Theocracy vs. Democracy
This lecture is a no-holds-barred critical look at religion. Michael Parenti begins with recounting a personal experience at a yoga retreat in the Caribbean. The swami in charge of the ashram, Parenti says, “was full of ego” and a materialist. No criticism was allowed. “This swami was a perfect theocrat. What we had at the ashram was a theocracy. In theocracy, there is no democracy.” Parenti then turns his attention to Martin Luther who he says, “was up to his neck in homicidal bloodletting” He blasts pre-Chinese invasion Tibet, as “a feudal theocracy.” It was run by a priestly caste, i.e. lamas, “who had enormous wealth.” Strides have been made away from superstition and toward secularism. Nevertheless large numbers of people are believers, particularly in the U.S. where, Parenti declares, “There’s been a resurgence of religion which “preaches obedience to the status quo and capitalism.”
Recorded at the American Atheists Convention.
Speaker
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti was a leading independent political analyst, scholar, and author. Cornel West called him “a towering prophetic voice.” He taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, and Against Empire. He passed away on January 24, 2026, at the age of 92.
Questioning the Unquestionable
“It is not demanded of readers that they embrace my views, but that they reflect upon their own. How seldom we bother to explore in some critical fashion the fundamental preconceptions that shape our understanding of social and political life. How frequently, as if by reflex rather than reflection, we respond to certain cues and incantations, resisting any incongruous notion. Our opinions shelter and support us; it is an excruciating effort to submit them to reappraisal. Yet if we are to maintain some pretense at being rational creatures, we must risk the discomfiture that comes with questioning the unquestionable, and try to transcend our tendencies toward mental confinement.” – Michael Parenti
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