The trouble with Europe
Here's a topic for European Catholics among us (if there are?) or whoever is interested in the trouble with Europe today. On a personal note: things became that bad, that I even recently moved to another country. Only now, yesterday I found the first thorough and proper analysis of what's going on. I found it on the site of the Discovery Institute and it is written by George Weigel. I understand the author is not unknown in the U.S. and some of you may even have read the article, as it hails from 1st May. It's called "Europe's Two Culture Wars" (war 1. conservatives vs secularists, war 2. defining the nature of civil society/multiculturalism, etc. So as not to repeat myself I have put a short discription on my weblog (http://millennium-notes.blogspot.com/)with a link to the original article. I'm not sure this is allowed, but I'm sure to hear from the webmaster if it's not. Would again be grateful for views on the matter. I think it is important and I may be overcharging it, but there is an entire continent in the process of cultural collective suicide!
+Thank you Cassandra for
+Thank you Cassandra for directing us to the Weigel article. It's rich in ideas and details and I know I'm taking a risk by trying to respond after only a single reading. First looking a the two intertwined struggles he calls war A and war B, it seems to me that the greatest distinction is parochial. He's on the side of the traditionalists in A, because they support the power and influence of Christianity/Catholicism. He is against the multiculturalists in B because they support the power and influence of Islam.
He says that Europe is losing its greatest resource:people. But if one reads the remark in context, he clearly means white people.
He asks how British youth could be influenced to blow up themselves and their fellow Britons. This is a real concern I share. Today the group that credentials Muslim chaplains in American prisons is Wahabist. I'm all for Muslim chaplains but the Wahabists are the extremists that promote terrorism and in the prison population they have a ready made field of discontent and disaffection into which they can plant their violent agenda. There are plenty of mainstream Muslim groups who could replace them as the credentialing authority.
Finally gay marriage. He claims this as the result of rampant political correctness. I would rather lay it to developing understanding of human decency and distributive justice. I'm sure there'll be vigorous debate in these pages and I know I will enjoy it. But no matter how agitated and passionate we get on either side, gay marriage will come.
Bless you, Frannie for your
Bless you, Frannie for your mail and comments. Yes, I know what Weigel's article says; I have read it. And I am thoroughly on his side in both struggles. My next read will be "Without Roots", written by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and Marcello Pera (as mentioned in the Weigel article). Because that (having no roots, I mean) is the result of having no historical awareness, a bad education, modern arrogance of knowing all better than the generations before you and no moral compass to speak of. Combine that with the tendency to re-interprete everything to suit our own human day-to-day fads and it's spot on!
Yourself seem to be rather sensitive in the gay marriage department and I don't mind starting this vigorous debate. While I'm no prude and I don't begrudge anybody a happy family life, consider this (sorry if I am perhaps repeating myself or if I'm on the rude side), but can you imagine the Vatican announcing that "from tomorrow onwards it will be OK to kill yourself if life doesn't suit you anymore, kill unborn babies if it's in the way of your vacation, rob grannies if you're hungry and oh, by the way, sodomy (let alone gay marriage) is also OK if that's your thing ...". I cannot. These are principles at the very heart of the Christian faith. Another argument against gay marriage - that I personally think, has everything to do with the emancipation process of sociological groups like homosexuals - is in consideration of the origin of marriage, which is meant to protect the mother and young child(ren). Not two grown up gay men or women (on their own, I hope) who are perfectly capable of looking after themselves.
Cheerio! To be continued, I take it ...
Please, Cassandra, forgive
Please, Cassandra, forgive me if I said anything that could have been interpreted as indicating that you hadn't read it. I took that as a given and I was grateful for it. What bothered me was that other people were having trouble finding it, That's why I wanted to import it. Truly, if I sounded as though I were telling you what it said, I'm sorry.
I am sensitive on the gay marriage issue, but I hope I'm not a one-issue poster. I have enough arrogance to sound off on just about any topic. I have a history with both the antiwar and civil rights struggles, so I guess if I had to pick an overarching concern, it would be justice.
I think they may already say you can rob grannies if you're hungry. They don't recommend it, and it would have to be a last resort after working and begging, but I think it would pass. And I find that analogy closer than the others. In many cases, we're talking about saving a life: a child's, a spouse's or one's own.
I don't know that the origin of marriage as an institution was to protect women and
children, I think it was to protect men's property rights, And I think we don't have to go farther than the bible to prove it either.
I wish we could all look after ourselves, but our society is not ordained that way.
That's why we have things like medical insurance and social security. Millions of spouses and children rely on these things for no less than survival. But in many if not most cases the spouses of gay folk and their children don't qualify. Marriage equality would change that.
I also would like everyone to have a happy family life, but I don't know if any legislation or court decision can insure that. Mostly what they can give their citizens is a safetynet in times of crisis, The rest is up to the individual.
To be continued, I hope as well...
Excelsior!