The State of Affairs
According to the 2011 census, Christians make up 59.5% of the UK population. Those with no religion make up 25.7%. Then you have Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism. Anglicans make up the majority of Christians, followed by Catholics like myself (I regard the current Pope as a cuck who should be removed from office). Church attendances have been falling, while Islam has been increasing. The media (we all know who) constantly assault the church and Christian faith. This was seen with the various hatchet jobs on Jacob Rees-Mogg for saying what he believed in. Nothing is sacred any longer, except Islam. People have fallen out of love with Christianity, and now turn to the internet for salvation. Men can become women, women can become men. It seems anyone can marry almost anything. We appear to be culturally cast adrift, and morals are breaking down all around us. Almost anything goes. The news no longer shocks. We have seen people die live on T.V. What more is there? For many, science is the new religion, the new God.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_Kingdom
What Christianity can Teach Us
So, is Christianity irrelevant? Not by a long shot. Let’s take a look at how it applies to the modern world. These are just a few examples:
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Most know this tale. An injured man lies in the road begging for help. Many people pass him by. Only a Samaritan stops. Samaritans were hated by the Jews at the time. The Samaritan helps the injured man. He treats his wounds, then takes him to an inn. He then pays the inn keeper to look after the man and leaves.
He does not, however, take the man home to live with him. He does not invite the man’s family and relatives, and pay for them to have houses. He doesn’t pretend that all differences between them can be healed and they can live together with no problems.
This is important today as we seem to have endless refugee crises. We are constantly assaulted by the media, NGOs, do gooders, charities, various vacuous celebrities and ideologically motivated politicians to take them in. This has resulted in huge strains on housing, education, “Our NHS”, benefits payments and prisons. 12% of prisoners are foreign nationals. Worse, as we have seen from Parsons Green and other attacks, many are turning against us. They are repaying our kindness with hate. All of our kindness is taken for weakness.
The lesson here is clear. By all means help your fellow man. Treat his wounds. Pay for someone to look after him. But that is as far as it goes. You are under no obligation to permanently house, feed and clothe him, or his family. People often say, “what would Jesus say?” Well, we know. Best pay attention.
The Seven Deadly Sins
What is the biggest public health crisis facing the U.K? Obesity. In England during 2015/16 there were 9,929 admissions directly due to obesity. There were 525,000 admissions where obesity was a primary or secondary factor. Morbid obesity has more than trebled since 1993. 58% of women and 68% of men are obese. 1 in 3 children are obese. Type 2 diabetes has been growing at a particularly high rate. Christianity warns us about two of the seven deadly sins, gluttony and sloth. What generally causes obesity? Eating too much and not doing any exercise.
The 2008 banking crisis. Cheap credit was given out like confetti at a wedding. Mortgages were given out to people who could never afford to pay them. Eventually and inevitably it all came crashing down. Banks collapsed. Economies shrank. Jobs were lost. Living standards fell. Why? Greed.
Pride. It comes before a fall. A dangerously corrupt selfishness, the putting of one’s own desires, urges, wants, and whims before the welfare of people. I can think of many politicians that fit the bill, but none more so than Tony Blair. Those with excessive pride often feel they are always right, and can overcome any obstacle. Iraq proved this was not the case. Many in the U.K. and Iraq suffered as a result. This excessive hubris can also be seen in many Remainers today. They absolutely refuse to believe they are wrong, or were beaten. So much so that they label leave voters as stupid, racist, etc. They insist leave voters were lied to. Some even blame the Russians. Such is their pride, they refuse to see the problems of the E.U. or the benefits of Brexit. In their minds, they can never be wrong. Many have already been brought low. Many more will in future.
Jesus Throws the Moneylenders out of the Temple
Jesus threw the moneylenders out of the temple. He pours out the coins of the moneylenders, and overturns tables. He accuses them of making the temple a den of thieves. It is the only time he ever uses force. The banks and moneylenders caused the crash of 2008. Jesus had it right 2,000 years ago. It also tells us that some things are more important than money. Some things go beyond mere economics. Morality comes in to it. Ideas of right and wrong, and the greater good. Whereas in the past things were framed by religious ideas and debates, today the language is all about economics and money. Brexit is a prime example. Often, we hear the economic arguments. We don’t hear the non-economic. Remainers often bleat on “we didn’t vote to make ourselves poorer.” You know what, maybe we actually did. Maybe there are more important things than money. Many, particularly Remainers, will be unable to see this. I know the comments that no one reads will reflect this, to a certain extent. We are all a product of our times, and this is hard to see beyond. Just as the 16th Century debates of Henry VIII and the break with Rome were couched in religious terms, so today most only see economic issues. Christianity can teach us to look beyond this.
Immigration and Diversity
As well as the good Samaritan, the Bible also tells us of the tower of Babel. Man tried to build it to the heavens. The tower represents the arrogance of humanity. The people as one, speaking one language, were building a monument to themselves. It speaks of an obsession with worldly things. They pursued it out of pride and self-indulgence, rather than any altruistic motive. God sees this, and divides the people up geographically and linguistically. It is no surprise that globalists want to reverse this, as they only care for themselves. It is also no surprise that the most diverse areas have the highest crime rates. The same arrogance of Babel is seen today. Globalists believe they can do anything. Witness Anthony Blair. Invade Iraq? No problem, borders are for nationalists anyway. Scour the world for immigrants, despite people’s concerns? No problem, just get new voters. Not enough money to spend? Who cares when you are building you own legacy, just borrow more. Also relevant is Matthew 7:6 “Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”
Socialism
Catholicism is the fastest growing religion in China. Why? Christianity values the individual for their innate self-worth. God loves everyone individually. Even if you have sinned, if you truly repent you can be forgiven. God loves people so much he sent his only son as a sacrifice, to repair the relationship between God and man. It also offers a traditional and stable grounding in morality and ethics, such as the pro life stance. Contrast this with socialism, where everything is subsumed to the state. You do not matter, Comrade. Only how much you produce in the latest five year plan. When morality and the individual do not matter, it becomes easier to mistreat people and pack them off to the gulag. When life has no value, then why not mass executions? Christianity was instrumental in defeating Communism in eastern Europe, in countries such as Poland. We need it again today. It helps you counter the ever changing Social Justice Warrior narrative. They will tell you up is down, and day is night. They will propose the most ridiculous thing since the last one. They will preach it. If you disagree, they will accuse you of “hate speech.” You will be labelled a thought criminal, guilty of wrongthink and badspeak. How will you fight back? How do you fight an idea? With another idea.
Part 2 will look at further lessons Christianity can teach us for the modern world. I will also offer some hope for the future. Only one thing has given people a shared identity across Europe, and it’s not the EU. And only one thing has united Europe in its common defence from a hostile foe. Will atheism unite us to resist the evil threatening to overrun the UK and Europe? Hmm…
© Jonathon Davies 2017
