Thursday 12 December 2013

Secularism is dangerous, especially for secularists



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)