Consider two possibilities:
Case 1: the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ happened
Case 2: the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ did not happen
In
Case 1 every single particle, creature, person and society in this
universe is under the spiritual provenance and destiny of a triune
monotheistic Creator. This includes the most strident of atheists and
the most determined secular pressure groups who try to remove
Christianity from a western society permeated by Christian ideals,
albeit struggling to adhere to these .
In
Case 2 1.5 billion people are living an illusion and 2000 years of
world history are based on it. All the ideals of loving one’s enemy,
sanctification of humanity and strengthening of the imago dei through
Christ which led to the genesis of academic institutions from monastic
orders, peer reviewed scholarship, pro-active charity, the abolition
of slavery and the emancipation of women are all based on a fantasy and
would have happened anyway.
Suppose
Case 1 is correct. Few would doubt that if this is true then much of
the world is living in open defiance of God. From the Holy Bible, which
we are assuming to be true in this scenario, such behavior will have
dire consequences for individuals, societies and nations, as it has done over
thousands of years.
Suppose
2 is correct. Then all Christian morals are purely arbitrary, there is
nothing sacred about the morality that has evolved in a Christian
society and anything goes. We leave individuals to follow whatever
morals or authority figures they wish. The consequences would be
horrific, at least after a generation or so as habits of righteous
behavior faded away in the absence of spiritual leadership.
If
now we assume that secularists are allowed to expunge a Christian
presence from society this would lead to the same unfortunate result for
both Case 1 and Case 2, except for the faithful minority in Case 1
who managed to maintain their faith while living in a godless social
milieu, in that they would have the joy of life in Christ in this world
and the next. So Case 1 would lead to the same unfortunate result as
Case 2 except for the minority fortified by faith.
So
whether Christianity is true or not the imposition of a purely secular
culture and removal of the spiritual source of Christian morals is a
disastrous activity which, unchecked, would lead to descent into a
pre-Christian world and unredeemed misery for unbelievers.
Aggressive
secularism is not a path to peace (or even democracy as I hope to show
in a future post; but meanwhile take a reflective look at the democratic
institutions around you) and leaves the door open to anyone willing and
able to exploit human weakness as a means to power and wealth. This
applies whatever the truth or otherwise of Christianity.
Kyrie Eleison.
John Sears
Author: 2077: Knights of Peace (being prepared for publication)
