Social Justice is Sociopathic - To Rebuild Culture, We Must Rebuild Christian Community

Social Perspective

Sociopathy refers to a pattern of antisocial behaviors and attitudes, including manipulation, deceit, aggression, and a lack of empathy for others. Sociopaths are generally “anti-social,” but they are not all anti-social like many of us think they are.

Many sociopaths are perfectly capable of behaving in public and even communicating to the public, but they obsess on society changing through their anti-social ideologies, often to the detriment of one culture of people over and above another.

Proper social perspective (one that is Orthodox) views secular society as a mission field for the Gospel in order to change hearts and souls. Improper (anti) social perspective cannot accept the fact that evil exists in this world, and always will. It insists that society be reconstructed to rid of or somehow contain evil without the power of the Church and her sacramental mission.This anti-social behavior is unspiritual and extremely existential. Many Christians today are anti-social in this regard. We are sucked into this mindset through the media and other forms of modern secular propaganda.

Secularized Theology

One western heresy that the Orthodox within America need to become aware of is the Catholic teaching of Liberation theology. Liberation theology is a result of Vatican II that adapts to the American mindset of restructuring society, not through and based on the Church, but on existential elements, such as politics or even Church-led politics.

Liberation theology is a direct extension of Marxism. It is Marxism for the Church. Many Orthodox pride themselves on not being a “cultural Marxists” because they want to choose Republicanism over Liberalism to reform the secular society. But what does Republicanism offer us? Does it offer the gifts of the Church as a means to direct society/build community? No, it offers ecumenism.

Republicanism is open to all religions to guide society. Can you see the insanity here? Republicanism guides us right back to Marxism by stating that we can all melt together through a multi-religion God represented by the state. This is essentially what the early Romans did. Nero offered the Church a place for Christ to sit amongst the gods of the state, but the Church rejected this offer and waited until the state invited the Church to lead. This resulted in Holy Monarchy — a symphonia — a formal relationship between the two (the Church and the state) in order for the Church to practice her mission on a larger scale.

So, although it may be true that some Orthodox are promoting cultural Marxism through Liberal politics, other Orthodox are promoting a cultural -ism through “conservative” politics. It is cultural Ecumenism, and it is creating a new kind of tyrannical society…one that lends directly to cultural Marxism and other liberal ideologies.

Now, the over correction would be to begin a monarchist party within America. But this is the same type of sociopathic nonsense that is getting us in trouble. Historically speaking, monarchy is not a mission, it is a truce. The Church labored and was martyred for their community until the state said they would now let them, and them alone, lead the nation. But American Christianity currently has very little to negotiate with the state. We have been giving into their sociopathic trap and have not been focused on building our schools, orphanages, hospitals, etc., which are the foundations of Christian community and a huge element of what Christ says we will be judged in eternity for (Matthew: 25)

Since Americans do not have a historical Christian community to rebuild like that of Europe and the East, Catholics – and what seems to now be the Orthodox – are now attempting to bypass the call to build community within the missional structure. They do not want to labor as martyrs to the natives because, well, this requires much sacrifice of the flesh. Rather than serving as martyrs, American Christians assume that we already established a Christian country and it just needs to be corrected or maintained through this baptism of sorts.

The obsession to reconstruct society without first building Christian community is sociopathic. It is something that we need to repent of. If we do not, we will latch on to any one of the latest political movements that tickles our ears. If we need just a little tickling, Facebook will work. If we need more tickling, then we might need something heavier, like Fox or CNN live. And if that is not enough, they will graduate to an alternative source like RT. But social justice is not our calling. It may be a comfortable thing to have, but it is not necessary for the Christian life and calling.

Americans say regarding social chaos, “What do we do, just sit back and watch?” No! Turn the TV off and begin relationships as the Samaritan did in the gospel. Speak to your priest about beginning an organized outreach to children, the poor, etc.

In fact, Christianity actually thrives off of calamity…and martyrdom. We are to be the “light in the darkness” as Christ commands. Sociopathic movements of secular society are not the light. The mission of the Church is the light. We can pray for those who are dead to Christ to be illumined, but to rally secular reconstruction is a distraction and in many cases today, a sociopathic trap.

This beloved saint from Mount Athos helps put things in proper perspective:

“He who would pray freely and untroubled must keep himself in ignorance of the news in newspapers; nor should he read shoddy books or be curious to know details of other people’s lives. All this fills the mind with thoughts that stain, and when one would sort them out, they further and further entangle and weary the soul. “

— St. Silouan of Athos

You can't build the house until you first build the foundation. And you can't build Christian culture until you first build solid, local, Christian community. If we want a chance to turn things around, then we need to spend less time in the newspapers, and more time with our neighbors. With God's grace and a spirit of humility, we can all live in this manner.