MODIFYING CHRISTIANITY TO SAVE AMERICA
This post is shortened to the extent possible. But the link to its longer version is given at the end.
As part of comments on earlier OP “Can Christianity Locke Rand Mises Save America?” I said “Protestant religion is unique and a minor change can be made to it to save America”. There is extreme critical attitude amongst several intellectual groups about Christianity and a typical comment, partly quoted, was – “Christianity is THE problem with the West. On its own it is dangerous, but when you secularize it you get the Left. I doubt we would have seen a phenomenon like the Marxist Left without Christianity influencing the Western Mind.” Being a typical comment no personal affront is meant, but my mission being to forge unity amongst individualist Americans I have to refute it.
Brief history of ancient church (important modifications relevant to our purpose here) :
Since its beginning Christianity was modified into different Churches like Greek, Russian, Syrian etc, including 2 – 3 denominations in India. The Roman Catholic Church is its major power; Plato was the most important influence during the thousand years of Dark Ages when there was total power in the hands of kings and priests and the intention was to misuse religion to destroy all Greek knowledge. Bhudevs, i.e. “Gods on earth” was the position of kings and priests, backed by theories of Divine Right of Kings. People lost faith and to justify Christianity Aquinas inducted the outlawed Aristotle. After centuries Aristotle displaced Plato, subsequently leading to Renaissance (rebirth of reason).
ASPs built America by modifying Christianity
Francis Bacon’s“nature to be commanded has to be obeyed”, coupled with Galileo case (symbolizing science versus religion and thought versus dogma), opened the surrounding phenomena to mankind. John Locke’s theory of mind being a blank tablet at birth is simultaneously a step (a Protest) against “Original Sin”, against Confessions and the king and the priest’s power over the individual. Adam Smith’s statement about “the butcher, the brewer and the baker” infused rational selfishness into society (called as “right to life” by the Founding Fathers (FFs) of the US). Aristotle made British Empire strongest on earth – yet they continued to be devout Christians. Final climax was in the New World – inalienable rights of an individual, even the monarch was done away with, and the Pastor was respected, but separated from political power. Protestant religion infused into Americans via upbringing, “way of life” etc, rationality and individualism, which rest of the world even today does not understand. I have lot of details about it.
Catholics also had to change: The Roman Catholic Church was also compelled to undergo huge change and its political power is limited to the Vatican City only. In the same neighborhood they could not have completely opposite ways of life as compared to the reason and science based progress of Protestants. Therefore Europeans look different from rest of the mankind, and even Turkish Muslims are less fanatic than other Muslims.
Religion necessary for a large section of society:
Heroes contributed more in the transformation, but heroes are easily lynched by irrational societies (all over the earth and all through out history with the exception of Greek and present western civilization). After Aristotle’s induction to justify Christianity it was the suppressed middle-classes seeking freedom who supported change via the Protestant religion – and it would not be rational or civilized to rob them of due credit.
Several examples involving Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Ayn Rand, Von Mises etc are given to show why a large number of people do not understand “hi-fi” philosophy. Of these see the one involving Ayn Rand. Office colleagues were already against me because of Ayn Rand stuff, and somebody circulated my copy of her book on epistemology amongst engineers to show the first page which said: HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW? That is the problem that epistemology deals with – and upon the solution of this problem every other aspect of philosophy must rest. Unquote. Did they garland me because I was reading “epistemology”? They started pointing fingers, joking, giggling etc. Example: How do you know the building you are designing will stand? Does its foundation rest on a solid philosophy or only on soil? Etc. They were engineers of the same quality as Indians in the West, but had not migrated. From that judge what will be the reaction of people with much lesser intelligence at the bottom of society! See other examples in the long version. Do all people have so much of intelligence to differentiate between this and Kant? Ordinary people need philosophy to be given in terms of do’s and don’ts of ethics, usually AS RELIGION! But below the middle-classes to the lowest strata of society, the doles dependent vote block of parasites (DDVB of P) that Mitt Romney was afraid of, the response to hi-fi theories is “Fxxx them all but give me my 3 three meals”. The middle-classes who can understand some rationality and civilization oppose the parasites of DDVB of P but need guidance.
Good philosophy was passed onto ordinary people by modifying Christianity, and by infusing science and rationality into Protestant religion. All religions are similar and cannot be wished away from earth – theoretically they are also similar to Marxism. But there is a big crucial difference between today’s Christianity versus other religions, which we are discussing at the moment.
(The following is addressed to hi-fi: Marxists also tried to erase religion out of existence, but lost while religion remained; in the past the Romans were swept over by Christianity despite crucifixion. Religion does satisfy the need of a huge section of society, so transform it. The Founding Fathers (FFs) of US, very devout Christians, found a different solution – so follow their path, thankfully, instead of grandiose illusions of cleansing the earth of religion.)
The big question: the founding generations of the US were fanatics by today’s standards. Then how did they build America? Will any other religion, Marxism etc, similar to Christianity, be able to build America?
Wall of Separation makes Protestant religion unique and enables both, creators and ordinary “believers”, to practice what they want:
ASPs could build because of the magnanimous FF-Constitution which ensured unalienable rights of an individual, guaranteed freedom of thought and kept religion out of government. Against that GOP is using today’s Christians as its vote-block based on issues of gay marriage and school prayers, against the Dems’ DDVB of P. Americans have to think why their ancestors sacrificed so much if power was finally to be returned back to the political manipulator and the priest – just so as to destroy everything by bringing in the next Dark Ages? Jefferson’s Wall of Separation between state and church was the great achievement that made America possible. While all science, intelligence etc were fully unchained and active, believers also lived as per their beliefs, i.e.both were able to live as per their mind.
Further modification necessary today because Christianity insufficient due to weakness
This weakness is already described in the previous post, viz misuse of Charity: No opposition is possible by GOP who has to only me-too when Dems assert self-righteously: “Yes! We are carrying out America’s sacred duty of helping the poor!” (To retain their Christian vote-block GOP indulges in war-mongering and bail-out plutocracy.)
Why not “Hi-fi” philosophies but only modifying Christianity will help?
Because mass-support is indispensable to implement and sustain political rule. Great feats are achieved by individuals, but creation is possible only in a society of rational human beings, not of savages. A rational society in itself is a value to be cherished and preserved. No matter how great the creator is, he derives lot of benefit from a rational society – his vision started with the work of others prior to him. As world history shows, except for ancient Greece and modern America, the “thinking individual” is always and very easily crushed on earth. “We the Living” is Ayn Rand’s conceptual autobiography; see such people’s fate there. People like me who live away from America know the value of those “low level Christians”.
Till those “low level Christians” follow the FFs’ Constitution give them their due; don’t rob them of that credit. One reason why Washington was a great general was that he knew that every soldier was precious; he visited them many times to keep their morale intact! Most of them must have been devout Christians and bereft of hi-fi philosophy! It is the Protestants who built America; it is with their help that she will be saved.
One reason why American think-tanks will not get solution to democracy’s problems is because they don’t take reality of social gradations into account, and the fact that when evil uses the lowest strata to destroy civilization, it is the middle class (mainly Christians) that will save it if proper guidance is available. This is explained next.
Society is not an undifferentiated mass of savages (unless evil philosophy makes all of them evil) :
(This is a very important point the hi-fi have missed.)
All societies have a graded structure of individuals of different characteristics, qualities, mental orientation and capabilities. Plato has called the divisions as Men of Gold, Silver and Bronze; Christianity has divided them into clergy, nobility and commoners / tradesmen; India’s Brahmins have 4 major castes, etc. Apart from individual heroes’ theories, politics is more determined by playing these social divisions against each-other and against the good.
Direction of society is generally determined by the interplay of good and evil at the upper levels (Men of Gold and Silver, top 15% of society). Evil is distributed everywhere from top to bottom of the social pyramid; but intelligence varies from more at the top to so very low amongst the lowest strata that they can easily be misused for destruction by promoting collectivist theories via them like demanding doles, worship of primitive gods and religions, etc– which is what intelligent evil men at upper levels strive to do forever. The middle-classes support the good, but only till the tops keep bringing solutions to social problems – the moment the good fails to bring in solutions, as is the case in America after New Deal, evil taps the lowest strata to overturn rule of rationality. That lowest stratum has now become the solidly united DDVB of P, leaving only a small chance for recovery.
Minorities (the evil ones amongst Plato’s Men of Gold and Silver) grabbing power is true of overwhelmingly major part of mankind’s history because they have never had good philosophy – in today’s America it would be because of default by hi-fi philosophers. Otherwise even in today’s democracy American Christian middle-classes, the most enlightened people on earth, could provide the numbers needed to stop America’s slide. Instead of solution GOP is using them as its vote-block for its vested interest, axing the base of America from the side opposite to Dems.
Hi-fi not understood freedom of mind: this is the root of innumerable divisions amongst individualists, and inability of hi-fi to stop slide despite their “shining, latest, hi-fi philosophies” – and also the root of victory of evil.
Extreme criticism about each-other and about Christianity shows that hi-fi people have neither understood implications of freedom of mind, nor what is real evil and how to tackle it. I have chosen Christians because apart from numbers they have many virtues stated all over this post. In reality it is necessary to unite all individualist-groups. If people accept my writing then I intend to ban even preaching Christianity via government despite freedom of speech (so as to undo the welfare state forever), which neither the FFs nor the new heroes of individualist-Americans could do, despite both intending to do so! Violating the FFs’ constitution is the real act of enmity, which both Dems and GOP are doing for a long time now. America was not defeated by original Marxism (blood-rivers variety), but via welfare state the whole communist agenda is in (and debt is ballooning beyond control)! Understanding the finer points of difference is key to the issue. The magnanimity of FFs’ Constitution is responsible for both, America’s greatness, as well as today’s unstoppable slide. It is important to block both, welfare state as well as induction of religion into government. American Christians are likely to accept rational argument, but not DDVB of P who may lead to collapse. Hi-fi experts too may not accept rational argument, rather their small-time ego needs that innovator be blocked!
Further thoughts on why Christianity will continue, the future of small groups and their “hi-fi” philosophies, etc:
O’ism, Austrian school etc are not mass-movements; Ayn Rand’s novels are anti-masses. But foolishly the O’ists assume that O’ism will sweep the earth. It is like expecting ordinary people to solve all problems in mathematics and surpass Einstein! Ayn Rand and Von Mises will both get their place in academics but sweeping the earth is monopoly of mass-philosophies like religion. (I owe everything to Ayn Rand but don’t go overboard about her status.) The mass of American individualists are necessary to sustain America; Ayn Rand’s novels too, including their anti-masses orientation, are necessary because the qualities she evokes in men are different from the masses – their peaceful co-existence and complementing each-others’ advantages is made possible by the FFs’ Constitution!
To conclude:
It is the ASPs who built America; it is they who will save her. When polarization is complete (may take decades if nothing changes the course) and mobs are on the streets, majority of hi-fi will desert. To save America it is merely necessary to restore the FFs’ constitution. For me “Long Live America” is a very serious quest because of my Hindu experiences. With my argument, it may take at the most a year for the change to occur.
IMPORTANT If anybody joins hands with me, they too can promote their group / endeavor while serving the highest cause of reclaiming America.
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