Secular Hesychasm

An Outline of Christianity Without God

“Secular Christianity,” generated using AI

I recently read Stephen Batchelor’s book Secular Buddhism. In the book, he attempts to find the essential teachings of the Buddha by “bracketing off” those teachings which could just as easily have been said by a Jain, Brahmin, or sramana contemporary. In the process, he ends up bracketing off the doctrines of rebirth and karma, setting them aside as products of the time, and looks at the teachings that are left when these are put aside, when only what is uniquely Buddhist in the Buddha’s teaching is looked at. This may seem an odd way to approach Buddhism but it is how we generally approach other philosophies. Plato believed in the gods and in reincarnation but those ideas are usually bracketed off and recognized as non-essential when you study Platonism as a philosophy. And this approach got me thinking about Christ and whether the teachings of Jesus could be approached in a similar manner. Can we bracket off the metaphysical and theological claims that are the product of the time and place in which he lived and focus exclusively on what is unique in the teachings of Jesus? What kind of christianity might emerge from this?

If we bracket off the metaphysical and theological sayings that could just as easily have been said by any of his Jewish contemporaries, we are left focusing on Jesus’ ethical and philosophical teachings. This gives us a sort of “secular christianity” that emphasizes Jesus’ practical wisdom, ethical guidance, and vision for human flourishing without requiring belief in miracles, divinity, or an afterlife.

By “bracketing off” supernatural claims (e.g. Jesus’ divinity, miracles, the resurrection, etc.), we can distill a coherent philosophy from Jesus’ teachings that is ethical, practical, and socially transformative. Some of the key points are:

(1) The primacy of love and compassion

• Jesus consistently emphasizes love, both for God and for others. A secular version would retain the universal ethic of compassion.
• Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)
• Love your enemies, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)

What is essential here is the radical ethics of love and empathy, rooted in unconditional love for all beings, beckoning us to develop an emotional intelligence that can foster social harmony in the face of difficult challenges.

(2) The ethics of forgiveness and non-retaliation

• Jesus rejected retribution and retributive justice, urging people to forgive and let go of resentment.
• “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whosoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:39)
• Forgive seventy times seven times (Matthew 18:22)

This aligns with modern psychological insights into the benefits of forgiveness for personal and social well-being.

(3) Concern for the marginalized and the poor

• Jesus’ teachings center on justice for the poor, outcasts, and the oppressed.
• Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God (Luke 6:20)
• Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me (Matthew 25:40)
• Let him who is without sin throw the first stone (John 8:7)

A secular christianity could emphasize social justice, economic equity, and ethical responsibility toward the vulnerable.

(4) The Kingdom of God as an ethical vision

• Instead of seeing the Kingdom of God as a literal heaven, a secular approach could interpret it as an ideal christian society of justice, peace, and mutual care, where regenerate (born-again) individuals realize the kingdom of God within themselves and within the community of born-again people.
• The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21)

(5) Challenging social, religious, and political corruption and hypocrisy

• Jesus frequently criticized religious and political elites
• “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:27)
• Jesus flipped over tables and chairs in the Temple in protest of corruption (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–18)

A secular christianity would focus on honesty, questioning power structures, and resisting moral corruption and hypocrisy.

(6) The Golden Rule as a universal ethical principle

• Do unto others as you would have the do untu you (Luke 6:31)

This is a foundational moral principle found in multiple traditions and can serve as an ethical cornerstone for a secular philosophy.

(7) Radical non-violence

• “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whosoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:39)
• He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword (Matthew 26:52)

Jesus prohibits the use of violence even for retaliatory and defensive purposes, demanding that one love even their enemies and live peacefully in this world.

Philosophical and social implications of a secular christianity

A secular christianity, like Secular Buddhism, would function more as a praxis than as a belief system. It would focus on how to live ethically and engage in society meaningfully. It would align with humanism by emphasizing the dignity and worth of every individual. It would align with existentialism in finding meaning through ethical action rather than divine purpose. It would emphasize community and solidarity as essential aspects of a fulfilling life.

• The first Christian community was essentially a commune, where all things were owned in common, and Jesus told his followers to sell everything they owned in order to follow him. (Cf. Acts 2:44; Matthew 19:21)
• This aligns with radical leftwing movements like anarchism and libertarian socialism, where such ideas are put into practice.

Like Secular Buddhism, secular christianity would remove supernatural beliefs while preserving the practical, ethical, and social teachings that can benefit individuals and societies. The goal would be to provide a framework for living well, rather than offering metaphysical doctrines or establishing religious obligations.

Secular Hesychasm

I would now like to turn to hesychasm, the mystical tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as the true essence of Christianity. I’m wondering if there is a way to de-mythologize the metaphysical claims of Orthodoxy and hesychasm in order to arrive at some core beliefs and practices that could remain valid even within a secular framework? Can we bracket off the metaphysical claims of hesychasts and focus more on the experiential aspect in order to find a sort of secular hesychasm?

I believe we can. A secular hesychasm could be developed by bracketing off the metaphysical claims while preserving the experiential, psychological, and ethical dimensions of Orthodox mysticism. Hesychasm, as a mystical tradition within Eastern Orthodoxy, emphasizes inner stillness (hesychia), prayer of the heart, and contemplation in order to cultivate direct experience of the divine presence. A secular adaptation could focus on these elements in a way that remains meaningful without requiring belief in supernatural entities or metaphysical doctrines.

By de-mythologizing hesychasm, we can retain its practical wisdom for inner transformation and well-being. Here are a few key points:

(1) Inner stillness and contemplation

• The core hesychast practice is the cultivation of silence or stillness — a state of inner peace arrived at through meditation.
• This can be understood in terms of secular mindfulness and deep introspection as a means of attaining inner equanimity and “spiritual” well-being.

(2) Breathwork and the Jesus Prayer as a mantra

• Hesychasts repeat the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”) in sync with their breathing.
• Instead of focusing on the theological meaning, this can be reframed as a mantra-based meditation — a rhythmic, breath-centered practice for cultivating focus, calming the mind, and fostering self-awareness.

(3) Experience over intellectualism and dogma

• Hesychasm values direct experience (gnosis) over theological and philosophical speculation.
• One can focus on the felt dimension of contemplative practice — how it changes perceptions, mental clarity, and emotion resilience, as well as the auditory and visual phenomena that occur.

(4) The “Uncreated Light”

• Hesychasts describe encounters with the “Uncreated Light” (traditionally associated with the divine presence, as seen in the Transfiguration of Christ).
• This can be reinterpreted psychologically as a state of peak awareness and inner illumination, akin to experiences reported by secular mindfulness meditation practitioners.
• Any auditory or visual phenomena can be interpreted as hallucination and might even be seen as having metaphorical or allegorical import.

The Practice of Secular Hesychasm

The practice of a secular hesychast might entail the following:

• A daily contemplative practice involving breath-based mantra repetition with the Jesus Prayer
• Inner stillness and simplicity, not as religious practices but as a psychological path to equanimity and overall well-being.
• A focus on direct experience without insisting on any theological interpretations and without believing that mystical experiences do (or do not) correspond to reality.
• A discipline of self-reflection and humility that recognizes the limits of knowledge while cultivating openness.

God as unconditional love (agape) or the ultimate ethical ideal

I wish here to re-define the concept of God. God is not a real metaphysical entity but rather the ultimate ethical ideal. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”(1 John 4:8) God is the ultimate ethical ideal of unconditional love. This allows also for a secular re-interpretation of the Trinity where the three persons act as a society in which the various individuals share love for one another. God, as love, must be multi-personal because any sort of selfish love is not true love at all. We might then think of incorporation into the body of Christ via baptism as a sort of theosis or incorporation into the Godhead, aligning oneself spiritually wit the ultimate ethical ideal of universal and unconditional love towards all living beings.

By re-defining God as love in an ethical and experiential sense, you can construct a vision of secular christianity that retains its core spiritual depth without reliance on supernatural claims. This secular re-interpretation of the Trinity and theosis provides a compelling framework for understanding individual and communal moral transformation.

(1) God as love, the ultimate ethical ideal

• The biblical phrase “God is love” (1 John 4:8) is central to Christian theology. In our secular re-interpretation, God is not a supernatural being but the highest form of love itself — an ethical and relational ideal.
• This aligns with the idea that moral progress and ethical living require love as a guiding principle, rather than obedience to a divine law.
• Love, as an active, self-giving force, becomes the “divine” principle in human life, a universal value that transcends individual desires and any particular cultural background.

(2) The secular Trinity, love as relational

• Traditionally, the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) expresses divine relationality but I propose reframing it as a symbol for ethical and communal love.
• God as love must be relational — love that exists in isolation is mere self-absorption.
• If God is love and love must exist between persons, God must necessarily be multi-personal. The multi-personal God of the Christian Trinity is the personification of universal and unconditional love.
• The Father-Son-Spirit dynamic can be seen as a model of an ideal community, where love is given and received in full reciprocity.
• This makes the Trinity a metaphor for a philosophy of ethical and communal flourishing rather than a metaphysical doctrine.

(3) Theosis as ethical transformation

• In Orthodox Christianity, theosis (becoming one with God) means participation in divine love. A secular re-interpretation of theosis makes it the process of aligning oneself with the highest ethical ideal — to become more loving and self-giving.
• Baptism is symbolic of incorporation into the community that holds these ethical values. Baptism marks entry into the Body of Christ. In a secular sense, this signifies commitment to a life oriented towards love and moral transformation. The “Body of Christ” then becomes the collective of all who strive towards ethical self-giving love — not a supernatural entity but a moral and spiritual community.

This framework offers a way to preserve the wisdom of Christian thought in a secular age. It removes theological dogma while keeping the ethics of love, communal transformation, and moral idealism alive. This can be seen as a “christian humanism,” where love remains the central principle, but in a way that is accessible to both believers and non-believers.

Demythologizing God as creator

I’m also interested in exploring the idea of de-mythologizing the concept of God-as-Creator. The accounts of creation given in Genesis are largely re-tellings of ancient Mesopotamian myths. The important part, in my opinion, is not the literal idea of creation but rather how the story communicates something of the nature of God (the ultimate ethical ideal) and how the Judaic conception of the ultimate ethical ideal (God) differs from the pagan understandings of the nature of God/gods.

(1) Creation as a reflection of ethical order, not cosmic manufacturing

• In ancient Mesopotamian myths (Enuma Elish, Epic of Gilgamesh, Epic of Atrahasis, etc.), the act of creation is violent and chaotic. The gods create the world through struggle and humans are made to serve the gods as slaves.
• These myths are retold in the Book of Genesis. The Genesis accounts roughly follow the pagan mythological accounts but make key changes that reflect an ethical difference. The world is created through a process of order and intentionality, not divine warfare. God calls creation “good,” implying a universe infused with ethical value and purpose, not just mechanical existence. Humans are not slaves to the gods but bearers of the image and likeness of God.
• Creation here is a mythical expression of ethical order rather than a literal account of the material origins of the universe. The Genesis story can be read as describing the emergence of moral awareness rather than recounting a specific historical event.
• In pagan mythology, the gods are often capricious, selfish, and power-driven, behaving much like glorified humans. The Judaic innovation was to conceive of God not as an anthropomorphized force of nature but as the moral foundation of the cosmos. This “God” is not a being within nature but the principle of ethical goodness (love) underlying the cosmos.
• God’s creative act is a metaphor for the ordering of reality according to ethical values. Instead of God as a supernatural Creator, we have ethics as a creative force that shapes human consciousness and civilization.

(2) Humanity as the pinnacle of creation

• Unlike in the Mesopotamian parallels, in Genesis humanity is not an afterthought but the culmination of “creation.” Whereas humans exist to serve the whims of the gods in Mesopotamian myths, Genesis elevates mankind to stewards, co-creators, and moral agents.
• Adam and Eve are given names, choices, and moral responsibility, implying that their role is more than mere existence — they are meaning-makers.
• Humans are not insignificant specks but rather the center of ethical responsibility.
• Being “made in the image of God” can be read as humanity’s ability to create, reason, and love.
• The Genesis creation narrative is less about how the universe was made and more about why humans matter in the moral order of existence.

(3) The fall as the birth of moral consciousness

• The story of Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge can be interpreted as awakening to ethical awareness and the original recognition of sin.
• The “fall” is actually the beginning of moral responsibility — humanity is no longer naive but now understands good and evil.
• This aligns with existentialist and humanist thought, where meaning arises not from a divine plan but from moral struggle and self-awareness.

(4) A Secular Re-interpretation of the Creation Myth

• If we strip away the supernatural elements, Genesis can function as a foundational myth for secular humanist ethics.
• The world is not random or meaningless but is characterized by order, especially an ethical order derived from human nature.
• The “image of God” represents humanity’s capacity to achieve the ultimate ideal of love, compassion, and reason.
• The “creation” is not about the physical origins of the universe but rather about the emergence of a moral order.
• Humanity is not a passive servant of the divine but rather an active participant in the moral order.

This allows for a secular “theology” that retains the wisdom of the biblical tradition while aligning more closely with modern secular humanist, scientific naturalist, and critical rationalist thought.

Conclusion

In exploring a secular approach to Christianity, Hesychasm, and the concept of God, I have attempted to “bracket off” supernatural claims while preserving the ethical, experiential, and philosophical core of these traditions. A secular christianity emerges as a practical philosophy centered on love, compassion, forgiveness, justice, and personal transformation rather than theological doctrine. A secular hesychasm retains the mystical tradition’s emphasis on inner stillness, contemplation, and direct experience while reframing these practices within a psychological and meditative framework. God, understood as the ultimate ethical ideal, becomes synonymous with love, making the Trinity a model of relational and communal ethics rather than a metaphysical mystery. Finally, the Genesis creation narrative, stripped of mythological literalism, reveals an ethical vision where humanity is the pinnacle of moral awareness and responsibility. Together, these re-interpretations form a coherent secular christian humanism, one that preserves the wisdom of Christian thought while making it accessible to both believers and non-believers in an age of reason.