Posted on 03/02/2003 1:18:31 PM PST by yonif
The world's future is being decided at this time.
Such moments are extremely rare in history. And when they have occurred, they have between two, not three, competing ideologies.
But there are now three ideologies competing to shape the future of mankind. They are militant Islam, Western European secularism and socialism, and American Judeo-Christianity and capitalism. The first is being spread both peacefully and violently, the second is being spread peacefully, and the third is not being spread.
Though most people ignore the fact, almost all of the world's believing Muslims believe that all of mankind should be Muslim. This, in and of itself, is not troubling -- after all, most Christians would like the whole world to be Christian, and most Westerners would like the whole world to democratic. What is troubling is that if only 10 percent of these Muslims are prepared to use violence to impose their religion on others, we are talking about 100 million people.
This is the reason about one million non-Muslim Sudanese have been killed in the last 15 years -- because they are resisting the violent imposition of Islam by the Islamic government in Khartoum. This is the reason for the Muslim-Christian violence in Nigeria -- Christians there, too, are resisting the violent imposition of Islam. And this is the reason for Islamic terror -- to weaken those countries, particularly the United States and Israel, that stand in the way of an Islamic takeover.
The second ideology seeking to dominate the world is secularism and socialism as practiced in Western Europe and supported by educated elites around the world. This is a primary reason for the anti-American demonstrations in Western Europe and in the United States. They were far more against America (especially the America of George W. Bush) than they were against war. Most of these people could not care less about the wars of the world. They have been silent throughout the mass murder of Sudan's blacks, during the genocide in Rwanda, during China's crushing of Tibet, and during Saddam's wars against Iran, Kuwait and Iraq's own Kurds. American and European "peace" activists have found those atrocities and wars quite boring.
Western European socialists and their American (and Canadian, and Latin American) supporters are as passionate about secularism and socialism as believing Muslims are about Islam. And they want to dominate the world as much as militant Muslims want Islam to. Their vehicles are the United Nations, the European Union, international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocols, and international institutions such as the International Court.
Regarding the American way, there are serious impediments to its success.
First, while the first two ideologies -- Islam and socialism/secularism -- dominate many countries, the third ideology only dominates one -- America. There is no other country that claims to be Judeo-Christian and no other that has such strong support for capitalism and small government (the opposite of socialism). Therefore, while both the militant Muslims and the socialists/secularists have supporters around the world, American values have few. That is why America goes it alone -- with the partial exceptions of Israel and Britain, no other society has the same values as we do.
Second, neither Judeo-Christian nor capitalist values are secure in America. Many Americans, including almost its entire intellectual class, are as hostile to Judeo-Christian and non-socialist values as the militant Muslims and European socialists are.
Third, almost no one is teaching the next generation of Americans (as almost no one taught the present adult generation) what is unique, let alone superior, about American values. Our children are overwhelmingly educated by people who believe in Europe's values, not in ours.
As neither China nor the rest of Asia, nor Africa, nor Latin America are offering an ideology that can dominate the world, either Europe's, or the militant Muslims', or America's way of life will prevail.
But the American way can only prevail if Americans believe in it. That is why, as important as the military and ideological battles against militant Islam are, the most important battle is the ideological one within America. But with America's universities, unions, professional associations, mainstream news media, and one of its two major parties ideologically aligned with Europe, and with big businesses constantly undermining Judeo-Christian values, the battle within America itself for America's unique values is far from won. And given that only America offers a viable alternative to both militant Islam and secularism/socialism, if we lose the battle here, humanity has a very dark future.
Two, capitalism has grown greatly in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Latin American, East Asia, much of South Asia, and even in communist China.
Third, if conservatives are doing so badly in the US, how come the liberals no longer control Congress or the White House?
Mr. Prager is way too pessimistic. As Sovietologists did in the Cold War, he's severely understimating the strength of our side and overestimating the strength of our enemies.
Quoting from something a friend of mine wrote recently: "Contrary to the impression which Muslim propagandists try to convey, Islam is not compatible with the Judeo-Christian culture of this country. It is an alien religion of an alien culture that is politically repressive, oppressive to women, opposed to the separation of church and state and intolerant and violent when the occasion allows."
Asian and African Christian movements are getting lots of hostility from the corrupt governments there. Take for example Christians in Indonesia. Furthermore, the Churches in the Americas are also being threatned by the governments there as well.
Two, capitalism has grown greatly in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Latin American, East Asia, much of South Asia, and even in communist China.
Capitalism might have grown, but it does not mean the other forces Mr. Prager is talking about aren't trying to prevent it from continuing in the form of American capitalism. I am talking about the European forces that are pushing for these states to adopt welfare type systems.
Third, if conservatives are doing so badly in the US, how come the liberals no longer control Congress or the White House?
It is more then physical power. He talks about the people themselves. Take for example the number of people who know our national anthem or pledge of allegience. He is saying that Liberals have taken over our schools and are teaching students in the ways of European socialism.
First, let's call the WE secular socialists by their religious name to level the playing field...atheists. So the struggle is between the Muslims, the Judeo-Christians, and the Atheists, with Iraq acting as the lynchpin that is allying the Atheists and Muslims against Israel and America et al. This is why Iraq is so contested. It unites the efforts of the world against us, eerily Biblical in its' implications. Iraq holds much of the oil that will finance the socialists and atheists for the struggle, and cannot be ceded to the Alliance.
If this seems fantastic to you consider the recent words of "Osama Bin Laden"...
It is not harmful in such conditions for the Muslims' interests and socialists' interests to come along with each other during the war against the crusade, without changing our faith and our declaration that socialists are infidels. Socialists' leadership had fallen down a long time ago. Socialists are infidels wherever they are, either in Baghdad or Aden. Such war which may take place these days is similar to the war between Muslims and Romans when the interests of the Muslims came along with the interests of the Persians who both fought against the Romans.
Also, Britain and Israel both went far in the direction of socialism earlier, further than France or Germany in the 1940s and 1950s. Things do change and today's natural allies may be rivals tomorrow.
He gets Europe's secular/social democratic synthesis right, but America's Christian/capitalist blend may be more unstable and harder to export. Secular humanism and socialism reinforce each other, though both make for decadent and unsustainable social orders. There are conflicts between Christianity and capitalism that may make the American synthesis hard to maintain.
WMDs level the playing field...
Islam's worldview - The Muslims of Islamic states, and many within the USA, have the tradition of a worldview that divides humanity into two opposing halves.
Dar al-Islam, House of Islam, is the zone where Islam rules. The other side is the war zone that is called, Dar el Harb, House of War. This worldview dictates that war will continue between these two sections of humanity until the supremacy of Islam is fully established throughout the earth. FR Thread ~ Information on the "Religion of Peace"
Today Muslims represent 1/5th of the worlds population. However, more than 1/4 of the worlds chidren are muslim. Does anybody know what a horrible future awaits the world when more than 1/4 of the worlds population is muslim. Look at the trouble we have today. Imagine what a nightmare the future will bring.
Western Europe imports 80 percent of their oil from the middle east. Western Europe doesn't sneeze without first getting permission from the arab oil shieks. Other than that, Western Europe has become more ammoral than they were prior to the advent of Christianity.
As per my earlier model, China falls in with the Atheists. You know, godless Communists and all that...
Of course not, one is a political view and the other an economic system.
This "unified world theory" is not political or economic, but religious, consisting of the three elements listed, Islam, Judeo-Christianity, and Atheism.
Just look in this country at how the black population (90+%) blindly follows the Democratic Socialists lead, whether they be Christian or not. In fact they criticize any who do not buy into the system "Uncle Tom's", oblivious to the fact that the definition much nearly in fact fits themselves as faceles tools of the masters of their fate i.e. Hillary et al.
First, fellas, this figure is only half of what the estimates are. That's his first mistake.
The second mistake is that Christianity is on the rise, ahead of Islam and continues to outdistance it. Fox News did a segment on the statistics on 1/3/2003. Islam is NOT the fastest growing religion. By 2025 Christianity will have reached a point where Islam will never be able to catch up.
One fact the author seems to miss is that oppressive regimes, including Islamic regimes, hold most of their "converts" by force. It is illegal to be anything except Islam, for example. Not so with Christianity and democracy. You are still free to be a pagan or communist or socialist here last time I checked. Remember the "Gates test?" Open the gates of the US and which way do people go? Into the country. Open the gates of an Islamic or communist country and which way to the people go? Out as fast as they can.
Our biggest worry at this moment is not any idealogical threat; it is offering our soverignty to the UN. The second biggest threat is internal decay.
Clinton did his best to give them away, especially to China.
We may not be the only ones to have the weapons after a while. Clinton to China, China to N Korea, N Korea to Iraq, Iraq to terrorists. Bang.
Poetic statements, but I think wishfull thinking.
Because this faction of the trichotomy has secularism (atheism) as their religion and socialism as their form of government. I fall back on the "godless communists" cliche'.
True. Say what you will about the old Pagan faiths, but at least they provided a semblence of morality and a foundation upon which to intellectually and morally combat invaders. The moral vacillators in Western Europe would go without a whimper in the face of a comprehensive Jihad.
Take heart. It's ALWAYS lonely at the top!
Noted. I will stick with the Biblical prediction that all the world (Atheists and Islamists united) will attack "Israel" from the east,and that at the darkest hour God will strike down the hoardes and reign for a thousand years.
Gateway to Brookline.
I live in Townsend, MA
Islam-list
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
"But, argues Philip Jenkins recently in the Atlantic Monthly, Christianity is the religion currently undergoing the most basic rethinking and the largest increase in adherents. He makes a good case for its militancy most affecting the next century."
''For obvious reasons,'' notes this professor of history and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University, ''news reports today are filled with material about the influence of a resurgent and sometimes angry Islam. But in its variety and vitality, in its global reach, in its association with the world's fastest-growing societies, in its shifting centers of gravity, in the way its values and practices vary from place to place--in these and other ways, it is Christianity that will leave the deepest mark on the 21st century.''
(Christianity, not Islam, is faith to watch/ The Chicago Suntimes | 11/30/02 | DANIEL PIPES)
Hmmm. Don't an awful lot of Christians believe the same thing about Christianity?
Obviously, some followers of Islam present serious problems in our world today, but I am not convinced that there are not a good many moderate Muslims.
Islam, Christianity and Judaism are all branches of the same tree and worship the same God--a fact that Muslims are much more aware of than most Christians.
Painting all Muslims with the same brush is not at all constructive or helpful in my opinion.
Not really ---I don't see the conflicts when American culture brought about the highest standard of living for the most people. Christianity doesn't need to have most of the people living in dire poverty. The good old protestant work ethic wasn't such a bad thing ---and it didn't have to be just for protestants.
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