Rome kicks butt in Europe, says ex-RC atheist.
What other religion is taking on calmly, intelligently and courageously the scourge of militant secularism afflicting modern Europe?
asks Ruth Dudley Edwards, who “abandoned” Catholicism at 16 “and disliked [it] intensely for decades because of old grievances, but for which [she now has] respect and gratitude.”
It’s happening this way.
in England — a country where the bulk of the established church is in a moral funk — I am thrilled to see Cardinal Murphy O’Connor and his Scottish counterpart, Keith O’Brien, taking on the British secular Establishment on such huge ethical issues as abortion, stem cell research and the right of children to have fathers.
“[T]he belt of a couple of croziers” (I love it)
caused three Catholic Cabinet ministers (Des Browne, Ruth Kelly and Paul Murphy) to put their religious scruples before their ambition and force Gordon Brown to allow a free vote on contentious clauses in the abhorrent Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
Read on in this amazingly sprightly account of Catholics actually in there pitching on moral issues, and as yourself on what meat these British Catholics feed that they should be so great at holding the line.
And get this breath of fresh air from the tight little isle:
As a nation, we’ve been morally dodgy about violent nationalism, but at least, so far, we’ve been protective of the unborn. Well done, Your Holiness. Keep up the good work. The religion-friendly atheists are marching alongside, cheering you on. And those who fear that the vacuum that is rootless secularism will cause Europe to cave into violent Islamism are keeping them company.
Hip, hip hooray.
Blithe Spirit 
Rootless secularism is really selfishness with a philosophical veneer. Secular states are beneficial in that they allow all religions the opportunity to be practiced freely, but secularism is a worldview devoid of the spiritual component because it cannot be seen with one’s eyes, in a telescope or with a microscope. That leaves humans with the option of creating their own values and outlooks. Being human, those usually devolve into “whatever pleases me at the moment.”
Genuine religion always requires sacrifice of one’s wants for a larger good. Religion elevates man and helps us live in peace with one another because it gives us hope, purpose, and a reason to stifle selfishness.
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