Posted on 05/11/2023 4:42:59 AM PDT by MtnClimber
There can be only one answer to this question, but it's the unpopular answer.
Recently, while apologizing to "indigenous peoples" and denouncing Christians — without the all-important historical context — Pope Francis declared, "Never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others[.]"
This — claiming all cultures are equal — is a dangerous position, not least as it leads to relativism and the abnegation of Truth.
For most Western people today, the word culture conjures at best superficial differences — "exotic" dress or food. In reality, however, cultures are nothing less than entire and distinct worldviews with their own unique sets of right and wrongs, often rooted in a religion or philosophy.
Indeed, for some thinkers, such as essayist T.S. Elliot, "culture and religion" are inextricably linked and "different aspects of the same thing."
Culture may even be described simply as that which makes life worth living. ... [N]o culture can appear or develop except in relation to a religion. ... We can see a religion as the whole way of life of a people, from birth to the grave, from morning to night and even in sleep, and that way of life is also its culture. [From Elliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture, 1943, p.100-101, emphasis in original.]
Similarly, for Anglo-French historian Hilaire Belloc,
Cultures spring from religions; ultimately the vital force which maintains any culture is its philosophy, its attitude toward the universe; the decay of a religion involves the decay of the culture corresponding to it — we see that most clearly in the breakdown of Christendom today.
In short, cultures bring much more than, say, the convenience of having Indian cuisine down the street.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
What the left calls “white supremacy”, but it is not that at all.
Yes. Those nations that pursue the truth are totally different from those who exist upon lies.
Those who server God and those who serve the Father of Lies.
Pretty simple?
Ours is the only written constitution in history that protected the citizenry from its government.
The culture that produced that, and honors it still, is indeed superior to any other.
It’s post modernist babble.
I do think what we call Western Culture is superior to all the rest. I also think Western Culture is on the wane and will soon be surpassed & subjugated by others, including Mideast & SubSaharan Cultures.
This! ☝
It really boils down to, IMHO, the two great awakenings the west had to make our culture stand out. The left wants to move away from those vast improvements to society.
The judgement of whether a culture is superior, is dependent upon your notion of what you value the most, and whether that culture promotes it or not.
Culture, at its essence, is a set of ideas about what is to be regarded as virtuous, what is despicable, and what is contemptible. Thus the judgement itself is dependent upon the culture of the person judging.
Somebody may judge culture A to be superior if it promotes “equality”, even if that equality is accomplished by making most equally poor, while another may judge culture B as superior because it creates a higher average standard of living, at the cost of having some people being much richer than others.
Yes.
Yes. One culture can be superior to another. A country that does not practice human sacrifice is superior to one that does. Likewise w/ cannibalism. I also think that a culture that allows people to marry whomever they want is superior to a culture w/ forced marriages.
Unfortunately our culture has ordained human sacrifice. It is a left-wing sacrament nowadays. So that aspect, an interloper into our culture, pollutes us unfathomably.
I wish they still did anthropology the way they did back in the day. Let the ethnographies speak for themselves (except Margaret Mead’s neo-freudian ones, of course).
The fall of Western Culture was made possible by two ideas:
1) That is is improper and offensive to say "Western Culture is superior and worthy of being defended", and
2) That it is evil to declare that you care more about your own family and friends than you care about "marginalized communities".
All cultures are not equal. That means that some cultures are, overall, better than other cultures. And that means that there is one culture that, overall, has been shown to be better than the others.
It is that culture currently under attack by traitorous Demonicrats and woketardians, who seek to destroy that culture and its people.
Very good essay. Worth reading. Much as I have been saying for some time.
What’s the big deal with this culture cr**. It’s like robins and sparrows and bluebirds etc...they flock together, century after century. Should we start planting robin eggs in a bluebird’s nest cuz they need to be diversified. How stupid is that??
I pointed out to her that such a culture was inferior to cultures that weren't like that, and... she had nothing. Fortunately she did have sufficient character to admit I had a point.
If eating bats is a normal thing, your culture is likely not superior.
Well, I sure am glad to hear that.. I been thinking about cooking up my neighbor.. I think cannibalism is the way to go.. Way too many people, and I hear they taste just like chicken...
Oh, and by the way the way, That pope guy must be one Godless creature..
How about a culture where marriages are not "forced", but parents are heavily involved in spousal selection, and marriage happens younger than current society?
I think that the currently low middle-class birthrate is partially caused by deferring marriage until late 20s/early 30s. Having marriage happen in late teens/early 20's (like it did historically) would be better, but would need parental involvement/approval for such an important decision.
Hear, hear!
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