When money becomes a new Lord of Civilization – Darul Ma’arif Islamic Boarding School

Darulmaarif.net – Indramayu, July 28, 2025 | 10.00 WIB

In every age, humanity always creates a system of values and structures of meaning that we know as culture. In the dynamics of the long history, culture is not just the result of creativity-karsa, but often turns into “new religions” with Gods who are no longer transcendent, but are born from the kitchen of artificial and profane artificial civilization.

Over time, many of these values not only become a guideline for life, but also turn into objects of worship. Capital – which was originally only a medium of exchange or a form of wealth – now transformed into an entity that was appointed, guarded, even tuped.

From transcendent God to Historical God

Erich Fromm, in his works like Sane communityExplain that modern humans have replaced transcendent God (which are sacred and spiritual) with “God History” – Saki everything created by humans himself, then sacred by social and cultural agreements.

This concept is close to what Jean Baudrillard is called picture– Pseudo reality that has replaced true reality. In contemporary society, humans no longer worship God because of faith, but instead worship symbols such as money, brands, status, and power.

God history is not only present in ideological or political forms, but is also very economical. This is where the capital takes the role of a new sacred entity: promising worldly safety, social security, and fake spiritual satisfaction.

Capital as a new religion: between market logic and consumer faith

Capital, or capital in the form of money, is now not only a medium of exchange, but has turned into a center of human life orientation. In today’s global society, human values are often measured by economic capabilities. Social status, happiness, even self -esteem, often determined by how much capital has.

In this context, Francis Fukuyama passed The end of history and the last person states that history has ended when liberal capitalism wins absolutely, and modern humans live under an absolute market regime. Capital victory is not only about the economy, but about ideology that get rid of religion, morality, and community.

Different from Marx who criticized capitalism as a class exploitation system, or Nietzsche who echoed “God’s death”, today’s reality shows that capital is not killing God, but replaces it.

Capital is a new religion with its own dogma: efficiency, growth, profit, and consumption. Every day, modern humans undergo consumptive rituals, access “new schools of schools” through shopping centers, digital applications, and advertisements that offer instant paradise from various shopping centers.

Lord capital in the perspective of contemporary philosophy

Slavoj žižek, a contemporary philosopher from Slovenia, saterically criticizing the logic of global capitalism. In many interviews, he stressed that modern humans are now in the illusion of freedom – even though they have become slaves to the global economic system. Capital is not just an economic tool, but a psychological and ideological submission system.

Meanwhile, Byung-Chul Han Burnout society Highlighting how neoliberal people are no longer external, but burden themselves to continue to be productive and competitive. In this system, capital enters the deepest niche of human existence and converts it into a exchange rate production machine.

In other words, capital has penetrated the human inner space, taking over the religious function that was once occupied by God. Capital provides a sense of security, offers “safety” in the form of establishment, and creating compliant consumer communities.

Finding a Critical Path: Returning to Laping Spirituality

However, not all humans are subject to capital hegemony. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the world arranged by algorithms and stock prices, there are still many individuals and communities who seek the meaning of life outside the capitalistic system.

They are authentic spirituality seekers. They reread religion not as dogma, but as a way of liberation. Religion, in this context, is not just a doctrine of worship, but resistance to the dominance of capital that freezes conscience.

Paulo Freire calls it Conscientization– Critical awareness that frees humans from the structure of oppression. In today’s world, oppression can be in the form of fake welfare illusions offered by Capital.

It’s time to worship worthy of worship

Now, the question is: can we still distinguish which ones should be worshiped and which should be a tool?

Capital is an important tool – but not to be worshiped. When he becomes a new God in life, then what is lost is not only spirituality, but also humanity.

We need redefinition of value. We must re -question that life is too sacred to be reduced only in numbers and profit. Only with critical awareness and grounded spirituality can humans be separated from the snares of worship of capital.

In Islamic teachings, true life is not measured by the abundance of wealth, but from the submission of the heart to Allah SWT and self -usefulness for fellow human beings. Al-Qur’an reminds:

Knowledge of the world is inherent from the pleasant, and decorative, and it is damaged between you, the infidels are prophetic, then he will come, and he will see it as a yellowish, then they will become debris

Meaning: “Know that world life is only a game, delay, jewelry, and proud of each other and wealth and descendants. Fooled …” (QS. Al-Hadid verse 20)

This verse confirms that the orientation of life that is only centered on capital is only a mirage. So, returning to monotheism is not only a matter of formal ritual worship, but also the spiritual liberation of the bondage of pseudo values that are left. By realizing this, humans will find the true meaning of life: This is not a servant of capital, but to be a free servant of God.

Hope it is useful. Wallohu a’lam.