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The Decline of Western Civilization: As Seen in its Ethical Decadence

Bassam Michael Madany

22 July 2021

The subject of the Decline of the West goes back to the early years of the twentieth century. For example, the German historian Oswald Spengler (1880 – 1936) predicted in his book, “The Decline of the West” (1918 & 1922) that about the year 2000, Western Civilization would enter a period of decline. His view impacted the works of Arnold Toynbee and Samuel P. Huntington.

In 1954, C. S. Lewis delivered his Inaugural Lecture from the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, “De Descriptione Temporum” where he dealt with the Decline of the Westⁱ. The following are excerpts: 

“The christening of Europe seemed to all our ancestors, whether they welcomed it themselves as Christians, or, like Gibbon, deplored it as humanistic unbelievers, a unique, irreversible event. But we have seen the opposite process. Of course, the un-christening of Europe in our time is not quite complete; neither was her christening in the Dark Ages. But roughly speaking we may say that whereas all history was for our ancestors divided into two periods, the pre-Christian and the Christian, and two only, for us it falls into three, the pre-Christian, the Christian, and what may reasonably be called the post-Christian. This surely must make a momentous difference. I am not here considering either the christening or the un-christening from a theological point of view. I am considering them simply as cultural changes. When I do that, it appears to me that the second change is even more radical than the first. Christians and Pagans had much more in common with each other, than with a post-Christian. The gap between those who worship different gods is not so wide as that between those who worship and those who do not.”

An acceleration of the Decline began in the early years of the Third Millennium. On 16 July 2021, The Wall Street Journal published an essay with the title: “Is Pope Francis Leading the Church to a Schism?” It began with this observation: “Disagreements over same-sex relationships and the role of women are heightening tensions among Catholics worldwide.” The following excerpts reveal the depth of the crisis.

“German Catholics have been meeting since last year to consider major changes to church life, including the blessing of same-sex relationships and the ordination of women. Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne, leader of the conservative minority of German bishops, has warned that the process could lead to a schism and even ‘a German national church.’ His warnings have been echoed by cardinals and bishops in other countries. ‘Please join me in praying for the universal Church and the bishops in Germany, that they step back from this radical rupture,’ Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco said in May. Cardinal Philippe Ouédraogo of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, urged African Christians in an Easter sermon this year to ‘rebel against the imperialism of certain lobbies and associations which advocate and want to impose same-sex marriage, socio-sexual debauchery [and] divorce.ⁱⁱ’

From across the Atlantic, Mireille Vallette, a Swiss human rights activist, wrote on her blog, “Le grand mensonge sur la loi Orban et l’idéologie LGBT” (The Big Lie about the Orban law and LGBT ideology) on 17 July 2021. Here are excerpts that reveal the gravity of the ethical revolution not only in Switzerland, but throughout the Western worldⁱⁱⁱ.

“The new doctrine closes any possibility of debate and would plunge society into innumerable delusions. Resistance movements are emerging, as took place at a conference where we got a clear idea about the slogan, ‘Satisfying the Desire of Children’, according to the LGBT worldview.

“Imagine such far-fetched questions and answers, that had never entered into the mind of citizens, which are promoted nowadays by radical lobbies and governmental institutions:

“Are you in favor of the propaganda intended to convince your children that their biological sex is irrelevant, and that they can choose from all kinds of identities: being lesbian, gay, queer, trans, non-binary, etc.?” 

“Do you agree an education that allows your little Cécile to call herself Arthur at school, and that school authorities must respect her new identity? 

Here are some answers that may utterly shock you: 

The media: "Yes, we are enthusiastically engaged in this just campaign almost every day." 

Schools: "Yes, we have already established a protocol to best meet the wishes of the children." 

The Canton of Vaud: "Of course, we have already hired a senior civil servant responsible for disseminating this new vision in places of education." 

The Political Parties: "Yes, of course ..." But not the UDC .” 

How about the parents? “We must absolutely avoid telling them what is being taught, as they could protest and be outraged! They must be left in the dark at all costs.” 

Another question: - "Are you proud to be a heterosexual?" 

The Media: “This question is a blasphemy! Only the other ‘Prides’ should celebrate. 

“To be straight is to be a partisan of patriarchy, no to this heresy!" 

“Every day we are assaulted by such claims that to affirm that only children born to a father and a mother is normal, discriminates against the LGBT people. They demand surrogacy for buying a child; also, that surgical gender reassignment should be generalized to everyone desiring it. If you do not agree, you are homophobic and condemned to social lynching. “The LGBTetc^v want to be able to sexualize, even “homosexualize” students in complete freedom, with the consent of the state and under the pretext of eradicating the mechanisms of domination and oppression. Totalitarian society is booming.”

Ms. Mireille Vallette’s article brought to mind the last stanza of “The Recessional,” a poem by Rudyard Kipling published in connection with Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1897. “The poem went against the celebratory mood of the time, providing instead a reminder of the transient nature of British Imperial power. The poem expresses both pride and also an underlying sadness that the Empire might go the way of all previous empires.^vi ”

For heathen heart that puts her trust
  In reeking tube and iron shard,
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
  And, guarding, calls not Thee to guard;
For frantic boast and foolish word—
Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!

_____________________________________________________________________

ⁱ De Descriptione Temporum, Inaugural Lecture from The Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, 1954 By C. S. Lewis, From They Asked For A Paper London, Geoffrey Bles, 1962, PP. 9-25

ⁱⁱIs Pope Francis Leading the Church to a Schism? - WSJ 

ⁱⁱⁱLe grand mensonge sur la loi Orban et l’idéologie LGBT  - Boulevard de l'islamisme (tdg.ch)

^ivUDC pursues conservative social and economic policies, including lower taxes and reduced spending, as well as the protection of Swiss agriculture and industry. The party has also opposed Swiss membership in international bodies such as the United Nations (which Switzerland joined in 2002) and the European Union. Although its support was originally concentrated in rural Switzerland, it now enjoys considerable success in urban areas. It has also been strong historically with German-speaking Swiss citizens. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Swiss-Peoples-Party
 
^vLGBTetc. is the French equivalent of LGBT+

^vi  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recessional_(poem)

Postscript Ms. Vallette referred in her article to “The Big Lie about the Orban Law and LGBT ideology” The following is a brief explanation of “The Orban Law”.
“Prime minister Viktor Orbán became the target of extreme outrage at home and throughout the EU after the Fidesz-dominated Parliament enacted anti-LGBTQ legislation that banned content that was ‘deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change’ in school sex-education programs and media aimed at those under age 18. The law passed by a 157–1 margin, with the bulk of the opposition parties boycotting the vote. At an EU summit about a week after the vote, Orbán stood firmly by the law despite being excoriated by other national leaders.”
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Orban