Yes. I also spent years as a fundamentalist christian. The restrictions don't keep you safe. They inhibit your ability for creative relations with all other, including yourself. They immobilize our creativity for problem solving, by taking away our agency and giving it to an institution. Then it is at risk of atrophy, and is easily co-opted by other bullys. We become followers. Never the leader in our own consciousness.
Beautiful again, thank you. An inspiration for the week. Allow me to add Martin Luther King's famous quote on power and love.
... Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change.
... Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often we have problems with power. But there is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly.
You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites, polar opposites, so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. It was this misinterpretation that caused the philosopher Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to reject Nietzsche's philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea of love.
Now, we got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. (Yes) Power at its best [applause], power at its best is love (Yes) implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. (Speak) And this is what we must see as we move on.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1967. "Where Do We Go From Here?" Annual Report Delivered at the 11th Convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, August 16, Atlanta, GA. (Excerpts)
So great to read this. You are so right about the choice between power and love. In every moment we have the choice to base our action on one or the other. Being conscious of that choice is so important. Thanks for the reminder
Love your books. Thank you for these interesting thoughts about Passover.
Sadly, your normalisation of Israel takes away from the power of your message of peace. Israel was conceived as a theocracy and has become the most extreme in terms of industrial killing and outright colonial racism. Israel is not safe for Jews who oppose theocratic rule. Ask Amira Hass or Gideon Levy about freedom of speech.
I am Jewish and this thought provoking essay was just the right Passover reading for me. I agree ‘Power pollutes religion’ and am forever on the side of love.
Beautiful and thoughtful as always, thank you. And it sounds great on paper, on screen, in theory. If only I could adhere to more than my devotion to the psalms and weekly communion --- the meal that I rarely taste. I wonder how my politically active Jewish friends are embracing Passover now. Will it help sustain them in these American days? Cheers from Texas
Islam has three goals. First, to destroy Israel, second to eliminate all Jews from the region. Third, to create a global caliphate and subject the entire world to sharia law.
Winterson is clueless about this ideology. She is also clueless about Israel, a nation comprising 7 million Jewish citizens and 2 million Islamic citizens. In other words, unlike the Islamic nations surrounding it, which are almost 100% Islamic.
The Muslims of the Gaza Strip support the goals of Hamas which are stated in its charter -- the destruction of Israel and the removal of all Jews from the region. That's their plan, and they're sticking to it. Iran funds Hamas, hezbollah and the Houthis, which have been launching attacks on Israel for decades. Winterson seems oblivious to the ongoing attacks and how the attacks define Islam's intolerance for the presence of anything non-Islamic.
Islam is a three-part ideology that combines a religion, a political doctrine and a military. All muslims are part of this unified ideology. The Islamic mind cannot conceive of separating mosque and state. Further, Islam abhors every word of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. It abhors freedom.
Yet somehow Winterson ranks Israel, where Muslims enjoy the same freedoms as Jews, on the same level as the most brutally oppressive Islamic theocracies in which women are the property of men and handing out Bibles is a capital offense that could lead to execution.
Islam is an ideology that does not permit introspection. The Quran is the word of their infallible God. The Quran encourages the killing of non-muslims, specifically Jews. The so-called palestinians have made this goal a priority by using billions of donated dollars to build a war machine in Gaza rather than a functional economy.
They are now suffering for their folly. Meanwhile, no "genocide" is underway. The population of the Gaza Strip has doubled since 2005 and it has increased since 10/7/23. When it comes to genocide, the Nazis set the record. The global population of Jews before the Holocaust was about 16 million. It's about the same today.
Islam began 1,400 years ago and spread by conquest. There are now about 1.9 billion Muslims in the world. That's almost a quarter of the global population. And growing. It is a global threat.
An interesting and thought-provoking post. I agree there is much wisdom and beauty in religious teachings, which we should keep. But while there are undoubtedly warm and happy 'exchanges', I've always been repelled by the institutions and rituals of religion (and its leaders) - at best autocratic, loveless and stifling; at worst oppressive, ugly and vengeful. As you say, definitely too much power and too little love.
"Are we on the side of power or the side of love?" That surely is the key question. Organised religion at worst is about power, but at its best is about love. I don't think this is so much about religion as about the desire of human beings, usually men, to control others. Religion is often a convenient excuse to do this.
Yes. I also spent years as a fundamentalist christian. The restrictions don't keep you safe. They inhibit your ability for creative relations with all other, including yourself. They immobilize our creativity for problem solving, by taking away our agency and giving it to an institution. Then it is at risk of atrophy, and is easily co-opted by other bullys. We become followers. Never the leader in our own consciousness.
"Love it is, then." Thank you for this, Jeannette Winterson.
Such great thoughts, shared freely with us. Thanks for voicing what many of us are feeling, with your intellect and talent behind it.
Beautiful again, thank you. An inspiration for the week. Allow me to add Martin Luther King's famous quote on power and love.
... Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change.
... Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often we have problems with power. But there is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly.
You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites, polar opposites, so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. It was this misinterpretation that caused the philosopher Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to reject Nietzsche's philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea of love.
Now, we got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. (Yes) Power at its best [applause], power at its best is love (Yes) implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. (Speak) And this is what we must see as we move on.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1967. "Where Do We Go From Here?" Annual Report Delivered at the 11th Convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, August 16, Atlanta, GA. (Excerpts)
So great to read this. You are so right about the choice between power and love. In every moment we have the choice to base our action on one or the other. Being conscious of that choice is so important. Thanks for the reminder
Love your books. Thank you for these interesting thoughts about Passover.
Sadly, your normalisation of Israel takes away from the power of your message of peace. Israel was conceived as a theocracy and has become the most extreme in terms of industrial killing and outright colonial racism. Israel is not safe for Jews who oppose theocratic rule. Ask Amira Hass or Gideon Levy about freedom of speech.
Inspiring and wise words. Thank you Jeanette at this sacred time of year.
Jeannette, I read your seminal work, ‘Oranges’, (and everything else you have since published) at a time when I was questioning my sexuality.
Thank you for ensuring that your influential and courageous voice is still being heard at a time when it is needed as never before.
Maria
The most beautifully discussed and beautifully written thing I have read in an age. Thank you so much Jeanette.
I am Jewish and this thought provoking essay was just the right Passover reading for me. I agree ‘Power pollutes religion’ and am forever on the side of love.
Beautiful and thoughtful as always, thank you. And it sounds great on paper, on screen, in theory. If only I could adhere to more than my devotion to the psalms and weekly communion --- the meal that I rarely taste. I wonder how my politically active Jewish friends are embracing Passover now. Will it help sustain them in these American days? Cheers from Texas
Islam has three goals. First, to destroy Israel, second to eliminate all Jews from the region. Third, to create a global caliphate and subject the entire world to sharia law.
Winterson is clueless about this ideology. She is also clueless about Israel, a nation comprising 7 million Jewish citizens and 2 million Islamic citizens. In other words, unlike the Islamic nations surrounding it, which are almost 100% Islamic.
The Muslims of the Gaza Strip support the goals of Hamas which are stated in its charter -- the destruction of Israel and the removal of all Jews from the region. That's their plan, and they're sticking to it. Iran funds Hamas, hezbollah and the Houthis, which have been launching attacks on Israel for decades. Winterson seems oblivious to the ongoing attacks and how the attacks define Islam's intolerance for the presence of anything non-Islamic.
Islam is a three-part ideology that combines a religion, a political doctrine and a military. All muslims are part of this unified ideology. The Islamic mind cannot conceive of separating mosque and state. Further, Islam abhors every word of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. It abhors freedom.
Yet somehow Winterson ranks Israel, where Muslims enjoy the same freedoms as Jews, on the same level as the most brutally oppressive Islamic theocracies in which women are the property of men and handing out Bibles is a capital offense that could lead to execution.
Islam is an ideology that does not permit introspection. The Quran is the word of their infallible God. The Quran encourages the killing of non-muslims, specifically Jews. The so-called palestinians have made this goal a priority by using billions of donated dollars to build a war machine in Gaza rather than a functional economy.
They are now suffering for their folly. Meanwhile, no "genocide" is underway. The population of the Gaza Strip has doubled since 2005 and it has increased since 10/7/23. When it comes to genocide, the Nazis set the record. The global population of Jews before the Holocaust was about 16 million. It's about the same today.
Islam began 1,400 years ago and spread by conquest. There are now about 1.9 billion Muslims in the world. That's almost a quarter of the global population. And growing. It is a global threat.
I will answer with a song https://youtu.be/BWdy3URl9mg?si=KUuXtyAi3lP9uKSJ
Spring is here!
Thanks, Jeanette, one of my lighthouses!
An interesting and thought-provoking post. I agree there is much wisdom and beauty in religious teachings, which we should keep. But while there are undoubtedly warm and happy 'exchanges', I've always been repelled by the institutions and rituals of religion (and its leaders) - at best autocratic, loveless and stifling; at worst oppressive, ugly and vengeful. As you say, definitely too much power and too little love.
So agree... makes me cringe, and sigh!
"Are we on the side of power or the side of love?" That surely is the key question. Organised religion at worst is about power, but at its best is about love. I don't think this is so much about religion as about the desire of human beings, usually men, to control others. Religion is often a convenient excuse to do this.
Thank you for this thoughtful piece, it was very moving to read.
Ahhhh, so refreshing, smart, wise, true, loving. Breathing you deep. Thank you.