America's Decline into Paganism | John Daniel Davidson of The Federalist
Mar 28, 2024
auto_awesome
Writer and journalist John Daniel Davidson discusses America's descent into paganism, the absence of truth leading to a power-focused society, and how Christians should navigate the pagan political landscape. They explore historical clashes between Christianity and paganism, the brutality of ancient Roman aristocrats, the allure of pagan beliefs, the implications of relativism, and the shift from Christian values to pagan power dynamics in American society.
America's decline into paganism involves a rejection of absolute truth and a culture of permissiveness.
Liberalism's attempt to create neutral spaces is challenged by power struggles, leading to a focus on individual power.
Pagan societies historically exhibit structures of power differentials, brutality, and coercion.
Acceptance of practices like abortion parallels historical pagan rituals of atrocity and power dynamics.
Deep dives
Decline of Christianity and Rise of Paganism
The podcast discusses how historically and currently, the alternative to Christianity is seen as paganism. The idea that a post-Christian future will be a secular, libertarian utopia is challenged. Instead, the future is depicted as a clash between Christianity and paganism, with pagan entities being perceived as real and continuing to influence societies.
Pagan Societal Structures
Paganism is described as imposing societal structures characterized by power differentials, brutality, and violence. The podcast emphasizes how advanced pagan societies exhibit uniform forms of slave empires, highlighting the ruling elite's dominion over underclasses, revealing a consistent pattern across various historical and geographical contexts.
Atrocity, Humiliation, and Power
The podcast delves into the relationship between atrocity, humiliation, and power within pagan rituals, particularly in sacrificial practices. It explores how committing atrocities together creates cohesion among groups, serving as a bridge to break moral boundaries and bind participants in a cycle of power and control.
Transformation of Atrocities
The discussion extends to the transformation of atrocities in societies, specifically evident in practices like human sacrifice and infant rituals. The inversion of natural inclinations, such as the parent-child bond, is depicted as essential to enforce power dynamics and challenge the natural moral law, shaping distorted perceptions and rituals within pagan worldviews.
Replacing Christian virtues with public benefits
Arguing that the modern acceptance of abortion is akin to child sacrifice, where tangible benefits are offered in exchange for the sacrifice. This is exemplified by Michelle Williams' Golden Globe speech linking her career success with having an abortion, highlighting how the societal structure rewards such actions.
Challenges to dissent and ideological absolutism
Discussing how dissent against practices like abortion and transgender beliefs is met with aggression as they challenge societal structures. Drawing parallels to historical instances like the Roman Empire's intolerance towards Christians, showing how challenging prevailing ideologies incites irrational rage and often leads to aggressive reactions against dissent.
Transformation of American society and Christian influence
Highlighting the shift from a Christian-founded American society to a post-Christian era where morality and religion are separated. This transformation is attributed to historical events like World War II and the evolving cultural landscape. Emphasizing the necessity for Christians to reclaim public spaces, institutions, and political influence to weather the storm and preserve Christian values for future generations.
America is sinking into pagan practices and beliefs. While Americans may not use the same language as the ancient pagans, John Daniel Davidson believes that the central pagan creed is present: there is no truth, everything is permitted. Liberalism had attempted to create neutral spaces, but as those spaces become more fought over, the only rationale can be one's own power. Dr. Andrew Willard Jones and John Daniel Davidson discuss the roots of a pagan worldview, the extent to which America is pagan, and how Christians should approach the pagan political order.
