S LIBERAL HELPERS

35In "The Case of Ludwig Feuerbach" it was shown that styled followers to make their own neurotic flaw into athe internal categories of modern Christian religious life special sort of doctrinal virtue of their faction. Hence,are in no sense arbitrary. Those doctrines are the those groupings, especially those of the 1940-58 period,determinate outcome of the churches' efforts, "organic" express the phenomenon in a remarkably concentratedefforts over several centuries, to adapt doctrine and form, so much so that it is that neurosis, not Trotsky'sritual to the deepest psychological wants of the victims of ideas, which represented the fundamental doctrine ofcapitalist ideology. As religion thus abstracts the practice for the professed tendency in general.common, universal features from the widest assortment The parallels between Christianity and the "Oldof individual and other special neuroses, its doctrines Trotskyism', are not only luridly pronounced, but such aserve as the efficient body of clinical evidence through connection bears directly on the "Trotsky Syndrome"which to distinguish even the atheistic individual's par- itself.ticipation in the universal neurosis (bourgeois ideology)from the special pathetic qualities of his _personal Trotskylst Theologydevelopment.To the "Trotskyist," in particular, like Feuerbach'sThe central images of religion are much more than God of the pure understanding, Karl Marx and V.I.appropriate constructs. They are not merely fictions Lenin are too purely rational, too perfected, too potent towhich satisfy a neurotic need. They are projections of the be directly comprehended by ordinary men and women.characteristic unconscious images from the believers into "Ordinary folk" can find referents within their mentalthe realm of doctrine. Nor are they peculiar to religious processes only for gods who are flawed as they are. Forbelievers. They are characteristic of the unconscious life the identical reason religion requires a Messiah, a Godof nearly all victims of capitalist ideology, including with man's flaws of passion, the "Trotskyist" movementsuch professedly atheistical communities as logical- cannot directly comprehend Marx or Lenin; it requires apositivism and "organized Trotskyism." .flawed God-become-mere-man to mediate its relation-Nor is the relationship between religion and believer ship to the incomprehensible deities. On this account weonly a contingent feature of secular practice generally, have the trinity of Karl Marx '(the Logos or "HolyReligious belief reflects the "deepest" aspects of mental Spirit"), V.I. Lenin (God the judge, the law-giver), andlife, and consequently it discloses the real pattern of the Christ-Trotsky who failed on earth as ordinarymotivations by which nearly every judgement and action Trotskyists were unconsciously determined to do.of the individual is controlled. The critical, psycho- To the "Old Trotskyist," the query, "what willanalytical study of religion is the efficient way to go socialism be like?" brought forth in reply an ingenuousdirectly past the surface rationalizations by which people Garden-of-Eden sort of chiliastic description: what itmisrepresent their motivations, to thus expose the actual might "be like"/f, miraculously, Trotsky were to descendreasons people behave the way they do. to earth again backed by the will of his Heavenly Father.There might be some collateral value to collecting The official , 'Trotskyist" explications of such a world areinterviews of presently and formerly professed "Trot- infantile, sentimental rhapsody respecting the all-curingskyists," concerning their initial affiliation, etc. At best, remedies of a "workers' society." The 1940-58 "Trotmostof those reports would be unconscious lying. One skyist," in particular, never considered what theunderstands nothing respecting the "Old Trotskyism" characteristic problems of workers' society would be, nor(characteristic of groupings during the 1940-58 period) how the society would function to actually resolve theuntil one studies it as a cult of the Passion and Second. necessary crises of expanded socialist reproduction (e.g.,Coming of Christ-Trotsky, as we do here. the "ecological crisis", the reactionary carry-over of suchThe point to be made through this study is of general bourgeois ideology as "nationalism," etc.) Their socialistapplicability for the socialist movement of the 1970's. society was a chiliast's fantasy, whose mere contem-We shall expose what we identify as a "Trotsky Syn- plation was presumed to have some wonderfullydrome," characteristic of the 1940-58 "Trotskyists," but propitiatory connection to daily party practice.also of the widespread, tragic neurotic flaw of many The "Trotskyists," including to a certain lesser,otherwise promising young cadres throughout the move- degree -- Trotsky himself, reflected their professedment today. The syndrome is associated with its victim's impotence in hagiolatry. This tradition (the so-calledself-image as a self-righteous but impotent individual, "cult of the personality") spilled over into the worlddoomed to .tail. The image of Trotsky as a brilliant movement from the wretched Lenin-idolatry of even theperson who failed despite his relatively correct strategic left opposition itself. In this schema, Trotsky placesoutlook, the image of Trotsky as a "prophet," a tragic Lenin above himself, and the "Trotskyist" abjures anyhero -- almost a living archetype prompted his self- notion of equalling or surpassing Trotsky on matters of