(*Update to this post:  This article in the NYT speaks to the challenges rational people currently face: “Where Facts Were No Match For Fear”:

“Misinformation is the new playbook,” Bob Kelly, the mayor of Great Falls [Montana] said. “You don’t like something? Create alternative facts and figures as a way to undermine reality.”)

The following thoughts were “inspired” by “Mad Madison,” an elected official from our neck of the woods.  A true embarrassment.

We can identify a principle guiding many politicians and preachers alike:

“If you can’t lead, or won’t lead … make things up.”

That is, if you’re out of ideas (or really not much into the ideas of Ideas), out of touch with real people (or reality) or simply never learned basic things like Civics or Civility,

then

Make something up, a make-believe threat or enemy perhaps.  Come up with a cool-sounding “plan,” legislation or tradition that makes perfect sense … to You.  Though in the real world it is pure nonsense and makes no sense to anyone who isn’t living in your mental land of make-believe.

then

Sell it.

We used to call this “busy work” but of course it’s much more serious, much more dangerous, when a “leader” who doesn’t understand “leadership” gets stirred up, stirs up his favorite nest of hornets and buzzes into the buzz-feed of headline news.

then

You sell and sell, keep repeating the nonsense, and more see you as a leader, their Leader, and anything once known as “leadership” is forgotten, unimportant, irrelevant.

True leadership becomes The Enemy.

Now, compare this to religious doctrines, creeds, rituals.  When did they start and who made them up?  Somebody did.  Then, that somebody became a “leader,” an authority, and somehow, someway, people followed along.

You see, it all boils down to The Principle:

“If you can’t lead, or won’t lead … make things up.”

If your religion isn’t working for you or seems to be losing power along with you, make up another one, another religion, another ritual or “find” another divine book, say, in your yard.

This, friends, is pretty much the history of religion.

Mix these religious “leaders” with political “leaders” and. . .

well,

We’re doomed.