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A.C.Grayling is one of London\u2019s chattering class who espouse a shallow secularism and dress it up as philosophy. I commented on his most recent outing the other day.<\/span><\/div>\n

Carl Olson at Ignatius Insight has engaged with Grayling\u2019s thought, and written an excellent counter argument<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take time to read this. Carl\u2019s work is thorough, modest, incisive and well written. His article shows why secular atheism\u2013rather than being on the ascendent\u2013is a weary, shallow and ageing creed.<\/p>\n

I am not particularly troubled by these graying academics like Dawkins, Grayling and Pullman. What worries me is their offspring. You see, most of these ageing humanist academics have actually been educated within a predominantly Christian culture. What tolerance, urbanity, wit and learning they have is their inheritance from a world view they try to reject.<\/p>\n

They have been nurtured within a Christian culture and have benefited from it\u2013even though they deny it. To see if their philosophy is valid we should look at what it has produced. Has forty years of secular, humanistic education produced a generation of enlightened, selfless, ascendent human beings? Has secular, humanistic education produced leaders in the arts and sciences and humanities? Have they produced a culture that values life, love, learning and all the noble aspirations of humanity? Have they produced a breed of ladies and gentlemen who aspire to higher things and exist together in a society of manners, wit, courtesy and nobility?<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t look that way. Instead I see a culture that kills unborn children, treats the sexual act as animal recreation, obliterates marriage and despises the family. I see a greedy, materialstic and empty culture brewing with rage. The young academics I meet are not urbane secular humanists. They are either hedonistic brutes or nihilistic, self centered pessimists. The other young people I meet are stoned out of their heads, rolling in their alcoholism and despair and committing suicide in record numbers.<\/p>\n

This stark choice is nothing new. In the ancient pagan world there were two basic responses to the fact of death: Stoicism and Epicureanism. One said, \u201cWe\u2019re going to die. Hang in there and do something noble (whatever that means) with what little time you have. The other said, \u201cWe\u2019re going to die. Let\u2019s have a party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christianity came along and said, \u201cCheer up. There\u2019s some good news. Death has died. We\u2019re going to live forever. Let\u2019s claim this reality by doing something noble, then let\u2019s have a party.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"