Monday, November 16, 2015

After Paris - Europe



If we were Nietzschians we might see modern Liberal social values as the ultimate outcome of a post-Christian 'slave-morality': “abused, oppressed, suffering, unemancipated, weary and [those] uncertain of themselves”. Nietzsche would have seen our compassion "as weakness, as self-laceration". He would have seen Christianity as bad but post-Christianity as worst. The whole of German post-war theological muscle seems to be directed at the rejection of Nietzche's thought, in a sense it is part of the process of de-Nazification. Cardinal Kasper's 'Mercy' is part of this process, and perhaps a rather narrow understanding of European history viewed from Buenos Aires, with a short stay in Germany, might well see the whole of Europe's history through a lens of anti-Nazism - anti-Nietzchism.

What is the future of Europe after the Paris massacres? Closing of borders, the restriction of the 'free movement of people' seems to mark the beginning of the end of the European dream. The re-orientation of European politics from a tendency to the left to a movement towards the right seems inevitable. The election of Marine Le Pen seems, today, almost inevitable, as does the re-thing of the nature of Europe.

In Russia Putin has adopted the Orthodox narrative as a way of giving meaning and identity to a state that has been left empty and bankrupt by its 70 years of Communism. The search for British values of the Blair-Brown years failed because of the political difficulty of suggesting that British values might actually be Christian values was politically beyond them, they would have been laughing-stocks, Blair. publicly 'didn't do Christianity' though interestingly for both men 'Christianity' was their private personal answer.

Defining Europe today apart from territory is somewhat difficult, defining what it is not is perhaps easier. Poland and more significantly Hungary deciding that Mohammedanism is not compatible with their own values and history is unlikely to be followed by the rest of Europe, and yet the great struggle is how to define Christian/post-Christian Europe, without reference to Christianity. Christians/post-Christians alone make up the current European Community. Perhaps the reason we hardly noticed the 45 victims of terrorism in Beirut on Thursday is simply because they do not share our European civilisation, our European values.

Michel Houellebecq's 'Soumission', so interestingly after the weekend doesn't seem so relevant, it sees the Islamisation of France as political process, terror is not mentioned, and yet after the weekend Terrorism is unerasable factor in European attitudes to the outside world, it is likely to be a framework of European politics for sometime. Yet the simple truth is that our post Christian values are the source of our destruction,

Europe is dying because Europe is not having children, because Europe undermines the family, because Europe culture considers a naturally sterile homosexual relationship to be equal to a heterosexual relationship that is naturally orientated to produce children. Mrs Merkel in the maddest event of recent political history opened up the gates of Europe to every immigrant who might want to come, but the reason is simple without immigration Europe is dead because we are not replacing ourselves. Perhaps only a Catholic priest could dare to suggest that the peace and survival of Europe is dependant on a Europe that supports families and is open to children.


31 comments:

Liam Ronan said...

Dear Father,

Thank you for your broad and useful insights. For my part, I believe that the mere ability of EU citizens to produce more children is no guarantee the parents of those children will be either more or less agnostic than those we know at present. The destruction of the Nation State (political entities akin to one's family)for the transparent purpose of facilitating trade and economic exchange is not now nor ever was a laudable thing, much less a dream. If so, the dreamers who implemented their private visions of what the EU was ultimately intended to become kept their script close to the vest and away from public view. In my opinion (consider the membership 'votes' and various gerrymandered treaty 'votes') the EU is a tyranny.

I have other thoughts on the current state of affairs, but shant overdo for now.

You observed, Father:

"Perhaps the reason we hardly noticed the 45 victims of terrorism in Beirut on Thursday is simply because they do not share our European civilisation, our European values."

May I suggest that coverage of this atrocity and those similar ones in Asia, Africa (except for Cecil the lion), etc. get precious little media coverage, coverage which suffocates and spins every story as the mass media determine how or if ever we are to learn of events.

God bless you for your fine efforts, Father.

BJC said...

Don't know how many people have seen this, but this is a letter from the King of Persia to Caliph Omar in 636 AD. It could have been written yesterday.

https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/pre-islamic-iran-persian-king-shah-yazdgirds-brilliant-letter-to-mohammeds-evil-successor-stay-in-your-desert-with-your-allah-u-akbar/

philipjohnson said...

Fr .Spot on!Great assessment of the morally lamentable state of Western Europe.God Bless.

Jane said...


"Europe is dying because Europe is not having children".

Yes, Father, we are miles behind the Muslims in reproductive success. Our shortfall is huge.

Emergency measures are in order: we could thaw out all the frozen European embryos and implant them in willing volunteer women. Instant boost to the birth rate.

Then we could reinstate the ban on abortion which we so disastrously lifted, thus saving between 500 and 600 lives a day.( Decapitation/dismembering of children is far more common in the West than it is in the areas where isil reigns supreme)

Finally, the Catholic church could begin to teach its richness and make the population aware of the dangers and evils of artificial contraception (patches, injections, implants, devices, barriers and pills) and the beauty of large families, and God would once again be permitted by His creatures to create.

Jeremy said...

The comparison with Nietzsche and his rejection of objective truth is very relevant. It is an infection both of socialism which seeks and fails to cure all ills by endless tinkering with society - and is seen now even in the Church under a weak leadership which risks falling under the same spell.

Fidelity to the authentic teaching of the Church would not have seen the withering of Christian civilisation in Europe which suddenly seems powerless to stand against a seemingly mightier message. Now is not the time to lower our guard.

Physiocrat said...

We could have immigration from the Philippines.

JARay said...

Well said indeed Father. The world needs Christianity and without it, civilisation dies.

nickbris said...

I'm a bit concerned that we are going to have more of the "Security"that I came across in the Brighton Court .Badly trained and unintelligent oafs.

Unknown said...

Father, your words read like oxygen. I thank you for sharing your thoughts and hold you in my prayers.

Anonymous said...

I can't remember who proposed this idea, surely someone can remind me: Europe and America were based on Christian morality for hundred of years, and the present "post-Christian" generation doesn't realise, being untaught in any variety of Christian religion, that that is where their ethical framework comes from. But, generation by generation, that faith and knowledge has been lost, until now we are "running on empty", with the results, in public and private life, that we can see. Ugly, naked greed, selfishness, cruelty, deceitfulness, arrogance, are no longer held to be disgraceful, but the smart things to do to get ahead. Will mere anarchy follow as an inevitable next stage, with the strongest, most merciless, least principled, coming out on top?

Liam Ronan said...

Just by way of reminder, we all remember that ISIS has repeatedly, and for various ideological and theological reasons, threatened to attack Rome, right?

Anonymous said...

@ Liam Ronan: Rorate Caeli reports that the Vatican Secretary of State says that the Holy Year of Mercy is open to Muslims!

The Vatican does not explain how this will be implemented.

Liam Ronan said...

I read today that the Secretary of the Vatican State, Pietro Parolin, has invited Muslims to participate in Bergolio's Year of Mercy commencing this 08 December. I imagine they are already on their way to Rome even as Parolin speaks.

Fr Ray Blake said...

Liam. In the English speaking world we tend to refer to the Bishop of Rome as 'Pope' and use his regnal name, if you are Italian by any chance it acceptable, especially amongs anti-clericalists, to use the title and follow it by the family name.

Liam Ronan said...

Thank you, Father, for that correction. I confess I have seen many refer to him simply, and without offence, as 'Francis'. For my part, I was merely using the surname he applies to himself on his Argentinian driver's licence. I'll do better in future (unless I apprehend him driving in an unsafe manner).

Peace and gratias for your good-natured understanding.

fzk5220 said...

It is conceivable that the English speaking world become entirely Muslim , at which point the Bishop of Rome would simply be called the Caliph of Rome for the sake of political correctness

Anonymous said...

Liam: I think that Our Holy Father is driving in a very unsafe manner,him being in the "driver's seat of the Catholic Church". ...

Jacobi said...

The idea of Western Culture without Christianity has always been meaningless

But now, with the assault of Islam, particularly the Saudi backed and financed version of of Islam, this is more clearly seen than ever. We must have an answer to the enormous conviction and confidence of Islam. That can only be Christainity

This is not a French or European problem. It is one that the whole non-Sunni Islamic workd has to face.

Sinced 1980 some 300 murderous attacks have been carried out by this version of Islam on Society. We are at war, real war It is only just beginning and will last a long time.

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

If only Nietzsche was the problem.

Nicolas Bellord said...

One of the problems of our secularised society is that our leaders and the metropolitan elite have no understanding of religion and the role it can play in people's lives. Yesterday evening towards the end of the 7p.m. Channel 4 News there was an interview with the Somali-born activist and ex-Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali on why she believes Islam needs to be reformed. The interviewer seemed unable to get his mind round what she was saying. It is well worth listening to:

http://www.channel4.com/news/catch-up/display/playlistref/171115

Liam Ronan said...

The old Eloi and Morlock problem, eh?

Sadie Vacantist said...

The neo-conservative project is but an extension or logical development of the post-war hegemonic power established by the USA. Constantly blaming “the Germans” or all things Germanic is a mistake. There are 50,000 “allied” troops in a country which is nothing more than a vassal state of the American and now, neo-conservative political agenda. The accusation of neo-colonialism by the Hungarians towards Germany is in reality a veiled attack on Germany’s puppet masters. Astonishingly, Sweden has become a victim of the post-war new world order. Yet like Pius XII’s Vatican, this country of blue eyed and blonde haired people, remained steadfastly neutral during WWII but today needn’t have bothered: it is now being treated by the neo-cons as a defeated post-war nation. Sweden is thus subject to the same “moral imperialism” initially imposed upon West Germany. Sweden has a “problem” which, according to the neo-cons, can only be solved by mass immigration from the 3rd world. Post-1965 Sweden today is as unrecognisable as the post-1965 Catholic Church.

Jeremiah Methuselah said...

Father Blake,

Anti-clericalist ! – Not I ! But maybe I risk your religious wrath by mentioning that many Catholics in Italy, Rome specifically, refer habitually to the Pope as “Papa Sarto”, “Papa Luciano”, “Papa Ratzinger” and so on, Papa + family name. That has been my experience.

I would not say this custom, which I thought was quite a pleasant one, is antithetical, rather is it not derived from the familiar attitude of the Holy Father being their father too ? You will know how possessive are the Romans when it come to their own bishop, I’m sure.

Stephen Turton said...

Charles Dawson asks - "will mere anarchy follow as an inevitable next stage, with the strongest, most merciless, least principled coming out on top ?
No, the powers that be won't tolerate that for long, and we will get a retrenched establishment dictatorship still in the clothes of democracy "for the benefit of the common good".

Nicolas Bellord said...

Cardinal Sarah is 'prefect of the congregation for divine worship and the discipline of the sacraments, and therefore with competence and authority concerning precisely the three sacraments at the center of the synod discussions: Matrimony, the Eucharist, and Penance'.

Sandro Magister reminds us of the above at:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1351180?eng=y

He then gives extracts from an article to be published in a couple of days by Cardinal Sarah. It utterly demolishes what has been proposed by Cardinal Kasper and others. It really is a must read and it is difficult to see how Pope Francis could announce something radically different from what his appointee in charge of the Sacraments has said.


BJC said...

All the predictions in Humanae Vitae have come true; the biggest of which was that contraception would create a demographic time bomb with uncertain economic and political consequences. Well, we're finding out what they are now.

Politicians and journalists alike laughed at the Church in 1968, but they're not laughing now. Unfortunately, none of them will have the humility to admit they were wrong and start trying to solve the problem at source. All we'll get, will be plenty of hand-wringing and denials of reality.

On the Islamists front, the most striking thing for me was that no one from the mainstream media was prepared to preface their story with ISIS's quote from the Quran. They started their statement with it, yet the msm totally ignored it. All it's doing is stoking up the pressure to breaking point.

To me, the next big "paradigm shift" in peoples' thinking is when it finally sinks in that the situation in the middle-east is not so much a European style Palestinian nationalism issue, but it's got rather a lot to do with the Quran. Just look up stuff on youtube (input 'Hamas tv') or try memritv.org. When those particular dots are joined, it could make Paris look like a tea party.

Physiocrat said...

BJC - keep an eye on Sweden. Politicians and the media are spinning a story that conflicts so much with everyone's daily experience that confidence in both is collapsing.

Sadie Vacantist said...

Physiocrat is correct. Sweden has become a major player in all of this. The issue is how will the rest of Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Eastern Europe respond? Poland is the biggest in terms of population but they retain so many long standing resentments towards Russia that I fear they are a liability in terms of organising a coherent response to Western Europe and the USA.

BJC said...

Hi Physiocrat - thanks for the tip. I look at the religionofpeace.com blog most days now, so I can see what you mean.

I've just looked up the figures and seen that Stockholm is 20% muslim, that really is quite a shock.

Physiocrat said...

BJC - most of the Muslims are in self-imposed ghettos and the hard-liners impose Sharia Law. They are no-go areas to the authorities. That is the way the take-over happens.

Anonymous said...

Father...nailed it in your last sentence!!

And THAT is exactly what Catholic Priests should be doing!

And that is exactly what Traditionalists are doing.

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