The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity

Posted on by

This book is a learned essay at the intersection of politics, philosophy, and religion It is first and foremost a diagnosis and critique of the secular religion of our time, humanitarianism, or the religion of humanity It argues that the humanitarian impulse to regard modern man as the measure of all things has begun to corrupt Christianity itself, reducing it to an inordinate concern for social justice, radical political change, and an increasingly fanatical egalitarianism Christianity thus loses its transcendental reference points at the same time that it undermines balanced political judgment Humanitarians, secular or religious, confuse peace with pacifism, equitable social arrangements with socialism, and moral judgment with utopianism and sentimentality With a foreword by the distinguished political philosopher Pierre Manent, Mahoney s book follows Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in affirming that Christianity is in no way reducible to a humanitarian moral message In a pungent if respectful analysis, it demonstrates that Pope Francis has increasingly confused the Gospel with left wing humanitarianism and egalitarianism that owes little to classical or Christian wisdom It takes its bearings from a series of thinkers Orestes Brownson, Aurel Kolnai, Vladimir Soloviev, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who have been instructive critics of the religion of humanity These thinkers were men of peace who rejected ideological pacifism and never confused Christianity with unthinking sentimentality The book ends by affirming the power of reason, informed by revealed faith, to provide a humanizing alternative to utopian illusions and nihilistic despair. Best Read [ The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity ] By [ Daniel J. Mahoney ] – kino-fada.fr In The Idol of Our Age, Daniel Mahoney argues that since the nineteenth century our Christian moral and intellectual inheritance has been gradually and surreptitiously subverted by an immanentized, godless, and superficially humanistic secular ideology, which Mahoney, following Auguste Comte, refers to as the religion of humanity This humanitarianism has subtly but profoundly corrupted our moral and political discourse, and has even begun to parasitize the Church itself Beginning with In The Idol of Our Age, Daniel Mahoney argues that since the nineteenth century our Christian moral and intellectual inheritance has been gradually and surreptitiously subverted by an immanentized, godless, and superficially humanistic secular ideology, which Mahoney, following Auguste Comte, refers to as the religion of humanity This humanitarianism has subtly but profoundly corrupted our moral and political discourse, and has even begun to parasitize the Church itself Beginning with Auguste Comte and the positivist movement of the mid nineteenth century, the ideology of humanitarianism rejects any theistic or metaphysical foundations for social order, instead taking humanity as such as its sole point of reference Moral judgements are made not in accordance with any transcendental concepts of good and evil, but instead with vaguely defined and s...This was a good book but requires a knowledge of a great deal of background information from philosophy and theology to fully appreciate It would also be good to have a good working knowledge of the philosophy of history politics.I think the premise of the book that the religion of humanity subverts Christianity was well developed and is accurate I thought that the author did a great job of breaking down some difficult texts and passages from other works in order to give the reader an This was a good book but requires a knowledge of a great deal of background information from philosophy and theology to fully appreciate It would also be good to have a good working knowledge of the philosophy of history politics.I think the premise of the book that the religion of humanity subverts Christianity was well developed and is accurate I thought that the author did a great job of breaking down some difficult texts and passages from other works in order to give the reader an overview of those that would take a great dealtime to research and read independently He uses examples from thinkers Soloviev, Solzhenitsyn, Brownson of the past and in the current age to make his argument He writes about Auguste Comte and the positivism movement that began in the mid 19th century and its espousal...A wonderful little book on the religion of secularism humanitarianism Mahoney is a wonderful reader of Solzhenitsyn s work, and in particular, the liberal conservatism of French catholic, Manent He spares no Christian from taking the task of Christianity seriously above and against radical egalitarianism, especially when those people happen to be the pope the author is a catholic If you are sick of the way people easily conflate bland humanitarianism with the rich complexity of the A wonderful little book on the religion of secularism humanitarianism Mahoney is a wonderful reader of Solzhenitsyn s work, and in particular, the liberal conservatism of French catholic, Manent He spares no Christian from taking the task of Christianity seriously above and against radical egal...6.5 10Brilliant An excellent defense of Christianity from the religion of humanity that so pervades many corners of the church.I happened to be in London on vacation when the Brexit brouhaha was coming to a head and a million or so Brits descended on the downtown streets to denounce it It was an impressive show What s going on is an overriding we are the world sentiment The question isn t whether being in or out of the EU is economically the best thing for Britain, or even whether British sovereignty is in jeopardy The question is whether Brexit moves us closer to a borderless, globalist world The protestors I happened to be in London on vacation when the Brexit brouhaha was coming to a head and a million or so Brits descended on the downtown streets to denounce it It was an impressive show What s going o...Brilliant, deeply thoughtful, and skillfully written I don t even remember where I first heard of Mahoney s book I think it was the CRB , but I am so glad I picked this up It s a tiny little thing, but it packs such an intellectual punch, I could only do about one chapter off and on for a few weeks Although Mahoney gives a very thoughtful presentation of each of his subjects, for me the chapter on Orestes Brownson was the best Pick up this book for that chapter alone Other individuals Brilliant, deeply thoughtful, and skillfully written I don t even remember where I first heard of Mahoney s book I think it was the CRB , but I am so glad I picked this up It s a tiny little thing, but it packs such an intellectual punch, I could only do about one chapter off and on for a few weeks Although Mahoney gives a very th...First off, this book you need a lot of pre knowledge on the subject I was hoping for the introduction to the subject But that is not the reason I gave it two stars I gave two stars because he did not make his arguments well and just tells you to readsources Chapter 2 was the best.This book points you toward some interesting writers I want to investigate Orestes Brownson to read Catholic thought on American politics I want to read Soloviev s A Short Tale of the Antichrist in the context of the book in which it is a small part I want to read Solzhenitsyn s The Red Wheel Beyond recommending books frominteresting writers, this book has nothing to say The book seems marketed as a polemic against progressive politics and neoliberalism If you do not know anything This book points you toward some interesting writers I want to investigate Orestes Brownson to read Catholic thought on American politics I want to read Soloviev s A Short Tale of the Antichrist in the context of the book in which it is a small part I want to read Solzhenitsyn s The Red Wheel Beyond recommending books frominteresting writers, this book has nothing to say The book seems marketed as a polemic against progressive politics and n...This was a 3.5 readThe idea and the topic was interesting but I felt the topic could have been explored a bit deeper It almost felt incomplete leaving muchto think about The chapters on Russian literature made me want to pick up Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky again This was a 3.5 readThe idea and the topic was interesting but I felt the topic could have been explored a bit deeper It almost felt incomplete l...

The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity
  • English
  • 25 February 2019
  • Hardcover
  • 184 pages
  • 1641770163
  • Daniel J. Mahoney
  • The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity