The West is Proving to be an Empty Facade

Why the West Cannot Withstand Islam

The edifice of the West—Western Europe in particular—is crumbling before Islam. It has no basis from which to resist or overcome the challenges of this particular religion. (We speak here of the post-Christian West, the Athenian West.)

It is highly illustrative to observe the flailings and the thrashings, the bendings and the swayings as modern avante guard Athens tries to cope with the challenges put to it by Islam—only to wilt in helpless self-abnegation. (A recent piece in The Economist [here] surveyed some of the tumult of the clash of these two civilisations in Europe, currently on display) Why is Athens so anemic in the face of the Islamic challenge?

There are a cluster of reasons. The most important of these, however, is the particular religion of the West itself, and the pillars of civilisation upon which the West is built. The first pillar is the modern Athenian philosophy of organised, institutional religion. The dominant religion-philosophy of Athens at the moment is secular materialism: that is, all that is real is material; matter is all that there is. Therefore, it follows that all religions which believe in a “higher power”, a life force, a being or cluster of intelligent non-material beings—anything beyond the secular materialistic realm—are to Athenian eyes mistaken and foolish. At best, reasons Athens, such religions may be of some psychological benefit in that they bring meaning and comfort to the devotee. But they have no basis in reality: therefore, implicit in the Athenian attitude towards all religions apart from its own secular material religion is condescending pity. “If it helps the ignorant, let them do it.” But Athens itself will acknowledge no god, apart from its own secular materialism.

A corollary of this belief-landscape is that apart from secular materialism, all other religions in Athens have meaning and relevance only to the private, mental, inner, personal and psychological spheres. The false religions cannot be allowed to have any authoritative influence upon public discourse or the public square: town planning, schools, law courts, politics and parliaments, family relationships, commerce, and so forth. All other religions, being untrue, cannot be allowed to have any authoritative influence over anything other than one's private life. Only secular humanism can be tolerated in the non-private sphere.

A second pillar is the Athenian elevation of human rights to the de facto constitution of society. This pillar is, of course, an outworking of secular materialism: if the material realm is all that there is, and if man is the highest being we know, it follows that man has a fundamental right to do what a man wants to do. It is one of the most basic duties of society to ensure that people, both as natural and legal persons, have the right (and resources) to do what they wish to do—to the maximum extent possible, without traducing or violating other people's equal rights.

Now, it is exceedingly dangerous to erect a monolithic high rise building upon two pillars. Yet, this is what Athens has done. It is a huge edifice built upon foundations which cannot withstand the smallest shock. And in our generation, Islam is the small shock.

Why Islam? Why not some other religion? Why not the Christian faith? Once again there are a number of reasons.

The first is that in its own way, Islam represents a version of the secular materialist religion of Athens. “Islam” as we all know means submission; the “peace” of Islam is the peace that comes from submission and conformity to the dictates and teachings of Islam. Conformity is fundamentally external and outward. It is institutional and societal. This is why in traditionally Islamic societies there is ordinarily a large discrepancy between public behaviour and private behaviour. Islam confronts Athens head on because it insists on controlling the public sphere. It can only exist successfully in institutionalised forms: it will control marriage, schools, diet, the calendar, public worship, the law courts, dress—everything. If it controls the externals, it believes it has controlled the heart of man.

The second reason why Athens is crumbling in the face of Islam is that even while Islam—where it has opportunity—confronts the Athenian secularist “control of the public sphere” principle head on with its own version of materialism, it also leans for its strength on the second pillar of Athenian civilisation. It effectively leverages off Athenian doctrines of secular human rights. Like Samson in Dagon's temple, Islam puts its back against the pillar of human rights, as it pushes with outstretched legs against the Athenian version of materialism, and effectively tears the whole structure down.

The Islamic cry is, “We have a right to be or do 'x'!” Athens knows that it cannot resist such cries without, at the same time, self-distructing. So, Athens crumbles before Islamic pressure. It is unable to withstand the challenge, without destroying its own foundations. Consequently, all over Europe and the United Kingdom, institutions, suburbs, communities, and politicians are capitulating. In the face of Islam, Athenian society, culture, and religion is a paper tiger.

A third supporting cause is geo-political reality. In Athenian societies, when Christians have sought to claim the public sphere they have been opposed and resisted. Some have been imprisoned. Others have had their children removed from them. Still others have been fined. Courts have ruled against them. Athens has largely successfully resisted Christian attempts to claim the public sphere. But not Islam. Why?

The reason that the West has not resisted so energetically against Islam is due to vast reserves of oil and capital being controlled by Islamic countries. The West desperately needs both. It is also due in part to fear of being subject to terrorist attacks. The West is basically afraid to stir the hornets' nest. Therefore, discretion is the better part of valour.

But there is another reason why Islam is confronting Athens so aggressively and winning, whereas Jerusalem is not. Both Islam and Christianity believe in the ultimate world domination of their respective faiths. But Islamic domination is materialistic and outward only. Islam is satisfied with conversion by the sword, by force, by compulsion. Islam is satisfied with external conformity.

Christianity, alone, is the faith of the one true Living God. Because He created all things, both material and immaterial, all realms, all reality must serve and worship Him. Therefore, the Christian gospel both proclaims and calls for a radical change of heart of individuals, of being born again, of becoming a new creation. This means that Jerusalem's confrontation with Athens in the public sphere is from the inside out. It seek for truth in the inner man, before, and while, looking for its reflection in the public sphere.

As Islam confronts, corrodes, and tears Athens down, Jerusalem goes quietly about its God-given business. It is not in a hurry. Nor need it hector, demand, blackmail, threaten, intimidate, bully, or cower Unbelief. Jerusalem knows that the earth will inevitably be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. God has declared it will be so. The world-wide Spirit wrought conversion of the nations is, therefore, inevitable through the preaching of the Gospel and the instruction in Christ's commands. It focuses upon the inner man as the key to the outer man; the heart as the key to the public sphere; conversion before conformity.

Because God's covenant is not just with individuals, but the individuals and their children, and because the family is the building block of human society, Jerusalem knows that the conversion of individual hearts means Christian households and families, which will eventually become Christian civilisations. The doom of Athens and Islam is sure: the die is cast in the counsels of God.

Meanwhile as the idolatries of Athens and Islam war between themselves they are unwittingly preparing themselves for the coming of the Gospel of Christ. Athenian idols, gods, culture, and civilisation—once the vaunting pride of the West—is increasingly shown to be a sham hollow man. When the idols in which people put their hope lie shattered at their feet, humbled people will listen to the call of the True and Living God.

Throughout Islam, even as it bullies and threatens, kills and intimidates, there is a growing groundswell of disgust, horror and doubt amongst many in Islamic lands—coupled with a longing for true peace and truth in the inner man. The conditions for an prodigious Gospel harvest may well be appearing.