The Dark Gospel
Sunday, December 29, 2024.
In the annals of human history, there are always whispers of shadow doctrines not written in holy texts but deeply carved into the marrow of human civilizations.
These are the principles that thrive not in the light of day, but in the dim corners of power, fear, and control.
If there were a scripture for this clandestine belief system, it might be called "The Dark Gospel."
The Gospel of Fear
Fear is the altar at which the Dark Gospel’s disciples worship. It is not a fear born of survival, but one cultivated to divide and conquer.
The Dark Gospel preaches that the easiest way to manipulate the masses is through a shared enemy—real or imagined.
It is fear that builds walls, not bridges; it blinds eyes rather than opening them. Leaders and institutions have long employed this tactic, for a frightened populace is an obedient one.
Social psychologist Stanley Milgram's experiments on obedience to authority revealed how fear, paired with authoritative pressure, could lead ordinary individuals to commit extraordinary acts of harm (Milgram, 1963).
Similarly, Hannah Arendt's concept of "the banality of evil" underscores how fear and obedience can create a moral vacuum, enabling atrocities.
This gospel proclaims, "Do not question what you are told, for danger lies in dissent." It thrives in times of chaos, when humanity’s yearning for safety makes them susceptible to half-truths and outright lies.
The Gospel of Division
The Dark Gospel revels in the art of segmentation. Divide by race, creed, class, gender, or political ideology—anything that separates “us” from “them.”
This gospel whispers that unity is dangerous, for a unified people might recognize the mechanisms of their oppression. It thrives in creating the "other," a faceless adversary who must be subdued.
"Love your neighbor, but only if they look, think, and act like you," it preaches. The Dark Gospel ensures that compassion is rationed and suspicion is plentiful, setting fire to the bridges that connect human hearts.
Religious thinkers like Martin Luther King Jr. warned against the dangers of division, advocating instead for the "beloved community" where reconciliation and equity are paramount.
In contrast, Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt’s "friend-enemy distinction" explores how division is often weaponized to consolidate power.
The Gospel of Greed
Money is its sacrament; power, its divine right.
The Dark Gospel teaches that the worth of a soul is measured in the gold it hoards and the influence it wields.
It whispers to the powerful, assuring them that their excess is justified, even as it strips the vulnerable of dignity and sustenance.
This gospel thrives on the myth of scarcity.
It convinces the many that there is not enough to go around, compelling them to scramble for scraps while the few feast on abundance.
Economist Thomas Piketty’s research on wealth inequality highlights how unchecked greed perpetuates cycles of poverty and privilege (Piketty, 2014).
Religious traditions, from Christianity’s warnings about the corrupting power of wealth to Buddhism’s teachings on detachment, offer counter-narratives to the Gospel of Greed.
The Gospel of Silence
The Dark Gospel’s final and perhaps most insidious chapter is the mandate of silence. It thrives when people turn their faces away from injustice, when they prioritize comfort over conscience. It decrees that speaking up is futile, and resistance is perilous.
"Keep your head down," it advises. "It is safer to be complicit than to be courageous."
Silence, as Paulo Freire argues in "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," serves as a tool of oppression when the oppressed are denied a voice. Inaction, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us, makes one complicit in evil: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
Refuting the Dark Gospel
To recognize the Dark Gospel is to confront a stark truth: its teachings are insidiously woven into the fabric of societies.
It tells us who to fear, who to hate, and how to serve the altars of greed and silence. But recognizing it also offers the power to reject it.
What is the antidote to this shadowy doctrine?
Perhaps it lies in the rediscovery of love, empathy, and occasional collective action.
The light of the true gospel—whatever form it takes for you—illuminates the Dark Gospel’s deceptions. It reminds us that fear can be conquered by courage, division by unity, greed by generosity, and silence by the unyielding cry for justice.
Social science research supports this refutation.
Studies on altruism and cooperation by behavioral scientist Michael Tomasello demonstrate the innate human capacity for empathy and collaboration (Tomasello, 2009).
Religious traditions echo this call to transcend self-interest: from the Quran’s emphasis on justice to the Torah’s insistence on loving the stranger.
If the Dark Gospel is the Scripture of Shadows, then our task is to become torchbearers, illuminating the path toward a world where these insidious teachings have no soil to root in. To live is to choose which gospel we follow.
Choose wisely, for in 2025, the stakes could not be higher.
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.Daniel Dashnaw is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
REFERENCES:
Arendt, H. (1963). Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. New York: Viking Press.
Bonhoeffer, D. (1995). Ethics. New York: Touchstone.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.
King, M. L. Jr. (1963). "Letter from Birmingham Jail."
Milgram, S. (1963). "Behavioral Study of Obedience." Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371-378.
Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Schmitt, C. (1927). The Concept of the Political. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tomasello, M. (2009). Why We Cooperate. Cambridge: MIT Press.