An Atheist's Defence of Christianity

The Autonomist ^ | 10/25/06 | Reginald Firehammer

[Hank Kerchief]

This is not a defence of Christianity, in the doctrinal sense, but of the spirit of Christianity and its contribution to Western Civilization against the securalism that is destroying both European and American society.

[GOP Poet]

Can't wait to read bookmark

[American Quilter]

Thanks for mentioning Theodore Dalrymple's book. I hadn't heard about it, but I'm certainly going to buy it.

[aynrandfreak]

Great post, thanks!

[vimto]

A book that has gone under the radar is well worth the read - '7/7 Celsius' by Michael Gove. He puts Londonistan in it's international Isalmist context. No fool he!

Excellent and beautifully written.

[GOPJ]

Every kind of outrage is "tolerated" as diversity, unless it exhibits exceptional intelligence, decency, or strength of character.

[HungarianGypsy]

Does anyone know what H.G. Wells's religious affiliation was? In his History of the World he says of the main religions he thought Jesus' teachings were the most relevant.

[GOPJ]

Every kind of outrage is "tolerated" as diversity, unless it exhibits exceptional intelligence, decency, or strength of character.

Interesting - ping

[American Quilter]

Thanks for the recommendation! By the way, are you Hiro Nakamura? ;-)

[apackof2]

BTW Lee Strobel an award-winning reporter for the Chicago Tribune and an avowed atheist wrote a book called "The Case for Christ" that many would find interesting:

Synopsis;

If you were a journalist, how would you handle a news story so big it would utterly eclipse all other world events? How thorough would your investigation be? How many hard-hitting questions would you ask? How carefully would you consult with top experts to get detailed, accurate answers?

Lee Strobel knows firsthand. It was as an award-winning reporter for the Chicago Tribune and an avowed atheist that he first investigated the greatest news story of all -- the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, in The Case for Christ, he presents compelling evidence and expert testimony for the claims of Christianity. As a seasoned journalist with a Yale law background, Strobel systematically tracks down his leads and asks the blunt, tough questions you would want to ask -- questions that can make or break the Christian faith. He refuses contrived, simplistic answers. Instead, he pieces together hard facts through interviews with a dozen of the country's top scholars.

Written in the style of a blockbuster investigative report, The Case for Christ is a provocative and spellbinding read, marshaling expert testimony and persuasive evidence.

With unerring instincts, Strobel ferrets out:

Historical evidence: Do we possess reliable documents concerning the life, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus? Scientific Evidence: Is there archaeological substantiation for the historical accounts about Jesus? Did Jesus perform miracles?

Psychiatric Evidence: Did Jesus really claim to be God? What evidence is there that he fits God's profile?

Fingerprint Evidence: What does prophecy have to say about Jesus? Other Evidence: Jesus' death, the missing body, eyewitness accounts, and claims of personal encounters.

The Case for Christ reads like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But, it's not fiction. It's a riveting journey to the truth about the most remarkable event in history: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And it's a revealing, personal testimony to his power to transform people yet today -- even the most case-hardened, cynical journalist.

[kipita]

Great post and read. It's a shame it's put in the religion section because it is the most important issue facing western society. I've been living in Europe for 3 years and I agree 100% with what's said. Religion is dead in Europe and will not probably not return. The European governmental bodies should respect the fact that the success of the west has been via the Greeks, Romans, Protestants, US.........

[aynrandfreak]

You should ping the list on this one!

[American Quilter]

I can't find any listing for "Suicide of the West" by Theodore Dalrymple on amazon.com. However, there is a recent book (June 2006) with that title written by Richard Koch and Chris Smith. Dalrymple's most recent book (unless he wrote two simultaneously) appears to be "Romancing Opiates", published in April 2006.

Am I missing something?

[Socratic]

When nothing is sacred, when nothing is revered, when there is no absolute truth, there is nothing to live for beyond the moment, nothing to inspire one to do or be more than they can get away with, nothing to believe in beyond what one sees and feels, "right now," and what they see is bewildering and what they feel is fear.

This helps to explain Liberalism.

[Valpal1]

Those who call themselves Objectivists or individualists wonder why people are so resistant their philosophy of objective reason. Most men are not philosophers, but they know the kind of men a right philosophy would produce—men of character, decency, and integrity—that's the kind of philosophy they want. They look around and see the kinds of things men stand for, or stand against, the kind of language they use, the entertainment they enjoy, and how they live their lives, and after they look, they can see no difference between those who call themselves Objectivists, individualists, or libertarians and the rest of corrupt society. Then they look at Christians and find in them all the attributes of character and moral rectitude they expect to find in those whose philosophy is the correct one—and the Christians win.

That pretty much sums it up for me. Every self proclaimed rationalist or objectivist I every met was a selfish bum that used his "philosophy" to justify his exploitation of those around him.

[GOPJ]

While multiculturalism promotes something called, "diversity," it despises anyone who is truly different, that is, exceptional. Every kind of outrage is "tolerated" as diversity, unless it exhibits exceptional intelligence, decency, or strength of character.

Religious tolerance, for example, is extended to all religions, and the more backward, oppressive, cruel, and savage it is (e.g. Islam) the more it is tolerated. There is one religion that is not tolerated, however, and that is Christianity. This fact is becoming more apparent every day.

Ping.

[Hank Kerchief]

Thanks for the suggestion, aynrandfreak.

I've been away and moved to three different computers since the last time I used the ping list so it took a while to find it. Here you go.

Hank

[Pharmboy]

Wow...thanks for the ping. I read some, but will print it out and finish it later on.

[Just another Joe]

Bookmark for a later, in fepth, review.

With only a brief read I think I could agree with most of his main points but further reading into the explanations of those points is needed before I can give any decent review of the article.

[B4Ranch]

Amazon.com: Suicide of the West: An essay on the meaning and destiny of liberalism: Books: James Burnham
... Suicide of the West: An essay on the meaning and destiny of liberalism (Hardcover ... of It: The Mandarins and the Masses by Theodore Dalrymple. The Force of Reason by Oriana ...
more hits from: http://www.amazon.com/Suicide-West-meaning-destiny-liberalism/dp/087000056X - 97 KB

URL
http://www.alltheweb.com/search?cat=web&cs=utf8&q=%22Suicide+of+the+West%22++%22Theodore+Dalrymple%22+&rys=0&itag=crv&_sb_lang=pref