[Something I wrote a while ago that I’d like to have on the blog]
I define utopianism as the notion that you can fix people by fixing their circumstances. You can make people behave well by setting up the system right. This is an attractive view because it seems a lot easier to fix circumstances than to fix people. If you get the circumstances right then when people encounter those circumstances they suddenly start acting righteously.
This seems like a massive shortcut. It takes a problem that seems impossible to solve — the moral cure of each individual human being — and substitutes what seems to be a much simpler problem. Now all you have to do is find the right people who will put that system in place. Or, as Lord Buckley said,
Mr Malenkov, Mr. Talenkov, Mr. Eisenhower, Mr. Whoozer-wezer, Mr. Whiser-whooser, Mr. Woodhill, Mr. Beachhill, an' Mr. Churchill, an' all them other hills gon' get you *straight*! And if they cain't getchu straight, they know a cat that knows a cat who'll get you straight.
In other words you have reduced the moral problem to a political problem.
Jacques Ellul, in his book The Political Illusion, argues that the notion that you can solve society’s problems politically is the main idolatry of the 20th century. We recall with laughter the scene in Fiddler On The Roof:
*Perchik*: There's a question... A certain question I want to discuss
with you.
*Hodel*: Yes?
*Perchik*: It's a political question.
*Hodel*: What is it?
*Perchik*: The question of ... marriage.
*Hodel*: Is this a political question?
*Perchik*: Well, yes. Yes, everything's political. Like everything
else, the relationship between a man and a woman has a
socioeconomic base. Marriage must be founded on mutual
beliefs. A common attitude and philosophy towards
society ...
*Hodel*: And affection?
*Perchik*: Well, yes, of course. That is also necessary. Such a
relationship can have positive social values. When two
people face the world with unity and solidarity ...
*Hodel*: And affection?
*Perchik*: Yes, that is an important element! At any rate, I ... I
personally am in favour of such a socioeconomic
relationship.
*Hodel*: I think ... you are asking me to marry you.
*Perchik*: Well ... in a theoretical sense ... yes. I am.
*Hodel*: I was hoping you were.
But we slide easily past the most important thing Perchik says: “Everything’s political.” That is, there is one thing, one concern, that is the basis for everything else. Solve that and everything comes right. And this view makes a god out of politics.
The notion that all problems can be solved through political means has two problems. First, it doesn’t work. The experience of the 20th century, and now the 21st, has shown that the more political means are used to solve problems, the more tyranny grows, and with it what has been called democide — the murder by a government of its own people. The amazing result of pioneering studies done by R. J. Rummel is that government has killed more of its own people in the 20th century than died in wars during that same time — he estimates between three and five times as many killed by their own government than killed in wars.
Besides becoming a problem problem in itself, politics has a poor record of actually solving societal problems. This is probably due to the fact that politics bears no necessary connection to reality. People from as long ago as Aristotle have noted, for example, that what a democracy wants bears no necessary relation to what is good for the democracy — either for its continuance as a democracy or even for its survival. That is, there’s no reason to expect voters to choose wisely so as to actually solve problems.
Numerous perverse incentives have been observed that work against wisdom in a democracy. The most obvious is to note that wisdom appears to have the usual bell-shaped distribution; trying to appeal to the wise few at the expense of the less-wise many will not be a winning political strategy. One only need note the prevalence of “sound bites” and refusal of most candidates to address substantive issues with real solutions. Saying too much makes you a target.
The second and more serious problem with trying to solve problems politically is that it is theologically unsound. The Bible tells us not to expect Christian behavior from non-Christians:
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people --- not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler --- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
Even more clear seems to be the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 13 about wheat and tares (see Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). The issue is not circumstances, but the individuals themselves. Only when the earth is purified of evildoers do the righteous “shine like the sun” in God’s kingdom.
Every time we go through an “election cycle” we as Christians are tempted to hitch our wagon to some candidate who seems to promise to bring in the Kingdom. For many Ronald Reagan was that messiah; for others Barak Obama was one in whom whom they placed their hope. But the Bible warns us against hoping in mortal human beings:
Put not your trust in princes, In a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; On that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in Yahweh his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh sets the prisoners free. Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind. Yahweh lifts up those who are bowed down; Yahweh loves the righteous. Yahweh watches over the sojourners; He upholds the widow and the fatherless, But the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. Yahweh will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Here we see how human rulers perish, and their power perishes with them. But God will work good and reign forever.
Our real hope is not in some human, but “… the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Let’s get our hope in the right place and we won’t be disappointed. Because idols always disappoint.