The war of the religions

I’m rerunning this post from two years ago because of its growing relevance.

By Tom Quiner

Four religions wage war for supremacy of western civilization.

Each uses remarkably different tactics to gain converts and exert their control over society.

What is a religion? A religion is a system of beliefs and practices which embrace some sort of faith component. The four competing religions are Christianity, secular humanism, Islam, and evangelical atheism.

Two of these religions, secular humanism and Islam, use coercion to expand their reach.

Secular humanists believe in a fundamental right to abortion. They have a slavish devotion to Mother Earth and put “her” above people. Along that line, they have an unwavering faith in what was once called global warming, until science cast doubts on the premise, so now they call it climate change.

Secular humanists believe that society should be ordered according to our desires and attractions. To that aim, they fight ferociously for the imposition of so-called “gay marriage” rights.

In the political arena, they have made tremendous strides at establishing secular humanism as the state religion, empowering their elites to control more aspects of the lives of the citizenry than ever before.

They have been extraordinarily successful at winning converts from Christianity. For example, Vice President Joe Biden publicly claimed to be a Roman Catholic in a television debate last year. He said he agrees with his Church’s position that human life begins at conception, but that he couldn’t impose his view on someone else. However, he is willing to impose the secular humanist view, that the human being in the womb has no legal rights, on everyone else.

Mr. Biden has also publicly embraced so-called gay marriage, again pitting himself against the Roman Catholic Church, and at the same time aligning himself with the religion of secular humanism.

Like many secular humanists, Joe Biden espouses one religion while he practices another.

Secular humanism has become the dominant religion in western civilization through brute political force and censorship. In the U.S., the secular-humanist-controlled executive branch of the government imposed contraception and abortifacients on the health insurance plans of the faithful, without any sort of vote.

They have slipped tax-funded abortion into healthcare laws through the back door.

They censor the opposition using a tactic known as political correctness. Those who oppose abortion rights are smeared as waging a war on women.

Those who oppose so-called gay marriage are smeared as bigots and accused of “hate speech.”

This tactic is employed because the intellectual underpinnings of secular humanism are tenuous. Their value system has no fixed bearings. What they found offensive yesterday, such as abortion or gay marriage, they now embrace with pride and impose on everyone else.

Where secular humanism has thrived using political coercion, Islam practices a different form of coercion: brute force.

Writer Salman Rushdie is a perfect example. He wrote a book titled “The Satanic Verses” which  Muslim leaders deemed blasphemous. The Ayatollah of Iran issued a fatwah, calling for the killing of Rushdie. Mr. Rushdie went into hiding for years to avoid Muslim assassins.

Christianity is discouraged or banned in Muslim-dominated countries, such as Iran. CatholicCulture.org reported in January this story of religious repression:

Nadarkhani, a Protestant pastor and convert from Islam, was acquitted of apostasy charges in September but found guilty of evangelizing Muslims, for which he must now serve 45 additional days of prison time. His original 2010 death sentence on apostasy charges was not carried out following an international outcry.

On December 27, 50 Christians were detained after authorities disrupted a Christmas gathering at a Tehran home. The 60-year-old pastor remains imprisoned.

Reports of violence perpetrated in the name of Allah seems to be a daily occurrence in the international press. Here are a few news reports from yesterday alone:

In Afghanistan: A Fedayeen bomber self-detonates at a polo game, killing at least ten spectators.

In India: Islamic terrorists throw grenades into an Indian camp, killing five security personnel.

In Nigeria: Four teachers at a primary school are shot by Boko Haram.

In Pakistan: A Fedayeen suicide bomber takes out three people.

In Iraq: A Shahid suicide bomber detonates next to a girl’s school, killing at least five.

[Source: The Religion of Peace]

The question is, will the growing Muslim communities in the U.S. honor the country’s commitment to religious freedom? Or will they, too, stake out a more militant posture as their power grows.

Christianity and Evangelical Atheism use different tactics. Both appeal to reason, and both embrace a faith component.

Atheists have faith that existence came into being out of non-existence. They believe that the orderliness of creation and the laws of nature, which seem to have been intelligently designed, in fact happened by chance.

Leading atheists, such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dannett, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens, have written books to make the intellectual case for a godless universe. They feel a need to attack competing religions, especially Christianity, and especially Catholicism. Mr. Dawkins, in particular, attacks Catholicism:

“Religion makes specific claims about the universe which need to be substantiated, and need to be challenged – and if necessary, need to be ridiculed with contempt. For example, if they say they’re Catholic: Do you really believe, that when a priest blesses a wafer, it turns into the body of Christ? Are you seriously telling me you believe that? Are you seriously saying that wine turns into blood? Mock them. Ridicule them! In public!”

Atheists seem to fear Catholic Eucharist, otherwise they would just ignore it. But Mr. Dawkins can’t:

“When you meet somebody who claims to be religious, ask them what they really believe. I don’t despise religious people; I despise what they stand for.”

Atheism has become evangelical, taking ads out on billboards and busses to spread their faith. Atheists are beginning to meet to sort of worship together. The First Church of Atheism has its own website and will legally ordain ministers.

Britain’s first atheist church is packing them in, and is looking to expand internationally. They focus on the happenstance of existence. In the case of the late Mr. Hitchens, he went out of his way to blame most of the problems of the world on religion, which he detailed in his book, “God is not great; how religion poisons everything.”

Interestingly, each of the religions above attack Christianity in one form or another.

Secular Humanism imposes their values on Christians through presidential fiat and liberal judges.

Islam bans Christianity when they can; they shutter Christian churches; and threaten and even execute violence against the Christian faithful.

Evangelical atheism mocks, smears, and blames Christianity at every turn.

And yet Christianity doesn’t go away. Religious fads such as secular humanism and evangelical atheism come and go, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ survives the test of time.

Where Secular Humanism views truth as fluid and ever-changing, Christianity, especially Catholicism, views Truth as absolute, because it flows from God, who does not change.

Islam views Allah as being “loving.” In other words, it is a characteristic. Christians view God as being Love itself.

Christianity’s message is one of beauty, because it is grounded in love. It promises forgiveness to the repentant and salvation to the undeserving.

Christianity is personal, because Jesus walked among man and experienced the pain of earthly existence. He understands what we’re going through. He is present in our lives. In the Catholic Church, He is especially present in our sacraments, especially the Eucharist that so bothers atheists like Richard Dawkins.

Power ebbs and flows. These four religions vie for supremacy of the West. Which will win?

The one with God behind it.