Posted on 05/28/2011 7:13:51 PM PDT by AustralianConservative
Many factors led to ancient Rome’s fall, say politically-correct experts. True. At the same time, there were many reasons to explain her rise too. Also forgotten: some stand out more than others. Thus, to ignore history’s greatest forces is to ignore her most important lessons.
Standing on the work of the late historian Will Durant, Rabbi Daniel Lapin turns to big-picture ethics. “Excessive regulation, excessive government size and intrusion, and excessive and abusive taxation policies were only the tip of the iceberg. The essential causes of Rome’s decline lay in her people, her morals, her bureaucratic despotism, her stifling taxes, and fall in population. Sexual excess may have reduced human fertility. Contraception, abortion and infanticide had a dysgenic as well as numerical effect. The dole weakened the poor and luxury weakened the rich. Immigration brought together a hundred cultures whose differences rubbed themselves out into indifference.” Socialism and adults-first libertarianism were married.
Returning to Esolen, one can’t ignore preindustrial climate changes (another politically-incorrect factor because there were no electricity-running houses or energy-hungry cars to blame). Rome had lost battles. However: “At Adrianople it may be said that she lost her first war. Then in 406 there was a particularly cold winter – global cooling makes for rough times – and the Rhine froze over. Rome had only had to post troops at the fords, but now the Germans crossed the ice with their herds and families whenever they pleased.”
Secular thinkers, from Edward Gibbon to Nietzsche blamed Christianity on weakening Rome’s pagan military complex, or to paraphrase Esolen: Christians are chastised for being pacifists on Monday, on Tuesday they’re portrayed as warmongers. Both secularists were wrong. “Christians formed a significant portion of the legions, even before Constantine legalized the religion in 313 with his Edict of Milan.”
(Excerpt) Read more at weekendlibertarian.blogspot.com ...
All of those things sound familiar-—don’t they?
Christians were certainly part of the legions before the Edict of Milan. We may note that the Roman Empire fell in 1453, some 200 years after its capitol was sacked by the Christian 4th Crusade. Rome stood astride the Mediterranean for about 2000 years. The wonder is that it lasted for so long.
Consider that! Less than 200 years ago our White House was burned by the British.
Right. No wonder the Left hates history too.
Ha-ha. Nietzsche, at least, had a history of making up things, as he went along. It sold well in cafes, my guess.
All correct and let’s also recall that the Christianized Roman (and allied) legions and auxiliaries defeated Atilla the Hun in 452 AD.
I’d also argue that “the Empire had pretty crappy morals throughout its history” and that it didn’t play into the Fall as much as some think.
I think Rome’s handling of illegal immigration played more into the Fall of the Western half more than anything else.
http://weekendlibertarian.blogspot.com/2011/05/theres-no-place-like-rome-part-two.html ................ FRegards
I wonder what they would charge to do it again?
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