Good Friday

An indication that Christianity has declined over the last decades is the fact that Easter has slowly faded from the public space. It used to be that stores would have sales for the things that go along with holiday. The grocery stores would have an aisle dedicated to candy and treats popular with Easter. You would see ads for children’s clothes, as Easter was typically a time to get the little ones new gear.

The main reason for the decline in Easter, of course, is the decline in the number of people attending Christian churches. In some parts of the country, like New England, church attendance has collapsed. In those states, about half the people never attend services, while only about a quarter attend regularly. Only a few states have a majority of people attending church regularly.

Of course, the churches have succumbed to the rot. The Episcopal church is mostly about sodomy now. Drive around the east coast and it seems like every rainbow ends at an Episcopal church. The Catholic church is in steep decline due to the homosexual priest scandals. Even the Baptists have decided that it is better to please the lunatics than tend to the faithful. The result is a lot of empty pews.

There is also the fact that Christianity is strongly associated with the Western tradition and that means it is viewed as white by the antiwhites. Since all things white are now on the proscribed list, the people making beer ads featuring crossdressers are not going to be making ads for Christian holidays. Just as white men have been scrubbed from your television, positive views of Christianity have been scrubbed.

On the other hand, there is a revival in what can best be called Christianism or maybe ad hoc Christianity. These are the people saying, “Christ is king!” in the political context and the people rallying to what they call Christian Nationalism. Calling this Christianity feels like a stretch as it has little in the way of theological underpinnings, but it suggests a strong desire to adopt or create such an underpinning.

Like so much in the West, Christianity is due for both a revolution and revival in the face of the assault on Western culture. The churches are probably too far gone to participate in such a revival, but new churches have grown up in the past. Protestantism exists for this exact reason. In fact, America exists largely due to the renewal process within Western Christianity that kicked off in the Reformation.

That is the show this week. This is fertile ground for dissidents as there are a lot of dissident Christians going through the same awakening as secular dissidents, so there is a lot of overlap. That and being a dissident is as much about reclaiming the past from the cultural vandals and that means reclaiming Christianity. There simply cannot be a West without the Christian churches and Christianity.


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This Week’s Show

Contents

  • The Importance of Christianity
  • The Crucifixion
  • Who Was Jesus?
  • The Idea Of The Messiah
  • Universalism
  • Individualism
  • Why Easter?
  • Resources
    • New Testament As Literature (Link)
    • Decent Religion Show (Link)
    • The Jesus Hoax (Link)
    • The Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity (Link)

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usNthem
usNthem
1 year ago

Totally agree on the European churches/cathedrals – they must not be missed. My experience is mostly in Spain. The massiveness let alone the beauty are unbelievable. The architecture throughout the world, inspired by various religions is, to say the least, impressive.

Bartleby the Scrivner
Bartleby the Scrivner
1 year ago

LOL

Apparently, Milley is going to retire and the top two contenders are a white Marine Corps commander and a black Air Force commander (the first luggage tester to ever command a military branch. Isn’t that great!).

I wonder which one will be selected.

Magic 8 ball says the military continues its degradation.

Jack Dodson
Jack Dodson
Reply to  Bartleby the Scrivner
1 year ago

The Air Force commander as Chairman of the JCOS will mimic Lloyd Austin as Secretary of the Department of Defense, putting on spectacularly profitable minstrel shows for ol’ massa Ray-Fe-On, winning on the bottom line even while losing on the battlefield. Dat ol’ man river, he keep rollin’ on to da bank!

Pasaran
Pasaran
1 year ago

Isn’t it a weakness /problem than the right is not really Christian? McDonald and Z seems devoted to darwinism. Greg worship his gay paganism. Anglin pretend to be Christian but he’s crazy. There must be, I guess, a bunch of stupid litteralists which pretend God create plants in 24 hours exactly. And of course, there’s the legion of cuckstians with the Anglican church, the pope and so on.. Oh, and I forgot the jewish-worshippers of a certain branch of Christianity (I bet you Americans know the name of this branch. Protestant sects are too complex for a simple catholic like… Read more »

Ploppy
Ploppy
Reply to  Pasaran
1 year ago

What the thinkers believe is less important than the Christianity you get from the proles. Right now the proles are following Cuckianity churches that push lefty crap and the remaining right-wing churches are obsessed with abortion, not realizing that “abortion restrictions” are just the new scam the GOP uses to ensure they lose elections when they need to. This latest judge banning day-after pills is just for the purpose of mobilizing democrat voters since it’s easy to control women by telling them that the bad guys are trying to control their vaginas.

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Ploppy
1 year ago

The killer here for the middle of the roaders on the issue, is that the extreme anti-abortionists use the late term abortion abomination justification and then run to the other extreme with the “morning after” abortion. In doing so, they equate a living, breathing, infant with a blastocyst (at best during that period) and marginalize themselves.

Hi -Ya!
Hi -Ya!
1 year ago

Christ is not just the King of individuals, like protestants made Him out to be. He is king of every society. Every business, association, nation, state is obliged by God to be Catholic, have Christ as its principle and head. Christian (read, Catholic) nationalism is soundly theological. Read City of God or Pius XI’s Quas Primas Now, wHen you drive past a parish with the words “Catholic Church” on it, it is a counterfeit. THAT church. does not say that Chirst needs to be king of nations. No. It, blasphemously, says that the nation and society must be athiest. Compare… Read more »

miforest
miforest
Reply to  Hi -Ya!
1 year ago

well said . the trads, not their leaders speak the truth. guys like ralph martin and company over at renewal ministries are a good example .

Epaminondas
Member
1 year ago

Kenneth Clark’s 1968 TV series, “Civilisation” is a wonderful way to acquaint yourself with the impact of Christianity on European man. There are 13 episodes of one hour each, and they are all beautifully done. I suggest getting a DVD of the series while you still can. Also, at least for the time being, you can find it on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9UdIdSadJU

Presbyter
Presbyter
Reply to  Epaminondas
1 year ago

Remember it well! Excellent series, impossible to make now.
By the way, I don’t anybody who ever heard the Gospel read in English at least ever said “ the Garden of GETHESAME”. 😳

RasQball
RasQball
Reply to  Epaminondas
1 year ago

While not impossible, it is difficult, without an understanding of Christ and Christianity, to understand in ether form or function our Neo – Gnostic antagonist (sic.), “Wokeisim”.

Happy Easter.

slumlord
slumlord
1 year ago

Oh, you might find this interesting as well.

https://ionainstitute.ie/christianity-the-reason-for-wests-success-say-the-chinese/

Happy Easter.

slumlord
slumlord
1 year ago

Excellent post.

The destruction of Christianity IS the fundamental reason for the Western Collapse.
The issue is why did Christianity collapse. That’s where the money is at.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  slumlord
1 year ago

You say collapse; I say controlled demolition.

Hi -Ya!
Hi -Ya!
Reply to  slumlord
1 year ago

Heresy and Schism due to itching ears.

observer
observer
1 year ago

I’ve been surprised at the persistence of a tiny redoubt against this trend: classical music radio. Each Holy Week and sometimes at other times they play the civilization-level masterpieces of Christian music: Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, the Seven Last Words of Christ, etc. Sometimes the host even *dares* to explain the words. I’ve lived in a couple different ultra-liberal east coast cities and this has been the case in each one. Does one dare hope that in coming decades we might still, perhaps as a tiny mercy from above, be able to access our cultural treasures on the (free, publicly… Read more »

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  observer
1 year ago

I’m afraid the attack on classic music is far more severe than you realize. There is a full-court press to make classical music “inclusive,” even to the point of dispensing with blind auditions for playing positions with major orchestras. In other words, there has been a successful push to elminate hiring musicians based upon merit and to hire them based upon being negro. I’m afraid most orchestras will be unlistenable in less than 50 years because their musicians will be incompetent. And nobody will listen. And classical music performance will die. That, I suspect, is the objective. No component of… Read more »

KGB
KGB
Reply to  Ostei Kozelskii
1 year ago

Will this be mitigated somewhat by East Asians who gravitate toward (European) classical music but have no love of baizuo notions?

Pozymandias
Reply to  observer
1 year ago

Sometimes I listen in the car to the local Portland classical station 89.9 FM https://www.allclassical.org/. My wife gives them money during their pledge drives. They are of course a bunch of tiny hatted commies. Their main thing to offset the horrible, evil, racism, patriarchy, etc… of the music they play is that they are forever celebrating one of the made up “international month” so for a solid month they go out of their way to play whatever tiny number of composers in the classical style are from that victim group. If you click the link you’ll see the picture on… Read more »

observer
observer
Reply to  Pozymandias
1 year ago

Yes, I should have mentioned the dumbing down of the content by showtunes and movie scores in the past few years. This seems to be accelerating rapidly, and is probably the weapon of choice. Stations also shave off programming hours to add jazz (never big band, always jazz…) or world music or new age ambient-type stuff. The demographic push mentioned by Kozelskii above is real and harmful but it can only go so far given a lack of available vibrants. Rather, the progressives will do to classical music what they have done to popular science and popular history: just dumb… Read more »

Eloi
Eloi
1 year ago

Daniel Perry just found guilty. For those who just yesterday badmouthed the Puritans, what I would give for a Cromwell to come to the forefront and engage in some domestic butchery lol

Epaminondas
Member
Reply to  Eloi
1 year ago

Maybe. Stonewall Jackson would serve just as well.

Andy
Andy
Reply to  Epaminondas
1 year ago

Isn’t he in to gay rights and stuff?

pecosbill
pecosbill
Reply to  Andy
1 year ago

Stonewall Jackson could sing as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs26hcymRi0

KGB
KGB
Reply to  Epaminondas
1 year ago

His statue is going up in Time’s Square and on the National Mall as a giant “F**k you!” once the reckoning happens.

Ben the Layabout
Ben the Layabout
1 year ago

Recent Sailer essay (last paragraph especially) sounds remarkably like what is often a topic of discussion here.

https://www.takimag.com/article/seeds-of-discontent/

And in honor of the day, some words from John Lennon and that band he used to play with:

“Christ! You know it ain’t easy, you know how hard it can be,
The way things are going, they’re going to crucify me.”

Hemid
Hemid
Reply to  Ben the Layabout
1 year ago

Sailer “sucks cock by choice,” as the wise insult goes.

cg2
Reply to  Ben the Layabout
1 year ago

The z-blog perhaps is No Country for Sailer-men?

The Real Bill
The Real Bill
1 year ago

As I understand it, there were no extra-Biblical mentions of Christianity before around 120 AD. (The quote attributed to the Jewish scholar/historian Josephus about “one Chrestus” is believed by all but the most fundamentalist scholars to be a later interpolation). > What are the chances that the events recounted in the New Testament happened, but none of the forty historians writing at the time found them worthy of mention? Historian and Richard Carrier presents a lot of evidence for why he believes Jesus may not have existed: On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt https://www.amazon.com/Historicity-Jesus-Might-Reason-Doubt/dp/1909697494/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1680900164&sr=8-1… Read more »

karl von hungus
karl von hungus
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

what about the Pontius Pilate episode, that seems well documented.

Ben the Layabout
Ben the Layabout
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

“When two skeptics meet for no particular reason, there I shall not be also.” From a purely worldly standpoint, there is no law that says a man named Jesus of Nazareth could not have existed ca. 1 AD (or “CE” if you REALLY want to be secular.) Obviously, what turns him into fiction are all the supernatural trappings. Nietzsche has several interesting comments on Christ and his followers. As he rarely gives citations, it’s hard to know whether he’s reporting on earlier writers’ thoughts, or they are merely his own psychologist’s musings. The latter, I suspect. In any event, argues… Read more »

Paintersforms
Paintersforms
Reply to  Ben the Layabout
1 year ago

“For from that time forward he would be the apostle of the annihilation of the Law! To be dead to sin—that meant to be dead to the Law also; to be in the flesh—that meant to be under the Law! To be one with Christ—that meant to have become, like Him, the destroyer of the Law; to be dead with Him—that meant likewise to be dead to the Law. Even if it were still possible to sin, it would not at any rate be possible to sin against the Law: “I am above the Law,” thinks Paul; adding, “If I… Read more »

GetOutTheVoteNormie
GetOutTheVoteNormie
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

Tl;dr “How one can tell it’s Easter.”

Anonymous Fake
Anonymous Fake
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_Torah_Scroll

The most “ancient” Torah might be from the 13th century, same as the Zohar. And lots of “classical” pagan works are Renaissance era forgeries, credited to the ancients to avoid trouble. This largely explains why Rome and Greece failed, because they weren’t as intelligent as moderns think.

Christianity is extremely well documented in comparison to just about anything else, despite persecutions.

The Real Bill
The Real Bill
Reply to  Anonymous Fake
1 year ago

As Carrier shows, Christian texts have been meddled-with far more often— and thus are more unreliable—than any other category of ancient documents.

cg2
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

maybe Christianity evolved from the primordial slime.

Maniac
Maniac
Reply to  cg2
1 year ago

No, that was Islam.

Jaycee
Jaycee
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

What proof do you have that these “historians” existed?

The phrase which you are referring to is : “extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof”.

There is no such thing as extraordinary proof; there’s just proof.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

If you believe that there’s a loving, all-powerful God in charge of the Universe, who is personally aware of you, and looking out for your well-being, *that belief will indeed be comforting*.

And if you f*ck up, you’re damned to eternal fire, is that comforting too?

Ploppy
Ploppy
Reply to  c matt
1 year ago

It’s comforting that their enemies are damned for eternity. Honestly I wish I could believe in bad people getting infinite torture more than being able to believe in heaven. One of the most unpleasant aspects of being agnostic is realizing that guys like Joe Biden or Bush II are going to die surrounded by their family, told how wonderful they are and what amazing lives they’ve led, and gently go into oblivion. No eternal fire, no maggots in their eyes, no third date with Balthazzar the Penetrator, Demon Lord of Violent Nonconsensual Sexual Encounters, not even any of that emo… Read more »

Pozymandias
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

I think the Christian *worldview* is probably most in sync with what modern science and evolutionary psychology tells us about humans. Original sin is as good an explanation as most people need for why grandiose utopian schemes fail for one thing. The failure of modern Western society after abandoning the Christian worldview looks pretty much exactly the same whether you see it as the result of “God’s disfavor” or just the result of abandoning a model of human psychology and behavior that worked pretty well for centuries. I have my doubts about our ability to create a secular scheme that… Read more »

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  The Real Bill
1 year ago

“As I understand it, there were no extra-Biblical mentions of Christianity before around 120 AD. (The quote attributed to the Jewish scholar/historian Josephus about “one Chrestus” is believed by all but the most fundamentalist scholars to be a later interpolation).” You are not even wrong. First, this is not true. Tallus, Tacitus and Mara Bar Sepion are previous to this date. No, Josephus quote may have been distorted by later Christian authors but it is original. In addition, Josephus has another quote about the judgement of the brother of Jesus. The Didache is an ancient extra-Biblical Christian document that is… Read more »

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

See also things like the Letter of Clement, which is extra-Biblical.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_of_Clement

3g4me
3g4me
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

imnobody00: The historicity of the earliest documentary mention of Jesus and his followers is well summarized in Josh McDowell’s “More Than a Carpenter.” It was this exact comparison of the historicity of early Christian sources in comparison with non-Christian ancient documents which helped me accept that Christianity is at least as well and often better documented than many historical accounts from classical antiquity. It appears to me that it’s purely the subject matter which has caused such intense scrutiny and questioning of the sources. My own faith was the eventual result of being able to drop the anti-Christian bias that… Read more »

Glenfilthie
Glenfilthie
Member
1 year ago

It’s real tough subject. I came to the Dissident side of things via a pozzed, cucked, shitlib hive mentality family. I was conditioned since birth not to see God or His works. I was programmed to see Christians as hypocritical, manipulative, shysters…not realizing that was the old lefty trick of accusing the other guy of doing what you yourself are doing. When that family and part of my life imploded…I was free to see and notice things that were and are apostasy and heresy in Clown World. God doesn’t talk to me or listen to me…but I am sure I… Read more »

Bourbon
Bourbon
Reply to  Glenfilthie
1 year ago

How many Christians do you suppose are aware of the omnipotent power of j00ish Psychological Warfare Campaigns, such as the following, courtesy of kind old gentlemanly Irving Berlin himself [any s0d0mites in the Z readership will be tickled to learn that it features Queen Judy herself]:

https://tinyurl.com/34sn2swu

Berlin was a busy little Sanhedrin, over the course of more than a century; for instance, he also wrote this Psychological Warfare Campaign:

https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp76r

Götterdamn-it-all
Götterdamn-it-all
Reply to  Bourbon
1 year ago

For those who don’t understand what Bourbon is getting at, it was mainly Jewish song writers who secularized Christmas and Easter music. Naturally, we fell for it.

Hi -Ya!
Hi -Ya!
Reply to  Götterdamn-it-all
1 year ago

Haha! Thanks! Isn’t he the “White Christmas” guy?

c matt
c matt
Reply to  Bourbon
1 year ago

White Christmas would be considered racist now. Ironic.

Hi -Ya!
Hi -Ya!
Reply to  Bourbon
1 year ago

Don’t forget. When Z uses the term Christianity, it must be remembered that that includes people that believe that the Bible is the only source of belief, that infant baptism is good or not, and that J*ws must rebuild the temple or not. So, our, ahem, Elder Brothers in teh Faith (the Vatican2 term for J*ws) had no time picking apart a religion that had no coherence. The real problem is protestantism. Here is a great description of this most evil of heresies: Protestantism differs essentially from all the heresies that have previously rent the Church. It is not a… Read more »

Hi -Ya!
Hi -Ya!
Reply to  Hi -Ya!
1 year ago

DO you notice that this is what the Left does,? Enlarges and closes the circle.?

Where did feminism go? Now its trannys a-plenty. Well, the circle enlarged, and we aren’t so interested in women and their problmes any more.

Protestantism is the problem.And people like Mr Man and Sam Dixon can never understand thsi. He thinks Catholics and Protestants can just set aside their petty difference (those differences are called Truth), nang on to Whiteness, and defeat the progs.

NO. Protestants have to go go.

Auld Mark
Auld Mark
Reply to  Glenfilthie
1 year ago

Well said Glen, tis a home for the sane and rational thinkers few and far between though they may be.

Redpill Boomer
Redpill Boomer
1 year ago

Fantastic show. I grew up christian and even though I don’t practice it, I still feel a connection through the history of our people. Happy Easter!

Steve (retired/recovering lawyer)
Steve (retired/recovering lawyer)
1 year ago

Christianity as that term is most succinctly defined viz., belief in and dependence on Jesus, the incarnated Second Person of the Trinity, has never been a mass phenomenon. Jesus Himself only called twelve to belong to Him during His lifetime. Although He did admonish them to go out and makes disciples of all Nations, He also said that many are called but few are chosen. “Christianity” as it developed after being adopted as the Roman state religion was a peculiar admixture of religion and politics, something the God has ALWAYS condemned even when it occurred among His chosen tribe. Recall… Read more »

Cabantuan
Cabantuan
1 year ago

Christianity ultimately belongs to people of color. They invented it and they have practiced it more purely than the inherently perverse White man ever did. Whites need a religion which genuinely reflects their hollow values, but unfortunately we lack the creativity and soul that is necessary to give birth to a new religion.

Ploppy
Ploppy
Reply to  Cabantuan
1 year ago

We Wuz the Kang of Kangs an Sheeit

Cabantuan
Cabantuan
Reply to  Ploppy
1 year ago

Jesus was not African. However, Black Christians outside of America are often Christ-like, impressive people.

Götterdamn-it-all
Götterdamn-it-all
Reply to  Cabantuan
1 year ago

Idi Amin was quite the impressive, Christ-like figure, wasn’t he? Robert Mugabe was another one. No doubt there was a halo around him that awed the white Rhodesians.

c matt
c matt
1 year ago

The cross-pollination, if you will, of Christianity and Western European man is a fascinating subject. There is even allusion to it in Scripture itself (the parable of the sower). My own humble view is that the DNA of Christianity was set by the NT and Apostolic age, was nurtured by the first century Greco-Roman culture, and then the “Germanization” gave it different nutrients later in life. To say Christianity “changes” or “evolves” – I would probably not use those words but rather “develops”. The DNA doesn’t change, but how those genes may be expressed can depending upon how it is… Read more »

c matt
c matt
1 year ago

For not being a particularly religious guy, you did a fantastic job touching on the importance of Christianity and its role wrt Western Civ (of course, all you can really do is “touch” on its importance in a one hour podcast). On the “rabbit died” expression, it comes from early pregnancy tests – the rabbit would be injected with a sample (I think blood but don’t remember) drawn form the woman and if it died (the rabbit, not the woman), I think that meant the pregnancy hormone was present (could have it backwards). It’s alluded to in the old Aerosmith… Read more »

Outdoorspro
Outdoorspro
Reply to  c matt
1 year ago

An early pregnancy test. A rabbit was injected with urine from a female (those were the days…). If the urine contained high amounts of the hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), its ovaries enlarged and show follicular maturation. Regardless of the result, the rabbit was always dissected for this purpose.

Arménio Pereira
Arménio Pereira
1 year ago

Until we are able to wrap our heads around the concept that a perfect entity – God – could have not created imperfect artifacts – e.g., humans – we won’t be able to understand how stuck we are within the loop of our own contradictions. And with all due respect, dear Christian readers, don’t you ever forget that, according to your mythology, God created Lucifer; have you ever wondered why? (Do you subject your loved ones to perils just to gauge their fealty?) God – aka The Everlasting Dissatisfaction – does not work in mysterious ways: it is us, in… Read more »

Tars Tarkas
Tars Tarkas
Reply to  Arménio Pereira
1 year ago

We cannot design a new religion, especially not by some sort of consensus. Religion without belief is just larping.

Armenio Pereira
Armenio Pereira
Reply to  Tars Tarkas
1 year ago

All religions were made by design.
We do not lack belief – what we lack is Faith: that God is real and that man was created to serve, not to be served.

We need a new religion, not to please/appease The Everlasting Dissatisfaction, but to foster the formation of long-term better behaved elites.

Tars Tarkas
Tars Tarkas
Reply to  Armenio Pereira
1 year ago

No they weren’t. All of them evolved. Even Joseph Smith probably wouldn’t recognize Mormonism as it is today. To the extent that they are initially created, it’s by a handful of people or even one. We cannot create a new religion by committee of large numbers of people. Faith is closely tied to belief. You MUST believe a religion in order to take it seriously. None of these people larping as Oden followers would take a bullet or a decapitation or be fed to the lions for Oden. It’s fake and everyone knows it’s fake. This is the problem Christianity… Read more »

Anonymous Frog
Anonymous Frog
Reply to  Tars Tarkas
1 year ago

Nietzsche was right. No one has ever been able to surpass or transcend his thinking

WhereAreTheVikings
WhereAreTheVikings
Reply to  Arménio Pereira
1 year ago

Maybe there is a perfection in the imperfection that we are not privy to.

TomA
TomA
Reply to  Arménio Pereira
1 year ago

Religions are not made, but rather evolve and the successful ones persist. A short version is as follows. Several tens of thousands of years ago, our species developed complex language skill which enabled our ancestors to “program” their youth via verbal communication with ancient wisdom that enhanced their ability to survive and thrive in the local environment of their birth. Religion then evolved as a highly effective means of reinforcing this wisdom training via repetition, consistency of message, and reward/punishment feedback mechanisms. Deities exist as a primary means of dealing with the unknowns (which was a dominant feature of life… Read more »

Ploppy
Ploppy
Reply to  TomA
1 year ago

Religion is also selected for or against based on the technological environment present. For example Islam has adapted more successfully to the modern age by telling Science!TM to f*** off, while Christianity in the West has been worn down by endless needling from the fedoras and noses. Christianity was doing quite well with “God reveals himself in the workings of nature” when it gave Europe a huge technological advantage over the beast races, but once science got twisted into Science! by the noses’ rhetoric every new subatomic particle discovered is claimed be proof that God isn’t real and anal sex… Read more »

Jeffrey Zoar
Jeffrey Zoar
Reply to  Arménio Pereira
1 year ago

“If God isn’t what I want him to be then there is no God”

but I won’t fault anyone for taking issue with various scriptures, they were all written by men after all

Glenfilthie
Glenfilthie
Member
Reply to  Arménio Pereira
1 year ago

Really.

You’re a moron, of course.

Physicists have determined that at least 10 dimensions are required to keep our universe in a state of stable existence. You can barely perceive 3 of them. The hubris of people like you is truly the stuff of high comedy. But I shouldn’t heckle. Once upon a time I knew it all too. Or so I thought.

But…no, you don’t need a new religion – you are too dumb to appreciate the one you have. There’s a blurb in the Bible about not casting pearls before swine. Enjoy your trolling.
😂

Whiskey
Whiskey
1 year ago

Overlooked in all of this is WHY Christianity won out over Paganism, specifically against the Roman Pagan Gods; and then again against the Germanic Pagan Gods. The answers are organization, and literacy. Against the Roman gods, Christians were more organized (the Pagans were literate) and fostered greater unity by offering fellowship to the masses while the Pagan priests focused on the elites. This has a lesson — the elites as long as they were in control, remained Pagan. But as Emperors more and more relied upon military power, the balance shifted to the Christians who had the masses. There was… Read more »

Pozymandias
Reply to  Whiskey
1 year ago

The political aspects of historic Christianity probably help explain how it avoided succumbing to “the cuck verses” for so long. There really is a lot in the New Testament that lends itself, more or less directly, to a weak, pozzed, effeminate religion unable to withstand even moderate tendencies towards degeneracy. If your religion is ultimately the backbone of an empire and thus needs to allow for no small amount of ass-kicking and outright murderous vengeance a lot of these passages can be overlooked or at least integrated into a definitively masculine and patriarchal whole. Once that rationale is gone you… Read more »

Whiskey
Whiskey
Reply to  Pozymandias
1 year ago

One thing I have been thinking about is how the elites see themselves and the issues to be solved. Over and over again, they seem to want command from position, ticket stamping (Harvard, etc.) and are enraged when the Dirt People do not grovel. Much/most of what they do is rub the dirt people’s noses in it; and that aspect comes from the beliefs intertwined that: A The era of mass industrialization and production is over, a just-in-time globalism will allow them to crush any local uprising conveniently, and thus there is no need to allow the Dirt People their… Read more »

btp
Member
Reply to  Whiskey
1 year ago

Yes. The notoriously illiterate pagan Romans and Greeks. Completely unorganized, also.

Ben the Layabout
Ben the Layabout
Reply to  Whiskey
1 year ago

I think your early history of the Church is accurate. Nietzsche gives a pretty good argument as to why Christianity vanquished Rome. (Scroll to “Aphorism” 70 and read through 72).

“It is not to what is Christian in her usages, but to what is universally pagan in them, that we have to attribute the development of this universal religion.” (Aph. 70)

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/39955/pg39955-images.html#Sect_68

kerdasi amaq
kerdasi amaq
Reply to  Ben the Layabout
1 year ago

Christianity didn’t vanquish Rome. Rome co-opted Christianity by creating the Roman Catholic Church and suppressing all rival sects that didn’t get with the program.

Lucius Sulla
Lucius Sulla
1 year ago

This weekend, make sure you greet paper-Americans with “Happy Easter”. You see that towel head or smelly South Asian behind the counter at Dunkin Donuts or 7-Eleven, say “Happy Easter”.

Reminds these people that no matter what the (((media))) tells them, they are outsiders, guests, and not our people.

As a bonus, you might get them to react embarrassingly. If so, just smile and maybe say “Happy Easter” again or “Jesus loves you” or something of the sort.

Lucius Sulla
Lucius Sulla
1 year ago

Good Friday provides a great lesson on pure democracy.

On Good Friday, recall how “democracy” was used by shifty jewish elites to incite and persuade a crowd such that the majority would enthusiastically demand the murder of the Son of God.

For normies, when they prattle on about “democracy” and “freedom”, remind them that true democracy is the majority chanting “crucify Him”.

Pozymandias
Reply to  Lucius Sulla
1 year ago

One of the many achievements of modern mass propaganda is that Normie believes more in democracy than his own personal rights and freedoms. The neocons used this in the early 2000s to crusade for the imposition of mass liberal democracy in crazy places like Iraq and Afghanistan. I wonder if Normie will ever connect the obvious failures of those efforts with the fact that the basic idea (unrestrained majoritarian tyranny) is just as bad an idea here as there.

Mencken Libertarian
Mencken Libertarian
1 year ago

A very good book on the subject of Jesus as a mythological figure is, Caesar’s Messiah – The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus, by Joseph Atwill. On another note, I think the reason that virtually everyone in Europe was Christian in the past after dropping various pagan beliefs is quite simply that if you didn’t profess Christianity, you would be, as Saint Thomas Aquinas so eloquently put it, “turned over to the civil authorities to be removed from the world by death.” When the Teutonic Knights showed up in your village to have a little chat, you quickly got the… Read more »

Hoagie
Hoagie
Reply to  Mencken Libertarian
1 year ago

Kind like our DoJ?

Alex
Alex
Reply to  Hoagie
1 year ago

Now you’re catching on.

Whiskey
Whiskey
Reply to  Mencken Libertarian
1 year ago

Christianity suffered from terrible persecutions under certain Emperors. And the Pagans had a couple of last-ditch efforts to crush out Christianity before Constantine. The failure of the old Pagan Regime was mostly demographic — the people who were devoted to “the ashes of their fathers and the temples of their gods” had mostly died out, and Rome and many other places were filled with either landless peoples or all sorts of imperial flotsam and jetsam. Christianity in the West was weak, basically ceased to exist after the fall of Rome. For example in Britain, outside a few places in Wales… Read more »

btp
Member
Reply to  Whiskey
1 year ago

Your knowledge base on this topic is comically deficient, fren. My advice is to stop talking for a few minutes.

Christianity not practiced in Britain until Alfred, you say? Hmm, let’s see… Augustine of Canterbury was made bishop in 597, with giant numbers of conversions from the Saxons… 655 Panda is killed by Oswy, pretty much putting an end to pagan rule on the island… Alfred rules, uh, 200 years later.

Well, only off by a couple hundred years, yeah?

karl von hungus
karl von hungus
Reply to  btp
1 year ago

he uses the Whiskian calendar.

ray
ray
1 year ago

Christianity is being sifted and that will continue. As Christ noted often, Christianity is an elitist religion. It’s hard and it alienates both worldly principalities, and common folks. This world HATES it. Father and Son are for the few, the remnant. Christianity ain’t a tv preacher thing. It’s been two heavenly days since the King ascended, and in that time — due to human nature and demonic interference — both Catholicism and Protestantism have institutionalized into largely secular and materialistic entities. Often, into outright neo-pagan entities, shilling for the masonic New Order, the Great Reset. The Tribulation the world is… Read more »

Tars Tarkas
Tars Tarkas
1 year ago

Are the amren speeches online anywhere? I’d love to listen to it.

Shrinking Violet
Shrinking Violet
1 year ago

Thanks so much for this nice presentation of Christian ideas and history! you are absolutely correct about the key role Christianity has played in western civ, and the terrible decline Christian faith has undergone in recent years, not only because of scandals but also because of relentless mockery and marginalization of. Christianity by our very “special” friends who have seized control over every institution. As a comparatively recent convert to the faith, I have greatly enjoyed unearthing and reviving the many forgotten customs that were once common in Christendom. Does anybody remember Twelfth Night? it’s the last of the twelve… Read more »

LineInTheSand
LineInTheSand
Reply to  Shrinking Violet
1 year ago

Hello Violet. I was wondering what caused your rebirth of faith. While I am not a believer, I respect and like lots of Christians and hope that we can work together in our shared resistance and peacefully coexist separately after we win. Most of the Christians that I know who became serious about their faith later in life tell me that the undeniable reality of evil made them search for some good and that search led to Christ. Although I don’t know Ramzpaul, he seems to fit this pattern. While I don’t expect Jesus to ever speak to me directly,… Read more »

Shrinking Violet
Shrinking Violet
Reply to  LineInTheSand
1 year ago

hi, LineintheSand! Thanks for reaching out in such a thoughtful way. What made me convert was as you describe: the sudden, crushing realization of evil, but not out there somewhere; *inside me.*. I lacked a moral compass and was governed by selfish desires. i had failed to do my duty toward people I loved, over and over again. Disgusted with myself, I prayed to God for the first time, offering my life to Him if he would take it. I was astonished to feel directly His presence and love, an experience I will never forget. it was transformative, enabling me… Read more »

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  Shrinking Violet
1 year ago

Orthodox Christianity is the most sensual–and mystical–Christian denomination. I dare say it gives the various pagan beliefs a run for the money in that regard. It has also proved to be the Christian system most resistant to the ravages of Leftism.

Ezra
1 year ago

If the future of Christianity is going be meaningful it is going to have to worry less about its legacy institutions and more about assembling groups of true believers and worshippers who actually hold to the tenants of the faith. Too many churches are simply social clubs with their worship services resembling religiously themed self-help seminars or concerts and theater. Christianity needs to remember its roots and how it shaped Western Civilization so it can do it again.

Maniac
Maniac
Reply to  Ezra
1 year ago

Well-said. The church isn’t a building so much as it is a true gathering.

If there’s anything good about the turmoil on the horizon, it’s that it’ll make people turn to God for help when they realize our inane governments won’t be able to do it.

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Ezra
1 year ago

“…assembling groups of true believers and worshippers who actually hold to the tenants of the faith.” Agreed, but what are the “tenants”? In there lies the rub. I’ve yet to attend a church or meet a pastor who does not in essence believe in the equality of *all* races! This of course must lead to race mixing and continue to expose Whites to the problems inherent in such. Now I have no doubt that these pastors do indeed have a flock of good and decent mixed race congregants. Hell, such folk can be my neighbors for all I care. However,… Read more »

btp
Member
Reply to  Compsci
1 year ago

Perhaps consider the Nicene Creed as a succinct statement of the core elements of Christian faith?

BigJimSportCamper
BigJimSportCamper
Reply to  Ezra
1 year ago

The proper term is ‘tenets’, not ‘tenants’. But yes, otherwise.

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  BigJimSportCamper
1 year ago

Tenets, anyone?

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  BigJimSportCamper
1 year ago

I stand corrected. That you.

TomA
TomA
1 year ago

The models suggest that religious revival when begin in rural areas following the collapse. A new breed of pastor/priest will arise there that, once again, promotes essential community values and traditions. Hardship will spawn humility and piety; leading, once again, to routine church attendance and post-service socialization events. The productive (and family oriented) will flee cities for these rural havens in order to find order and normalcy; leading to a growth surge. Small town America will return with Main Street shops and community spirit. I know this sounds impossible, but that’s what the models say is most probable.

Arshad Ali
Arshad Ali
Reply to  TomA
1 year ago

I don’t what models you’re referring to but the scenario you describe does sound plausible.

Pozymandias
Reply to  TomA
1 year ago

I do wonder about these models of yours. Others have asked you what they are. Are they your trade secret or can you share?

purse snickety
purse snickety
Reply to  TomA
1 year ago

“Following the wrong gods home”…..

karl von hungus
karl von hungus
Reply to  TomA
1 year ago

and you will know him by the name “Gantry”

Alzaebo
Alzaebo
1 year ago

Refreshingly pious. A blessed Good Friday to all, and a happy Easter.

imnobody00
imnobody00
1 year ago

Exactly. The secular researcher by Eric Kaufmann published “Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?” where he proved that religious people have higher birthrates so they are going to displace secular people everywhere. For example, in Israel. An example are the Amish people. They are experiencing a population explosion. What it is more important: their rate of retention increases and increases. The future is religious. The only problem is “what religion would this be in each part of the world?”. In Europe, Islam is being a formidable challenge but, if traditional Christianity survives, can be the winner. Yesterday I was in… Read more »

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

This was an answer to Jack Boniface

theRussians
theRussians
Member
1 year ago

This week, the entrance to schools in commie Winnipeg Manitoba, feature signs promoting Ramadan and pride c/w rainbows, no Christian mention whatsoever.

fakeemail
fakeemail
Reply to  theRussians
1 year ago

It’s always like that. I watched an old 90s kids show that did a holiday episode. In the background decorations was a GIANT Jewish star and next to it a banner that had “happy holidays.” No Merry Christmas, and certainly not a giant cross. Christmas is only to be presented as secular/universalists Santa handing out gifts. A consumer thing, a kids thing. No other religion is treated like that.

Pozymandias
Reply to  theRussians
1 year ago

I sometimes wonder if the Rainbow People realize just what the Ramadan People are going to do to them when they get control.

Oswald Spengler
Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

“We cannot have a future if we do not have a past.”

One of your pithier epigrams, Z-Man.

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

Whose past? As Orwell said, “…he who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future…”

Our past is being erased. Our children are being taught another’s concept (made out of whole cloth) of the past in order to have our children accept the new future that is being constructed.

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  Compsci
1 year ago

As long as the primary sources continue to exist, the truths of history cannot be suppressed forever. Like all good things now being disfigured and demolished, historical truth will also rise from the ashes. Alas, we may not live to see it happen.

WhereAreTheVikings
WhereAreTheVikings
Reply to  Ostei Kozelskii
1 year ago

Home schooling and engaging children in home school co-ops are the best way to keep some semblance of our history and traditions alive. This is where the rubber hits the road for this country: Is Mom ready to to let the 401k lie dormant for awhile and do what is best for her children? The Uniparty is probably going to seize it and liquidate it to pay reparations anyway.

Also, is Dad ready to become the sole breadwinner without complaint? Might have to miss some NFL games working two jobs.

Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Reply to  Ostei Kozelskii
1 year ago

What makes you think the primary sources will be allowed to remain?

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  Iron Maiden
1 year ago

Destroying the primary sources isn’t that easy. The vast majority exist in multiple copies, and almost all of them are referenced in secondary sources, which means you’d have to eliminate them, too.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  Iron Maiden
1 year ago

Odd as it may seem, the internet of things has made it somewhat more difficult to destroy. The Forbidden Philosopher’s works are non-existent in most libraries, but only a few clicks away.

Good ol' Rebel
Good ol' Rebel
Reply to  Compsci
1 year ago

Compsci: spot the passive voice: “Our children are being taught…”
Who, whom.

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Good ol' Rebel
1 year ago

Most folk, not here obviously, are sent to “public” school indoctrination. Even if we spend the remainder of our time off work at home trying to undo such, we are at a disadvantage. Also, the most formative years where our youth considers adults as benign/tricked sources of “authority” is in K through 12.

I believe the call for home schooling to be the best solution, but made very difficult through the current economic societal situation. Just recently, my go to alternative—charter schools—has been under scandal here in my town. Even they have had Leftist infiltration from the homosexual lobby.

B125
B125
1 year ago

Christianity is the reason that Europe is still White in my opinion. Without Christ it seems unlikely they would have repelled the Mohammedan invaders over and over.

Until quite recently there were even significant numbers of Christians still in the Middle East (who are also much whiter than the Islamic Arabs).

We have seen what happened to the Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and Hindus over time. Maybe Europe would be Persian coloured today if not for Christianity.

Marko
Marko
1 year ago

I would highly recommend The Chosen . The first season is free on Tubi, and all seasons are free on Angel. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a very good show (three seasons made, out of a planned 7) that follows the lives of Jesus and especially Jesus’s apostles during His ministry. Much of the ridicule about Christianity comes from its history of corny or badly-produced media. The Chosen is neither of those things. It’s well-acted, and well-written, with good characters. It’s also extremely popular; it’s one of those Christian phenomena that most people don’t know about, but would… Read more »

ray
ray
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

Did you say that this Chosen series made a black woman one of the apostles? If so, hard pass for me.

Likewise if there’s any Mary Magdalene/dusky goddess shtick . . . so as to get the light to shine on Woman. The woke and fembots are always trying to elevate MM as one of their old/new heroine christo-goddesses. Back in the 70s and 80s these Woman With the Alabaster Jar tomes were everywhere.

Marko
Marko
Reply to  ray
1 year ago

She’s technically a “camp follower” like MM. Oh, and Joseph is black too. But I would look beyond these two things. Most of the characters are shades of brown, which is true to what people looked like in that part of the world. I believe it was done on purpose because the producers didn’t want blue-eyed Israelites, like you see in other Biblical productions.

RealityRules
RealityRules
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

Based on this, I suggest that a much more constructive Series to make would be of the rise of Clovis and Charlemagne or of the Visigoths Christianizing their lands but keeping their pagan faith and their ultimate adoption of Christianity. In other words, perhaps, given the erasure of our people and our history, we should focus not on the origin story in the origin land, but on the real origin story in our lands – how it came to be adopted and shaped by our people. Fwiw, in college and Israeli colleague was adamant that Christ and Christianity are purely… Read more »

c matt
c matt
Reply to  RealityRules
1 year ago

The roots of Christianity definitely are very Hellenized Judaism at least. Can’t really say it did not spring from Judaism, but it is a fair argument to say it is a different form of it than what your typical 1st century middle eastern Jew would think. So your friend was not far off.

ray
ray
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

Marko — OK thank you.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  ray
1 year ago

As I recall from the first season, she (the black chick) was a disciple, not an Apostle (one of the Twelve). Which is not completely off base.

ray
ray
Reply to  c matt
1 year ago

Yeah disciple is ok as long as they don’t start elevating her and pandering to the female viewers. V. rare to see anything in tv or film anymore that does not genuflect to women, one way or ‘tother.

Feminism is the American religion, after all.

I seem to recall Christ one day letting His mama wait outside a house while He delivered a lecture within on what it meant to be of His family. I’d like to see that done on film lol.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

Think the first season is on Netflix or Prime as well. But not any other seasons (maybe got too popular and the plug was pulled?).

First season was not bad. Gave the characters actual human dimensions unlike the somewhat overly wrought, overly pious productions I have seen in the past. Made them seem like, gasp, real people. Hope the other seasons don’t disappoint.

Maxda
Maxda
1 year ago

I moved to the Bible Belt a year ago and have already (again) become used to most people going to church on Sunday. Churches everywhere around here of every denomination as well as unaffiliated churches. Even a conservative Anglican Church nearby, a Coptic Church, lots of PSA (conservative) Presbyterians, and Missouri Synod Lutherans.

Bartleby the Scrivner
Bartleby the Scrivner
Reply to  Maxda
1 year ago

Beware the elusive Missouri Synod Lutherans. Why, they will read the Bible and talk about it! One wonders what other crazy things they will do….

Maxda
Maxda
Reply to  Bartleby the Scrivner
1 year ago

Back up north we had the other Lutherans with the rainbow flags.

Wolf Barney
Wolf Barney
Reply to  Maxda
1 year ago

Rainbow flags and Lutheran gay pastors are ubiquitous now.

Good ol' Rebel
Good ol' Rebel
Reply to  Maxda
1 year ago

When you start talking about ELCA “lutherans,” its just because they have a really bad lisp and are trying to say “luciferans.” Thus their flying the flag of their mother-father, baphomet.
Also, shoutout to Stone Choir, many of the regulars here would appreciate their podcast.

RealityRules
RealityRules
Reply to  Good ol' Rebel
1 year ago

From the ELCA website:

“… Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person–questions, complexities and all. “

Jack Boniface
Jack Boniface
Member
1 year ago

The Latin Mass, traditional Catholic parish I attend is growing, and has a lot of families with many children. That’s the future. Although Pope Francis is working to suppress it. But he won’t last forever. Vatican II was a mistake, as now is obvious, and will be discarded. Then the West will revive. As Belloc said, “Europe is the Faith. The Faith is Europe.” See his short book: “Europe and the Faith.” Free here: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8442/pg8442-images.html

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Jack Boniface
1 year ago

One can hope….however, remember the not so distant past of the Catholic Church and the hierarchy. Start with the long tenure of the most conservative Pope in ages, John-Paul II. He appointed just about all the Cardinals. He was from a background of harsh Soviet repression in Poland. He was followed by another conservative, a German, Benedict. 30+ years of reform and pushback. Then what happened? Francis. In the blink of an eye, the Church was stood on its head and a Leftist—some say “anti-Pope” was given the reins and here we are today. How could this happen? I don’t… Read more »

BigJimSportCamper
BigJimSportCamper
Reply to  Compsci
1 year ago

Both Wojtyla and Ratzinger were 100% on board with Vatican II. Ratzinger was a key player in getting the council pushed thru. They weren’t conservatives by any stretch, until you compare them to Bergoglio.

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  BigJimSportCamper
1 year ago

Vatican II was nothing comparable. Francis is attempting to change the very doctrine of the church wrt biblical scripture—to say nothing of centuries of tradition. Aside from the tired old saw of pedophile priests, the changes of Vatican II were nothing compared to what Francis attempts. One more like him and such changes will be solidified. However, my knowledge and concern must be weighed in consideration than I no longer—and have not—practiced in the Catholic Church for perhaps 50+ years. I could care less as a former Catholic, but do appreciate the Church’s positive contribution to a sane society in… Read more »

c matt
c matt
Reply to  Compsci
1 year ago

I kind of look at the Church like a stock market graph. Sure, if you look at an individual day or week, there’s all kinds of craziness going up and down. But the Church has been around 2k years. It’s had a fair share of ups and downs but survived. It will still have its share of ups and downs until the end. Still sucks being in a downturn though.

Earthman
Earthman
1 year ago

Great show, Thanks Zman.

Hun
Hun
1 year ago

The only way for the Catholic Church (or any other Church) to survive and be relevant again is to become radically intolerant. It has to offer a clear and obvious alternative to whatever ideology/pseudoreligion rules the world right now. No compromises, no tolerance and no apologies.

Dogfish Dave
Dogfish Dave
Reply to  Hun
1 year ago

How does the Catholic Church do that when it insists that the teachings and morality never change?

(chuckles)

I know many religious types don’t really care about the logical consequences of what they are saying.

However some of us former members really did get bothered enough by these contradictions.

The credibility is gone, the spell is broken. We will never be back regardless of what “changes”

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  Dogfish Dave
1 year ago

You could give a try to the traditional Latin Mass. Clear doctrine that does not change.

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

The Latin mass vs native language mass never seemed a big issue to me except that it was mandated. My understanding was before this last Pope there was a lightening up of the mandate. Certainly there were church’s locally that advertised they did the traditional mass.

Odd thing is, I never “heard” the mass in Latin. As one raised in a parochial school environment, grade school on, we were taught the Latin and then the English translation. I spoke out loud my required Latin responses, but thought always the words in English.

Andrew
Andrew
Reply to  Dogfish Dave
1 year ago

You don’t reform the teachings, you reform the practitioners who haven’t kept the teachings.

karl von hungus
karl von hungus
Reply to  Hun
1 year ago

most “christian” churches are like coca-cola trying to just sell the bottles (with nothing inside).

KGB
KGB
1 year ago

A good time to revisit Devon Stack’s look at anti-Christian messaging in The Simpsons. The greater point being that such propaganda was certainly not limited to one particular show. Once the scales fall from your eyes, it’s astounding how pervasive this stuff is and has been for a long, long time.

https://www.bitchute.com/video/xc19mi68WgjV/

Oswald Spengler
Oswald Spengler
Reply to  KGB
1 year ago

I think one of the biggest differences between leftist propaganda in media – television, movies, etc. — in previous decades compared to today is you had to actively seek out the agitprop. It wasn’t all pervasive until relatively recently. For instance, in the 1970s everyone knew “All in the Family” was a “message” show, you might be entertained, but you knew upfront as a viewer you were going to get a lecture if you watched it. Conversely, you probably weren’t going to get a heavy-handed lecture on some trendy issue if you tuned into an episode of for example, “The… Read more »

G Lordon Giddy
G Lordon Giddy
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

Good points about the past media.

Arshad Ali
Arshad Ali
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

Going off on a tangent (mea culpa) but it seems to me all the television series in those days had some message. Thus “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons” were stating that the American suburban way of life existed in the time of dinosaurs and would persist indefinitely into the future; “The Munsters” showed that while Hermann Munster and his vampire father-in-law might have been ostracized and persecuted in Europe, here in American they could be regular Americans (well, almost); and series like “The Man from Uncle” and “Mission Impossible” were to show that US spy and intelligence agencies were making… Read more »

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  Arshad Ali
1 year ago

Meh. I think you’re reading propaganda into those shows. Shows have to be about something. Doesn’t mean they’re all advocating or condemning.

Good ol' Rebel
Good ol' Rebel
Reply to  Ostei Kozelskii
1 year ago

Literally all narratives have a moral statement, at the very least a background or given moral framework by which everything unfolds. It is like having vision as a human: you will see patterns. With any narrative, you will have an element of morality. The Enemy has advanced so far because of White America’s inability to understand this. “Its just a snake where my children play, I dont have to check if it is poisonous.” There is no such thing as “just harmless entertainment.”

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

When every show has “woke” baked into it, it is not obvious. That is the problem. It has become mainstream and simply accepted by those of a new generation as “normal”. That such “wokeness” is absurd or fails to meet everyday observable reality seems lost on the newer generation. Certainly there results in greater pushback when you try to remind these “minds of mush” that things are not as they seem. Sigh….

LineInTheSand
LineInTheSand
Reply to  Compsci
1 year ago

Do you remember when the Simpsons made fun of Bush the Elder, he replied that he wanted an America more like the Waltons than the Simpsons, and everyone mocked him?

I gleefully mocked him at the time. Now I agree with him.

I remember the Simpsons being striking at the time due to its cynicism and nihilism. Now, every small child watches it in reruns, like I watched “Leave it to Beaver” in reruns as a child.

fakeemail
fakeemail
Reply to  LineInTheSand
1 year ago

“Simpsons” had nothing on “Married with Children” when it came to cynicism. It painted an empty and unhappy family where the father is a failure, the mother a lazy ball buster, the son an incel, the daughter a slut. Really, really dark.

Ironically, Al Bundy can sort of be seen as a pathetic conservative figure. He longed for his boyhood of watching John Wayne and (futiley) battled the forces of feminism and liberalism.

KGB
KGB
Reply to  LineInTheSand
1 year ago

During that same period, Dan Quayle was attacked by the press for opining that Murphy Brown depicting single motherhood as a glamourous lifestyle choice was detrimental to our society. Although the media clearly disliked many conservatives prior to Quayle, he was the first one who would receive an unadulterated, highly personal feeding frenzy, setting the stage for Chimpy Bushitler*, Chillbilly Sarah Palin, and Bad Orange Man.

* Sure, he was a complete disgrace as President, but not for the reasons he was attacked by the media.

The Wild Geese Howard
The Wild Geese Howard
Reply to  LineInTheSand
1 year ago

The Bart Simpson character was widely considered shocking when introduced in 1989.

Now he seems almost quaint, like Madonna.

fakeemail
fakeemail
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

Norman Lear did “All in the Family” (stupid white irish conservative) and “Maude” (pro-feminism) and “The Jeffersons” (blacks folks moving on up. . .) and was involved in creating “Diff’rent Strokes” (whites adopt blacks and fight bigotry at every turn).

These “message” shows have been around a long time and the message was clear. White “bigots” must go. The mass propaganda has been going on for a long time. Longer still if you research Edward Bernays and understand the origin of advertising and public relations. Watch the documentary of “Century of the Self.”

fakeemail
fakeemail
Reply to  fakeemail
1 year ago

Even the big hits of the conservative 80s were very left wing shows: “Cosby Show” and “Family Ties.” Tons of liberal messaging.

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  fakeemail
1 year ago

Cosby show was his response to the typical Black dysfunctional family shows of the time. He was lambasted roundly for his criticism of such. But he had a point, If Blacks were to take their place as “equals” in society they had to act as equals—hence his show models a Black successful family (in his mind anyway, he over did it).

The irony of course is now apparent, Cosby was a great dysfunctional Black pervert himself in real life.

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  fakeemail
1 year ago

That Lear feller wouldn’t be a Finkel now, would he?

Fakeemail
Fakeemail
Reply to  Ostei Kozelskii
1 year ago

Of course. Hollywood IS jewish. I say that as a matter of fact, not antisemitism. The studios and industry was created entirely by jews from the beginning. The most powerful empire on earth.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  fakeemail
1 year ago

While the messaging was liberal, the favorite characters almost always turned out to be the bigot/conservative. Ironic.

Fakeemail
Fakeemail
Reply to  c matt
1 year ago

For sure, people loved Archie. But the messaging was still clear: he was an ignoramus and wrong.

“Family Ties” originally wanted the parents as stars. The point of the show was that the hippies were cooler than both their square parents AND their kids. (Talk about narcissistic)

Of course, Michael j fox was so appealing that Alex p. Keaton quickly became the star. But apk was only conservative in the sense of being a ruthless capitalist and it was always the Left wing moral values which would reveal themselves to him to be true

Marko
Marko
Reply to  KGB
1 year ago

The Simpsons was Tribed up, for sure. I have watched that Stack piece, and he makes good points, but I disagree with him. I think The Simpsons showed some reverence for Christian piety.* Flanders and Fr. Lovejoy were made fun of, for sure, but they weren’t ridiculed or mocked. By my definition anyway. There were a few episodes that were pro-Christian, albeit in a very modern, jaded way. It may have been the last popular TV show that depicted Christianity in a good or normal light. Fast-forward to Seinfeld…now that’s mockery. *I only watched the first eight or none seasons,… Read more »

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

The Simpsons is oddly enough a “wholesome” show—as set in the late 20th century modernity. A hard row to hoe, but note that the bumbling, selfish, oafish clown Homer *always* in the end does the right thing for his family. His wife, always meets his antics with love and forgiveness. Family integrity is not a Left-wing value. It is a Right-wing value.

fakeemail
fakeemail
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

The first 9 seasons of the Simpsons are GOLD, maybe the best TV of all time. I agree with your appraisal of it being jaded to Christianity, but still somewhat respecting it and the idea of the family. I’m sure for the past 20 years it’s devolved into utter crap.

Seinfeld never mocked Chritianity. It barely brought up religion at all except to make fun of Jewish Rabbi and Puddy for being a Christian. But Seinfeld was a show about “nothing”; a secular godless world of frivolity. I wouldn’t say it was a HOSTILE show, though, like “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  fakeemail
1 year ago

Yes, a show about nothing. A show about meaningless existence with nothing greater than self and of course, self pleasure. A nation filled with such people is surely one of decline. Zardoz here we come.

From Wikipedia: “… The Brutals live in an irradiated wasteland, growing food for the Eternals, who live apart in “the Vortex,” leading a luxurious but aimless existence on the grounds of a country estate…”

Great movie with Sean Connery wearing diapers and breaking heads. 😉

Ploppy
Ploppy
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

Early Simpsons I’d say they were more balanced. Ned Flanders was a religious nerd but the joke was always that not only did the Flanders have a better life owing to their religious discipline, but God actively intervened on Ned’s behalf (Simpson’s house burns down, the fire spreads to Ned’s house and then a localized cloud materializes to snuff it out). Later seasons the writers really got a boner for the idea of having Ned suffer for his religious beliefs. The joke became Ned was religious, therefore God was going to treat him like Job because God is a dick.… Read more »

Oswald Spengler
Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

My last serious ex-girlfriend went full-spectrum Woke and attends a United Church of Christ in her hometown. I’ve perused the congregation’s Facebook site. It’s basically a far leftist Woke kaffeeklatsch with a very thin veneer of watered-down Christianity overlaying the ubiquitous cultural Marxist dogma.

Xman
Xman
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

Well, there’s one of the biggest problems with contemporary Christianity right there. Like the university, the media, and politics, it’s become completely feminized. Consequently it is unserious, childish and self-centered.

https://nypost.com/2023/04/04/micah-louwagie-compares-plight-of-trans-community-to-jesus/

WhereAreTheVikings
WhereAreTheVikings
Reply to  Xman
1 year ago

Speaking of unserious and childish, my sister’s rural Oklahoma GOP county meeting last night was highlighted by those attending (most of whom are evangelicals) being expected to play a game on their phones called “Cahoots”, or perhaps “Kahoot”. No one under 35 or 40 in sight, and still yet eyes were glued to screens and, as announced at the meeting, people were having “fun”. This was all instigated by a woman, of course. My sister and several older men refused to engage. My questions is, why didn’t one of these older men stand up and hurl a thunderbolt, pointing out… Read more »

Maxda
Maxda
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

I grew up in a bible-based Congregational Church founded in 1724 with a graveyard full of Revolutionary War veterans next to it.

They eventually joined the UCC – it’s now a tiny shell of what it used to be and slowly dying, A crazy social justice pastor with a rainbow scarf gives “sermons” to tiny audience each Sunday. When everyone in parents’ generation has passed away, the church will simply end.

Maniac
Maniac
Reply to  Oswald Spengler
1 year ago

Unfortunately, that’s to be expected in places like New England. There’s a church in the center of Concord, MA with a Black Lives Matter sign on their property. It’d be a shame if one of those fake candles they keep in their windows would catch fire.

Member
1 year ago

Western civilization is based in race, not religion. African Christians wouldn’t be able to replicate Western civilization if you gave them 10,000 years. The same with mestizo Christians in South and Central America. The West would have existed apart from Christianity and with Whites the West would never have happened, no matter what allegedly occurred in the Gospels. Religion is an aspect of culture and culture is downstream from race.

Xman
Xman
Reply to  Arthur Sido
1 year ago

African Christians might not be able to replicate Western Civilization, but at least they’re not obsessed with buggery and transgenderism.

At least it can be said of Africans that they still regard homosexuality as deviant and perverse:

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165317598/uganda-lgbtq-law

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  thezman
1 year ago

Correct. Without Christianity, the history and culture of the countries in Europe in America would have been radically different. There would not have been Western civilization but something else. This is not to say that race is not important. It is. A culture is a combination of things. Let me put an example. Why doesn’t Europe have tribes, like African people or most of the world until recently? Because the Catholic church forbade the marriage between cousins in the Middle Ages. If you get married with a person from another tribe, tribes get diluted until disappearing. Of course, you could… Read more »

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  thezman
1 year ago

I don’t necessarily disagree. However, Western civilization existed in the pre-Christian Greco-Roman world. Christianity augmented Western civilization. Eleminating Christianity would reduce it.

Apex Predator
Apex Predator
Reply to  Arthur Sido
1 year ago

Glad to see the Christcucks came out in force to downvote you. That is why we fail. We are all “equal brothers in Christ, right? Wrong! Race and all that it contains are the primary ingredient in the “cake”, the foundational structure upon with all else stands. Until the Christcucks, CivNats, Grillers, Time-Trapped Boomers, and any other misled people can’t understand that at its most fundamental level we are doomed to this long slow slide and decay. Old Christianity, the strong muscular version that swept across South America as Conquistadors and across Europe prior to that returns, it is just… Read more »

Andrew
Andrew
Reply to  Apex Predator
1 year ago

Perhaps you ought to read history instead of making it up. The conquistadors were not clerics looking to save souls, they were government contractors trying colonize natural resources. Conversion was incidental, not the point. It should probably also be noted that the current pope is the descendant of this alleged “Old Christianity.”

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Andrew
1 year ago

True, the priests were taken along to, in essence, “bribe” the Pope to allow/bless such adventures. If the natives converted they had certain priv’s of a Christian. Those recalcitrant nasty pagans…well things didn’t go as well for them.

Dinodoxy
Dinodoxy
Reply to  Andrew
1 year ago

The conquistadores were entrepreneurial bandits. They were were seen as such by the governments of the time and especially their own, the Spanish crown. Who wer appalled at their treatment of the natives and sent clerics and more respectable governors as quickly as was feasible. All of the conquistadores came to ignominious ends. So that’s not just presentism. The military conquest of the conquistadores was also quite amazing and undervalued historically. The conventional wisdom has been that their victory was inevitable due to the tech and diseases they brought with them. That is not correct. They were very skillful in… Read more »

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Dinodoxy
1 year ago

Nothing special about the Conquistadors (IMO). One can read much the same thing wrt the early American colonizers on the East coast. Lots of tribes vying with other tribes and thinking an alliance with the English colonizers would give them an edge over rivals, but it was a Faustian bargain at best.

btp
Member
Reply to  Apex Predator
1 year ago

We can’t be friends if you keep talking like that.

G Lordon Giddy
G Lordon Giddy
1 year ago

Good podcast Z Man.
I will take this Easter to be thankful as a Christian for the dissident movement and all my fellow dissidents, Christian’s or not.
What we have is a place for sane people to take refuge and try to salvage something from what has happened to us and eventually like springtime, build something new for the European peoples.

e man
e man
1 year ago

good show first time comment

the expression the rabbit died
for a women being pregnant actually comes from 30s and 40s when they would use rabbits as pregnancy test by injecting womens pee into them.

evidently a pregnant womens pee would contian a hormone that would react in the female rabbit deforming its ovaries

medical history is quite distburbing like that

In for a dime
In for a dime
1 year ago

It’s tough. The Church started bending over to Moslems with the rest of the West starting around 9/11. The pope is a communist. They fell over themselves over the jab. Rainbows can’t be further behind. There are feds casing the Latin Mass.
Get me someone who will restart the Reconquista and name the youknowwho and I’ll reconsider. Vigano would be a good start.

Arshad Ali
Arshad Ali
1 year ago

“On the other hand, there is a revival in what can best be called Christianism or maybe ad hoc Christianity. These are the people saying, “Christ is king!” in the political context and the people rallying to what they call Christian Nationalism. Calling this Christianity feels like a stretch as it has little in the way of theological underpinnings, but it suggests a strong desire to adopt or create such an underpinning.” The revival is there, in parts. But I don’t see the hankering for theological underpinnings. Mostly I see a cult of Jesus. Early Christianity grew out of its… Read more »

WhereAreTheVikings
WhereAreTheVikings
Reply to  Arshad Ali
1 year ago

You are right. So much of it here in the South is the Jesus cult, which itself has been reduced in large part to Jesus-is-my-boyfriend songs. The adherents wouldn’t know Greek philosophical tradiiton if it smacked them in the face.

As for the aspect of Jewish religious thought, the closest the Southern evangelicals come to that is their mindless prostration to Israel, isolatedly at best typified by the observation, noted by Florence King, that “by dern, those Jew boys sure can fight!’

And now, wokeism is poking its nose into the Southern Baptist tent. This should be interesting.

Arshad Ali
Arshad Ali
Reply to  WhereAreTheVikings
1 year ago

Thank you. I thought I was in a minority of one (which I sometimes am on this blog). I’m a part of a bible study group myself (at the adamant insistence of my wife) here in the Deep South, but I can’t get any of the participants to delve into the theological underpinnings of Christianity. They just read the bible and interpret it literally. They’re not even aware of the chasm between the Synoptics and the Gospel of John.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  Arshad Ali
1 year ago

I am not a big fan of Bible studies precisely because of that reason. Like Z man says, he is no theologian, but as much as we dislike it, it does take some serious theological and philosophical study (not to mention a decent knowledge of history) to really plumb the depths. The overwhelming majority do not have the time, desire, or patience to do it so it usually devolves to read this passage – what does it mean to you, or worse, how does it make you feel? If I knew what it meant, or cared about how it makes… Read more »

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  c matt
1 year ago

I’m no theologian either, but if you want to read absolutely first-rate Christian philosophers who have not truckled to diversity and perversion, check out William Lane Craig and Alvin Plantinga. Not easy reading, but intellectually rigorous.

Paintersforms
Paintersforms
1 year ago

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
— Matthew 18:20

You don’t need the pozzed church. You only need fellowship.

happy little trees
happy little trees
Reply to  Paintersforms
1 year ago

Can one be “good without God?”. What about the millions who lived and died before Christ, were they good people even though they may have prayed to a carved wooden stick? I am spiritual but not “religious”. The difference is you can be spiritual in your heart with no outward underpinnings, but “religious” person always has to exhibit how holier than thou they are, that’s why “church” has no attraction for me at all.

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  happy little trees
1 year ago

“What about the millions who lived and died before Christ, were they good people even though they may have prayed to a carved wooden stick?” The official Catholic explanation is that they are saved (go to Heaven) as long as they fulfill three conditions: 1) They are ignorant of Christianity but not because their fault (invincible ignorance). This rules out the vast majority of Western people but applies to people before Christ and most people in Islam and other cultures. 2) They conduct themselves following natural law. That is, they are “good people” as you say. 3) They try to… Read more »

c matt
c matt
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

Virtue signaling is “holier than thou” for the irreligious (although religious can exhibit it as well).

The Wild Geese Howard
The Wild Geese Howard
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

Dante stuck them in Limbo in The Inferno.

I remember arguing about this with my very Catholic English teacher in high school.

Paintersforms
Paintersforms
Reply to  happy little trees
1 year ago

FWIW: As far as people who never heard the gospel being damned, idk. I chalk it up to the Lord working in mysterious ways. He has a plan for Creation, and I totally reject the notion that we can know that plan, who’s damned or saved, when the End Times will be, etc. It’s called faith, but people keep wanting knowledge— like Adam and Eve, I’d say. I’m ambivalent about church. Obviously it’s hugely important, and I think its sorry state is as much about corruption at the top as it is about normal people dropping out. If I’m normal,… Read more »

Paintersforms
Paintersforms
Reply to  Paintersforms
1 year ago

“I totally reject the notion that we can know that plan”

To be more specific, that we can discover the plan. Revelation, I get, but then you have to ask yourself the difference between revelation and discovery, and that gets complicated lol. For instance, was the Trinity revealed, or did the Cappadocians discover it as a solution to theological questions? So I keep coming back to faith.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  Paintersforms
1 year ago

Seems we are on a “need to know” basis. We should be able to know enough for or own salvation, but that doesn’t mean we can know the whole plan.

As far as the Trinity being revealed or discovered, I would say both. Seeds of it are in Scripture (if not outright stated – e.g., baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost), which are later discovered and expounded upon when hashing out solutions to theological questions.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  happy little trees
1 year ago

I am spiritual but not “religious”.

I have muscles but no skeleton.

3g4me
3g4me
Reply to  happy little trees
1 year ago

happy little trees: For some reason women seem to love calling themselves ‘spiritual’ and promoting books like “Eat Pray Love” whose author became a carpet muncher.

Enoch Cade
Enoch Cade
1 year ago

Reporting in from Louisiana and Texas. Still aisles devoted to Easter stuff in the HEB (Texas) and various Cajun groceries (Louisiana).

But your point is accurate. “American” “Christianity” has completely collapsed; it’s been ad adjunct of woke causes since the days of abolitionism and has completely compromised/caved to the evil degenerate tendencies of Americanism, the destroyer of all that is good, true, noble and beautiful in the European tradition.

(full disclosure, I am Russian Orthodox)

karl von hungus
karl von hungus
Reply to  Enoch Cade
1 year ago

can the argument be made, that taking up abolition contaminated (fatally) American Christianity? this would presuppose that the latter was “healthy” beforehand.

karl von hungus
karl von hungus
Reply to  Enoch Cade
1 year ago

can the case be made that taking up abolition fatally tainted American Christianity?

Paintersforms
Paintersforms
Reply to  karl von hungus
1 year ago

Imo yes, but only because of a lack of limits. Same for Christian Zionism. You could just as easily go the other way and say the true Christian is a slave-owning antisemite.

Clarity at the margins, reality somewhere in between.

Marko
Marko
Reply to  Enoch Cade
1 year ago

Then you are celebrating Pascha at the correct time, brother (next weekend).

I love Russian Orthodoxy. I wish there were a church near me. As it is, I have to settle for a Greek Orthodox church, which is fine. But the Russian church is awesome.

Enoch Cade
Enoch Cade
Reply to  Marko
1 year ago

Marko, the Russians are certainly the arch-traditionalists of a traditionalist church. Because, I think, they know what is at stake. The persecution by the Bolsheviks was the most brutal in the history of Christendom, I think. Interestingly, during the Summer of Floyd, the metropolitan for mid-America released a pastoral letter stating that the faithful should NOT support BLM, etc. He said it was no different from Bolshevism and “we know how that turns out.”

JerseyJeffersonian
JerseyJeffersonian
Reply to  Enoch Cade
1 year ago

My wife works in the University City area of Philadelphia. She stopped into a local CVS looking to pick up some little Easter candy favors for our dinner with my stepson and his wife. Zero, zip, nada. At other CVS locations this is not the case. Hmm.

Intelligent Dasein
Intelligent Dasein
Member
1 year ago

I haven’t listened to the show yet, but the show notes are already pretty alarming. Anyone who thinks that the Protestant Reformation was “a process of renewal” simply does not understand Western history or Christian theology at all. The Protestant Revolt, as it ought to be called, was to Christendom precisely what the French Revolution was to the Western culture. It was not a renewal of things, it was the end of things. I an example of people exalting themselves above legitimate authority and eventually abolishing the very idea of authority. The whole form in microcosm can be summed up… Read more »

LineInTheSand
LineInTheSand
Reply to  Intelligent Dasein
1 year ago

Intelligent Dasein, did Luther and the nascent Protestants have any valid complaints? If so, how should they have handled them?

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  LineInTheSand
1 year ago

As a Catholic, I am positive that the nascent Protestants had valid complaints. Luther is a complicated character: he hit the nail in the head in some topics (corruption) while being completely absurd in other topics. But they should have been fighting inside the Church instead of creating another Church. You could say that this could have been unsuccessful. Fair enough. But dividing the Church didn’t solve the problem either. Protestant churches have the same problems as the Catholic Church, but they cover them better. They divided Christendom for nothing. Speaking in a secular way, the most harmful thing was… Read more »

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

In 1538, Luther wrote: “I . . . have been now in the ministry of Christ about twenty years, can truly witness that I have been assailed with more than twenty sects, . . . Satan, the god of all dissension, stirreth up daily new sects, . . . Such is the blindness and presumption of these frantic heads, which even by their own judgment do condemn themselves. . . ” (Commentary on Galatians (Lafayette, Indiana, Sovereign Grace Publishers, Inc., 2002, pp. xxi-xxii) So yes, you cannot say “everybody is entitled to interpret the Bible his own way” and then… Read more »

Anonymous Frog
Anonymous Frog
Reply to  imnobody00
1 year ago

“But they should have been fighting inside the Church instead of creating another Church”
So institutions never become behind reform?
So we should support the GOPe and vote harder?

c matt
c matt
Reply to  LineInTheSand
1 year ago

Luther was the classic throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Take one of his more better known complaints – the selling of indulgences. Was there abuse in that practice? Sure. Does that invalidate the existence of a time of purification after death (purgation, hence “Purgatory”)? No – the abuse of a thing does not negate the existence of it. It doesn’t even negate the granting of indulgences (one of the main motivations for engaging in the Crusades). No more than an abusive king would negate monarchy, or vote fraud would invalidate representative democracy if either of those are your… Read more »

Anonymous Frog
Anonymous Frog
Reply to  c matt
1 year ago

Z man’s whole point is that people owe the gae no loyalty and the gae is beyond reform and it could take decades, or 100 years for it to collapse. Meanwhile people want to have children without the govt trying to mutilate them.

Hoagie
Hoagie
Reply to  Intelligent Dasein
1 year ago

Well that was clear as mud.

Jack Dobson
Jack Dobson
Reply to  Intelligent Dasein
1 year ago

That’s one argument. Another is Christianity would have died already without the Reformation as Catholicism tended to be less central in the more dynamic and secure areas of Europe and thriving in those parts of the continent more vulnerable to Islam. I don’t have enough familiarity to offer an opinion, but encountered that theory frequently before it became taboo to discuss Islam negatively.

Jack Dodson
Jack Dodson
Reply to  Jack Dobson
1 year ago

That is a totally messed up and misleading description of that theory, disregard it. I may dig around and find what it actually says, but the Islam prong is wrong although the centrality part is not, only inaccurately described.

While at it, certainly Protestant America has done more to destroy the faith in recent years yet Orthodox Russia endured communism and has become a bulwark of Christianity. Only one of those suffered Muslim invasion.

Andrew
Andrew
Reply to  Intelligent Dasein
1 year ago

I don’t have time to address every wrong notion you’ve written, but I will address a couple. “Protestantism leads to puritanism…” This is false. Puritanism is the heresy of Catharism (from cathari, meaning pure). This heresy predates protestantism, and has come up cyclically in the Church’s history. There is no link between the two except that which exists in your mind. Hilaire Belloc’s book on heresy goes into this in some detail if you’re interested in learning more. “I [sic] an example of people exalting themselves above legitimate authority and eventually abolishing the very idea of authority.” This is mostly… Read more »

imnobody00
imnobody00
Reply to  Andrew
1 year ago

Puritanism comes from Calvinism. And Calvin only tried to systematize what Luther had taught in his contradictory and polemic way.

Puritanism is the logical consequence of Luther’s thought. The Lutheran Church does not follow Luther completely: it retains some things from the Catholic Church and contradicts Luther in several key things. The real children of Luther’s thought are the Puritans.

c matt
c matt
Reply to  Andrew
1 year ago

My reading of European history is that most monarchs used Protestantism or Catholicism as a fig leaf to settle their grabs for power. I do agree that monarchy is supposed to be a two way street – the subjects owe duties to the monarch, and the monarch owes duties to the subject. This probably worked well enough when the kingdom was of a certain size and the king and subjects were not too far removed from affinity and consanguinity. But it seems, like democracy, it doesn’t “scale up” very well. Perhaps you needed the intermediary aristocracy to keep the monarch… Read more »

Compsci
Compsci
Reply to  Intelligent Dasein
1 year ago

“Were it not for this, I believe he could be a great warrior on the side of truth. He has a quick and fertile mind, and he communicates well.”

ID, who are you to give advice/criticism? Your following? Your writings? Your impact in any field? You seem to have left Unz to bestow your wisdom here.

When you restrain from taking a jab, your comments have impact. But it seems you can’t help yourself and therefore simply irritate—which I assume you relish as well. Unz was a good place for you.

Paintersforms
Paintersforms
Reply to  Intelligent Dasein
1 year ago

“It was not a renewal of things, it was the end of things.”

I hate to keep hammering this, but I think it’s an important theme:

Rome split into the Greek east and Latin west. Ancient Germanic people wanted to be part of Rome, Rome collapsed.

Great Schism, Reformation. Three churches for the same three parties. Even split in the same order, along the same lines.

Maybe I haven’t read the right books, but somebody has to have noticed this, right? It’s like three civs in one!

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  Intelligent Dasein
1 year ago

I’m no expert on the Reformation, so I have no strong opinion about the content of your statement. I can say without reservation, however, that it is as well written as anything I’ve ever read on this blog.

bob sykes
bob sykes
1 year ago

“Christianity is strongly associated with the Western tradition and that means it is viewed as white by the antiwhites.” I have to disagree, and disagree very strongly. The great majority of Christians today are in the Third World, specifically Latin America and Africa, with smaller groups in Asia. And Third World Christians are at odds with their white coreligionists. African Anglican bishops have all but excommunicated American and British Anglicans/Episcopalians. Many Second and Third World Christians may be antiwhite, but that is because of colonialism, not Christianity. The antiwhites you write of are Europeans and Jews living in the West,… Read more »

Arshad Ali
Arshad Ali
Reply to  bob sykes
1 year ago

The first part of his sentence is correct:

“Christianity is strongly associated with the Western tradition”

Take out the input of Greek philosophy and there is no Christianity. How much these Christians in the third world are aware of this I do not know but I suspect it’s more about worshiping Jesus.

Ostei Kozelskii
Member
Reply to  bob sykes
1 year ago

In historical time, third world Christians are Johnny-come-latelys. For the vast majority of its history, Christianity was the white religion par excellence. Why do you think so many blacks in America have rejected Christianity and adopted Islam?

David Wright
Member
1 year ago

Today is the holiest of days. My faith is still strong but my Catholicism not as much. I still attend irregularly but still have the need. Stations of the cross feels like a good choice for me today

Alex
Alex
1 year ago

I grew up as a WASP Episcopalian, then my family transitioned to a Latin Mass Anglican Church as ours became pozzed in the 1980s. Now I don’t attend at all b/c the local parish is completely Fake and Gay to the point I can’t even deal with the fellow parishioners. It’s really sad because I valued it for all the reasons that any sane person of modest faith did, a structured place to celebrate the faith, community, and history (it happened to be a very old and historic parish). We don’t and cannot realize how severe the social breakdown was… Read more »