Christian Europe RIP

Manchester Guardian ^ | April 21, 2005 | Timothy Garten Ash

[Unam Sanctam]

Atheists should welcome the election of Pope Benedict XVI. For this aged, scholarly, conservative, uncharismatic Bavarian theologian will surely hasten precisely the de-Christianisation of Europe that he aims to reverse. At the end of his papacy, Europe may again be as un-Christian as it was when St Benedict, one of the patron saints of Europe, founded his pioneering monastic order, the Benedictines, 15 centuries ago. Christian Europe: from Benedict to Benedict. RIP.

Europe is now the most secular continent on earth. The phenomenon of the last pope masked the underlying trend. We saw the great crowds of enthusiastic young people on St Peter's Square, or at open-air masses on his many journeys, and half-forgot the plummeting figures for church attendance and the recruitment of priests. An American Baptist missionary website puts things in perspective. "Western Europe," it states, "is ... one of the world's most difficult mission fields. Most missiologists compare it to the Muslim-held Middle East when it comes to responsiveness to the gospel." Voltaire would be proud of us.

[Unam Sanctam]

Rather than leaving it up to individuals to freely choose their beliefs in a free society, this European thinks that the death of the Christian faith in Europe is a positive good. What a cold, lifeless and cynical outlook these ever so enlightened post-Christian Europeans have!

[SF Republican]

Sounds like Europe is looking forward to the dark ages

[escapefromboston]

They are really making it easy for the Muslims to take over.

[Integrityrocks]

"....that the death of the Christian faith in Europe is a positive good."

Maybe I missed some subtle message here. Do explain what the good is in the death of the Christian faith, anywhere.

[jess35]

Once people are able to "freely choose" their beliefs without pressure from the state, they have a tendency to drift in and out of various sects of the same religion...or abandon it completely.

State sponsorship of religion was the driving force behind the growth of the major religions of the world. Without it, they have to compete with everyone else.

[BoBToMatoE]

European thinks that the death of the Christian faith in Europe is a positive good

----

Sure you are not talking about the dems on the east and west coast? Then again, the dems are trying to emulate and assimilate American culture with the European socialist movment, so the answer is obvious.

[conservlib]

The liberals wanted to reduce the influence of religion on society, in order that the society would be tolerant of other faiths. That with the advancement of the communist godless intelligentsia, has reduced Europe to a mostly godless desert, when it comes to religions. That except for Islam, which is gaining strength, and moving backwards to fundamentalism.

[jess35]

Interesting that you would mention the dark ages....in a thread about the influence of the RCC.....

[Borges]

This article doesn't seem to be celebrating the growing Secularization and Islamization of Europe at all. The tone seems mournful. And the last sentence explicitly states the moral ambivalence.

[hermgem]

This Manchester Guardian issues a preemptive strike.
Here's the Guardian:
Europe already is the most secular continent on earth.
How can this new Pope do any worse?
Obviously the Guardian thinks so, when claiming this new Pope will hasten the de-Christianisation of Europe.
There's nothing there to fall upon, it only can go up. Europeans when losing their generous pension and overly fattening welfare benefits come to realize that replacing Christianity and God with Socialism comes to a crashing halt.
Christianity regardless of the Guardian will rejuvenate as Europeans do have a need to believe in more than diminishing socialistic hand outs.

[Unam Sanctam]

Perhaps you're right. I guess I was just reacting to the rather condescending tone toward the new pope.

[Bogeygolfer]

I agree that it seemed mournful but I think that's the strategy to lend credence to his true feelings. A bit disingenuous if you ask me. I think this is merely representative of the secular mindset. Religion is OK but fundamentalists are evil incarnate. Most of my family could be considered conservative in most things but is most fearful of religious ideologues. I never underestimate the fear factor. The sad part is organized religion and fanatics have wreaked havoc throughout history in so many instances that despite all the good there is just so much fodder for the media to run with.

[escapefromboston]

I don't know the 12th century was pretty good.

[Buggman]

Once people are able to "freely choose" their beliefs without pressure from the state, they have a tendency to drift in and out of various sects of the same religion...or abandon it completely.

State sponsorship of religion was the driving force behind the growth of the major religions of the world. Without it, they have to compete with everyone else.

Actually, if you look at the growth of Christianity, it's been at its best when it had not state sponsorship--for that matter, when and where it has been persecuted, like in China. It was when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire that it stopped spreading and started focusing all of its energy on internal battles over doctrine.

State-sponsored religion sounds all wonderful--until it's somebody else's religion that the state decides to sponsor. See Rev. 13.

[RaceBannon]

That's why the anti-Christ comes from there...