Thread by @ConceptualJames

A few people asked me in interviews last week what could possibly be done to break the Woke out of the cult at this point, and even though I'm not a Christian, I reminded them that Christianity literally has a great model set up for this. I'll explain.

The process really has three parts:
1) Proclaim the truth (tell without coercion or force)
2) Remind them that everyone is a sinner (so everyone makes mistakes)
3) Invite them to repent in their own time (accept your past error as wrong and move forward productively).

The reason this model is so important is because of some psychological and social effects we can generally call "backfire." Once people have committed an error, it's very difficult for them to own it. It's a really humbling thing, and if the error is costly, it can be impossible.

The first step, proclaiming the Gospel (or telling them the truth without forcing them to accept it), is necessary for them to know the truth, thus the error, and to consider it for themselves on their own terms. There's nothing to rebel against except in petulance.

Knowing the truth induces the dissonance between truth and falsity, right and wrong, and creates an opening for what the Greeks called "aporia" (wonder). The Christian model is to proclaim the truth and then wait as a landing pad for people who find themselves wondering.

The hard part is the shame and isolation that come with knowing you did wrong, especially if it caused harm (especially to children or society). It's hard to own that. Christianity reminds us that we're all sinners. We all do wrong. It's part of being human. It's NORMAL.

By reminding people that anyone can and will make these kinds of mistakes in one way or another, they can get past the barriers of shame and isolation that prevent them from taking the path of repentance for their errors. It's impossible to explain how important this part is.

The doctrine that we are all sinners, apart from Christ, is a powerful tool for getting people who have committed major mistakes to realize that it could have happened to almost anyone and isn't a peculiar defect in themselves. This opens a door to repentance and growth.

Incidentally, the poisoned Woke doctrine of "complicity" mirrors this approach and twists people into the cult rather than out of it by inverting the circumstances in the typical Gnostic way. It calls on people to repent of being normal in favor of being Ideal, which is evil.

Notice that the Christian model is not one of "complicity in sin," although sects that turn pretty puritanical (just like Woke) take that up sometimes. You are a sinner, but you can repent of your sin and embrace a better path. This innocence mechanism is powerful too.

I'mma get shit from the theologicals now. LOL idec.

Finally, when one is ready, there is an invitation or call to repentance for error in Christianity, which is a moment of owning and reconciling the self to the mistake and its consequences, righting oneself against it, and taking appropriate action to make amends when needed.

You cannot possibly leave a cult without repenting of having been in the cult and having made the mistake of having fallen for the cult. It's not possible. You have to own your own failings and really feel what they mean, then you have to reconcile after with self and others.

The Catholic rite of Confession formalizes and instrumentalizes this, and it has had a reasonably good track record of helping people repent and restore their ability to feel prosocial while providing a mechanism for reintegration into the community, e.g.

Of course, these things require so much responsibility to avoid corruption too. The Catholic rite of Confession was also the doorway to the perversion of Indulgences and God knows what other evil. It must be done right. I offered it only as an example.

In sum, the Christian model offers a path out of error, even if one doesn't take the Christian path of rebirth through accepting Christ as Savior model. You have to know the truth, realize error is common and be humble with less judgment, and do repentance and reconciliation.

Christians have already proved that this model can be done at the scale of civilizations, so there's absolutely no reason to believe the West is a lost cause with its badly damaged generations of youth and widely poisoned minds and institutions. Hope springs eternal.

On the other hand, pathways like hardline, mandatory, or even strongly socially enforced Christianity betray this entire model and will induce backfire, even if they provide temporary stability. "Christian Nationalism" isn't the answer, nor is "Integralism" or theocracy.

Proclaiming the truth and inviting people into aporia and eventual repentance cannot happen under the force of hard power or even hegemonic demand. Tyranny to make it "work" will always be the result because rebellion will follow like night follows day.

There's no collection basket at the Church of James. Happy Sunday. Look for corruption in your life, repent of it, then forgive yourself for it. You'll be a happier person and more effective and productive.