The Secular Religion of Modern Leftism: From Enlightenment Chaos to Western Decline

In an era where political divides feel increasingly spiritual, many observers—including conservative thinkers like Dennis Prager—have likened modern leftism to a "secular religion." It offers a sense of purpose, subjective morals, and communal rituals, from virtue signaling to public reckonings, without invoking a divine authority or moral absolutes. But what exactly is this "religion" called in 2026? There's no universal consensus, but terms like "Post-modernism", "Wokeism" or "Successor Ideology" dominate critiques, portraying it as an atheistic, neo-Marxist framework emphasizing identity politics, social justice, moral relativism, and collective equity over individual responsibility and traditional/biblical morality. As cultural polarization intensifies, some see it evolving into a "dark woke" variant amid ongoing culture wars, while others predict its decline, potentially supplanted by resurgent Christianity among Gen Z.

This framing isn't mere rhetoric; data reveals stark correlations between religious beliefs and political alignment. Pew Research Center's 2023-2026 surveys show that highly religious Americans—those attending services weekly and praying daily—lean Republican by about 60%, while the religiously unaffiliated ("nones," now 28% of adults) overwhelmingly support Democrats (around 70%). Liberals have seen Christian identification plummet 25 points since 2007 (to 37%), contrasting with conservatives' steady 82%. Republicans view religion positively (78%), while Democrats are more skeptical, with many citing misalignment between faith and progressive values as reasons for leaving religion. This isn't monolithic—progressive Christians exist, blending faith with social justice—but the left skews secular, with the "Progressive Left" typology showing 62% believing success lies outside individual control, prioritizing systemic change, and revealing a "Great Falling Away" from Christianity in America in the last 20 years. This includes the surprise revelation of left embracing denominations and theologians, once thought to be conservative or orthodox theologically, like John Piper and Russel Moore.

Peeling back to first principles, leftism's belief system often stands in opposition to Judeo-Christian values, reflecting humanism and reason over divine authority. Core tenets include:

• Humanism and Moral Relativism: Progress through science and empathy, with morals evolving societally—contrasting Biblical absolutes and original sin.

• Collectivism and Equity: Government-led solutions for percieved or manufactured systemic inequalities, like affirmative action or wealth redistribution, versus conservative emphasis on personal merit and charity.

• Skepticism of Hierarchies: Dismantling patriarchy and capitalism as oppressive, favoring fluid identities (e.g., LGBTQ+ rights) over traditional norms.

These stem from Enlightenment ideals of human centrality and perfectibility, but as critics argue, they manifest as "anti-Biblical" by elevating human-centric relativism and human determinism above God's revealed will in the Holy Scriptures and Moral Law. Yet this Enlightenment legacy is double-edged. The American Revolution of 1776, influenced by both Enlightenment thought and Christian heritage (most signers were devout, barring exceptions like Franklin), succeeded in forging a stable republic grounded in checks, balances, and covenantal freedom. In contrast, the French Revolution of 1789—purely secular and utopian—descended into chaos, the Reign of Terror, and bloodshed, embodying the left's historical pattern of revolutionary excess.

Os Guinness brilliantly articulates this in *The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom*, positing the Reformation—not the Enlightenment—as the true birthplace of Western civilization. Drawing from the Exodus narrative (the "Sinai Revolution"), Guinness contrasts faith-led freedom—rooted in humility before God, equality under divine law, and covenanted responsibility—with the Enlightenment's "Paris" model of reason-alone, which fuels modern progressivism's utopianism and power-over-principles approach. The American Revolution aligns with Sinai's realism, yielding enduring liberty; the French, with Paris's hubris, ends in oppression. Guinness warns that today's leftist ideologies, as heirs to 1789, risk despotism by rejecting God-centered moral anchors for technocratic control.

This thesis resonates with global trends. A striking map from recent surveys at Amazing Maps(@amazingmaps) illustrates certainty in God's existence: The U.S. stands out with over 50% affirmation nationwide (70%+ in the South), while most of Western Europe and much of the world hover under 30%. Europe's secular shift correlates with cultural decline, as leftist ideologies—collectivism over individual moral justice, social equity supplanting Biblical charity—fill the void left by fading Christianity. Without the "light and salt" of faith, societies erode, prioritizing empathy for the marginalized without transcendent anchors, leading to fragmentation and authoritarian drifts.

Ultimately, our discussion underscores a profound choice: Will the West reclaim Reformation-rooted values, blending faith with freedom as in 1776, or succumb to Enlightenment's secular heirs? As Guinness urges, the path forward demands humility before God, not unchecked human reason—lest we repeat history's bloody lessons. In 2026, amid resurgent faith trends, the battle for civilization's soul rages on.