Gospel of woke: 'Love Is Blind' exposes the ugly truth about progressive politics

If you need any more evidence that progressive politics is a pseudo-religion, then look no further than "Love Is Blind" on Netflix.

The conclusion of the show's eighth season became the subject of controversy after contestant Sara Carton rejected her partner, Ben Mezzenga, at the altar. After walking away, Sara cited irreconcilable differences in political values and what she believed was Ben's failure to wrestle with progressive social activism.

There is no mercy for those unwilling to give their total and complete devotion to the progressive doctrines and creeds.

This is what Sara told her family after dumping Ben:

I remember I asked him about Black Lives Matter, and I’m no expert, but when I asked him about it, he’s like, "I guess I never really thought too much about it." That affected me. Especially in our own city, like how could it not? How could it not make you think about something?

I asked him, too, what his church's views are [on LGBTQ ideology], and he said he didn't know. And I watched a sermon online ... about sexual identity, and it was traditional. I told that to Ben. ... [But] he doesn't really have much to say about it.

The climactic moment was not exactly surprising.

While dating in the "pods" — the part of the show where singles "date" and become engaged without ever seeing their partner — Sara pledged allegiance to the LGBTQ movement and Black Lives Matter. Ben, on the other hand, attends church and clearly felt uncomfortable talking about his political and religious values, probably because he sensed that his did not align with Sara's.

That Sara ultimately decided to reject Ben over different views of "equality, religion, the vaccine" references an ugly truth: Progressive ideology today largely functions as a pseudo-religion.

Progressivism as a worldview even has a clear religious framework: It demands strict adherence to its doctrines and dogmas — like LGBTQ advocacy, DEI, anti-racism, woke worldview, social justice and climate activism, identity primacy, and government-as-messiah — and threatens to punish heretics with excommunication.

What happened between Sara and Ben even resembles a popular Christian teaching on relationships. Drawn from 2 Corinthians 6:14, Christians talk about not being "unequally yoked" in a relationship. Though Paul likely has a broader application in mind, the power of his agricultural metaphor highlights an important truth about relationships: Two parties with different purposes cannot advance together.

Sara's decision to leave Ben at the altar is a textbook secular example of this wisdom principle in action.

Clearly, Sara believed that she should not be yoked to someone who did not wholeheartedly share her ideology. Perhaps this is wise, generally speaking. But political differences haven't always required the end of a relationship or marriage. Not long ago, most people considered them to be minor obstacles that were easy to overcome. Today, they are tantamount to fundamental religious incompatibilities, and disunity in political convictions is viewed as righteous justification for severing relationships and divorce.

In fact, Sara was not the only woman on "Love Is Blind" season eight to cite political differences as a reason not to marry her fiancé.

At the "Love Is Blind" reunion, Virginia Miller admitted that she chose not to marry Devin Buckley, in part, because they did not align politically.

"Devin told me a lot about his core values, something that he did not want to talk about on camera. I still to this day don't feel really comfortable telling you Devin's views. But I will be very clear about mine. I 100% support the LGBTQ community. I also believe that women should have the decision to choose if they want to have an abortion or not. I also believe different religions should be valued," Miller said. "This was an important part of this decision."

The tragic reality is that, for many progressives, politics is more than a tangental facet of civic life. It's now a purity system that divides between the righteous and the heretics. Absolute adherence is required. Dissent demands repentance. And for the unrepentant who refuse to submit, exile awaits.

The contrast between progressivism as a pseudo-religion and Christianity could not be more glaring. Whereas progressive politics draws boundaries around orthodoxy and orthopraxy much like Christianity, progressivism as a faith system lacks grace, redemption, and reconciliation — principles central to Christianity.

In progressivism, there is no mercy for those unwilling to give their complete devotion to progressive doctrines and creeds.

The real irony of pseudo-religious progressivism is that many of its adherents have rejected Christianity and organized religion altogether — only to construct a new religion to fill the vacuum. And as Sara demonstrated, its adherents are perfectly willing to sacrifice relationships on the altar.

Progressives may preach a gospel of inclusion. But as Ben learned, only the converted are accepted at the altar.