Name: The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity
SKU: 9781641770927
Price: 12.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

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

£12.99

MAHONEY, DANIEL

Product Details

ISBN: 9781641770927

Author: MAHONEY, DANIEL

Pages: 186

This book is a learned essay situated at the intersection of politics, philosophy, and religion. It offers a diagnosis and critique of the secular religion of our time: humanitarianism, or the “religion of humanity.”

Key Themes and Arguments:

Humanitarianism's Impact on Christianity:
The book argues that the humanitarian impulse, which regards modern man as the measure of all things, has begun to corrupt Christianity. This corruption manifests as an excessive focus on:
- “Social justice”
- Radical political change
- An increasingly fanatical egalitarianism
As a result, Christianity loses its transcendental reference points and undermines balanced political judgment.
Confusions of Humanitarianism:
Humanitarians, whether secular or religious, tend to:
- Confuse peace with pacifism
- Equate equitable social arrangements with socialism
- Replace moral judgment with utopianism and sentimentality

Insights from Notable Thinkers:

The book draws its inspiration from a series of profound thinkers—Orestes Brownson, Aurel Kolnai, Vladimir Soloviev, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. These individuals, while being men of peace, rejected:

Ideological pacifism
The conflation of Christianity with unthinking sentimentality

Critical Analysis of Contemporary Christianity:

With a foreword by the distinguished political philosopher Pierre Manent, the book aligns with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's affirmation that Christianity cannot be reduced to a “humanitarian moral message.”

Through a pungent yet respectful analysis, the author critiques Pope Francis, highlighting how his approach increasingly confuses the Gospel with:

Left-wing humanitarianism
Egalitarianism that owes little to classical or Christian wisdom

Conclusion: A Humanizing Alternative

The book concludes by affirming the power of reason, informed by revealed faith, to provide a humanizing alternative to:

Utopian illusions
Nihilistic despair

This thought-provoking essay is essential reading for anyone interested in the interplay between faith, politics, and the challenges of modern humanitarian ideologies.

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