Religiosity and Revolution - Part 1

Throughout history, humankind has had colossal monuments erected to preserve religious and cultural beliefs, and this has been due to the yearning to satisfy what is often termed ‘the worship instinct in humankind’.

And architecture has played a crucial role in cementing religious notions and codes of social behavior since antiquity, by creating observable symbols of a common belief system which binds a society’s collective awareness.

I imagine therefore that the invention of ‘a straight wall’ altered humanity’s relationship with the earth in terms of how it interacted with it when constructing what we call modern shelters.

The curvatures and circles which were common designs among shelters constructed by most ancient societies, must have transformed drastically with new spatial dynamics ushered in by an advent of structural stoicism which informed the character of houses in towns and cities, fortresses and skyscrapers societies built.

Places of worship have been formidable symbols of a society’s religious orientation, and in a country like South Africa, which has been predominantly Christian over decades, we find a myriad of such symbols populating our villages, farms, towns and cities.

And it would be readily admissible to accept that most thought systems and moral leanings are founded on codes of the said religion, thus allowing for even stalwarts of our liberation struggle be drawn from the Christianised milieu.

Even though some churches prefer worshiping outside at places such as river banks and even under trees, most people still relish the concept of a brick and mortar structure, adorned with a crucifix and stained windows.

Now when thinking deeply about the social implications of revolutionary thought concocted under the auspices of  religious conviction, would one find disadvantages or advantages in as far as the robustness of the revolutionary fervour is concerned. Does an atheist make for a more productive revolutionary than a religiously zealous political thinker?

Do concerns for liberation get bogged down by sedative religious morality of Christianised dissidents, which in turn eliminates options of armed struggled against oppression?

Are religiously inclined revolutionaries more lenient and soft when it comes to dealing with the bloodcurdling realities of true revolution?

These and other thoughts occurred to me while visiting Groutville on the coastal regions of KwaZulu Natal, where I had the pleasure of exploring Albert Luthuli’s legacy.

Having being a presiding minister in the church captured in the images accompanying this post, I was left wondering how Christian dogma might have influenced certain concessions which were made by leaders of our fight for freedom.

One can also ask if psychological influences of religiosity are part reason for our society’s subservient nature and cowardice when it comes to confrontational tactics of struggle and war.

Is religion solely ‘an opiate of the masses’, or can we argue that religion has the ability of collectivise dissent?

I am thinking of a number of churches that were meeting places for many revolutionaries in our country, and wonder what impact ‘the spirit of these places’ had on the psyche of the occupants who gathered for revolutionary purposes?