Weigel writes about the two competing views of Europe. One is a weak-kneed postmodern conglomeration of diverse local narratives (with nothing to unify them). The other vision, articulated by Pope Benedict, suggests that Europe, to be anything, must recover its identity through an openness to the rich heritage of her tradition, both Biblical and “also the classical, the medieval, and the modern, the matrix from which the great philosophical, literary, cultural, and social masterpieces of Europe were born.”
On the gay marriage front: There are many who dismiss the argument that the legal acceptance of gay marriage will result in limitations on religious liberty. But we are seeing the future in Britain, where a Christian couple was refused foster adoption of a child because the think homosexuality is a sin. Francis Beckwith comments here.
The animosity in Britain to religion would be startling were it not such old news. At the CS Lewis lecture last night, I was reminded about a Virginai Woolf comment about TS Eliot after his conversion:
“I have had a most shameful and distressing interview with dear Tom Eliot, who may be caleld dead to us all from this day forward. He has become an Anglo-Catholic believer in God and immortality, and goes to church. I was shocked. A corpse would seem to me more credible than he is. I mean, there’s something obscene in a living person sitting by the fire and believing in God.” (2.11.1928).
This is essentially the new atheist mantra too – that there is no greater sin against reasonability and academic respectability than to dare to believe. It is hard to imagine being more ungracious and dogmatic than this.
On a lighter note, the physics of wet dog shaking are getting sorted out, and apparently helping us create better washing machines.
