A Thought for Christmas
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A Thought for Christmas
If Christianity goes, so does Europe
By Peter Mullen Religion Last updated: December 1st, 2011
128 Comments Comment on this article
Sign of the times: St James Church, Hindley (Photo: Guzelian)
Many people are breathing a restrained sigh of relief this morning after the cavalry, in the form of the US Federal Reserve, rode to the rescue of European financial institutions. Of course, it is uncertain whether this move will help solve Europe’s lending crisis or whether it merely postpones the day when the euro collapses – followed perhaps by the defeat of the European Project itself.
Whatever the future holds, we need to understand that the economic collapse is not the main crisis which engulfs Europe. More significantly, we see the EU developing into the ever-tighter totalitarianism which was envisaged from its inception. The founding fathers of the EU never foresaw a democratic union. The founders of the project, such as Coundenhove-Kalergi and Jean Monnet, always assumed there would be government not by elected statesmen but by technocrats. This is indeed what we have seen recently in the appointment of such men to supreme power in Greece and Italy.
But this creeping totalitarianism is not the root of our problem. Our crisis is a spiritual crisis, a crisis of identity. As the philosopher and former President of the Italian Senate, Professor Marcello Pera said,
“Christianity is so consubstantial with the West, that any surrender on its part would have devastating consequences.”
But all references to Europe’s Christian character have been expunged by the EU bureaucrats. Europe is now officially secular. Pope Benedict XVI identified our real crisis with terrifying clarity:
“The EU is godless. But then it is unthinkable that the EU could build a common European house while ignoring Europe’s identity. Europe is a historical, cultural and moral identity before it is a geographic, economic or political reality. It is an identity built on a set of values which Christianity played a part in moulding.”
A church in every village. A cathedral in every city. The glorious traditions of European music and literature. The political freedoms of which we are rightly proud. All these were products of Christian civilisation.
The mistake of the secularists and the bien pensants who now control every aspect of our lives is to imagine that we can throw off our Christian identity and yet all the political liberties and other good social consequences we derive from that identity will remain in place.
They won’t and already they haven’t. If Christianity goes, the lot goes. As T S Eliot said back in 1934, “Such attainments as you can boast in the way of polite society will hardly survive the faith to which they owe their significance.”
By Peter Mullen Religion Last updated: December 1st, 2011
128 Comments Comment on this article
Sign of the times: St James Church, Hindley (Photo: Guzelian)Many people are breathing a restrained sigh of relief this morning after the cavalry, in the form of the US Federal Reserve, rode to the rescue of European financial institutions. Of course, it is uncertain whether this move will help solve Europe’s lending crisis or whether it merely postpones the day when the euro collapses – followed perhaps by the defeat of the European Project itself.
Whatever the future holds, we need to understand that the economic collapse is not the main crisis which engulfs Europe. More significantly, we see the EU developing into the ever-tighter totalitarianism which was envisaged from its inception. The founding fathers of the EU never foresaw a democratic union. The founders of the project, such as Coundenhove-Kalergi and Jean Monnet, always assumed there would be government not by elected statesmen but by technocrats. This is indeed what we have seen recently in the appointment of such men to supreme power in Greece and Italy.
But this creeping totalitarianism is not the root of our problem. Our crisis is a spiritual crisis, a crisis of identity. As the philosopher and former President of the Italian Senate, Professor Marcello Pera said,
“Christianity is so consubstantial with the West, that any surrender on its part would have devastating consequences.”
But all references to Europe’s Christian character have been expunged by the EU bureaucrats. Europe is now officially secular. Pope Benedict XVI identified our real crisis with terrifying clarity:
“The EU is godless. But then it is unthinkable that the EU could build a common European house while ignoring Europe’s identity. Europe is a historical, cultural and moral identity before it is a geographic, economic or political reality. It is an identity built on a set of values which Christianity played a part in moulding.”
A church in every village. A cathedral in every city. The glorious traditions of European music and literature. The political freedoms of which we are rightly proud. All these were products of Christian civilisation.
The mistake of the secularists and the bien pensants who now control every aspect of our lives is to imagine that we can throw off our Christian identity and yet all the political liberties and other good social consequences we derive from that identity will remain in place.
They won’t and already they haven’t. If Christianity goes, the lot goes. As T S Eliot said back in 1934, “Such attainments as you can boast in the way of polite society will hardly survive the faith to which they owe their significance.”
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AP,
Good on you for posting this. It is 100% true for all the West, not just the EU. Let the guys staring at their online bank statements and counting the minutes until their next Wan Chai visit scoff... I am almost looking forward to the next Iron Skillet diatribe, to which I will not reply...
CXorcist
Good on you for posting this. It is 100% true for all the West, not just the EU. Let the guys staring at their online bank statements and counting the minutes until their next Wan Chai visit scoff... I am almost looking forward to the next Iron Skillet diatribe, to which I will not reply...
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Great article. People have wagged their heads from the time of Noah, they do it still.
Raging humanism, false intellectualism.
Here's a nugget for the masses: Christians are sometimes called "flat earthers". Funny though, long before modern science Isaiah wrote that the earth is a globe, circular, and hangs in space.
The Bible: confirming science from the beginning.
One example of thousands.
Head waggers, commence wagging.
Raging humanism, false intellectualism.
Here's a nugget for the masses: Christians are sometimes called "flat earthers". Funny though, long before modern science Isaiah wrote that the earth is a globe, circular, and hangs in space.
The Bible: confirming science from the beginning.
One example of thousands.
Head waggers, commence wagging.
...and this has what to do with aviation in the Fragrant Harbour?
Mods, can we please have a separate forum for those with an 'imaginary friend'
?
Mods, can we please have a separate forum for those with an 'imaginary friend'
?
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A lot of Christians seem to believe our "values" are the result of Christianity and could not exist without it.
Nothing can be further from the truth, but as usual you like to ignore the reality when you manufacture your case for the bible:
The best of our values - democracy, respect for the individual, the rule of law, the pursuit of virtue - preceded Christianity. They were formalised by Greek philosophers in the 3rd to 5th centuries BC. These values are not Christian, they are pagan, and they do not require a Christian environment to thrive.
Nothing can be further from the truth, but as usual you like to ignore the reality when you manufacture your case for the bible:
The best of our values - democracy, respect for the individual, the rule of law, the pursuit of virtue - preceded Christianity. They were formalised by Greek philosophers in the 3rd to 5th centuries BC. These values are not Christian, they are pagan, and they do not require a Christian environment to thrive.
Yeah cxorcist, I might have known before I clicked on it.
I foolishly thought that a thread entitled 'A Thought for Christmas' may have been about a piss-up somewhere for Fragrant Harbour pilots, a 'thought' for those Fragrant Harbour crews working over Christmas, or something to do with a certain Fragrant Harbour airline's Thirteenth Month payment.
Instead it's another 'doom and gloom' religious diatribe, which if the poster had half a brain, would be in Jet Blast for a wider readership. Why he focusses this baloney on those interested in aviation in the Fragrant Harbour is beyond me. Maybe 'god' tells him to, or maybe he sees Fragrant Harbour mods as a 'soft touch'.
It's almost as if these nutters actually want something resembling an apocalyse to happen so that they can interpret it as an act of 'god' and then reap the rewards for their 'belief'?
Actually I find it quite 'liberating' to occasionally respond to these people who habitually pollute my favourite aviation forum with proselytising.
I foolishly thought that a thread entitled 'A Thought for Christmas' may have been about a piss-up somewhere for Fragrant Harbour pilots, a 'thought' for those Fragrant Harbour crews working over Christmas, or something to do with a certain Fragrant Harbour airline's Thirteenth Month payment.
Instead it's another 'doom and gloom' religious diatribe, which if the poster had half a brain, would be in Jet Blast for a wider readership. Why he focusses this baloney on those interested in aviation in the Fragrant Harbour is beyond me. Maybe 'god' tells him to, or maybe he sees Fragrant Harbour mods as a 'soft touch'.
It's almost as if these nutters actually want something resembling an apocalyse to happen so that they can interpret it as an act of 'god' and then reap the rewards for their 'belief'?
Actually I find it quite 'liberating' to occasionally respond to these people who habitually pollute my favourite aviation forum with proselytising.
Last edited by Captain Dart; 2nd Dec 2011 at 01:14.
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Can we digress, demonstrate some tolerance, for those of other faiths.
Because Noah's been mentioned, lets get back to the beginning, shall we.
"I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.”
~ Bobby Henderson (pasta be upon him)
Ramen.
His Noodliness, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the ultimate truth in the universe. It is the central point of worship in the religion commonly known as Flying Spaghetti Monsterism or Pastafarianism, according to which it is The Creator and Overseer, watching our lives and our world, changing them as it sees fit, by use of his most holy noodly appendage.
Because Noah's been mentioned, lets get back to the beginning, shall we.
"I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.”
~ Bobby Henderson (pasta be upon him)
Ramen.
His Noodliness, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the ultimate truth in the universe. It is the central point of worship in the religion commonly known as Flying Spaghetti Monsterism or Pastafarianism, according to which it is The Creator and Overseer, watching our lives and our world, changing them as it sees fit, by use of his most holy noodly appendage.
