Making God in the Image of Man

    Modern philosophy is not only an academic subject. It is the collection of worldviews and perspectives of people within the last century from across the globe, in all their diversity and similarity. Atheism and nondenominational Protestantism have become prevalent in the US; materialism and alternative mystical practices like Wicca have popularized in Europe; utilitarianism has come to dominate the Far East. These philosophies are the guiding force behind people’s choices and lifestyles. They are the root of the political systems of the modern world, such as European socialism; Russian, Cuban and Chinese Communism; American and Japanese capitalism; and Nazi and the Italian fascist state of Mussolini.

    The Catholic Church has endured changes in society and culture, popular religion and politics for over two millennia and it has done so by two primary actions: being the source of infallible, spiritual Truth and connection to the living God in universality, and addressing the contemporary questions and problems that arise over time. The Church continues to do these things, and will persist in it forever. At this volatile and ever-changing epoch in human history, the Church has new - and not-so-new - issues presented to it by global society to address, and it is the responsibility of the Body of Christ - lay, clergy and monastic - to provide answers to people’s troubles in the hope of guiding them to the saving grace of Christ and His Church. Thus, it is my hope to illustrate here a historical pattern in politics and philosophy I have observed that has happened and is occurring now, with the possibility of dire consequences for the future.

    Fundamentally, there are two different ways of viewing the human person, two distinct philosophical contexts in which to place him: within the creative love of God, with Him at the center - or with humanity at the center. Naturally, most religions throughout history have followed the former, recognizing Divinity even without revelation and trying to worship that Divinity by replicating its attributes in their own lives through self-giving service and humble worship. But even when religion is prevalent in a society, national leaders and prominent political parties, as well as more isolated philosophical schools and religious sects, can attempt to replace God with man at the center. By this, I do not mean these people view man as the most valuable thing in existence; actually, it is usually the opposite. Rather, I mean that they give man the authority to determine truth and goodness belonging only to God and bodies designated by Him, and thereby remove the necessity of inherent worth and purpose in humanity.

    With this humanistic worldview, truth becomes arbitrary, up to every individual to determine; the moral standard is gone, replaced by personal preference and convenience; and the value of a person is determined by the ideology of the prevailing party at the time with the power to enforce it. Within the context of God’s creative love, man has inherent value, dignity and freedom, with the purpose of fulfillment by God alone, especially within the redemptive act of Christ. Outside this, man is nothing unless determined so by himself.

    This humanistic philosophy - meaning, a worldview placing man at the center of authority - has existed throughout history and has been the root of totalitarian regimes, both those with and without religion. When this atheistic humanism grows in a society, it begins a process that will ultimately lead to totalitarian tyranny, exhibited by transitional periods of increased immorality and vice throughout the society, especially in the leadership. I wish to illustrate this pattern in societies throughout history, and to describe the effects of atheistic humanism on modern civilization and its necessary end in totalitarianism.

   

-The History



    Most civilizations began as small communities centered on a strict belief in hierarchy, duty, authority, and the idea that these things were fundamental aspects of the universe and the supernatural realm. Believing that humans have a specific structural place in the universe, it becomes our responsibility to fit into the niche appointed us, in the celestial, natural and human spheres. These groups rarely expand beyond their traditional borders unless driven by necessity, some inter-tribal strife over land or hunting grounds, or revenge for a perceived insult or violation against a tradition. Many of these peoples remain unchanged for millennia, exemplified by tribes such as the Inuit and some remaining in Africa. While some of these aboriginal tribes are peaceful, many display brutal and sometimes debauched practices, usually centered on polytheistic deity satiation or rite of maturity, but they still in essence follow the basic tribal social structure and worldview.

    The development from tribal community to civilization usually involves an expansionary, imperial period. This imperialism is usually motivated by totalitarian ideologies, often guided by racism, nationalism, slavery and fascist or perverted religious beliefs. Expanding, new empires practice this lifestyle, killing and enslaving “inferior” races and nations, forcing their religion by threat of execution, and/or offering mafia-esque “protection” as payment. Imperialism is most often driven by totalitarian ideology because it ignores or denies the inherent dignity, freedom and worth of the human person that all have the innate capacity to recognize. They put themselves at the center with the authority to determine the value of people as inferior or unworthy for independence, and even life. 

    This was the route taken by the Greek, Roman, Islamic caliphate, British and US empires, as well as almost every other in history. During their imperial periods, these civilizations were more ethically strict, even puritanical in culture and government, despite the evil tyranny of their governments. However, after establishing their colonial extent and becoming a congruent nation, they gradually exhibited more immorality, the government becoming corrupted with greed and injustice in their legal rulings, while the culture itself abandoned religion in favor of hedonistic or utilitarian lifestyles and worldviews.

    At the downfall of the Roman monarchy and the establishment of the Republic, this was witnessed. While expansion declined, the civilization softened, abandoning almost entirely their imperial totalitarian philosophy in favor of an individualistic, hedonistic pragmatism. Romans viewed themselves as superior by lifestyle, encouraging all to practice their love of power, debauchery and sport of death incased in a veil of civilized democracy, law and prosperity. Naturally, this immorality was its downfall. Stripped of pride, dignity and spiritual inspiration, Rome was conquered by the newly expanding Arian Goths, who stormed in, ruined and pillaged, leaving Rome a burning husk. 

    Although Roman civilization continued as the Byzantine Empire in the east, newly expanding totalitarian empires, particularly Muslim Arabs and Turks, assaulted them on all sides. Corrupted internally by immorality - avarice, religious schism and indifference - they eventually fell in the late Middle Ages. They preserved much of civilization and were a bright light for many centuries, but its life was precarious, ever on the edge of ruin.

    Arising out of native Arabic tribes and the ashes of past Persians and Babylonians, the Islamic caliphate empire followed this pattern as well, exhibited primarily by their leaders and exemplified by the tyrannical abuse of their citizens. Exploding out of modern-day Iraq and Saudi Arabia, they soon enveloped the entire Middle East and beyond, stretching from Spain to Pakistan and from Turkey to Yemen. This expansionary empire was at first strict, totalitarian, sectarian, nationalist, and fascist in its theocratic extremism. After a sedentary period, taking root and fortifying, they became Ottoman, a lavish society of debauched sultans and destitute slaves under the shadow of totalitarian law. Though the Ottoman Empire fell, its social structure developed into the Middle East of today, modernization taking hold, the sultans becoming presidential oil tycoons and the impoverished majority either being brainwashed into terrorism or forced to eek out a difficult and dangerous life under their yoke. Despite being under a succession of totalitarian and immoral exploitative regimes, the Muslim nations of the Middle East have been both religiously devout and contributive in many ways, such as science, history, and art. Their contributions in all these fields assisted the progress of much of the world, including Europe, despite the many conflicts waged between them throughout history.

    The Aztecs were invaders, conquerors, not the native people of that civilization. Originally, the indigenous tribes did not exhibit the brutality Aztecs are known for, but rather were peaceful, prosperous, intelligent and artistic. But the Aztecs were barbaric totalitarians, conquering the natives and forcing them to give their people in ritual human sacrifice and to fight in murderous ritual wars against neighboring tribes, done in the name of the Aztec deity Aztlan, whom they claimed gave them a fascist “divine directive” to enact their tyranny. Only with the aid of Spanish allies could the indigenous Tlaxcallan tribes overthrow the dictatorial Aztecs. Unfortunately, being imperial themselves, the Spanish then forced those tribes into their society, but into much more civilized and peaceful social structures than their previous Aztec overlords, particularly exemplified by the Catholic Church.

    Beginning as a relatively peaceful Scandinavian society, the Vikings or Norsemen left their homes for resources and plunder but quickly became imperial, invading and settling lands throughout Europe. This also occurred with the Germanic tribes, but their history of international violence was much older, evidenced by their wars against the Romans that were both just and unjust. The Germans also, however, had several periods of civilization, such as Charlemagne’s Franks and the Holy Roman Empire. The Germans and Vikings, like the imperial Romans before them, conquered the relatively peaceful native Celts of modern-day France and Britain, and then fought amongst themselves for supremacy. These empires eventually became the French, British, German and Scandinavian empires of the Colonial and Industrial eras, over time transforming into the modern  socialist states of the European Union by gradual change, adopting immoral practices increasingly over time and even protecting some with legality, such as abortion.



-Modernity



    This cycle - the repetitious devolution of totalitarianism into widespread immorality and around again - is just as visible in the past century as throughout history. The Industrial Revolution was booming as the nineteenth century came to an end, the colonial empires of the past two centuries shrinking, punctuated by the First World War. The Ottoman Empire fell, giving way to the modern Middle East, and the US began shaping into a globally formidable superpower. The Treaty of Versailles mortally wounded Germany during and after that war, causing a passionate nationalist sentiment heralded by the new Chancellor Hitler. Russia had overthrown their corrupt Czars and replaced it with the atheistic utopian ideology of Communism that, naturally, soon became a totalitarian dictatorship as the Soviet Union. Two new totalitarianisms were growing: Communism and fascism.

    World War II ushered in an age of totalitarian regimes. Despite imperialism in their own recent pasts, the other nations of the West formed the Allies, including the wolf in sheep’s clothing Soviet Russians, and then defeated the Nazis and their Italian and Japanese axis. The evil of fascism was too obvious for any outside it to deny.

    After the war, a new global conflict began - or, rather, came to the forefront, having been in development for centuries: totalitarianism versus hedonism. Nations viewed as victims during World War II, Russia and China, led the former party.  Exploiting the poverty of nations across the globe caused by European imperial tyranny over the past four centuries, especially in the Far East and South America, they spread Communism as a utopian social theory that promised equality, freedom and prosperity by economic constructs. Instead, they became even more poor and oppressed by new totalitarian regimes they are still fighting today.

    The contender in this global “Cold War” was hedonism, represented as capitalism. Because of the more blatant evil of Communism, the world largely ignored the errors of capitalism. This was especially prevalent in the US. However, there and in Western Europe, there was a parallel anti-Communist movement. It viewed Communism not as evil, but erroneously implemented, constructing a “soft Communism” called socialism or the “labor party”. This developed as the hippie movement in the US and as real political parties and governments in Europe. Though this socialism claims to retain some level of democracy, it bears the same atheistic, invasive totalitarian ideology of Communism from which it derives but with more subtlety and material promise.

    While capitalism remains the basic structure of the US economy and government, socialism has consumed almost every European nation. These systems offer citizens financial support, but follow policies of atheism and hedonism. They are slowly, culturally propagating sentiments of atheism and immorality, calling religion “fascist exclusivism” that divides people, causes enmity, and restricts people from enjoying their lives. To them, religion does this in the name of some childish Santa Claus-like deity. This is the growing worldview in Europe, and indeed in all developed nations in the world. It has replaced Communism, and is gradually replacing capitalism in the US.

    Organizations operated or financed by the government most exemplify the transition to socialism.  Public school curriculum has not only removed God, but subtly (if so gently) portrayed religion and Christian morality as fascism in history class, oppressive ignorance in science class, and book-burning prudish chauvinism in literature and art class. Corrupting facts and using deceptive presentation, they distort religion into an immature, foolish, and even cruel and inhumane aberration of the human mind. In law, human rights and the common good are no longer the criteria - the guiding principle is now, “How many rules can we remove?” How can we redefine the law to permit more injustice? Abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide replace the right to life. Government surveillance replaces right to privacy and anti-religious censorship replaces freedom of speech. Legalized prostitution, gay marriage and pornography, and the new “sexting” phenomenon replace the sacrament of family and the nuptial meaning of the theology of the body.

    For now, people think of this immense increase of immorality as harmless, positive “maturity”, breaking free of the old “narrow-minded” Christian social structures and “liberating” people to do whatever they wish. The only laws are to protect this ideal. People cannot see that this atheistic hedonism will necessarily lead to totalitarianism - it has throughout history, and is in the process of doing so now.

    In the name of socialist protection against fascism, religion beyond a private hobby of the home will be criminal. Religious schools and home schooling will be illegal, and the government will close any religious-owned hospital that does not accept abortion, embryonic stem cells, euthanasia and assisted suicide. Testifying that anything is a sin, even if asked, will be a crime, and proclaiming belief in God will be illegal. Incest and polygamy will become legal and recognized for marriage. The government for any “fascist” offenses will monitor everyone. And once all of the West, and much of the East, are in a totalitarian hedonism, a new regime of tyranny and oppression will reign based, ultimately, in their beloved atheistic humanism.



-Conclusion



    Though I differentiate totalitarianism and hedonism in this essay, both derive from the same mindset, and one leads into the other. They derive from a worldview, as I described at the beginning, that replaces God with man at the center of philosophical authority and standard. While giving humanity the authority to determine worth, morality and truth, they remove the inherent value and dignity of man that only exists when man is viewed in the context of God’s loving creation. This makes man’s worth arbitrary, and gives any the authority to determine the standard by which people are judged in quality and lifestyle. Any with the power to enforce their arbitrary judgment, by this atheistic humanism, can validly do so without philosophical violation.



All sin and evil derive from this worldview, whether one realizes s/he is following it or not. To treat someone - including oneself - in any way that goes against the dignity and rights necessitated by God’s creative love for man in His image is a sin, and to do so intentionally is an evil. Both hedonism and totalitarianism practice this philosophy; they simply do it in different ways.



Hedonism, adhering to atheistic humanism, views life as pleasure or pain, ease or difficulty, comfort or hardship, satiation or desire. All of life exists for the enjoyment of the individual. Everything loses any inherent quality, objective truth ceases to exist, and all moral standards are removed, viewed as hindrances to the pursuit of pleasure. Thus, hedonism naturally involves an element of utilitarianism, as the hedonist is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill their desires and views all of life based on its usefulness towards that fulfillment. People lose all dignity and inherent value beyond self-worth, and God becomes irrelevant. Indifference - in the form of agnosticism - becomes the hedonist’s response to theological questions, as such issues are viewed as meaningless and even evil, as faith in God necessitates a life of self-giving strictly opposed to the hedonist lifestyle.



Totalitarianism is incredibly similar. Based in atheistic humanism as well, it follows ideologies of perverted justice, replacing God, and man’s dignity therein, with false ideals. Judging man’s worth based on his financial state, race, age, mental or physical health, nationality, or any other chosen attribute, life becomes polarized, a dualism between qualities the imperial possesses, and traits opposite to them. If an imperial regime is white, then all non-white races are inferior. If a regime follows social Darwinism, as Hitler did, people become genetically inferior if they are mentally or physically unhealthy, or if they go against some dreamt-up standard of the “master race”. Following utilitarian methods, totalitarianism practices the “ends justify the means” philosophy, willing to do anything and everything to accomplish their false-utopian, atheistic goals.



These philosophies form a cycle. Despite their superficial differences, they are fundamentally the same. As a society begins exhibiting qualities of hedonism, with immorality of all kinds increasing, religion and social justice decreasing, the consciences of these hedonists will begin to touch their souls. They will feel guilty for their sins, but unwilling to abandon their debauchery and pride, they will begin to hate religion and all goodness or truth, viewing them as impediments to their lifestyle. As this hatred festers, their utilitarianism will inspire them to do whatever it takes to eliminate these perceived impediments, and they will then imagine a utopian society where their atheistic hedonism is the social norm, with the conscience of religion gone and their own deadened, thus beginning a totalitarian regime.



Alternatively, a society in the midst of totalitarianism will eventually realize their ideals are impossible and irrational - thank God - and once they have expanded as much as they can, their people will begin to rebel against the governmental regime. They will depose whatever government is in charge, or change it in some way to remove its totalitarian elements, and form a government that will encourage their desire for hedonism. These rebels view totalitarianism as evil, but in their own confusion, they believe hedonism is the remedy. This simply brings the society down the other side of the hill, which will eventually lead around to totalitarianism once more.



The cycle is endless. It is very difficult to get out of once it is begun. The only real cure for this pattern is faith in God. The fundamental philosophy behind both these regimes - atheistic humanism - must be replaced by faith in God, love of His attributes and doctrines, and subsequent love of humanity and all of Creation, and contrition for sin. “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."(John 14:24 RSV-Catholic). Indeed, sin is the root of evil, and the only true counteraction for sin is love of God and all that extends from it. Although everyone will sin everyday of our lives, as we are imperfect and fallen creatures, our will can be pure. We can desire God and His ordinances with all our heart, mind and spirit, and try our best to live as we should, contrite for our sins and willing to be penitent for their correction. Faith and love - not selfishness - are the real cure for evil.