When I started writing this article, I had the intention of keeping it very brief. However, given the scale of the discussion on this topic, I realized it would potentially leave my argument unfulfilled and open to rebuke. So, I decided to take some time and really think about what I wanted to say. The wonderful thing about writing, is that when you start, you’ll often discover concepts and talking points that you didn’t think about when you started writing. Sometimes a written piece will just slowly reveal itself to you.
“There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.”
- G.K. Chesterton
With the rapid advancement in information technology, communication, and how we exchange information, a resurgent secular movement has risen in the West. It should come as no surprise to anyone that this movement has had an immense appeal to younger generations. There is a renewed desire for spirituality without religion, or simply the removal of religion altogether. They believe religion is antiquated and that it has served it’s purpose, and the time has come to move on. They believe secularism to be more humanistic, more compassionate, and more inclusive. They believe as I once did, that the disposal of religion equates to freedom. And, who doesn’t want more of that?
As a former atheist, I am aware of the benefits of secular reasoning. Secular reasoning rightly applies skepticism to traditional thought. It has contributed immensely to our understanding of individual liberty, constitutional government, and the need for separation of Church and state. However, it is also important to reflect on the contributions of religion to Western culture, more specifically, of Judaism and Christianity. Lest we forget that it is the Judeo-Christian foundation of western culture, that grounded the human individual in equality and freedom. Medieval Christianity also laid the foundation for modern academia. And, there happens to be no higher contributing factor to charity and giving than…you guessed it, religion.
True faith is actually built on reason. We are not meant to believe in things blindly. There are three primary practices in which we come to know and understand our reality. These three practices are science, philosophy, and theology. In spite of popular opinion, these three are meant to complement each other. But, contemporary culture has once again, decided to pit science against theology, while philosophy ruminates on a bench. I think it’s important to recognize the glaring difference between science and theology. They are answering entirely different questions. Science addresses how something came to be. Theology addresses why something came to be. True theology poses a simple question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” This is a question that science, fundamentally, cannot answer. Therefore, study in both areas is paramount in understanding our world and our role in it. There are higher forms of reason beyond science or religion alone. Solely believing in science, theology, or philosophy is a reduction of rationality.
Now, the most important Judeo-Christian contribution to Western society is our understanding of morality. I think it’s safe to say that any society is better, stronger, and more peaceful, when people, by and large, agree on what is good and what is bad. When there is a common code of decency, moral structure, and a common understanding of the individual as an entity of infinite value, the world is a better place. There are even goods that are beyond what is good for a particular individual, like the good of another or the good of a whole. And, if we can all agree on that good, society profits. This is why the act of suffering is so important. The best good may actually require sacrifice. As a parent will sacrifice for a child, a teacher for a student, or a soldier for a citizen. However, if that understanding of good and bad dissolves, then that society will decay with it. If there is no common good, there is only discord and chaos. Then you will have fathers leaving sons and neighbors stealing from neighbors. This is where the rule of law comes in to play.
Western society is shaped by the law. Whenever we revere something, do we not surround it with laws to protect it? As Americans, think of our reverence for freedom and the Constitution that protects it. Think of the structures that form and define language. Consider the number of laws that frame and formulate your preferred martial art. Think of the games you “play.” Would anyone who really loves chess be content with an “anything goes” approach to the game? Would you accept “following your whim” in any other area of your life that you take seriously? True religion merely provides a framework to the moral life.
We have become quick to discard and replace things that we see as unnecessary, all the while never actually knowing what purpose they served. I believe we have become overconfident in our capacity for discernment. While secular reasoning certainly has its benefits, people today are blinded to its shadows. If you reduce political thought to secular reasoning it becomes as ideologically conditioned as any religion. Now, my intention here is not to sway you one way or the other. I simply want you to have the intellectual integrity to know what it is you are about to uproot and clear away. I ask you to refuse the Enlightenment prejudice, to think critically, and to come to your own resolution.
"‘On what else is the whole world run but immediate impressions? What is more practical?’ My friend, the philosophy of this world may be founded on facts, but its business is run on spiritual impressions and atmospheres."
- G.K. Chesterton
