Posted on 08/25/2009 9:57:12 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
The anti-clericalism of the leading Enlightenment thinkers contained within it the potential for a new clericalism more authoritarian and murderous than that which it superseded, with intellectuals as its priests.
That the cult of the expert — itself an outgrowth of the Enlightenment's enthroning of human reason above all — should appeal to intellectual elites is unsurprising: It is a form of the revenge of the nerds whose superior qualities were unnoted by the pretty girls in high school. The assumption that "rationality" is a matter easily ascertained, at least by the brainy folks, underlies the preference for centrally planned economies by many intellectuals. Free markets are deemed too unruly, too irrational, as they give equal weight to the decisions of millions of consumers, those with high IQs and low IQs alike.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
I've said as much in my Fourth of July 2009 Tea Party Speech. These intellectuals have become the 'clergy of oppression' as R. J. Rummel so clearly described them. They are directly responsible for mass murder, slaughter, atrocity and savagery that beggars the imagination. the blood of millions - MILLIONS - is on their hands. They are monsters and they are all without exception unfit to live in a free society.
This reminds me of Mordecai Plaut’s series, “The Pagan Roots of Modern Thought,” in Dei’ah ve Dibur. The links can be followed backward, but the final installment is at
http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5769/bamidbar/apagan7bmd69.htm
Abstract: Modern intellectuals, especially those who base their world view upon science, pride themselves on being totally separate from the sphere of religion. They believe their view of the world to be based on empirical data and built up with reason alone, leaving them entirely distinct from all religion. This pride is unfounded. In fact their approach and conclusions are grounded in one of the major old- time religions, namely, paganism.
Many of the ideas, and probably all of the intellectual skills, that characterize the modern secular world were once integral parts of a way of life one of whose prominent features was the worship of idols. All of the Western world is built upon the foundation of paganism. Although paganism and Christianity were open rivals for hundreds of years, eventually they seemed to have made their peace. The truth is that the conflict moved underground, and paganism eventually triumphed so thoroughly that important characteristics of the ancient religious world are no longer familiar or even understood.
We are discussing how the non-religious ideas of paganism were adopted first by religious Renaissance figures, but later they undermined the entire edifice of Christian culture. The Church actively resisted the religious elements of paganism, but did not perceive the secular elements as being the threats that they really were. In this final part we discuss some of the specifics of those threats.
Thank you for the link.
The same could be said about the religious clergy and their moral priests. I would rather be guided by reason then superstition. Reason is the bedrock which conservatism sets upon. Not someones self righteous interpretation of some Bible.
Proficiency at billiards is the mark of an ill-spent youth.
The whole point of the article is that the new "priests" of "reason" made the old priests of "superstition" seem like little bunnies in comparison. And this is the clear judgment of history.
Natural law does not inject compassion into its formulation of outcome. Any dogmatic ideology can be taken to extremes and the Founders took that fact into account...regarding the American People to be a Christian people and the American Government to be a secular Government. “I will be ruled by neither Priests nor Kings.”
Reason.
“Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear”?
- Thomas Jefferson
And you prove my point. In place of a "Bible-thumper" we have an intellectual counterpart who thinks he can answer any objection with a quote from Thomas Jefferson, one of architects of our current situation.
I'm sure all the millions and millions of victims slaughtered by "rational" atheists really could tell the "improvement" from being slaughtered in the name of G-d.
And as for "an interpretation of the Bible," I accept the original interpretation of the Sages of Israel, so the quarrels of the various chr*stian groups affects me not at all.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. – C. S. Lewis
When the government’s boot is on your throat, whether it is a left boot or a right boot is of no consequence. – Gary Lloyd
When the government’s boot is on your throat, whether it is a left boot or a right boot is of no consequence. – Gary Lloyd
Exactly. And the author's point is that people dedicated to "reason" may be just as tyrannical as any "priest" once they come to regard themselves as "experts" and believe all problems are solvable by them.
Very true, but try getting atheists, especially of the Marxist variety, to see that! All they know is that belief in G-d is "irrational," and a reduction of all reality to nature alone is "rational," and whatever is done by a society based on the latter view is automatically morally superior to the deeds of a society based on the former--even if such deeds are identical.
What it comes down to is that anyone, theist or atheist, will kill as many people as he feels necessary in any event where he feels such action is justified. For the former, a Divine commandment is all that is needed. For the latter a Divine commandment is considered laughable, but if they ever feel "rationally justified," you can be sure he will kill just as many. It is the idea that so long as G-d is absent from the picture the situation is magically more "humane" that is so dangerous and hypocritical.
Even W.H. Auden called Communism the ‘leading Christian HEresy’ of the 20th century. The way the Marxists taught resisting temptation to acquire abundant material wealth was purely religious in its overtones. Except there was no theology.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.