Abstract

As part of a wider trend to disassociate Communism from Marxism, many theorists have recently claimed Christianity provides the foundational cornerstone to the universalism of Communism. This piece focuses on the two most strident defences of the Christian legacy: those of Alain Badiou and Slavoj Žižek. Many have already noted the potentially troubling implications for the status of other faiths in the valorisation of violent, intolerant Christianity, but this piece also explores two further consequences. The implications for assessing the legacy of 20th century Marxist-Communist movements in non-Catholic countries. The contradiction between Badiou’s account of St. Paul’s ‘foundation of universalism’ and his ontology of multiplicity, and the ambiguous ‘openness’ of Žižek’s Hegelianism flagged up by his secessionist reading of Christianity. This essay is part 1 of 2. Part 2 expands on Badiou and Žižek’s absent reading of Islam – an equally universal, monotheistic faith – and examines the philosophies of two key ideologues of the Iranian Revolution in order to undermine Christian essentialism