Belloc warned that disbelief would hollow Europe out from within:
“A civilization can survive the loss of wealth, of power, even of learning; but it cannot survive the loss of its own explanation. Modern Europe still moves by the momentum of a Christian past, but it no longer understands why it moves at all. Its laws, its respect for the person, its conception of justice and duty were not discovered by reason alone, nor produced by chance. They were the result of a definite creed, long held and deeply believed. When that creed is denied, the habits it created linger for a generation or two, but they no longer renew themselves. What was once tradition becomes routine; what was conviction becomes custom; and custom, once questioned, collapses. That is the precise condition of Europe today.”
— Hilaire Belloc French-English writer (1870–1953)
Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953), a prominent British-French Catholic author and historian, viewed Islam not merely as an alien religion, but as a "heresy"—specifically, a perversion of Christian doctrine that arose in the 7th century. In his 1938 book The Great Heresies, Belloc predicted that Islam would re-emerge as a major, enduring threat to Western civilization and Christian culture, largely due to its internal strength and the weakening of faith in Europe.
“If nothing is self-evident, nothing can be proved. Similarly if nothing is obligatory for its own sake, nothing is obligatory at all.” -C.S. Lewis
No comments:
Post a Comment