wideawake, if you remember from our collaboration on the Broder article, Broder has a web forum.
Yesterday I posted that in my opinion, the way out of the current mess for Germany (and Europe) is a return to the roots of bourgeois (in the non-derogatory sense) society: Christianity (although I'm Jewish, I don't think Europe can become a Judeo-Christian society like the U.S.), family, and the enlightenment.
Two people responded, one largely agreeing with me, the other said, "Christianity and the enlightenment are mutually incompatible. And 'family' is on the wane anyway." No explanation, no reasoning, no sign of critical self-examination.
To be fair, I too had not gone to great lengths to argue my point, but at least I spent some time discussing the severe problems Germany is in. If you're interested, I've summarized the key points of an article by historian Arnulf Baring on this topic here.
I completely agree and would even strengthen this in two ways. Firstly (and it is in this context that I came to think similarly), I would say that all of the above applies to the U.S.: this nation was better and better off when it was Christian.
It it strange to hear this from a Jew (I am Jewish), but I came to believe strongly that abandoment of religion is at the root of most of social problems we have. True, given the current prominence of the Jewish community in American life, the country would become strongly Judeo-Christian. But I do not care much about the names, and the founders of this great nation were Christian; it would not bother me if someone spoke of purely Christian roots, as I myself did earlier.
Which brings me to the second point, namely, that the problems of Germany and the U.S. are largely the same: post-Christian (as they proudly call it there) view of the worldm, and negative population growth. Whereas they "import" Turkish population, we do the same with Mexicans.
It is my belief that return to what you called "family" follows from return to Christianity: for what other reason wouyld you form a family, if cohabitation is not sin? And, once you displace G-d from one's life, man invariably takes the center stage. Why shoul that man even bother with children if he is at the center of the universe? Thus, I do believe that "family" follows from "Chirstianity" in your list.
"Christianity and the enlightenment are mutually incompatible. And 'family' is on the wane anyway."
That is the man without G-d speaking. And speaking falsely.
Was it not Christianity that created the universities? Was it not under Christianity that the idea of democracy blossomed? (WideAwake, you spoke well on that in the previous post). It's a modern (since mid-1800s, I believe) concept that the two are incompatible. Those who claim incompatibility of religion and enlightenment do not want enlightenment but the power to define what light is.
No explanation, no reasoning, no sign of critical self-examination. Exactly. So much for the enlightened mind.