Elle Beau ❇︎ Another part of this phenomenon you observed/experienced may be the way that religion when it is used to support a dominance hierarchy (the case with Christianity as soon as it was dominated by Gentiles, especially those seeking to fit into the dominance hierarchy of the Roman empire), is the tendency to center the religion on morality. I think of this as “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” religion vs. “tree of life” faith. Of course every religion is connected to an ethic, has a vision of justice, etc. but this other thing — the centering of religion on morality — decenters it from experience of the divine, where I think it is most authentic. This is most white Christianity these days (including conservatice and liberal forms). It’s all about being good, correct, moral (according to a particular religious understanding) and that posture becomes a platform for exerting dominance over those deemed to be outside that moral sphere. It’s a subtle thing, but one can sniff it out.