Christianity
Although we do not wish to rank each of the origins in this Insight according to their relative level of impact, we will however start with what is clearly the most impactful of all – Christianity. This may come across as a surprising choice, especially as we at What in the World is Going On are keen to point out the ills of the competing trains of modern thought. But, the truth remains that Christianity is still the biggest, most dominant foundation of the West. It must therefore be included for completeness.
Something can be so prevalent, so taken for granted it is not recognised or reflected upon. In reality, there are hundreds of touchpoints we encounter every day that testify to the influence of Christianity as the bedrock of the West.
We shall consider a seemingly trivial example – approaches to driving and road safety. In the West, procedures around road use and the safety of vehicles in the pursuit of protecting human life have developed for decades. Violations are punished, laws are revised. A would-be driver has first to pass a test. The driver’s vehicle needs to be tested annually etc. The whole concept of the pursuit of safety can be traced back to human dignity (putting a high price on human value) and that the laws of the physical universe are repetitive and can be harnessed. We believe that if we put in place standards and procedures for motoring and if they are followed, that the outcomes will be positive. For those of us in the West, these principles are a given, too obvious, as if they are the default in all cultures around the world. But, these principles based on the value of human life for all, on the repeatability of natural laws, and on a sense that God is a God of order not chaos were founded on Judeo-Christian truths. Note that in countries without a Christian foundation, the approach to driving can be very different. In Islamic countries for example, there is a belief that what happens in the world happens at the will of Allah. Therefore, there is a sense that good road safety practices could be overridden by the will of Allah. This can result in less attention being given to them. In other non-Christian developing countries, there is little sense of order and structure even to the extent of drivers driving on any side of the road they choose. It comes as no surprise that RTA statistics are higher in these societies.
It needs to be stated that in this example we are making generalisations, but the basic tenants of our argument still hold. Furthermore, global interconnectedness has meant these good practices from the West have been incorporated into other societies not founded on Judeo-Christian truths. So, the differences are becoming less stark over time. The practices that developed from Christian thinking have been assimilated because they work, not necessarily because the society wishes to embrace the truth of the Christian Gospel.
Something can be so prevalent, so taken for granted it is not recognised or reflected upon. In reality, there are hundreds of touchpoints we encounter every day that testify to the influence of Christianity as the bedrock of the West.
Much of the content produced by What in the World is Going On seeks to highlight the current manifestations of Marxism. As a final point of interest to note regarding the Christian influence, it can be argued that Marxism has itself been influenced by Christianity is it incorporates pseudo-Christian truths. Prior to Christianity taking a hold in the West, the weak and vulnerable were not much of a consideration. So, without this backdrop, Marxism would have struggled to identify disadvantaged groups and would have struggled to drum up any level of support that something should be done about them. The central mistake of Marxism is that it rallies against God and assumes the role of God which means that it fails to deliver on its promises.
As mentioned in the summary above, our aim in this Insight is to focus on the thinking that is trying to oust Judeo-Christian thought. For that reason we will stop here and point you to our more detailed Christian Heritage Insights on the subject:
Religious Liberty – Free in Faith and Conscience
The Creation Mandate and the Value of Work
Empowered by Faith: How Christianity Uplifts the Dignity of Women
Unveiling our Heritage: Liberty, Law, and Justice Founded on the Judeo-Christian Perspective
French Enlightenment – the Origins
The Enlightenment was an intellectual and cultural movement that spanned the 17th and 18th centuries. It was characterized by a focus on reason, science, individual rights, and scepticism toward traditional authority, including absolute monarchy and the Catholic Church. This thinking in turn helped to foster the events of the French revolution (1789-1799).
To an extent, we sympathise with the initial motivations of the revolutionaries. The monarchy and the Catholic Church had a blend of corruption and dominance that held back equality and hindered the realisation of aspiration. It was only right that the status quo was challenged. Unsurprisingly, as with any revolutionary period of cultural change, waiting in the wings are sinister elements that want to become mainstream. In the chase of the French Revolution, these elements wanted to de-throne role of God in society.
Like other historical patterns of man-centred attempts to de-couple from God and instigate secularism, elements within the Revolution made efforts to de-Christianise French society. These campaigns aimed to replace Christianity with a new revolutionary and secular ideology. Churches were desecrated, religious symbols were removed, and some radicals even promoted the worship of reason and the Cult of the Supreme Being as alternatives to Christian worship. During the Reign of Terror (September 1793 and July 1794), radicals targeted Catholic clergy and sought to eradicate the influence of the Church. Many priests and religious figures were persecuted and in some cases, executed via the guillotine. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy in 1790 also sought to bring the Catholic Church under state control, further undermining its traditional authority.
Furthermore, the revolutionaries introduced a new secular calendar, the French Republican Calendar, which replaced the traditional Christian calendar. This was part of a broader effort to secularise timekeeping and distance the revolution from Christian associations. The calendar came into being on 24 October 1793 and celebrated the birth of the French Republic as the first day of the year (22 September 1792). The calendar’s existence was short-lived and was abolished on 1 January 1806.
What are the main elements of the Enlightenment that influence thought today?
During the period of the Enlightenment, scientific advancements contributed more to a worldview based on reason and empirical evidence. In response to discovering snippets of how the material world is put together, certain individuals somehow took this as evidence to dis-prove God, or the very existence of God. Not that anything they were discovering contradicted Biblical truth, although it is likely the discoveries may have challenged corrupted, secularised or superstitious (Pagan) thought that had found its way into the Catholic Church. However, the scene was set and among those who wanted to live their lives independent of God, or those who were sceptical of God, future scientific discoveries were interpreted as exalting man and de-throning God.
”Science disproves God”
Since the 19th century, this belief has been an effective tool in shutting down debate and diminishing the concept of God. It permeates education, has fostered the principal of the separation of the church and state (of which the state is increasingly reluctant to maintain their side of the bargain, especially in the area of sexual identity) and has caused doubt about factual Biblical truth. The thinking goes, if scientific facts disprove the Bible or God, we need to live our lives according to our interpretation of right and wrong. Or as a compromise, live as pseudo-Christians holding Christian truth at arm’s length possibly accompanied by occasional visits to a church at Easter and Christmas. Jesus becomes merely one of many “good” religious figures and Biblical truth has to adapt to the wants of a “modern” society. Sadly, this is the state of play for much of the established church in the West. We read in the Gospels that above all other people groupings He encountered, Jesus had the biggest issues with these types. As per the other patterns discussed on this website, this pseudo-Christian phenomenon is one that ebbs and flows over time.
Enlightenment science and rational thought under attack
Prior to the more recent arrival of New Marxism and its guises (multiculturalism, political correctness, race & gender identities…) along with openness to Pagan concepts, an individual could have simply stated, “I believe in science” as a one-line rebuff when confronted with a conversation about God. Assumed in the statement was such a confidence that science has so utterly disproved God, simply stating allegiance to science would be sufficient to shut down a conversation. Note that in other parts of the world outside of the West, this was not the case. A belief in God (or a deity) and the accompanying spiritual world pervaded over scientific rationale. Note that at What in the World is Going On we state that true, unfiltered science and Biblical truth are in agreement. Compromise by either party is not required.
However, what is amazing to behold is that scientific rationale is being now challenged head-on by competing ideologies arising in the West. It is difficult to precisely pinpoint when this commenced but we can say that in the past decade this attack has shown exponential momentum. Take for example the Marxist inspired belief that maths is a colonial construct and that is has been used oppressively in a racial context. Or that factual biological sex has to step aside to make way for gender self-identification, i.e. the sexual identity of a person is determined by the sex of what the individual “says” he or she is. This characterisation is not limited to abstract, esoteric debates but is seeking t be enshrined in law; in our health and education systems for example. Furthermore, as Western states seek to propagate their new secular values and increase their reach into the lives of families and individuals, science has become politicised. This means that fact and reason are permitted only if they do not challenge a state-approved agenda. Many eminent scientists have been cancelled in recent years for daring to discuss factual information in the public domain that may cause the discrediting of an agenda. This goes against the very fundamentals of science that must have observation and critique for the purposes of testing so that factual truth can be built upon and advanced. States are in effect strangling the very nature of good science.
Is science and rational thought wrong?
No. The great irony here is that in the Christian tradition, the pursuit of science and rational thought are considered healthy human traits, worthy of exploitation for the benefit of humankind and for the simple joy of discovery. The use of rational argument itself is inextricably linked to the commandment not to give false testimony and to establish every matter on the evidence of 2 or 3 witness – i.e., to hunt out the truth. Truth is absolute. Professor Graeme Leach, influential British Chief Economist, argues that the Protestant Reformation is the single greatest influencing factor that gave birth to the industrial revolution. The concept that we are a part of creation to whom authority has been delegated, and that there is a divine order in the material world for us to discover and derive benefit from has caused science to explode. This has in turn fuelled a vital ingredient for our advanced economies – innovation.
So, we applaud the use of science and rational thought. What we disagree with is the notion that increases in scientific knowledge should somehow contradict God or elevate mankind to the prideful position of having no need of Him.
The rejection of (good) science today – root causes?
Although it is highly unlikely there will be an outright rejection of science in the years ahead, the replacement of good science with pseudo-science or politicised science for the sake of the agenda is likely to become more entrenched. The root cause is our rejection of God and our continuing on the moral downward spiral. In abandoning the wisdom of God, foolishness has taken a foothold. How ever did we arrive at the juncture, “maths is racist”?
Pursuit of Material and Financial Gain
At What in the World is Going On we want strong economies and we want individuals and nations to prosper. Why? Because this is God’s intention for mankind. To help us along, the Bible outlines numerous principles for us to abide by for the delivery of financial prosperity. Individual property rights, hard work, trust and integrity in our business dealings, limiting taxes and debt, putting God first above our financial pursuits and living for Him.
“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth”
Deuteronomy 8:18
with another god – the god of Mammon. The term Mammon has its origins in Semitic cultures and is descriptive of the embodiment of a lustful pursuit of materialism and greed. In pursuit of material gain, Mammon is worshiped rather than God Himself from whom comes true prosperity without the associated headaches.
The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it
Proverbs 10:22
Jesus made it explicitly clear in the Sermon on the Mount that,
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24
When serving Mammon, we will inadvertently displace God’s guidelines and find ourselves sliding down the helter-skelter of the moral decay spiral. Remember, the spiral starts with a conscious rejection of God’s commands or of God Himself.
It’s the economy, stupid
James Carville
“It’s the economy, stupid” said James Carville, one of Bill Clinton’s strategists during the 1992 US presidential campaign. This popularised strapline is regurgitated by all governments in the West. Election campaigns are all fought off the back of promising material gain or the safeguarding of that gain. We don’t need to explain further for us to conclude it is major influencer in today’s thought. Decisions within all components of society (individuals, businesses, organisations etc), rightly or wrongly, are made with material gain in mind. Biblical teaching supports wealth creation and strong economies but the issue is when this pursuit displaces God.
Marxism / 1960s Political Correctness
The term “political correctness” has its origins in the mid-20th century. Its usage can be traced back to the early Marxist-Leninist movement, where it was used to describe the party line that was deemed politically correct, i.e. in line with the official ideology of the communist party.
The concept evolved over time and took on a different meaning in Western societies, particularly in the United States. In the 1970s and 1980s, the term began to be used to describe a set of ideas and language practices that aimed to promote inclusiveness and avoid offending particular social groups, such as racial and ethnic minorities. Proponents argued that using language that was more sensitive to these groups and would in turn contribute to a more just and equitable society.
As per classic Marxism, political correctness has found opportunity to evolve and increase its scope. Since the 2000s political correctness has also prescribed language to avoid offence around all manner of race, equity, gender and LGBT sensitivities.
Sadly, given that there are an increasing number of minority activist groups, actively seeking to transform our institutions, it is perhaps not surprising that many organisations use political correctness as their chief weapon. In the UK, those under the sway of political correctness include the National Health Service, the police force, all tiers of education, charities, local and central government, established church denominations etc. The pattern is similar in other Western societies.
Characteristics of political correctness
Similar to classic Marxism, there is an air of self-righteousness and enlightenment in those who have embraced the dogma. This superiority can then lead to aggressive proselytising and attempts put the doctrines of political correctness into law to force adoption and coercion. Despite the general population being able to see-through the vanities of political correctness, advocates have been able to aggressively push for change at the state level (central, local, education, healthcare). This would not have happened if the same population had instead openly confronted the bullying.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
and
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.
Edmund Burke, Anglo-Irish statemen and philosopher
So, we have a situation where vocal minorities are able to undemocratically push for legislation and get their just desires. Note that this never ends the “fight” as deeper grievances will be found the next day. A state of perpetual grievance must be maintained.
This Marxist expression is true to its totalitarian root nature in that not only action needs to be policed, but speech and thought also. The similarities with the narrative in George Orwell’s, ”1984” are many. Uptake at the state level has been swift in recent years to the extent that well-meaning, dedicated schoolteachers can lose their job if they fall fowl of politically correct doctrine by, for example, “mis-gendering” a young child, even if only accidentally. All sense of rational proportion can be thrown out of the window for a single offence in order to bow down and pay homage to the god of political correctness.
Further consequences of political correctness
Restriction of Free Speech:
Political correctness frequently leads to self-censorship as individuals fear repercussions for expressing opinions that are not in line with prevailing political correctness standards. When in environments where reprisal could ensue (e.g. the media world, higher education, large corporates) this puts a limitation on free speech.
Stifling of Honest Dialogue:
Concerns have been raised that an excessive focus on political correctness might hinder open and honest dialogue. When people are afraid to express their thoughts or engage in challenging discussions, it can impede the free exchange of ideas and real solutions to problems. A classic example of this is the shutting down of any debate that challenges LGBT+ ideology.
Selective Application:
Political correctness is seldom applied uniformly. Commonly, there are inconsistencies in which groups or issues are prioritised, leading to perceptions of bias or favouritism. In law enforcement, offences of aggrieved racial groups may be let off more favourably e.g. hate-filled demonstrations by Hamas sympathisers. In education, applications for enrolment in a degree course or a job are influenced. In the corporate world, decisions can favour race & gender over merit. In keeping with the historical Marxist experience of self-contradiction, unfairness, not fairness is delivered to the majority.
Multiculturalism
Firstly, let us make the distinction between the material facts of multicultural societies, and the ideology of multiculturalism that was intentionally developed thereafter. The material facts of multicultural societies being those related to immigration, diverse languages, races, cuisine, clothing etc. We have nothing against this. The closing chapters of the Bible refer to multitudes gathered together in heaven as a united entity that are comprised of every nation and every tribe. It is therefore in the Christian narrative that all peoples united together for eternity, is a destiny we are headed to.
Instead, we wish to identify and discuss multiculturalism as an ideology that emerged in the 1960s & 1970s with the aim of promoting inclusivity of various cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups within a society. Like political correctness, Multiculturalism was developed and propagated in academic circles and the Marxist-leaning political left.
There are many tenants of Multiculturalism that are to be rightly supported e.g., equal rights for all, inclusivity in all aspects of society, including education and employment. We do not seek to argue against this. This approach was heralded to the wider world by the Christian message 2000 years ago. However, the main negative is that cultural relativism is thrown into the mix. Cultural relativism is a value that when pushed to extremes, ultimately states there is no universal right or wrong. Next door to this is the concept of cultural pluralism whereby attempts to influence the minority culture with the dominant (host) culture is frowned upon. When left unchallenged, the net result is a deconstruction of the host’s culture with a militant persecution of anyone who dares to voice cultural right and wrong. Since of the successes of the West are built largely upon Christian truths, these truths must be silenced whilst the voices of all in opposition must be amplified. The foundations of national pride and identity become compromised which enables further erosion of values that have served us well. Numerous issues also arise such as localised breakdowns in social cohesion, especially from immigrant groups who have no desire to integrate. However, the main threat we see from Multiculturalism is the permit awarded to do away with an absolute right and wrong. As per the fruits of the Babel experiment, confusion results.
The Return of Paganism
We are discussing the origins of today’s thought. In our Insights, we have listed examples of modern-day beliefs and practices, embodied in the public sector, media & entertainment, large corporates etc. that in some cases almost perfectly mirror their ancient roots from thousands of years ago. This is because Paganism or rather Pagan thought, has re-gained a foothold. This didn’t necessarily arise from conscious debate and intention, but by spiritual stealth. For example, the ritual month-long celebration in the month of June celebrating homosexuality and trans-ideologies adhered to by the ancient followers of the goddess of love (Aphrodite, Isthar, and its other regional incarnations) has not been intentionally pursued by the many governmental organisations. It’s unlikely that these organisations initially set out to promote a month-long celebration in the month of June. Instead, what happened over time is that healthy sexual boundaries and identities were progressively questioned with increasing momentum, and this opened the door for spiritual forces to come in and influence (possess) both individuals and nations. Our denial of God’s laws on the matter gave opportunity for ancient deities to re-gain a foothold from the dark sidelines into the mainstream modern era.
The prospect of state-sponsored Pagan belief would have been considered highly implausible by Western society, even just 20 years ago. The pace at which the West is descending from its relative position of strength (truth and rationale) is remarkable. The mechanism by which spiritual entities gain a foothold in society can only be explained by considering spiritual laws and process detailed in the Bible. Admittedly, such knowledge and matters are far removed from the knowledge of the majority. We will not attempt to detail this process here but have included it in our Insight, “The Re-packaging of Ancient Paganism for a Modern World”.
In conclusion, irrespective of how Paganism re-entered our society, Pagan beliefs are now a mainstream player in today’s thoughts. They shape what is being taught to our children, what beliefs our employers expect us to exhibit in the workplace, what governments advise us to say and think, how national health services can ignore scientific fact and how the Police enforce the law.
Why Does so Much of Today’s Thought Seek to de-Christianise the West?
he concept of secular thought wherever manifested being free of any particular set of values is a fallacy. Values have to exist. The concept of secular thought being free of worship (or giving worth-to) a particular ideology is a fallacy. In communist Russia, any concept of a creator God was banished by law and the Party assumed the role of God in that it must be always honoured. In 1930s/1940s Germany, National Socialism embraced aspects of pagan thought and Hitler became idolised almost as a supreme figure. In the modern West, the gods of IDE must be revered, and their commandments are written in our statute books. If we do not bow down to worship, our livelihoods are at stake. Given that we are created beings, made to give honour (worship) to God and to be aligned with him means that we always will have a hole that will attempt to fill itself with other values and beliefs if we break away in our independence.
When we rebel against God, competing values and beliefs of a quasi-religious nature take up residence in that hole. This happens whether we are conscious or intentional of the substitutions we make or not. Consider trying to build a garden swimming pool in soil without a retaining wall. When the pool is excavated, even though the pool is filled with clean water, the surrounding dirty water contained naturally within the soil will permeate into the clean water. So to prevent this, the engineer must build a non-permeable encasement for the pool to stop the dirty water taking up residence. Given that we live in a fallen world full of ideologies and religions wanting to displace God’s truth, we need His truth as an encasement to keep out non-truths and half-truths. According to Biblical truths and the historical record, wilfully deciding to take a wrecking ball to the encasement never ends well.
Timeless insight from the ancient world – “Let us break Their bonds in pieces”
The Psalmist acutely sums up the objectives of this wrecking ball process when manifested at a national level.
2 Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
Psalm 2: 2-3
Note verse 3 is key here. The “bonds” as described by those who rebel symbolise the commands that God wants us to live by. These commands fit perfectly into the laws of the spiritual universe that we live in. By obeying these commands, we live in harmony with God and the spiritual universe. The end result is blessing upon those who live by these commands. To help us understand how this works, we can consider the parallels in the natural, or physical universe. As an example, the law of gravity is one of the laws of the natural universe. For our personal benefit, a relevant command paired with that law would be, “don’t jump off a tall building”. We can choose to ignore this, but we would face an immediate consequence. For both spiritual laws and natural laws, the consequences can be immediate or, they can take a while to play out (days, months, years, decades). Nonetheless, the consequences will still manifest at some point.
In this Psalm, the Psalmist is prophesying about a specific future global state in which many nations have chosen to align themselves (the rulers take counsel together) to take a stand against God. The New International Version of verse 2 uses the word, “conspire” instead of “rage”. The message is that nations, heads of states, governments etc. intentionally conspire together. Following this rebellious stand, God’s rule on earth is established (refer to the later verses in the Psalm). Whether we are at this specific point in the timeline remains to be seen. But, as with much of Biblical prophecy, the underlying principles repeat multiple times over history and yet still have an ultimate culmination or fulfilment. There is a duality of fulfilment. The national rebellion that occurred in the founding of the tower of Babel and the subsequent judgement is an example of this. The rebellion during the time of Noah resulting in widespread sexual and physical violence prior to the Great Flood would be another example.
Either way, the nations referred to consider His laws (bonds) to be laborious, errant in some way and therefore need to be, “cast off”. So, the objective of the rebellious nations is to cast away, or to do away with God’s laws. This is exactly what we are seeing today in the West at every level of government – local, national and intranational. Rest assured, every minute detail is noted by God and will be subject to judgement. God never renegades on His promises to bring justice. Our mission at What in the World is Going On in part is to bring awareness of the current agenda pursued by our national governments. What is really going on is hidden from the majority of people especially as it adheres to the “slowly-slowly-eroding-God-process” over time as per what the ancient dictator Nimrod pioneered with the Babel project. If we can haul this sinister agenda out into the light there is hope that we can perform a U-turn and at least save ourselves, hopefully even Western civilisation as well. There are many examples in history to prove this is possible. We fervently ask you to have moral backbone and to play your part in this.