A society that persecutes Christ is heading for terrible trouble (Essay on atheists, secularists)

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | April 6, 2012 | Charles Moore

[Stoat]

This week before Easter, I chanced upon the following two quotations. The first says: “Not for 2,000 years has it been possible for society to exclude or eliminate Christ from its social or political life without a terrible social or political consequence.” The second says: “Religion taught by a prophet or by a preacher of the truth is the only foundation on which to build a great and powerful empire.”

The first is by Margaret Thatcher, opening her foreword to a book called Christianity and Conservatism, which appeared in 1990. The second appears in Tom Holland’s outstanding new book In the Shadow of the Sword (Little, Brown), which traces the rise of Islam from the ruins of the Roman and Persian empires. It comes from Ibn Khaldun, the great Muslim historian and political counsellor of the 14th century.

The grocer’s daughter from Grantham and the sage from Tunis seem, despite their differences of faith and time, to be saying something comparable. I found myself asking a simple question about both statements: are they, factually, right?

[Stoat]

Articles from the UK Telegraph have to be severely edited for Free Republic postings, and I'm hoping that readers will click on the Telegraph link to read the full essay as I felt it was quite worthwhile.

 

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CHARLES MOORE BIOGRAPHY

 

Charles Moore was born in 1956 and educated at Eton, and Trinity College, Cambridge where he read History.

He has been editor of The Spectator (1984-90), the Sunday Telegraph (1992-5) and The Daily Telegraph (1995-2003).

 

 

 

He is the authorised biographer of Margaret Thatcher and continues to write for The Specator and The Daily Telegraph.

He writes the main op-ed for the Saturday Telegraph and his Charles Moore Reviews column for the Daily appears on a Monday. He is Chairman of Policy Exchange.

He married Caroline Baxter in 1981 and has a twin son and daughter.

 

 

Charles Moore - Telegraph

[Stoat]

“Thought you might be interested” ping.

[WashingtonSource]

Christ is King bump.

[LetMarch]

When it comes to nations I recall the following verses: “If My people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles
7:14)

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17)

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whome He hath chosen for His own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged; and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6)

[SkyPilot]

The verse 2 Chronicles 7:14 was the theme for the Stand In The Gap rally I attended. despite media spin and outright lies by the Government hacks...that rally was and remains the largest gathering on the National Mall in US history.

[sergeantdave]

God has a great sense of humor, unexpected mostly.

You may be sitting around, minding your own business, sipping on a beer or munching on a burger, and God pops out. He throws you in a room filled with chainmail, spears and chariots. He walks out of a closet dressed in thunderbolts, holding a golden sword, and He says: Surprise! Will you wear your armor? Are you for or agin Me? Choose now.

[Mach9]

Christopher Dawson’s Progress and Religion outlined all of this very well—in the 30’s, I think—and more explicitly. False religions fail as surely as no religion at all. Islam is an exception, probably because it is less a religion than it is a sociology with religious stilts. How it’s “progressed” or even endured is a question yet to be answered.

[sauropod]

ty for posting this.

[EnglishCon]

Thanks for posting. Oddly enough I have this article open in another tab, ready to be posted here. Good job I checked first!

Charles is good people, a very good writer and a great analyst as long as he is not on one of his pet subjects.

[FES0844]

Islam...the work of the devil.

[Alberta's Child]

That's a great essay. Thanks for posting it!

I found his last couple of paragraphs particularly interesting. I, too, have long found the discourse between Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate to be fascinating. Christ seemed so laid-back and serene when dealing with Pilate, as opposed to the outright anger and disgust he often showed to the Pharisees who he dealt with.

[Stoat]

Christ is King bump.

Thank you :-)

[Stoat]

All quite relevant and insightful, thank you very much for posting :-)

[Stoat]

Essential concepts that apply to us all; thank you very much for posting :-)

[Stoat]

Christopher Dawson’s Progress and Religion outlined all of this very well

I appreciate the recommendation, thank you.  It's on my "wish list" now ;-)

Amazon.com- Progress and Religion- An Historical Inquiry (Works) (9780813210155)- Christopher Dawson- Books

 

Islam is an exception, probably because it is less a religion than it is a sociology with religious stilts. How it’s “progressed” or even endured is a question yet to be answered.

I might suggest that perhaps one reason why Islam has endured is that it appeals to Man's evil and dark side while presenting a facade of goodness and Holiness, thereby ensnaring the weak of mind, will and spirit while simultaneously providing a built-in justification for it all.  This requires no true strength of character of the adherent, only "submission".    It's essentially a totalitarian political movement with the trappings of a religion.

Overly simplistic I know, but the escalating embrace of islam by violent felons in prison regularly reminds us how strong the connection is between islam and evil.

 

[Stoat]

ty for posting this.

You're quite welcome, and I'm delighted that you've found it to be worthwhile :-)

[DakotaNative]

If you are talking about the rally Glen Beck held at the Nation's Capital a few years back - then yes it was a large rally. However, it was half the size of the 9/12 rally a year earlier. I participated in both rallies and Beck's was definitely smaller. However, this does not diminish its importance. We need to call this nation to repentance and to reclaim the mantle of "Christian Nation". We have turned our back on the author of our freedom and republic and are heading down the slippery slope to ruin and His judgment. Without getting into a major discussion trace the growth of the "social statistics" since the Supreme Court removed God from the schools in the early 1960s. We are a society in decay and under the judgment of God and Glen Beck was seeking to awaken America.

[SkyPilot]

If you are talking about the rally Glen Beck held at the Nation's Capital a few years back - then yes it was a large rally.

No, I said the Stand in the Gap Rally. It was held October 4th, 1997.

The Park Service played political games, and said at the time that they "no longer gave crowd estimates."

Since then, it has become fairly easy to determine the crowd size despite their shenanigans.

The Stand in the Gap Rally was approximately 1.2 Million men.

I had heard that some people erroneously thought the pictures of the Stand in the Gap Rally were of Beck's rally.

I agree that Beck's rally was very important. I believe, as you do, that God will recognize and bless our nation again if we come to repentance. He did that with Israel, and He does that with us as individuals.