Ideaology
In " Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government," Hannah Arendt describes how totalitarian systems derive their legitimacy of power by propagating ideologies. When these ideologies are accepted by the masses, they form the basis of a law, which is totalitarian and is essentially defined by terror. Ideological thinking for the most part always contains three specifically totalitarian elements. Each element is specifically broken down and elaborates upon ideological thought. In Hannah Arendt’s work, she describes the three key totalitarian elements particular to ideological thinking. For the most part Ideology can be broken down into at least three specific categories: beliefs, values, and ideals. Every religion has different beliefs, some more abstract than others. It is my belief that every religion has some elements of totalitarianism to them. Totalitarianism is defined as the need to have total control over ones beliefs, and in many religions this is the case. For instance, the bible leads you to believe that what is written is fact, when it is really open to interpretation.