The Faith of Liberals

By the Editors

This college and this commonwealth were founded by men whom we may justly regard as religious nuts. Yet this modern, secular university far exceeds its Puritan forebears in silly zealotry. If anyone should need confirmation of Emile Cammaert’s observation that the man who ceases to believe in God, believes not in nothing, but anything, let him look at Harvard today.

So averse are they to faith as a concept, Harvard’s proudly secular contingent rarely examines its tenets of its ill-founded faith. While they claim to preach science and what Al Gore is fond of calling the “rule of reason” over what they consider the superstitious darkness of all who disagree, they take the skepticism of science and the caution of reason and transform bits and gleanings of their fruits into a secular religion that often has only the trappings of the former two. 

In an interview several years ago, Harvard’s former Humanist chaplain, Tom Ferrick, regretted that Humanism did not a enjoy ritual element “like singing together or listening to readings of passages from Humanist texts.” Certainly, he had not then envisioned the bash for Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday. While the reading of On the Origin of Species was organized by biology-related student groups, the singing and dancing—as well as drinking—were bankrolled by the Humanist Chaplaincy, under its new leader, Greg Epstein, a Humanist “rabbi.” And if song and dance for one day in honor of the “great D” —that would be Darwin, not Deus—doesn’t suffice, “Rabbi” Epstein can sing you “Alyssa,” his soft-rock song that expresses “quintessentially ‘Humanistic’” values. Darwin of course made substantial contributions to biology, but his contributions, which have been dramatically tweaked over the years, justify Humanism no more than discredit theism. If Darwin, who declared in old age that he had never been an atheist, could see how he has become a cult figure of the avowedly godless, he would no doubt experience the same bemusement as the pious Haile Selassie who arrived on state visit to Jamaica amid the haze of marijuana smoke wafting from a throng of dreadful and unkempt Rastafarians who did him worship as their Messias. 

But Harvard’s secular religion is not practiced only by the expressly atheist. The environmental movement has taken on much the same fervor. In October, Gore’s Tennessee accent spread across Tercentenary Theatre like the baleful groan of a revivalist. His matter fit his style exactly: Between veiled exhortations to elect Barack Obama in the upcoming election, he dwelt upon the horror that was to come if all did not individually embrace sustainability. To fulfill his command, houses have instituted largely pointless ritual, like weekly trayless meals, and students have fiercely debated casuistic points—when to flush the toilet, for example. Moreover, the movement seeks to stamp out all heresy. In a recent Crimson editorial comment, Sabrina Lee argued that the climate change unbelievers and skeptics cannot be tolerated: The ethical imperative is too great to permit further discussion. Though climate change is occurring, the vehemence of so many at Harvard often extends far beyond the scientific value of their claims.

And we must not forget of the cult of Barack—the “Blessed.” It’s more than people changing their middle names on Facebook to “Hussein.” Many invested their time and sweat to the cause of the green Illinois senator who they believed was ordained to bring about Change. Raul Carrillo, of the Harvard Democrats, summed up the sentiments of his acolytes well: “The spiritual Hope of Barack Obama touches not only what is deepest in Americans, but what is deepest in all mankind.

Looking at this we can only agree with one saying of our atheist “rabbi”: Harvard is the greatest secular cathedral—and the center of the strangest creed.