Back in 2004 the BBC aired a series called “The Power of Nightmares,” about the roots of both the American “Neoconservatives” and the violent Muslim fundamentalists. Truth seekers ought to watch it. It was an interesting series in its own right, but it was my first introduction to the ideas of Leo Strauss. I say that it was the first, but actually his ideas are just another permutation of Nietzsche's.

Leo Strauss was a little afraid of democracy; like many "elite" thinkers, he thought that strong leadership was necessary to prevent a democratic nation from actually being guided by the will of the people, who were, after all, a selfish mob who would make foolish decisions. He thought that the American people needed a myth to fool people into behaving morally. This myth did not necessarily have to be true, and the leaders did not have to believe it either, as long as the people believed in it. That's oversimplifying, of course, but that is what it boils down to, and that is what this philosophy always becomes in practice.

There are quite a few problems with this theory; one is that, sooner or later, people will discover that they have been lied to; a society founded on lies, like a house built on sand, will collapse.

The second is that this fear of democracy is unfounded. In fact the most peaceful, reasonable societies are also those where the people have the most freedom to explore competing ideas and the leaders have the least power to stop them. (If you doubt whether this is true, check out the research of R. J. Rummel--but this is another topic in itself.)

But the deepest problem is this: once people believe a lie, they do not seek the truth. This is why Jesus was so angry with the leading teachers of his day; they taught their own burdensome version of God's law, even though they had their own loopholes to escape the burden, but their rules and harsh judgment stood in the way of the people who were honestly seeking God.

Today we have the same sort of false prophet, both in the religious and the political spheres. It is not that hard to spot the false prophet--Jesus said you do it the same way that you identify a fruit tree. Look at the tree, see what grows on it.

We should not believe leaders whose message leads to violence, war, intolerance, judgmentalism, and condemnation; Christ taught healing, peace, forgiveness, love, and salvation.