Anglicanorthodoxy
Puritan Board Freshman
I'm on the Far-Right politically, and I hang around reactionary
, NRX internet groups. I see very few Confessional Protestants in these groups. A good number of people in these groups are Traditional Catholics. Well I was chatting with one a few days ago, and we had a bit of a back and forth about the decline of the West. He's a promoter of a theory called the "Puritan Thesis" It might as well be called the "Protestant Thesis." In short, this theory states that the decline of the West started during the Protestant Reformation. This d cline continued during the Enlightenment, and has continued ever since. This Trad Catholic blamed the Protestant Reformers and the "Liberal Protestantism of the 19th century" for the decline of the West. They argued that the Reformation "broke the unity and fundamental identity of the Christian religion) I find these views odd for several reasons. If there was this "unity" that the Catholics speak of during the Middle Ages, the Reformers would've utterly failed in bringing change to Christianity. I also find it odd that Traditional Catholics love to criticize "Liberal Protestantism." In order to be a Protestant, one must at least accept the 5 Solas.These "Liberal Protestants" are not even Protestant because they reject everything the Reformation stood for. The other issue that I see with this view is that the Catholic Church is extremely Liberal at this point, and is becoming more Liberal every day. When I ask these Trad Catholics why places like Georgetown and Holy Cross,are so Liberal, they tell me that these places are not Catholic.(yet each one of these colleges is run by Catholic priests, and the Catholic Church does nothing about it) My NRX friends who are Trad Catholics always speak of how Protestantism is so divided, and how the Catholic Church is united. I find this amusing because these Trad Catholics would be rebuked by Jesuit Catholics. The Catholic Church may theoretically be united, but in reality it has just as many divisions as Protestantism does. I would even argue that Confessional Protestants are much more united than Catholics.(while I am a Reformed Anglican, I view Confessional Lutheran and Presbyterians as my brethren. I highly doubt that most Trad Catholics view Jesuits as their brethren)As a passionate Classicist, I despise Enlightwnment thought as much as any Trad Catholic does. However, I don't think the Reformation necessarily caused the Enlightwnment. I think Marx, Freud, and Boas ( all Jews) harmed the West much more than any Liberal Protestant did. What do you think? What do you think the main cause of the decline of Western civilization is?
, NRX internet groups. I see very few Confessional Protestants in these groups. A good number of people in these groups are Traditional Catholics. Well I was chatting with one a few days ago, and we had a bit of a back and forth about the decline of the West. He's a promoter of a theory called the "Puritan Thesis" It might as well be called the "Protestant Thesis." In short, this theory states that the decline of the West started during the Protestant Reformation. This d cline continued during the Enlightenment, and has continued ever since. This Trad Catholic blamed the Protestant Reformers and the "Liberal Protestantism of the 19th century" for the decline of the West. They argued that the Reformation "broke the unity and fundamental identity of the Christian religion) I find these views odd for several reasons. If there was this "unity" that the Catholics speak of during the Middle Ages, the Reformers would've utterly failed in bringing change to Christianity. I also find it odd that Traditional Catholics love to criticize "Liberal Protestantism." In order to be a Protestant, one must at least accept the 5 Solas.These "Liberal Protestants" are not even Protestant because they reject everything the Reformation stood for. The other issue that I see with this view is that the Catholic Church is extremely Liberal at this point, and is becoming more Liberal every day. When I ask these Trad Catholics why places like Georgetown and Holy Cross,are so Liberal, they tell me that these places are not Catholic.(yet each one of these colleges is run by Catholic priests, and the Catholic Church does nothing about it) My NRX friends who are Trad Catholics always speak of how Protestantism is so divided, and how the Catholic Church is united. I find this amusing because these Trad Catholics would be rebuked by Jesuit Catholics. The Catholic Church may theoretically be united, but in reality it has just as many divisions as Protestantism does. I would even argue that Confessional Protestants are much more united than Catholics.(while I am a Reformed Anglican, I view Confessional Lutheran and Presbyterians as my brethren. I highly doubt that most Trad Catholics view Jesuits as their brethren)As a passionate Classicist, I despise Enlightwnment thought as much as any Trad Catholic does. However, I don't think the Reformation necessarily caused the Enlightwnment. I think Marx, Freud, and Boas ( all Jews) harmed the West much more than any Liberal Protestant did. What do you think? What do you think the main cause of the decline of Western civilization is?
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