Source: CounterPunch
by Grant Inskeep
“Religious prophets, far from the nonsensical concoctions most have come to understand them as, were really radical dissidents — potentially militant given the times — and who supported, belonged to or led working class movements fighting for more egalitarian measures against tyrannical state power. All throughout organized human history, people have sought saviors whom they imagine will appear in the form of prophets, who will articulate our goals in clear language, and guide our practical action with such clear methods, that all we need do is surrender with a full heart, commit entirely to ‘the cause,’ and then continue to act in accordance with a sense of the principles we have attributed to ‘the Prophet,’ whose fulfilment guarantees us an eternal paradise. This paradise can be here on earth, as in the case of Orthodox Marxism, or, more frequently, in a promised ‘afterlife,’ as in the case of most organized religions throughout history.” (12/26/24)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/12/26/on-organized-religion-and-prophets-in-history/