Dissident: Dissent Against What, Exactly?
We throw around the term ‘dissident’ a lot. But what do we mean when we say it?
There are a lot of self-titled dissidents out there. Which means there are a lot of definitions, too. I cannot speak for everyone when I answer this question. I can only speak for what I mean when I say it.
The dictionary would define dissident as ‘someone who disagrees with or challenges their government‘. In a way, this is correct for our purposes. But it is too limited for the sense that I use it. When I use the term dissident, I think in a broader sense.
A dissident, in our sense, is someone who challenges the very premise which modern Western Civilization is now based upon. It goes much deeper than just one government.
It inevitably does include a challenge to the failed modern systems of governance, but that is only one piece of it. A true dissident of which I speak challenges far more than just that.
It is not just a resistance to the state or to the current working order. Instead, it is a resistance to the entirety of the corruption of the modern world.
A dissident does not just want the government to be overthrown. He or she wants the world system to change to a better one.
Our current world system is based on the lies of the Enlightenment. Errors that include things like the blank slate belief, egalitarianism, a rejection of Christianity, subjectivism, materialism, and so on. These foundational pieces (errors) of the modern world are what have shaped it to become what it is. A curse, as Rene Guenon calls it.
If we truly want to fix the issues of the modern day, we have to fix this underlying failed logic of our civilization.
To be a dissident is to recognize and accept that. It is much more than just wanting a change of government system, or to have a demographic majority in your country. Because even if we acquire those things, the underlying issues will not be fixed, and the same problems will inevitably return.
It is analogous to having an overflowing sink, and instead of fixing the reason for the backup, you just continue to empty the excess water. Over time, the true issue will only grow worse and your underlying system will degenerate further. Even if you manage the symptoms, for a time.
A helpful article to delve into this topic deeper is here: “Right-Wing” And “Left-Wing” Defined.
The Reality of Our Condition
Only by rejecting the lies of our age will we truly fix anything. This requires challenging and fighting back against them.
As Christians especially, we should be OK having that fight. Satan runs our world, and we reject his system. Christ himself commands us to not join with the world. We must separate from the wickedness of our age and seek a return to our roots with Christ. Christendom gives us a template to return to.
In many ways, a Christian by default is a spiritual dissident. A person who is separated from this world and does not find their home here. One of our tasks is to help Christians realize their need to also become practical dissidents of this wicked age—Working for our people here while we can.
A true dissident loves his people and his God. But he hates the lies from the ruler of this world. So, they proudly fight for the former, and challenge the latter.
A Christian, husband, father, and American dissident. Join him in seeking truth and sipping sweet tea during the collapse of the American Empire. You can find more of his work at hiddendominion.com. Eph. 5:11.
