the time in the Trump era. Americans are suffering in the work place? Start a Trade War. Blame it on “illegals.” Healthcare is too expensive? Stop paying for it for underserving poor people.
So when it comes to the nomination of Bret Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, it all makes sense when we are told that Republicans have held a long range goal of stacking the Court with ultra-conservative justices who will carry out their goals to dismantle protections for the environment, for the consumer, and for the average worker. And of course, eliminate the right to an abortion for women, who do not rank with men in the reigning hierarchy. It makes sense because the Right knows how to adhere to its goals and is not distracted by irrelevant complexities.
Let’s face it. Those on the right propagate their goals in the same way the early Catholic church propagated itself. The message is simple and consistent. The message is this: Only some portions of the human race deserve to be empowered. And once power is achieved, it should never be shared with inferiors, illegals, POC, or anyone else who deviates from the white male archetype.
People on the left, with our egalitarian and non-hierarchical ways, have trouble achieving this type of success. We don’t all agree on a simplistic version of reality. We recognize that it is not always the case that one cause leads to one effect; that science, philosophy, and true spirituality are much more nuanced. We tolerate wide swaths of disagreement. Our message is jumbled because we don’t seem to know what our over-arching principles are. Without unflagging adherence to a supreme ideal, we can’t come together as one to defeat the right.
If we want to preserve the Supreme Court as an apolitical institution, we must learn something from Elaine Pagels and George Lakoff. We have to coalesce under the banner of our own over-aching goals and values. For once, the Senate Democrats need to be less tolerant, less “gnostic.” Anything less than 100% allegiance to rejecting the nomination of Bret Kavanaugh will be seen as failure by the rank and file. The acute failure to unite powerfully to protect the nomination of Merrick Garland will reverberate for generations. We cannot afford these defeats, and if it means borrowing some lessons from the Republicans and using their own strategies against them, then so be it.
In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, Jesus was said to declare, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner as the outer, and the upper as the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male shall not be male, and the female shall not be female: . . . then you will enter [the kingdom]."
Perhaps in today’s world, a postscript could be added: When you make the Republican like the Democrat and the Democrat like the Republican, then you will enter the kingdom. In our politicized climate, we cannot see the value of the other paradigm, much less want to “make the two one.” It’s a tough juncture in the spiritual evolution of humanity where we now find ourselves.