Another purveyor of candy warns that without candy everyone will turn to heroin.
Another producer of slasher movies warns that without slasher movies people will start driving their cars up onto the sidewalks.
Another executive of a tobacco company warns that without cigarettes everyone will weigh 800 lbs and all the chairs will break.
Another bishop warns that without Christianity you get Stalin and Hitler, and the Telegraph solemnly reports it as if it were both important and true.
The Rt Rev Mark Davies used his Easter Homily to express anxiety at the consequences of undermining Britain’s religious heritage.
He cited the recent history of Europe to voice fears extremism would fill the void if Christianity was [sic] weakened.
“It has, indeed, been the experience of this past century, as both Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have observed[,] how the most poisonous ideologies have arisen within the Christian nations of Europe,” he said.
JP and Ben aren’t the only ones who have observed that poisonous ideologies arose in Europe. Lots of people noticed that. It was kind of hard to miss. It’s the bit about Christianity being the preventive that’s tricky.
“If Christianity is no longer to form the basis and the bedrock of our society then we are, indeed, left at the mercy of passing political projects and perhaps even the most sinister of ideologies.”
Who says? On the basis of what? Christian Germany didn’t stop Nazism, and secular Sweden isn’t at the mercy of the most sinister of ideologies.
Bishop Davies became the latest influential religious leader to warn of the consequences of increasing secularisation.
And to be dutifully and naggingly quoted by the Telegraph. The Telegraph is really big on this “more theocracy please or else everything will explode” line of chat. I wonder if it’s being held hostage by a bishop.
The Bishop!
Still learning,
Robert
Exactly! That’s what the title was alluding to – that mitre crashing down.
I love it when people pick up subtle hints that way. :- )
This is such a lie. Two lies, in fact. It’s the UK equivalent of “America is a Christiaan nation” and is continually trotted out by “influential” religious leaders and politicians.
I’d really challenge any one of them to enumerate the good in our society that comes specifically and exclusively from the “corner stone” of Christianity, rather than, say, secular Classical Greek, Renaissance and Enlightentment thought. I think that any list would very quickly peter out…
I think our legal system owes far more to our Anglo-Saxon and Viking heritage (the latter directly and via the Normans). Our courts aren’t inquisitorial, for example, which would demonstrate the influence of the Church.
/@
*sigh of relief*
I’m often terrible at picking those up.
*shakily draws chalk hash mark for “1” on laptop exterior, dabs brow, pours self a whisky*
Still learning,
Robert
I just get so tired of pointing this out. Do these people never READ anything?
I know all you erudite people are ahead of me here, but this formed part of AH’s manifesto for … going on to declare war on a large section of “the Lord’s creation”.
Don’t even think of getting me started on Franco.
Hi,
A minor point: Actually, Sweden could be in trouble. Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Sweden
Suicide bombings, antisemitism, and most Swedes think fundamentalist Islam is a serious threat to Sweden.
I do like the comparisons. 🙂
Franco. Franco Franco Franco. Franco.
And this:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/09/who_was_on_the_nazis_naughty_l.php
Let’s not forget Benito Mussolini who would probably never have become Il Duce without the prolonged and consistent support of Pius XI (Pope Ratti to us…) who, among many other actions, dissolved the Catholic Party which was a large political enemy of the Fascists so that Mussolini would have less political opposition. Ratti’s reward was partly the Lateran treaty of 1929 with all its concession to RCC Inc.
The part of Italy in WWII in advancing Hitler’s aims is not inconsiderable, notwithstanding their early debacle against Wavell’s forces in N.Africa.
Excuse me, but wasn’t both Hitler and Stalin raised Catholic?
Seems we could easily make the argument the other way around.
Actually, Stalin was raised Orthodox, and entered the seminary to become a priest. However, he left prior to ordination to become a bandit. Presumably because “televangelist” wasn’t a career option yet.