It's All God -- Amen, Om, Whatever

By Anneli Rufus, AlterNet. Posted December 6, 2008.

Reading about these hailin' hordes, it's hard not to wonder how much of what passes for religion is just a longing to belong, how much apparent piety is a ploy for the comfort of conformity. In this era of identity politics, spiritual identity is nearly always shared identity. Consumer culture trains us to flock in huge numbers under flags and logos. Consumer culture turns everything into brands. So from Sunday Mass to Mecca pilgrimages to sipping the Master's sandal-washing water, how and whom or what one worships can become yet another logo, however soul-deep and authentic it feels. Just as it is in stadiums and superstores, part of the thrill of most spiritual experiences is social. Hallelujah, I am not alone. And reverence is contagious. Seeing others swoon on their knees or speak in tongues or insist that they can see the messiah, we too become electrified. We do not want to be left out. We do not want to miss what Sobel calls "the Ultimate Boat." What a bummer that would be.

Consumer culture wants everything to feel like shopping. So presidential campaigns are ad campaigns. And candidates and gurus and marketers all use the same techniques. Sai Baba, whose birthday attracted two million and who is famous for seeming to materialize magic dust and jewelry from thin air, tells visitors: "I give you what you want until you want what I have." Mmm, free jewelry. Those religious allusions suffusing Barack Obama's candidacy were no accident: that halo effect in photographs, those rays of light extending outward from his image on posters --all numinous touches meant to suggest not so much that he is religious (which worked for Clinton and Bush) but that he is a religious figure. "Hope" is a godly word, right up there with faith and love.

"Hope" -- along with "change" -- is also a classic antidote for fear. And if Sobel glimpsed any astounding revelation during his journey, then it "has to do with the utter terror of being a living human being on this planet. Fear, fear, fear makes the world go round." All his experiments, every sob and prayer and puke, "has all been just this one thing: an attempt to cure myself of terror."

There's a seeker born every minute.

See more stories tagged with: the 99th monkey, eliezer sobel

Anneli Rufus is the author of several books, including "Party of One: The Loners' Manifesto."

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