Meister Eckhart says that “God is the denial of denial.”
If politicians are in profound denial about, say climate change, or the insurrection of January 6–that endangered the lives of congressional leaders and capitol police, and resulted in 6 deaths and over 140 injuries of policemen, and has up to now put 400 people in jail and has been called by certain politicians “ordinary political discourse”–does that then make them all practicing atheists?
I think it does. (But I do not mean to demean atheists. Many atheists have moral values they try to live up to like the rest of us and are not in denial about climate change or the seriousness of the January 6 insurrection.)
A “practicing atheist” is one whose actions belie any belief in a God of justice or compassion or even love. A “practicing atheist” is a theist (or panentheist) who turns his/her back on justice and/or truth. Hypocrisy is compounded in such actions.
In some states, polling tells us that “crime” is the most important issue to some voters in the upcoming election. Is it a crime to do nothing about climate change and vote against legislation that addresses climate change (and therefore record-making destructive hurricanes)?
Is it a crime to be in denial of climate change and then cry crocodile tears when hurricanes come, or wildfires come, like some politicians do?
Is denial of climate change not a crime against humanity? And a crime against creation and all other creatures as well?
Surely matricide, the killing of our Mother Earth, is a crime, is it not?
Is it a crime to vote against other states receiving aid for hurricanes (specifically New York and New Jersey) and then turn around and beg for billions of dollars of help from the United States government, like one Florida governor is doing–without, it seems, apologizing to those states for denying relief? Yet asking those states for relief now for his state?
So far, over 900 people have been charged with crimes for participating in the January 6 violent insurrection and trying to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power in the United States government. All of them attest to being “inspired” by a former president. More than half of them are now in jail and others are undergoing trials. Do these crimes count as crimes? Then it would seem that the former president’s party is not a party against crime.
Nor is it a party in favor of law enforcement, since over 200 law enforcement officers were attacked those days, and 140 incurred great physical harm, and all of them underwent mental and psychological harm.
Crime is not just someone breaking into one’s car or home, stealing and doing damage. Crime is also breaking into democracy to destroy it, and breaking into hearts and minds eager for truth to spread lies and falsehoods. The media and politicians are very capable of such mortal sins so deadly to killing the soul of a nation.
See Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society, pp. 224, xxiii-xxvii.
See Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ pp. 2, 144, 34, 148, 174,and Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic–and Beyond, pp. 93ff on Matricide.
To read a transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner image: Climate Crime Scene. Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash.
Queries for Contemplation
Are you speaking out and encouraging others to do so in this election time about crimes against humanity and creation and democracy itself?
Recommended Reading
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
7 thoughts on “Denial as Practicing Atheism (with apologies to atheists)”
Matthew, Today you speak to us of the denial about climate change and the seriousness of the January 6 insurrection, which it seems our politicians are in denial of. More than this, they don’t act for the “common good,” and so in their actions they are, as you say, “practicing atheists” in that they act without reference to the God of Justice and Compassion–as if God did not exist. With all of this in mind you speak on a number of important issues that are going to be voted on, during this election, in various states. We need to be aware of and know how to vote for the “good of all concerned.” You ask, “Are you speaking out and encouraging others to do so in this election time about crimes against humanity and creation and democracy itself?” Yes. Unfortunately, I talked to a woman the other day and she said, that because the election guides and advertisements are so contradictory and confusing that she is just going to vote “No” on everything. Not only do we have to get people to vote, we need for them to think intelligently about what they are voting on.
Meister Eckhart says that “God is the denial of denial” = The Truth in our hearts is the denial of the toxic logic employed by politicians who are committing crimes against humanity.
Our son is an RCMP officer, whom has experienced first hand how the judicial, political and corporate systems, often choose to take actions that lack justice and compassion regarding the common good for all. After making solid investigative cases, criminals would get off, without any consequences or having to stand accountable and responsible for their criminal acts. So he developed another tactic of creating confusion, doubt and lack of loyalty within the heirarchal ranks of the criminals, so that they began to turn against one another. Many powerful criminal leaders and their minions then started attacking, deconstructing and even killing each other, resulting in a decreased crime rate. It’s an interesting concept to consider with regards to all the political, judicial and corporate criminalists that have banded together… a kind of divide and conquer approach in which they become their own worst enemies. I too agree, that most people do not think for themselves, using their own ability to discern, with justice and compassion that which is best for the common good of ALL; with regards to what and whom they are voting for. We aught to consider the ways of the Indigenious Peoples, whom have a broad vision of this kind of discernment, in which they consider up to the next seven generations in their decision making process. Wouldn’t this be an empowering step for humanity to take in the unfolding, evolving emergence of a new kind of democracy.
Thank you Matthew for again summarizing the roots of our current existential world problems such as climate/environment catastrophe, social/economic injustices, authoritarianism, ignorance/lies/denials, and destruction of Mother Nature/Earth being the result of the historical culmination of unbalanced, toxic, ignorant, sinful patriarchy in our human institutions and behavior… Of course these historical patriarchal societies have always been made up of the behavior, thinking, and choices of individuals, primarily men, with the consequent destructive, unjust, and suffering behavior inflicted on humanity, primarily women and Indigenous peoples/cultures, and Mother Nature/Earth, to the present day. This is why our human evolution as a species still depends on individuals, especially men, taking serious responsibility for their souls and relationships/communion with the Divine Feminine Spirit of Love~Wisdom~Truth~Peace~Justice~Healing~Creativity~Compassion~Oneness… within themselves, among others, and with-in Sacred Mother Nature/Earth to help heal our past~present~future humanity in our earthly and eternal spiritual journeys of Divine Loving Diverse Oneness….
🔥❤️🌎🙏
I appreciate Matthew’s thoughtful reflections herein, but I have concluded that humanity’s denial can be summed up in one simple word—stupid… https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/stupid
I could not agree more about the facts that those minimizing the democratic crimes that were committed on January 6th and may be committed (e.g. the secretary of state candidates willing to change the vote of the people) after the election midterms was correctly explained in today’s Daily Meditation. It is ENOURMOUSLY frustrating to me since I spend many hours doing grassroots political action. Sometimes I do not know quite what to do with my frustration. Some people seem unreachable when it comes to the facts of the insurrection and truth in general. Any good ideas?
Taj, I too do not quite know what to do with my frustration either, but we must press on and do whatever we can do and not beat ourselves up with what we can’t do–for instance, I believe the people should have some input on the selection of Supreme Court Justices. Why should they be the only branch of the government that the people do not elect, and why do those that work for the other branches all have term limits, while we grant those on the supreme court life terms ??? Thereby we get stuck for years with someone we do not want in office. This is my frustration !!!