...it has long been a given that all religions are equally superior to the Catholic Church.  Now that the country has largely de-Christianized, that has expanded to the confidence that all religions are equally superior to Christianity.  So, for instance, Cameron's Britain takes it for granted that Christians can not only be compelled not to wear crosses, but that if one of them becomes uppity enough to do so, all you have to do is trot out the language about mean Christians who advertise their faith as though it was superior to other beliefs.  Whipped Christians, timid about appearing "judgmental", often capitulate to this sort of draconian post-Christian appeal to "judge not, lest ye be judged" and back down.  However, as this video demonstrates, some Britons are beginning to get a little taste of what happens when watery post-Christian secularism, accustomed to bullying meek Christians, meets inflamed and diseased Islam:

 

 

The most telling line in that whole pathetic thing is the Muslim woman's confident declaration, "I *am* judging you."

Secularist bullies and cultured despisers--the sort of people who hector Christians to be more understanding of "Piss Christ" and who perpetually rail about Judgmental Christians--knowing that Christians are required by their faith to "judge not, lest ye be judged"--are entirely flummoxed when they encounter a religious tradition where their favorite tactic of "Bully and Scold" suddenly no longer works.  Islam has, so far as I know, no tradition against frank, naked, and proud judgment against the infidel, and no sense of shame about indulging in such judgment.  Watery post-Christian secularism--which knows almost nothing of the differences between Christianity and Islam and generally assumes that if you've seen one Abrahamic religion you've seen 'em all--is gobsmacked and utterly at a loss for words in the face of Radical Islam's "Yes, I'm judging you and you're going to hell, you sl*t" contempt for the infidel.  The whole attempt by the woman in the video to appeal to a sense of shame or humility is a total failure, as is her appeal to an imaginary verse in the Q'uran about "respect for law" when it is not Sharia law.  The whole thing only makes clear how immensely parasitic watery post-Christian secularism is on the Christian tradition.  It has learned how to turn certain aspects of Christian morality into a weapon against the Christian faith.  But it has absolutely no idea how to deal with a culture and religious tradition that holds those favorite shreds of the post-Christian morality in utter contempt.

The Islam on display in this video is a simple, straightforward and deeply fleshly religious tradition that offers frank and naked rewards to human pride with no hint of the checks placed on it by the preaching of Jesus concerning humility and the warnings he gives about judgmentalism.  English secularism, being the idiot stepchild of a debased Anglican/Calvinist tradition, simply assumes that such open and frank pride is Not the Done Thing and so is utterly without antibodies when confronted with a culture that cares nothing at all for the cry of "judgmentalism".  It will be interesting to see if post-Christian England (and America) can adapt (which will mean, ultimately, a conscious reclamation of their Christian roots for some purpose other than finding sticks to beat Christians with) or if it will simply buckle in uncomprehending confusion before this arrogant and aggressive new religious ideology.

One thing I can predict with confidence: Among the first comments to a blog entry like this will be the de rigeur act of pointing out that Christians have also been guilty of the sins of pride and judgmentalism. Manning's corollary--a favorite strategy of the "all religions are alike" post-Christian crowd--states

"In any online conversation about an incident of violence perpetrated by adherents of Islamic fundamentalism, the conversation will inevitably devolve into claims that Christians commit the same type and degree of violent acts, regardless of how demonstrably false that is; further, the claim will be made that past historical violence involving Christians means that present-day Christians are morally incapable of denouncing current violence involving Muslims"

So let me say now: Yes: Christians commit the sins of pride and judgmentalism. And the reason pride and judgmentalism is a sin and not a virtue in both Christian and post-Christian tradition is that Jesus preached humility said, "Do not judge".  That, I repeat, is my point.  There's a real difference between a religious tradition that condemns the sin of judgmental pride and a religious tradition that commends it.  Watery post-Christian secular moralism is parasitic on the Christian moral sense and assumes it in its bullied Christian victims.  But watery post-Christian secularism is utterly at sea when faced with people who could not care less about humility, the danger of passing judgement, multiculturalism and respect for diversity.