Read the whole thing. Maybe I'll write another post later, but this post is to concentrate one thing — "thrusting for faith":
Why are so many, especially so many young people, drawn to this ideology? It’s not because they are dumb. Or because they are snowflakes....All of this has taken place against the backdrop of major changes in American life—the tearing apart of our social fabric; the loss of religion and the decline of civic organizations; the opioid crisis; the collapse of American industries; the rise of big tech; successive financial crises; a toxic public discourse; crushing student debt. An epidemic of loneliness. A crisis of meaning....
“I became converted because I was ripe for it and lived in a disintegrating society thrusting for faith.” That was Arthur Koestler writing in 1949 about his love affair with Communism. The same might be said of this new revolutionary faith. And like other religions at their inception, this one has lit on fire the souls of true believers, eager to burn down anything or anyone that stands in its way....
As my tag "religion substitutes" proves, I have a longstanding interest in religion substitutes, and I agree that a lot of current politics — especially "woke" politics — fits the needs traditionally served by religion and is practiced like religion... religion at its worst.
But was Arthur Koestler thrusting for faith?! His essay appeared in the collection "The God That Failed," and the relevant passage looks like this:
