Religious symbolism functions independently of sincere belief
Evidence
It must be emphasized that the power of this racio-religious mythology is unaffected by the personal piety or lack of personal piety of those who accept it or exploit it. As the cases of Plavsic and many of her former secularist and communist colleagues show, the abuse of religious symbolism is not dependent upon self-conscious beliefs or personal sincerity; rather it operates on the levels of the subconscious and mass psychology. — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 29
Categorization
- XREF: Resonates with Hannah Arendt on ideology operating through mass psychology rather than conviction, and with the banality-of-evil literature. — connects to: Protestant literalism paid for symbolic power with obedience to the written word