Religion and Politics: orthodox Ideology and Falsches Bewußtsein

In this paper, I have attempted a theoretical study the relationship between religion and politics. In concrete terms, I have taken up the problem of how religion functions in the creation of an orthodox ideology which holds an important role in the maintenance of political authority. Earlier scholars have discussed the role which falsches BewuBtsein plays within orthodox ideology from the standpoint of political science. In this paper, I have considered the relationship between falsches BewuBtsein and religion. In particular, taking the ikko ikki of medieval Japan as a concrete example, I have focussed the following two points: (1) there can be seen among them a reification of consciousness and falsches BewuBtsein in that they seek to spatialize time, and (2) they mistake the riefication of consciousness, along with its collective experience of falsches BewuBtsein, with religion and faith. Further, I have discussed how ikko icky, based upon religious representation, dealt with religious and secular politics and authority, and also how in turn the political authorities viewed the ikko ikki. My paper is an tentative attempt to provide a method for understanding theoretically the relationship between religion and politics based on the above perspectives