Saturday 2 February 2013

What next for the secularists?

A newsletter touching upon the suffering of Christians in North Africa reminded me that in the last week, the UK's prime minister was saying that Islamic militancy poses an "existential threat".

That raises the question - granting that reality, what answers do secularists actually have? I don't mean "we'll send the boys over to keep them at bay for now". I mean, what do we have to offer by way of world-view, of better and higher things to bring long-term solutions? What forces and powers can we unleash to solve the problem in the ultimate analysis?

According to the secularist/humanist narrative, the spread of democracy is one of the major carriers of peace and prosperity to the nations. When the people can choose their leaders freely, all shall progressively be well.

The problem is, that it seems that the growing Islamisation of much of that part of the world is actually a result of increased democracy. The people (the demos) have been voting for it. The chaos is partly the result of the increased freedom for the people to choose.

That was rather predictable; since modern democracy basically boils down to rule by whoever can organise the most persuasive electoral coalition every few years. The belief that the demos will always choose what is ultimately wisest or in their best long-term interests is an obvious fallacy.

So, what does secularism have to say now? Their belief is falsified by reality. So, where's the solution? If democracy can bring less peace, then where should we pin our ultimate hopes instead? Secularism has no real answers, because it simply doesn't reckon with the facts about corrupt human nature. The demos, when lifted up to fulfil this kind of role, being prospectively all-wise and all-benevolent, are ultimately another false God. As such, they will and must let us down.

What's the answer? Jesus Christ alone can change the corrupt human heart - because that's where the root of the problem really lies.

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