On Becoming

The Long-Term Effects of Trauma

In this episode, we turn to Alice Miller's book The Body Never Lies: The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting. What makes the book so important is that Miller is able to establish a relationship between the traumas we experience in childhood and the illnesses (mental and physical) we get in later life. At the root of the problem is the fourth commandment (Honour your mother and father). We end up being unable to see how we've been hurt because we want to protect our parents or religious community. And that leads to illness, because the body knows the truth and its only language is illness.

Trauma, Violence, and High-Control Religion

This episode marks a new emphasis for On Becoming. While I have referred to trauma before, here it becomes a lens through which we examine high-control religion (like Evangelicalism). I begin by considering the role of cruelty in Christianity, though a recent article by David French. Next, I turn to Alice Miller's book The Drama of the Gifted Child as a way of thinking about how children are often treated with a lack of respect and thus traumatised. Finally, I turn to James Dobson to work out the ways in which trauma and violence are part of most Evangelical's upbringing.

Jesus--Messiah or Mentor?

In this episode, we take a look at various ways of framing Jesus. I grew up thinking that Jesus was supposed to be Lord of my life. But, as time went on, I came to think that this wasn't a very helpful framing. Here we'll consider other ways of framing--Jesus as Cynic philosopher, apocalyptic teacher, charismatic healer, sage, and social prophet. In short, I read Jesus like I read Socrates.

Deconstructing Jesus

In today’s episode, we’re be looking at Jesus. As with all historical figures, establishing exactly what happened is sometimes very difficult. In this episode, we’ll talk about the gospels and why they are problematic, both because they are propaganda and because they were written so long after Jesus lived. We’ll also talk about the distinction between what has often been called ‘the historical Jesus’ and ‘the Christ of faith’. 

Trying to Make Sense of 'God'

Have you ever noticed that the God of the Bible, who is supposed to be the ultimate 'Good', is often petty, mean, and vengeful? In this episode, we'll consider, first, the argument that Feuerbach presents for how the concept of 'God' came into existence. Then we'll consider where the Hebrew concept of 'God' comes from (hint: it's not from God). Finally, we'll turn to some examples of God being jealous, petty, misogynistic, and constantly trying to glorify himself.

Is There a Correlation Between Religion and Happiness?

Does being religious make you any happier? In this episode, we consider whether 'religion' might make for a happier you. The problem, as soon becomes apparent, is that there are many senses and ways of being 'religious', some of which are likely better than others at making us happier.

What Does It Mean to Be Saved

The idea that Christianity is about salvation seems as fundamental as any idea or concept in Christian theology. In this episode, I first ask the question 'where does this idea come from?' More specifically, how did followers of Jesus come to interpret his death as somehow providing salvation? I don't think there's a clear answer to this question, though Nietzsche provides an interesting analysis of Paul. In the remaining portion of the episode, we consider the main theories that have been advanced to explain how Jesus' death brings about salvation.

The Need for the Ascetic Priest

How have priests or pastors served to make the slave revolt something permanent? It's that they heal the wound and inflict it at the same time. In this episode, we consider how the priest emerges in society to become the figure that channels the ressentiment of the slave and creates a new kind of being. 

A Nietzschean Analysis of Trumpianity

Both Christian and secular commentators have remarked on and questioned the close relationship between Trump and Evangelicals. Supposedly, there are such great differences between them that it's hard to see how they connect. But Trump and Evangelicals share a deep sense of ressentiment toward the world around them. In this episode, I argue that faith in Trump has replaced faith in Jesus. I use the term 'Trumpianity' to indicate something like a new religion (rather than simply a different version of Christianity). My reading of Trumpianity is primarily shaped by Nietzsche's account of the development of slave morality. But I believe that Trump has provided a way for Evangelicals to leave Jesus behind in favour of a new version of master morality in which Evangelicals are the masters. Whereas Jesus teaches love, Trump teaches his followers to hate.

The Creation of the Concept 'Sinner'

All of our ideas and concepts come from somewhere. So where did the notion of 'sinner' come from? In this episode, we explore the distinction Nietzsche makes between master and slave morality. We'll begin by explicating the idea of master morality and then see how that morality compares to the morality of the slave or those on the bottom of the hierarchy. Nietzsche credits the slaves with a revolt that turns the values of the masters on their heads and replaces them with a very different conception of morality. It's that revolt that constitutes a change in values that begins in Judaism and continues into what we now call 'Christianity'.