James Lindsay: ‘Christianity literally has a great model set up’ to break ‘Woke out of the cult’
December 11, 2023
Author and cultural critic James Lindsay said that Christianity has “a great model” to break the “Woke out of the cult.”
“A few people asked me in interviews last week what could possibly be done to break the Woke out of the cult at this point,” Lindsay posted on X, formerly Twitter. “And even though I’m not a Christian, I reminded them that Christianity literally has a great model set up for this.”
Lindsay is the co-author of “How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide” and has written six books spanning various subjects, including religion, the philosophy of science, and postmodern theory. He is also the founder of the website New Discourses and has appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
A native of Ogdensburg, N.Y., Lindsay grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, where he attended Maryville High School. He later earned a B.S. and M.S. in mathematics from Tennessee Tech and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Tennessee in 2010.
Lindsay followed up his initial post on X with a threat offering further context:
The reason this model is so important is because of some psychological and social effects we can generally call "backfire." Once people have committed an error, it's very difficult for them to own it. It's a really humbling thing, and if the error is costly, it can be impossible.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
Knowing the truth induces the dissonance between truth and falsity, right and wrong, and creates an opening for what the Greeks called "aporia" (wonder). The Christian model is to proclaim the truth and then wait as a landing pad for people who find themselves wondering.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
By reminding people that anyone can and will make these kinds of mistakes in one way or another, they can get past the barriers of shame and isolation that prevent them from taking the path of repentance for their errors. It's impossible to explain how important this part is.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
Incidentally, the poisoned Woke doctrine of "complicity" mirrors this approach and twists people into the cult rather than out of it by inverting the circumstances in the typical Gnostic way. It calls on people to repent of being normal in favor of being Ideal, which is evil.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
I'mma get shit from the theologicals now. LOL idec.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
You cannot possibly leave a cult without repenting of having been in the cult and having made the mistake of having fallen for the cult. It's not possible. You have to own your own failings and really feel what they mean, then you have to reconcile after with self and others.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
Of course, these things require so much responsibility to avoid corruption too. The Catholic rite of Confession was also the doorway to the perversion of Indulgences and God knows what other evil. It must be done right. I offered it only as an example.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
Christians have already proved that this model can be done at the scale of civilizations, so there's absolutely no reason to believe the West is a lost cause with its badly damaged generations of youth and widely poisoned minds and institutions. Hope springs eternal.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
Proclaiming the truth and inviting people into aporia and eventual repentance cannot happen under the force of hard power or even hegemonic demand. Tyranny to make it "work" will always be the result because rebellion will follow like night follows day.
— James Lindsay, against magic (@ConceptualJames) December 10, 2023
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