by NZ Christian Network | 13 Aug , 2014 | FOCUS, Secularism
By JOSEPH LOCONTE, PH.D. Joseph Loconte, Ph.D., is an associate professor of history at the King’s College in New York City and the author of “The Searchers: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt” (Thomas Nelson, 2012).
This article was originally published at the Huffington Post on 21 July, 2014
Throngs of people gathered last week in Sorrento’s Piazza Tasso for what might be called a faith-based fireworks display. Hundreds of rockets and roman candles were shot from the roof of the sanctuary of the Chiesa del Carmine, a church that dates back to the middle of the third century CE. Tourists broke into applause at the illuminated sky, but most probably had no idea what was behind the celebration – a knowledge gap hinting at a spiritual deficit that defines the modern age.
Sorrento locals were celebrating the feast of Santa Carmine, an event repeated all over Italy, in which Catholic saints are regularly honored with special masses amid festive parties, flea markets, and fireworks. I’ve been traveling to Italy nearly every year for a decade, and I often find myself caught up in one of these celebrations.
The festas honoring the saints are intended as reminders: a prod to reflect on the lives of exemplary Christians and their contribution to the church and the wider society. But let’s be realistic: do most people see any connection between historic Christianity and the world around them? What stands out instead is a collective amnesia about the spiritual foundations of modern life.
Take just one example: the commitment of liberal democracies to care for “the least of these” among us.
I was reminded of this during a recent trip to Ventotene, a beautiful little island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the coast of Naples. The island was the birthplace of my maternal grandfather, Giuseppe Aiello. If you sit in the Piazza Castello in the late afternoon, you will watch the children of Ventotene take over the square with their games. They will play together, with parents and grandparents looking on, until midnight or later. It is a little oasis of youth and family and friendship and joy.
One evening I noticed a small group of children running and dancing about, and among them a little boy was limping. There was something wrong with his leg – perhaps a birth defect – but he was playing right along with his friends. “Andiamo,andiamo,” they shouted, and the little boy kept up with them. More than that, he was a vital part of the game.
We have forgotten what a remarkable thing this is: a little boy with a physical defect is included, accepted, and welcomed into the human family. We do not neglect him: we make room for him. This did not used to be a moral norm for Western Civilization – not before the arrival of Jesus the Nazarene and the emergence of his church.
We know what the Greeks, especially the Spartans, thought of babies and children who did not measure up to their physical ideal: they abandoned them and left them to die from the elements. The Greeks may have introduced democracy into the West, but their view of personhood was shallow and intolerant. Their cultural successors, the Romans, held ideas about human society that were equally impoverished. Romans were proud of their commitment to the rule of law (for Roman citizens), but their laws would not protect infants and children deemed useless to the regime. As declared in Rome’s The Twelve Tables: “Deformed infants shall be killed.”
These assumptions about “useful” human lives, according to historians, were “infamously universal” among the Greeks and Romans (as well as virtually every other ancient society). The philosopher Seneca admitted that “we drown children who at birth are weakly and abnormal.” Girls were at special risk. A letter from a pagan husband to his pregnant wife, dated at about the time of Jesus’s birth, captures the mindset: “if it is a boy keep it, if a girl, discard it.” Social scientist Rodney Stark writes that the exposure of infants was not only common, but “it was justified by law and advocated by philosophers.” W.E.H. Lecky called infanticide “one of the deepest stains of the ancient civilizations.”
Yet a profound change came over the West with the ascendance of the Christian sect in the centuries after the death of Jesus. A new ethos, based on a radically new outlook on human life, was introduced into the bloodstream of our culture. At its core was a belief that every individual – regardless of his or her status in society – was loved by the God of the universe.
Jesus himself set the example: the teacher who broke conventions and praised the humility of children as a gateway to achieving peace with God; the miracle worker who healed the lame, the lepers, and the blind; the preacher who enraged the religious establishment by insisting that no person – no matter how lost or despised – was beyond the reach of God’s grace. “What do you think?” he asked the crowds. “If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.”
Armed with this ethic, the early church vigorously opposed infanticide and became widely known for rescuing and caring for abandoned children. It was the Emperor Valentinian, under heavy Christian influence, who first outlawed these practices. Today’s legal regime against infanticide – simply taken for granted across the globe – must rank as one of Christianity’s greatest legacies.
But who among our educators, intellectuals, and entertainers is aware – or willing to admit – this legacy? We trumpet our progressive ideals, our culture of tolerance and inclusiveness, but forget where it all came from. We imagine that our ethos of compassion for the most vulnerable comes naturally, or that it can flourish without people of faith.
The secular republic teaches that we can dispense with the lives of the saints and yet preserve their hard-fought achievements. But history suggests that this belief is a leap into the dark, which no fireworks display can conceal.
by NZ Christian Network | 13 Aug , 2014 | FOCUS, Secularism
Here’s an interesting post written by Nury Vittachi and found on the Science 2.0 website. Nury writes from a multi-faith perspective… He lives and works in China, and is surrounded by different ways of thinking (his mother is Buddhist, father Muslim, wife Christian, and China is atheist by law). Nury writes science and history books for young people (publishers include Scholastic) and was once short-listed for a minor sci-fi prize for a children’s book he wrote on relativity. His range of interests include particle physics and quantum mechanics.
Metaphysical thought processes are more deeply wired than hitherto suspected
WHILE MILITANT ATHEISTS like Richard Dawkins may be convinced God doesn’t exist, God, if he is around, may be amused to find that atheists might not exist.
Cognitive scientists are becoming increasingly aware that a metaphysical outlook may be so deeply ingrained in human thought processes that it cannot be expunged.
While this idea may seem outlandish—after all, it seems easy to decide not to believe in God—evidence from several disciplines indicates that what you actually believe is not a decision you make for yourself. Your fundamental beliefs are decided by much deeper levels of consciousness, and some may well be more or less set in stone.
This line of thought has led to some scientists claiming that “atheism is psychologically impossible because of the way humans think,” says Graham Lawton, an avowed atheist himself, writing in the New Scientist. “They point to studies showing, for example, that even people who claim to be committed atheists tacitly hold religious beliefs, such as the existence of an immortal soul.”
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since we are born believers, not atheists, scientists say. Humans are pattern-seekers from birth, with a belief in karma, or cosmic justice, as our default setting. “A slew of cognitive traits predisposes us to faith,” writes Pascal Boyer in Nature, the science journal, adding that people “are only aware of some of their religious ideas”.
INTERNAL MONOLOGUES
Scientists have discovered that “invisible friends” are not something reserved for children. We all have them, and encounter them often in the form of interior monologues. As we experience events, we mentally tell a non-present listener about it.
The imagined listener may be a spouse, it may be Jesus or Buddha or it may be no one in particular. It’s just how the way the human mind processes facts. The identity, tangibility or existence of the listener is irrelevant.
“From childhood, people form enduring, stable and important relationships with fictional characters, imaginary friends, deceased relatives, unseen heroes and fantasized mates,” says Boyer of Washington University, himself an atheist. This feeling of having an awareness of another consciousness might simply be the way our natural operating system works.
Read the full post on Science 2.0
by NZ Christian Network | 13 Aug , 2014 | FOCUS, Secularism, WEA
Despite some assumptions that society would become ever more secular, it is now clear that this is not happening and that faith will play an increasingly important role in British society.
Press Statement
6 August 2014
The Evangelical Alliance’s complaint about an offensive advertisement by the gambling organisation Sporting Index, which was published by City AM newspaper, has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ruling published today on the ASA website found that the 10 June advertisement, in which the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil was digitally altered, breached three sections of their code. The image of the statue was graphically altered and shown to be holding a bottle of booze in the right hand with the left arm around a bikini-clad model over the caption: “There’s a more exciting side to Brazil”.
Following the ASA ruling, Dr Dave Landrum, director of advocacy of the Alliance, said:
“We are grateful that the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld the Alliance’s view on behalf of Christians everywhere.
“This advertisement was in poor taste and clearly likely to cause offence. Even so, the expressions of incredulity from City AM and Sporting Index at the complaints illustrate a patent failure to grasp why such mockery and disfigurement of the person of Christ should be deemed offensive at all.
“Such religious illiteracy and lack of respect for faith communities in the UK is concerning.
“Despite some assumptions that society would become ever more secular, it is now clear that this is not happening and that faith will play an increasingly important role in British society.
“We hope the ASA decision will encourage businesses to think twice before seeking to exploit religious images and sentiments for financial gain.”
by Glyn Carpenter | 11 Apr , 2014 | FOCUS, NZCN, NZCN|Notes, Secularism
What is it, why does it matter and how to address it
Many Christians are unfamiliar with the concept of secularism. They have not had the opportunity to consider the threat it poses for our society – for our children, and for future generations.
This resource is designed to help readers understand what secularism is, recognise the ways it subtly shapes society, realise how it is contrary to God’s will, and discern how we should respond.
Secularism – What is it?
Online dictionaries define secularism as:
1. A system of social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship
2. The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education
The UK National Secular Society describes it as a principle that involves two basic propositions:
1. The strict separation of the state from religious institutions
2. That people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law
Most descriptions boil down to the basic idea of keeping God out of everyday life.
This means keeping your beliefs (unless it happens to be atheism) out of the public square – which includes public debate, public policy, public institutions (e.g. government and schools), and public spaces (e.g. the workplace).
In other words… it may be OK to believe in God as long as you keep it to yourself and you keep it private. Although people like scientist Richard Dawkins would even argue against this.
There is a ‘softer version’ of secularism which allows for expression of God in public as long as no one religion is given preferential treatment. This is sometimes referred to as ‘inclusive secularism’.
Inclusive secularism could be seen as consistent with Christian faith which holds that God gives people free-will and choice and does not impose belief onto people.
But groups in New Zealand, such as the Rationalist-Humanist Society and the Secular Education Network, are active in pushing for ‘exclusive secularism’, where God and religious faith would be restricted to a ‘private’ activity.
Why does it matter?
There are two ways to look at this…
From God’s perspective,
Christian understanding is that God created everything – life, family, community, government. God is sovereign over everything, and His desire is that He would be honoured and every sphere of life would function in line with His will.
For spheres (e.g. government or education) to operate as if God is irrelevant or to relegate God to the margins or the private sphere, is not giving God the honour He deserves.
From society’s perspective,
- if God is real and,
- if God is the source of all justice and goodness and truth and meaning…
then it would be unwise to exclude God from the public sphere.
Therefore:
If God is treated as irrelevant it can only have negative consequences for a society that tries to live that way.
Such a society would eventually see injustice and inequality increase; goodness, respect, and compassion decrease, and standards of truth and morality undermined. It also leads to erosion of freedom of belief and conscience.
Those with eyes to see will observe some of these signs in New Zealand today.
How do we address secularism?
- Recognise that ‘exclusive secularism’ is hostility to God and be prepared to engage.
- Understand that ‘exclusive secularism’ is a belief system like any other, as are atheism, agnosticism, and rationalist-humanism. There is no more evidence for it being ‘true’ than for Christianity. Whereas there is good reason to argue it has much less.
- Understand that public spheres that seek to suppress or exclude Christian or any other religious expression, are actually giving priority to atheism or beliefs that say God is not important in the public realm.This is the myth of ‘secular neutrality’ or the so-called ‘naked public square’ – a public square where beliefs supposedly have no place.
- Highlight the unreasonableness of people who oppose any inclusion of Christian faith in public spaces when around half of the people in our country still describe themselves as Christian. Why shouldn’t schools teach the basic ideas of Christianity and the profound impact it has had, and continues to have, in Aotearoa New Zealand?
- Recognise that ‘inclusive secularism’, which permits religious ideas and comments, is not a bad thing. It gives everyone freedom to share their real convictions, not just atheists and exclusive secularists.
- Work together – connect to New Zealand Christian Network via the web. If you are able, consider supporting the work we do promoting Christian viewpoints in the public square.
Key point:
Everyone has beliefs. A so-called ‘naked public square’ simply advantages some people’s beliefs (a minority) over others.
It is ironic that atheistic belief should be elevated in this way given that it has been consistently shown to produce more authoritarian regimes than almost any other (e.g. most communist dictatorships in the 20th century).
Please note that comments for this post are now closed.
by Guest Author | 28 Mar , 2014 | FOCUS, NZCN|Notes, Secularism
A gospel by any other name
Ideologies, “isms”, such as secularism, embrace the same concerns as the Christian gospel. They are concerned about the good life, about the purpose and meaning of being human, of living well in the world, forming communities, making moral choices etc.
This resource is designed to help people recognise a gospel by any other name.
Secularism is a belief system
An article on the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists website (reason.org.nz) states:
“The NZARH strongly believes that government should be secular; that is dealing with the issues of this world rather than following a religious agenda. Our law should not give one set of beliefs privilege over another and the state should treat religious organisations the same as any other organisation … Societies in which all people can openly express and practice their beliefs are far better places to live in than those that enforce dogma – religious or otherwise.”
The NZARH strongly believes that government should be secular; that is dealing with the issues of this world rather than following a religious agenda. Our law should not give one set of beliefs privilege over another and the state should treat religious organisations the same as any other organisation … Societies in which all people can openly express and practice their beliefs are far better places to live in than those that enforce dogma – religious or otherwise.
What is secularism?
David Koyziz answers:
Secularism may be described as an idolatry which, as its name indicates, worships some created thing, or more than one thing, within the saeculum – the present age.
As Koyzis asserts, secularism is, like all ideologies, inescapably religious. Rather than equating ideology and religion, Koyzis goes on to say that an ideology flows out of the religious commitment of a person or community.
Neither the NZARH nor groups such as the New Zealand Secular Education Network can claim high ground or neutrality in this regard. There are some issues to address with regard to the statement of the NZARH for example:
- The statement proceeds from faith – “the NZARH strongly believes”. This is of course inevitable with all such bottom-line statements of conviction. We believe before we affirm.
- The statement characterises religion as being only concerned with issues that are otherworldly and future – not with “the issues of this world”. This is a highly contentious assumption, one that Christians, as well as followers of other religions would contest.
- The statement contends that one set of beliefs should not be given privilege over others. Do the NZARH hold this to be the case in propagating their own faith position?
- The statement accuses others of seeking to “enforce dogma”. Do they seek to stand above that accusation themselves?
Ideologies, “isms”, such as secularism, embrace the same concerns as the Christian gospel. They are concerned about the good life, about the purpose and meaning of being human, of living well in the world, forming communities, making moral choices etc.
Ideologies are, in this sense, gospel stories – declarations of good news. This is the meaning of “gospel”, as we find it in Scripture. It is a public word, not uniquely a Christian word. It was widely used in the first century as the proclamation of good news through the Roman Empire. The Priene inscription, from 9 BC, makes use of the word as follows:
Caesar [Augustus] through his appearance has exceeded the hopes of all former good messages [euangelia], surpassing not only his benefactors who came before him, but also leaving no hope that anyone in the future would surpass him, and since for the world the birthday of the god was the beginning of his good messages [euangelia]…
The gospel of Christ, the gospel of God’s kingdom and reign in Christ, has always been proclaimed not only as the biblical vision and promise of life but always in contention with other visions and promises, other stories of the good life, told by emperors, educators, politicians and ad makers.
Such was the case in the days of the prophets when Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian or Persian stories of the good life were on offer. Such was the case in the days of Jesus and the 1st century disciples when Roman versions of the gospel were widely proclaimed – peace and blessing in the name of the Caesar who was lord and saviour of the world. When Paul proclaimed Jesus as Lord, he consciously did so in contention with the alternative Lord of the day, the Roman Caesar.
What are the threats and opportunities that present themselves in this era of secularism? Surely the greatest threat is that secularism will proclaim itself as the only way; that the secular ideology will be enforced as dogma to the exclusion of other faith positions. The danger in this is that the Christian gospel will be locked out of the main arenas of public debate and decision making, as though it was irrelevant or outdated.
However, there is also opportunity in the current secular context in which many find themselves in Western nations such as Aotearoa New Zealand. In the words of Stanley Hauerwas:
I think this is a time that God is finally helping us Christians get over what is called Christendom – namely, when we thought we were in control of the world. It’s terrific. We’re discovering we’re going to be forced to learn to live by our wits. When you have power, it dulls the mind, and it dulls the intellect. We’re learning what it means to live without power. We may learn to live wittily again. When you’re not in control then you have to know those who are in control better than they know themselves in order to survive. That’s great. We can do that now in a way that I think is quite promising.
Amen. May we graciously and courageously take such opportunity.
References
Hauerwas, S. (2011). Sunday Asylum: Being the Church in Occupied Territory. The House Studio and The Work of the People.
Koyzis, David T. (2003). Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey and Critique of Contemporary Ideologies. Downers Grove, Ill. IVP.
Stenhouse, J. and Wood, G. A. (Ed’s.). (2005). Christianity, Modernity and Culture. Adelaide, Australia. ATF Press.
Dr Rod Thompson – National Principal of Laidlaw College
Rod holds a BA (Sydney University),ThL (Australian College of Theology), MEdS (Institute of Christian Tertiary Education), and a PhD from Macquarie University, is married to Rosanne and they have four adult children and two granddaughters.
