American membership in houses of worship has plummeted to below 50% for the first time in eight decades of Gallup polling, from 70% in 1999 to 47% in 2020. And that shift away from organized religion has dovetailed with the rise of an intense form of partisan politics that some see as quasi-religious – providing adherents with a sense of devotion, belonging, and moral certitude. From MAGA devotees on the right to social justice warriors on the “woke left,” political activism that can feel “absolute” in a religious way is rampant. Especially among young people, “if your candidate wins, you have that ecstatic feeling,” says Ryan Burge, an expert on religion and politics at Eastern Illinois University who is also a Baptist pastor. A stump speech can feel like a tent revival. Donating regularly to candidates is like tithing.
Christmas is actually in March, the star of Bethlehem was an alien spaceship and Jesus was an extraterrestrial being from Venus. If you find yourself nodding your head in agreement, then you’re probably a member of the Aetherius Society – a religion based on those and many other unusual and disparate ideas whose Executive Secretary and chief public relations person, Richard Lawrence, upended the traditional Christmas story recently for MyLondon. How did these beliefs originate and what kind of carols do they sing in March – Holodeck the Halls? ET in the Manger? “I wouldn’t call him an alien, I’d call him a great cosmic intelligence. But yes, alien if you’d like. I believe he came from Venus.”