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Hitchens is not Great: How Atheism ruins Everything

Here in the enlightened Western world, we have turned from our great traditions to an atheist technocratic elite who claim we are somehow "beyond" the dusty relics of history and are in a wondrous new age of Human self-actualization.

This (mostly liberal) priesthood is founded on a false understanding of human nature; an arrogant ignorance of history; and a barbaric disdain for morality. The Seven deadly sins are accepted and even celebrated. The God of secular humanism is Nietzsche's Ubermensch, its church is the shopping mall, its power is global capital (the "almighty dollar" is a common phrase), and its act of worship is sensual indulgence.

The ancient virtues of poverty, chastity, and obedience are universally despised.

It is said that Nature abhors a vacuum. And the false religion of secular humanism is ultimately empty because it lacks transcendent value or the power to change a human heart, and it has no vision beyond making a comfortable life for one's Self. The human soul was created for something more than this. That is why Islam is making such inroads to the spiritual wasteland of atheist Europe. It has a compelling vision for the future -- an oppressive, hegemonic, medieval vision -- but it has something which atheism lacks: Meaning.

Atheism has been tested and found wanting. It has no answer to the dark clouds gathering over Europe. The hope of Western civilization is not in liberal atheist delusions, but in a return to the great Faith that set Europe free from the superstitious fear of pagan deities, that converted Rome and Byzantium, that today brings hope and joy to millions in Asia and Africa and whose vision is no less than Heaven on Earth.

UPDATE: An Anglican bishop has stated the same thesis a lot more eloquently (HT: NZConservative)

Virulent outbreak of sarcasm

The always trustworthy and balanced Dim-Post made a shocking report: Blogger Implicates Clark in Toilet Paper Theft

Prime Minister Helen Clark has been accused of ‘high level involvement’ in the mysterious theft of a twelve-pack of super-absorbent toilet rolls belonging to political blogger Calvin Snail.

NZConservative responded with its own stunning revelations:  Blogger implicates Key in Power Outages

Moderate Centre-Left Wing Blogger "Dillsy" yesterday published irrefutable proof that John Key and National were directly behind the power outage across Wellington, in a deliberate ploy to embarrass the State Owned Enterprises that provide energy to the country, and by implication, Helen Clark.

Over in the States a high profile convert to the New Atheism gushes: The Loser Letters

An open letter to those spokesmen for the New Atheism who have labored mightily these last few years to sweep aside religion’s paralytic webs of superstition and prejudice, and to liberate the rest of our Species via Science and Enlightenment!
(more on this one tomorrow)

Sometimes the truth is not popular

Are we a sinful generation?

Is it the job of the Church  to help us overcome our sinfulness?

Does doing so make the Church popular?

The Sydney Morning Herald thinks it is "an extraordinary attack" when a Pastor points out sin to a member of his flock.

The real issue here in my mind is that the Judge made personal correspondence between himself and this Anglican minister public.

I am not sure how how Anglicans view the relationship between a spiritual adviser and themselves but I have the utmost confidence when I talk with my Priest that whatever passes between us is sacrosanct.

A confessor is obliged to keep it this way and I consider violating this relationship most reprehensible, regardless of any other issues being discussed here. 

The new world order and Kosovo

Its hardly been noticed in our isolated little corner of the South Pacific but a new European "nation" came into existence a few weeks ago.

The thing about this "nation" Kosovo is that it is the creation of Nato and the EU (with the UN's reluctant compliance).

Kosovo has always been part of Serbia, in fact it was the heartland of Serbia.

There was unrest in Kosovo during the nineties with an organization called the KLA  (Kosovo  Liberation  Army) bringing chaos, death and destruction to the residents of the province, not only to the Serbs but the Albanians who did not go along with their program. Many atrocities where committed.

The Yugoslavian authorities tried to restore order but Nato stepped in.  They forced the Yugoslavian government to cede control of Kosovo to them by   bombing the hell out of them.

This effectively completed the EU's dismemberment of Yugoslavia, which now has been split into 7 nations, some are now EU members, some potential EU members and the official line being the Serbs are the bad guys.

The split up of Yugoslavia was as we all know messy, bloody  and had huge cost in human lives.

The UN set up a war crimes tribunal, the ICTY to try those who committed atrocities during this process.

And although individuals from all factions have been indicted and prosecuted by this body, the majority of defendants have been Serbs.

One non Serbian defendant before this august body was Ramish Hajradinaj, leader of the KLA and at one time Prime minister of Kosovo, after  Nato's imperialistic takeover at the behest of the EU.

Anyway he was tried before the ICTY and last week acquitted, no surprise there. In fact the only surprise about this whole farce is the fact the chief prosecutor Karla del  Ponte admitted that his trial was a worthless because everybody knew that anyone who testified against him would not have a very bright future. Particularly so since unlike most defendants before the ICTY, he was not held in custody while awaiting trial but allowed to return to Kosovo to continue his "political"  activities.

Even though many of the member states of the EU feel disquiet over the annexation of Kosovo by Nato and its new status as a "nation" it marks the way the powerful are building their empire, a secular socialist big government model with which they hope to control every aspect of peoples lives.

Of course since they annexed Kosovo  and now have it, and they also have all the troubles that go along with it. It is of course the major center of people and drug trafficking into western Europe. It is also the Wahabi Muslim bridgehead into Europe and again no surprise here, as   Christian Churches and monasteries are being destroyed Saudi money is being used to raise new mosques in their place.

The big Government statests have never succeeded in their ambitions, in fact all they have ever bought is bloodshed and human misery.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if future historians mark the beginning of the end of the EU with Nato's annexation of this small Serbian province.

French Secularists cannot tolerate Sarkozy's faith

Nicolas Sarkozy, moderately conservative President of France, is raising the ire of anti-religious secular dogmatists. Chuck Colson wrote in "An Unlikely Messenger: Sarkozy and European Secularism"; religion is no longer a taboo subject in French politics. Sarkozy recalls that French history did not simply begin in 1789 (with the French revolution) -- there was a time when France was a jewel of the Catholic faith.. (remember Joan of Arc?)

For more than a century, what the French call laïcité has been the defining characteristic of French politics and public life. The word, which has no English equivalent, goes beyond the separation of church and state. It is a kind of secularism that tends to see “any strong religious views as a direct threat to [ France’s] freedom and way of life . . .”

Thus, discretion about one’s religious views, especially among leaders, is regarded as “a necessary part of being French.”

Sarkozy disagrees. In a book he wrote before becoming president, Sarkozy declared, “I am of Catholic culture, Catholic tradition, Catholic belief, even if my religious practice is episodic.”

He continued this theme after becoming president. He has criticized removing references to “ Europe’s Christian roots” from the European constitution. In a speech in Rome last December, he emphasized France’s Christian roots. He invoked France’s ancient title of the “Eldest Daughter of the Church.”

He proposed a new version of laïcité, one that “does not consider religions a danger, but an asset.” That is because, according to Sarkozy, when it comes to teaching right and wrong, “the schoolteacher will never be able to replace the priest or the pastor.” Well said.

Sarkozy has also stood up for France’s often-beleaguered Jewish community. He recently announced that, starting next fall, French fifth-graders will have to learn the story of at least one of the 11,000 French children killed in the Holocaust.

He defended his plan by blaming the wars of the twentieth century on the “absence of God.” He further shocked French sensibilities by adding that Nazi racism was “radically incompatible with Judeo-Christian monotheism.”

This latter point is not hypothetical for the French president, whose maternal grandfather was Jewish.

Critics are appalled by Sarkozy’s invocations of religion. As one socialist leader put it, “a speech citing God not only on every page, but on every line, creates a fundamental problem for the republic.” Others chide him for disregarding the separation of church and state.

And, of course, they do not hesitate to point out the gap between his rhetoric and his lifestyle.

I wish that Sarkozy’s “religious practice” was less “episodic.” Nevertheless, I am gratified that he is taking on what has been called a “major taboo” in French public life. This may be the first time since the French revolution that a French leader has spoken seriously to the people about God.

A French-born writer, Hilaire Belloc, put it this way, “the faith is Europe.” Without Christianity, Europe would not exist. European secularism and the denial of its Christian roots have cut it off from its own heritage, leaving it vulnerable to the challenge of Islam.
After all, you can not fight something with nothing, which is what a “post-Christian” Europe is left with. That is why I welcome Sarkozy’s message — however unlikely the messenger.

A fascinating debate is underway at BeingFrank.

Hilarious

Quote

"Some people wonder why church leaders almost always back left wing Governments, despite the fact that conservative parties always have a much much higher proportion of true believers and church goers.

The answer tends to be that few (not all) church leaders actually literally believe in God (as taught in the Bible), and are far more concerned with social issues than religious issues.

Again this is not new, and I refer people to an excellent Yes Minister episode on this issue."

I saw that episode, its very funny.

But that is satire.

However could this  response from Poneke  be satire?

This is not at all far fetched. The gay minister of the church whose kindergarten my children attended is an atheist. His Christmas sevices for the kindy kids were a marvel to behold, containing not a mention at all of Jesus, Mary, Joseph or anyone like that, but many calls to arms against the oppressors of the poor and the downtrodden. He certainly bewildered a lot of three and four year olds, who until then believed Christmas was about Santa and presents. :-)

I'll let you be the judge of that.

Mad as a March hare today and April fools day to follow tomorrow

Well I'll be!

According to the Vatican,  Muslims  outnumber  Catholics for the first time since the time of the Prophet.

It is not that Catholicism is in decline, far from it, in fact.

Rather, it seems those of the  Islamic  faith  are better at producing babies than Catholics are.

I have heard that Mark  Steyn has got himself into a spot of  bother in Canada for pointing this out in Maclean's Magazine. Not about Catholics you understand but about westerners in general. Catholics do rather better than non Catholics in this  regard.

I wonder if the Canadian human rights commission will take on the Vatican.

When I was a kid I heard it  said, maybe people still say it that the  Pope opposes  birth control so that Catholics would out breed everyone else. It seems they are not.

Whatever, it is quite clear  that  Oregon's  "pregnant man"  aside, the people who will  inherit the earth  will not be  those of a liberal bent.

What will tomorrow bring I wonder?

Postscript:  March is the breeding season for Hares in the northern hemisphere,  from whence the phrase  "Mad as a March hare" is originates.

Make of that what you will.

 

Mock churches, ignore poor

Kiwiblog responds to churches' collective calls on behalf of NZ's poor by shooting the messenger and denying the problem.

It is surreal to see such a post from DPF, whereas I have heard many atheists claim that churches would be a lot more credible if they pursued social justice as vigorously as the Salvation Army. I fail to see how a social justice agenda has much to do with declining attendances. As far as I can tell, the churches in decline are those whose leadership is confused and losing the foundations of the faith — ie. belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Take the example of Spreydon Baptist, a very large congregation (2000+) in Christchurch, which has outshone government agencies in assisting the needy in its vicinity.

Christianity does not confer a standardized set of political beliefs; the faith has a few basic creeds that most churches can agree on, but there is huge latitude for differences of opinion. But the Catholic faith consistently provides very thoughtful and balanced material, rather than off-the-cuff misinformed comments which form the basis of DPF's blog. Here is part of their statement on Employment:

“In recent years there has been much talk about the economy, especially the need to be economically competitive. We recognise that as a nation we must be efficient and effective and use our resources well. However, the State and the economy exist for the well-being of the people. The people do not exist for the well-being of the State and the economy. Policies and legislation regarding the economic life of the country must be shaped with this in mind.

Many claim that, as a result of Government policies, the economy is in better shape than it was some thirteen years ago. Yet the working and living conditions of many have declined. It is timely to remind ourselves that according to the Church the worker is always more important than capital, for the workers are human persons. We wish to remind all New Zealanders of the rights which belong to all who work and those without work, and call on them and on all people of integrity to resist further erosion of the dignity of the worker, and the unemployed. We ask all to ensure that the fruits of reform are made available to all citizens and that all members of society have access to the goods which ensure a life consistent with human dignity.”

Why Easter is an inconvenient holiday for the secularists

Its a discussion that comes up every year, "Easter trading".

And there are a few token prosecutions every year for those who flout the regulations. Meaning of course there are government officials out there working on a holiday to catch out the violaters

It is all very silly really.

The big stores are closed for Christmas  and have a bonanza day the following day.

I bet they all do fairly well out of today as well. In fact the four days of the Easter holiday are probably amongst the more profitable of the year for most retailers, despite their doors being shut for two of them.

So whats the real issue?

I think it is this,  it  is almost impossible  to  obliterate the  religious overtones  surrounding Easter.

Christmas was secularized many moons ago. It is easy to pretend, if you so wish, that Christmas day,  has nothing to do with the Church, even though it was enshrined in law as a holiday because our forebears were Christian, nominally anyway.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday, received the same deference  in legislation  for the very same reason. In fact they are the two holiest days in the Christian calendar.

But there is a  problem here for the secularizers, Easter is a movable feast ⁽¹⁾.  The actual date that Easter falls in any year was defined by the Church at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD (or 325 CE for those readers who insist on the secularist rendering of dates).

The  prescription for finding the date for Easter in any year, given at Nicea, was that Easter Sunday falls on the Sunday on or after the first full moon following the vernal equinox.  The Vernal equinox being defined as falling the 21^st of March and that it had to follow the Jewish feast of Passover. 

The Bishops at Nicea used a solar calendar, the Julian Calendar.  However the Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is tied to the Jewish Passover (which calculated according to the Jewish Lunar Calendar).  And we all know the Resurrection of Christ occurred after the Passover, hence the formula.

So the complexity of calculating when Easter falls results from tying a lunar calendar to a solar calendar and imposing that upon a 7 day week.

I mentioned in my previous post that the Eastern church will not be celebrating Easter for another five weeks. The reason for the diversion from the Western calculation is two fold.

The first one is that it still uses the Julian Calendar date for the 21^st of March in its calculation for the vernal equinox.  Astronomically the vernal equinox has moved from this date as reckoned by the Julian calendar, which led the Western Church, under Pope  Gregory to reform the calendar in the 16th century. A reform which keeps the vernal equinox more or else aligned to the 21^st of March.

The second reason is that under the formula given by the Bishops at Nicea Easter could not be celebrated before Passover. And Passover this year starts on the 20th of April.

But there is no getting around it, Easter is a religious holiday the date on which it falls defined by the Church and it does not follow the Gregorian calendar by which we all regulate our daily lives.

I am happy to celebrate Easter according to the prescription laid down by the bishops at Nicea, even though for the majority of the country  Easter has come and gone.

And I don't really care if some small retailer opens his doors on Good Friday, as recognized by our civil authorities.

What does matter is that we do not allow our Christian heritage to be airbrushed away.

And that is the real agenda of those who push for Easter trading.

Post inspired by: Freedom to shop

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(1) The British Parliament passed an act in 1928 that fixed Easter as the Sunday following the second Saturday of April.

A clause in this act however laid down provisions before it could come into force, one of which being consultation with relevant Church authorities.

And nobody has got around to doing that yet.

The Resurrecton

Today two thirds of Christendom celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. The most important feast in the Christian calendar.

For the remaining third, it is still the Second Sunday of Lent and Easter or Pascha is still more than a month away. Pascha, for us will be celebrated on the 27th of April.

And much has been made on how early Easter falls this year, This is the earliest date  the Western Church has celebrated in Easter 95 years and none of us will live long enough to see it  celebrated this early  again.

A  perennial feature of Easter in New Zealand is the obsession over Easter Trading. There are those who resent that there are two days where commerce is supposed to cease.

In ancient Greek there are two words for time Chronos and Kairos.  We all live by Chronos, the ticking of the clock.

But Kairos is something else, it is the time for something to occur.  And the Christ's coming, Birth, Death and Resurrection  is a matter of Kairos.

So when nearly 2000 years ago the women went to the tomb only to find it was empty and Christ had risen it had happened in God's good time, kairos

And this is what Christians celebrate once a year, Christ's Resurrection by which we are  redeemed and this too is a matter of kairos, chronos is put aside.

So although I personally will not be celebrating Pascha for another five weeks the time is right, kairos, for me to greet my  Protestant  and Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ  with the ancient Paschal Greeting "Christ is Risen" and to hear the ancient  response "He is risen indeed".

It is a matter of kairos.

The Paschal Greeting