We covered Chapter 8: “Pathocracy and Religion” in this workshop. Lobaczewski covers two main themes here: general comments about religion and its significance and role for humanity and in pathocracy, and two paths pathocracy can take: secular and religious. Specific topics discussed:
religion as an eternal and universal human phenomenon, and how forms the bedrock both for a society of normal people, and for resistance to pathocracy
the emergence of pathocracy is primarily a failure of the local religion
religions can either start out as a pure divine revelation, or be corrupted from the beginning
authentic religions traditions can subsequently become pathologized, leading to a phenomenon like religious pathocracy
in order to avoid future reemergences of a previously surmounted pathocracy, the pathological elements must be recognized and excised
religions started by pathological individuals will recurrently flare up with pathocratic symptoms; reform is difficult, perhaps impossible
under a secular pathocracy, religions take on additional roles for which they are not entirely suited, like politics and economics
why some religious people will reject ponerology, and why they shouldn’t fear adopting such an outlook
and more!
Next week, Saturday, April 6, 12:30 EDT (9:30 EDT), we will discuss the first half of Chapter 9: “Therapy for the World” (pp. 299-312, which includes the first couple pages of the “Forgiveness” subsection).
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