Identity Politics as Bad Religion

Identity Politics as Bad Religion
Protesters take a knee and raise their fists during a "Black Lives Matter" demonstration in front of the Brooklyn Library and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 5, 2020. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Paul Adams
Updated:
Commentary

Many observers notice the elements of a cult or religion pervading much of identity politics, whatever the cause or grievance that supplies the rationale. Let’s take a look at two—contrasting but not contradictory—recent attempts to explain the religious zeal of current secular identity-based movements.

Paul Adams
Paul Adams
Author
Paul Adams is a professor emeritus of social work at the University of Hawai‘i, and was professor and associate dean of academic affairs at Case Western Reserve University. He is the co-author of "Social Justice Isn’t What You Think It Is," and has written extensively on social welfare policy and professional and virtue ethics.
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