The Illusion of the Separation of
Church and State
 

an Essay by

Avatar Adi Da Samraj

Modern societies generally acknowledge the principle of the separation of Church and State. The origin of this common principle was in the early conflicts that arose between traditional religious institutions and the emerging powers of secular scientism and technology. In the historical transition of mankind from the "cultic" religious basis of ancient societies to the scientific and technological basis of modern secular societies, the old religions balked at some of the implications of the "new knowledge". Therefore, if scientific technology were to provide the basis for the new era of mankind, the dominance of the social order by the authority of official "cultic" religion had to be brought to an end.

The principle of the separation of Church and State is simply the "civilized" device created to permit the transition from a religious to a secular order of society.

Ever since this principle became the working norm, "cultic" religion itself has been gradually diminished in power and secularized in its content. And the "new knowledge" of science, which provides the dogmatic basis for what is in effect a new "Church" (or "official" way of knowing and living), has become more and more a critic of "cultic" religion. Indeed, the scientific establishment and its spawn of university intellectualism and large-scale technical and industrial enterprise have displaced the ancient culture of religion. In fact, the principle of the separation of Church and State is itself only a strategy for excluding conventional, or "cultic", religion from the creative position of authority over the proceedings of society in general. Truly, that principle does not apply to the official "Church" of secular society.

The secular State is always in league with the official "Church" of scientific materialism in all modern industrial societies. And the authority and authenticity of every religion other than science is fundamentally excluded by the dominant "Church". The rule of science moves over the world with the heavy hand of State power, creating scandal and doubt and fear in every area of independent cultural creativity. And all religions are forced to suffer the plundering by this new "Church"—or else convert and be transformed into a species of the "new faith".

As a result, one finds that certain religious "cults" have submitted to a high degree of containment by the secular forces, and so they have been granted a kind of "official" status as "allowable cults". Such is true of mainstream Christianity and Judaism in much of the Western world. However, even these (along with the other "cults" of the "great religions") are the subjects of oppression in those secular societies in which the "Church" of scientific materialism is most clearly in power, based on its intimate association with the secular State, or the practical idealism of political materialism. (Such oppression is true in the absolutist secular States of communism.)

The trend of the new "religion" of scientific materialism is to exclude the mystical, developmental, and independent cultural motivations of all peoples, and to establish a political ideal of materialistic work-effort in every area of society. Therefore, wherever this trend succeeds, human beings are devoted to individualistic motives and collectivist hopes for material progress that will, ultimately, permit every future individual to enjoy a prolonged life span of pleasurable self-fulfillment.

Wherever conventional "cultic", or "old-style", religions are permitted to survive in secular societies, they are able to survive only by adapting to the new social and political idealism and the new knowledge. Thus, "cultic" religion has become more and more a merely poetic restatement of "humanistic" psychological interpretations of mankind. And the "mysteries" of religion have become merely prescientific allegories for natural events that have now become banal truisms, or "closed cases" in the continuing "detective story" of science. Certain "fundamentalist" religious beliefs remain at the less sophisticated levels of popular society, but such religious beliefs are generally regarded as a kind of harmless and ridiculous intoxication that has no real significance in the daily world of sober social effort.

I am not criticizing that archaic religious institutions have ceased to be able to freely dominate mankind via intimate association with powers of State. I am Criticizing that a new, aggressively anti-religious, secular, and materialistic philosophical trend is everywhere in league with the secular State. And the true religious or developmental Spiritual Wisdom-Teaching of the world's great Adepts of every degree is being prevented from achieving Its rightful role as the dominant cultural motive of mankind. Indeed, the new "Church" of scientific materialism is not, in this regard, any different from the old exoteric religions that were previously in league with secular State powers.

The religious institutions that anciently achieved legitimacy and dominance through political association were exoteric "Church" institutions that supported ideals compatible with the secular motives of the State. Those religious institutions are still present today as the "allowable cults" of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and so forth. But the more basically secular "religion" of scientific materialism has superseded the authority of exoteric religion, and, therefore, in most societies, the secular State is now designed in separation from the old "cults", and, in many cases, the secular State and its new "religion" are in direct opposition to the old "cults".

Truly, the exoteric religions of the old world are archaic, and they are fast becoming obsolete. The obsolescence of the ancient exoteric religious conceptions is inevitable and not inherently wrong or regrettable. However, what is wrong and regrettable is the continued disposition in the institutions of popular secular society to exclude the esoteric Wisdom of the developmental Spiritual Teaching of true Adept-Realizers of every significant degree, ancient and modern.

The exclusion of true or esoteric religion has been the business of the secular State since ancient times. At first, this was done via the establishment of the popular idealism of exoteric religious institutions in league with the secular State. But in modern times the same process is done by the strategic exclusion of conventional religious cultism, mystical idealism, and greater developmental Wisdom from the mechanisms of popular culture.

"Consider" all of this carefully. Observe the dominant powers that influence, propagandize, and rule in your daily life. Examine the strategies of your own opinions. Criticize the motives of your own desiring. Then you will see how urgent is the need that mankind awaken to a new cultural destiny.

In the realm of popular culture, scientific and politic materialism is in power. And the essence of official popular propaganda is fundamentally anti-religious and devoted to an exclusively materialistic interpretation of Man and cosmic Nature. The "allowable", or semi-official, "cults" of the yet remaining religious establishment continue to serve as exoteric religious extensions of the secular State. But all non-establishment cults of free religious, mystical, and Spiritual experimentation and practice are constantly the subjects of negative propaganda in the popular communications media. And "intellectual leaders" are constantly agitating against esoteric and non-establishment religious cultism—and especially against the possibility that any religious or Spiritual leader achieve a position of widespread influence and power in the midst of the secular order. (Therefore, university intellectualism and popular criticism generally oppose, or at least work to maintain the disposition of doubt relative to, religion, religious institutions, mysticism, and the naturally dominant role of Real God and true Spiritual Masters in the esoteric culture of true religion.)

I am deeply Dismayed by the trends of popular culture in this day, and I have grave Concerns about the immediate future of the human world. The modern machines of political power and "official" propaganda are immense, and the common mind of even the most considerable intellects of our day is monstrously deficient in Spiritual understanding and purpose. The people are full of righteous needs, but they are otherwise possessed by aggressively self-indulgent motives and all of the self-deluding conventions of the mob-mind.

I have Revealed another understanding than the one that now and traditionally has motivated and controlled the human world. But I can do no more than Teach and Bless, by My Word, by the Stories of My Life and Intimate Demonstration, and by My literal Heart-Transmission of Divine Blessing Power. I have no worldly power to change mankind. My only Power is the Truth That I have Taught and That I Reveal directly to the heart, and the love or sympathy that any man or woman may be moved to grant Me as they "consider" My Wisdom-Teaching, and practice the only-by-Me Revealed and Given Way of Adidam, and change in heart-Communion with Me and in the context of the community of all My devotees. Therefore, I can only Plead and Beg for your attention and for your understanding of the ego-transcending and esoteric Spiritual, Transcendental, and Divine Way of Adidam That I have Revealed. And if many listen to Me, then perhaps together you can demand real changes in the cultural basis of the social order, so that Divine Wisdom will, at long last, become the Guiding Master-Principle of Church and State.
 

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