There is, for a month, what superficially appears to be a resurgence of Secular Right "common sense" politics from the USA (i.e. a politics rhetorically rooted in national economic and societal self-interest); and this is depicted, by some of its supporters, as being the first step in a rebuilding of Christendom; - therefore a stage en route to the much-needed spiritual awakening.
Putting aside that this Secular Right revival is, I believe, feigned not real - and that this will soon become evident - even if we were to accept it at face value, then is it "a good thing" spiritually?
We cannot expect any answer to this question from studying individual policies, e.g. by trying to infer an implicit coherent net-strategy behind the flurry of apparent contradictions*.
As always we need to infer underlying intentions, motivations etc - which are rooted in the nature and affiliations of those persons and groups making the statements and policies.
If, however, we assume for the sake of argument that we are witnessing a genuine attempt to build a stronger secular society - a society that is clearing the ground of the self-hating and self-destroying post-sixties New Leftism; and if we assume that this is being done in order to promote the material well-being of nations - we can then ask from a Christian perspective whether, if it is intended and could happen, this would be A Good Thing?
Would it be A Good Thing if the USA could become a stronger nation, characterized by enhanced military power; secure borders; enforcement of law and order; a more efficient, more meritocratic, more genuinely productive, and more home-grown economy etc...
Would this kind of material improvement actually be A Good Thing for the spiritual status of its people (and of the world)?
On the surface, the answer seems obvious - that such a society would be preferable to what has been the case for the past several decades.
But on the other side, we also need to look ahead: we need to ask whether a stronger and more cohesive, but still fundamentally materialist, God-less, acquisitive, consumerist, comfortable, better-entertained, techno-totalitarian society would really be A Good Thing?
We need to ask whether this is what is most needed - here, now?
Whether the vast human effort and attention, bribery and compulsion, involved in striving for such change to such a society, is not very badly misplaced?
And most fundamentally to ask whether this is possible At All? Given all that we should have learned by-now, about the innate self-destructiveness and evil-tendencies of any and all such societies?
After all, the strong, increasingly-Godless, rapidly-growing USA of the 1950s was exactly this sort of success story.
Yet, even at that time, in the mid 20th century; it was clear to thoughtful and observant Christians and secular people alike, that it just would-not-do, and was inevitably doomed to go (more or less) exactly where it actually went.
There are many examples of such analysis, but one will suffice: Nihilism by Eugene Rose, later Father Seraphim.
People here-and-now need to step-back from immediate, and substantially manipulated, emotionality; and instead consider such long-term, strategic, spiritual matters; because we can be sure that those who practice the dark arts of Geopolitics are already doing so.
*Note: Those with memories that extend back more than a few months, ought to have learned that having some public figure speaking some or several specific factual truths, or refuting one or a few of the innumerable lies of mainstream Leftism; does Not amount to anything At All, in terms of indicating a trend towards a truthful, honest, more-Good society. When underlying metaphysical assumptions are poisonous, then debates over particular assertions are always utterly ineffectual.
8 comments:
anything is possible, I suppose. but I refuse to give it more than a cursory look - and even this small glance tells me it's all incredibly fake, a farcical version of the promise made almost ten years ago. but what makes it so much more ridiculous is the tone, which takes the absolute failure of before and says 'now we're really, really serious'. worse than that is that they seem to be preparing people for something, and it doesn't seem like it's good. i've made this prediction before, and now it seems more and more like it's true: they got a bunch of people with the birdemic and the peck. now they are coming to deceive the holdouts from that. and it seems to be going very smoothly, for the most part, given the delirious levels of optimism even my cursory look is able to glean. of course I can kind of understand at least some parts of it, like the very natural desire for law and order after the chaos of the last few decades - and if I switch off my brain for a minute or two. but the part that really is unbelievable is the technocracy - which the law and order people seem to be swallowing along with the fake promise. that part, I confess, is surprising even to me.
Yes, indeed. One might even say that an apparently better worldly situation is spiritually more perilous as it draws people who might have sought refuge in God back into the world and gives them reasons to fight for and defend the current state of worldliness.
@Laeth - Yes.
Meanwhile, the UK (and some other European countries - but led by the UK) is apparently a few hours/days away from declaring war on the Fire Nation.
(But the media refuse even to mention that that is what it is - stay asleep you masses!)
This is something which could Only happen with the full approval - and indeed instigation - of the USA behind the scenes; whatever verbal nonsense is being spouted in public.
We have a situation in which it is all and only important what people Say as reported by official sources; to the point that what people do, what actually happens, is completely irrelevant - even when that is predictable and predicted.
So the administration talk peace (and many people take it seriously), but actually make huge efforts to continue and escalate war. In full public view, but concealed by a few lying words, which are always believed by plenty of people.
@William - Indeed. Perhaps that is why it is happening? What is sure, is that the demons don't rest, so the "Litmus Tests" continue.
My only serious hope is that some will repent when they can observe what actually happens; but such is the desperation of clinging to ultimate worldliness, and therefore the craving for ever more, and more powerful, Antichrists - that I am not optimistic.
Is this post referring to the orange man? I don't follow politics much, but if it is, then I will say that it's obvious by now to everyone intellectually honest that his presidency isn't going to do anything, because he was already president before, and nothing happened.
Reminds me of the people saying that an awakening will occur when things get bad enough, but things keep getting worse, and it still hasn't happened. I've even seen individuals and their children personally suffer in gruesome ways from the profane consequences of the policies they support, who still didn't awaken in any kind of way.
These peoples' problem isn't that evil is hidden; It's abundantly obvious and clear. What's happening with them is that they choose to look the other way, not just in public for their own financial and social safety, but for some reason in the privacy of their own minds as well. If you're not committed to beauty, and to truth (being honest with yourself), then you're not going to be convinced by any profane calamity.
Besides, it's more important to understand, and to positively value, that which is good, and to thus indirectly define evil in opposition to good, than it is to understand and to negatively value that which is bad, and to thus indirectly define good in opposition to evil, and I don't see how evil and woe can give people positive values.
Perhaps it could force some individuals who are already on the side of truth and beauty, to stop sitting on the fence and to make their allegiance explicit in their own minds, but that should already have happened to those people by now
I agree with Laeth about the technocracy.
So much of what people are talking about is based on bogus theories and prognostications. People are talking as if it's still 1999 and all the Internet hype really did pan out. If people can't even describe the present accurately, why should anyone believe what they have to say about the future?
Of course, it's easier to critique others' predictions than to come up with one's own. But it's not really necessary. It's enough to do what one knows to be good and then learn from mistakes as needed.
If leaders want to do good, they should simply do that.
Religion being tied to worldly success is not something unique to Western Christians. I hadn't fully realized the significance of that until fairly recently. But it seems to be a universal issue.
Throughout history success for the group, including in terms of wealth, land, conquest, etc. has been a big part of religions, including pagan and tribal religions. Even if not always central to the religious doctrines, in practice, all of these things were highly important to large number of people. Not just the group, but it was also believed that individuals would benefit, for instance, various figures in Greek mythology viewed as blessed by the gods.
Even secular ideologies have this feature, that they are destined to succeed and bring material success for their followers.
It's true that traditional people's view of life was substantially wiser and less corrupted than the mainstream modern view of life.
Nonetheless, anticipation of worldly success has been a significant feature of religions and ideologies throughout history. Becoming overly focused on worldly success is something that human beings have been contending with pretty much as long as there have been people.
@NLR - I don't think that desire for this-worldly short term happiness requires any elaborate explaining. But when this becomes the whole thing - because there is literally nothing else (no purpose or meaning to reality, nothing but mortal life) then life takes on a very different complexion - and people start behaving in a self-and-society-destroying manner (especially strategically) that would have been regarded as insane in earlier eras of human history.
In other words; when life was seen through the lens of religion - because human consciousness made this innate and spontaneous, often unconscious - then people's worldliness was broadly sane and sustainable.
But now that nihilism happens spontaneously, and is enforced by society, worldliness has become counter-productive.
From where we now our, I believe that only a Christian perspective, rooted in expectation of eternal resurrected life, has the *capability* to save us from the prevalent literal-insanity of rejecting even the wish for salvation, and instead moralistically embracing nihilism.
Anything else will continue to make matters worse.
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