On dropping the ‘Nativity Play’ I remember once telling a British friend that I wished Britain was a slightly more Christian place, he was deeply puzzled; I told him it isn’t nice to be in country that feels without deep spiritual roots, and Christmas would be much better if some genuine adherence to the foundation of the faith is in place!
One interesting detail (that will make the proponents of multiculturalism super happy) is the fact that English common law is used as the reference point in Dubai’s financial authority (DIFC). Notwithstanding its Christian origins, this is happening in the UAE, a country that is formally governed by Shariah.
Which I think is lovely as it shed light on the fact that we humans, despite all of our differences, can innovatively borrow and steal ideas, practices, and recipes from each other!
that's interesting, I suppose expected being under former British dominance, and since it's a financial centre and NY and London both have a similar system.
Agreed. Christmas nowadays, for most of the populace, seems on a par with Halloween. When I was a kid in the 1960s, Halloween was one evening a year where your mum had made a lantern out of a turnip – none of this pumpkin nonsense – and you did bobbing for apples. Then there was Mass the following day as it was The Feast of All Saints. Halloween now goes on for about a month, with people buying all kinds of hideous – and expensive – tat. And how did this Trick or Treat nonsense arrive on these shores? Christmas is treated in the same way: it starts in September and is about buying things. A commercial horror show has replaced any vestige of the true meaning of Christmas.
I feel strongly that The Bible, as literature and history, should be taught K-12. You cannot understand Western Civilization without that knowledge. I compare it to studying Saudi Arabia while ignoring the Koran. Idiotic.
One certainly can't understand how "Western Civilization" became distinct from "Classical Civilization" without it. Even down to a reverence for "truth" as philosopher John N Gray noted almost two decades ago.
"Back in 1612, the Baptist lawyer and theologian Thomas Helwys wrote that the king’s power extended ‘to all the goods and bodies of their servants’ but not their spirits, and therefore all religions should be tolerated: ‘Let them be heretikes, Turcks, Jewes, or whatsoever it appertynes not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure.’
Two years later, Leonard Busher wrote a tract called Religious Peace; or, a Plea for Liberty of Conscience in which he argued that king and Parliament ‘permit all sorts of Christians; yea, Jews, Turks, and pagans, so long as they are peaceable, and no malefactors’."
Interesting how "Turk" in the Early Modern Period was the generic, vernacular term for Muslim given how much Ottoman Turkey dominated the lands of that faith in Christians minds.
Years ago the powers that be in Pittsburgh renamed the Christmas holiday "sparkle Season". I still enjoy wishing people a happy Sparkle Season just to remind them how insane it can get.
I read Dominion recently, and while I agreed with Holland's thesis I think a number of his arguments lacked the rigorous historical evidence which seems to underpin Onrani's book, if this piece is any indication, so I look forward to reading that!
Speaking of which, I found the latest Canon Club episode fascinating, and I'm annoyed I missed it in person. I've been thinking of setting up a Western Canon book club in London in the same vein. There's clearly a gap in the market for that kind of thing, so to speak, but even a Lit degree these days often fails to supply you with the cultural grounding that was more or less universal a couple of generations ago.
Pedant alert: ‘In making his judgement, Lord Atkin used the passage of the Good Samaritan as his legal argument . . .’ Legal judgments are never spelt ‘judgement’.
Hymns: ‘But they’re not singing anymore, and this is another dying tradition’ . . . Coming from a rugby league town, and having attended many Challenge Cup Finals, I can say that one of the most emotional and unifying moments is the crowd singing ‘Abide With Me’.
I know you meant not singing hymns. My pedantic point was simply about judgment/judgement. The comment about hymn singing was only to mention the potency of ‘Abide With Me’ at RL finals. I grew up singing Latin Masses in an excellent church choir, and there was a real beauty to that. The world has changed so much.
"Most major charities are now overtly progressive, the successor faith (or heresy) of Christianity which still proclaims that the last shall be first, or as they might phrase it, ‘the most vulnerable members of society’. "
I was curious if any readers have seen this article.
Ed: I love your comment under the Wilton Diptych. Presumably a council of demons would pursue them asking then to take St George's flag down and be more inclusive.
"When I was at primary school, my mother recalled, the ILEA types in charge decided that they would drop the Nativity Play because it was inappropriate in such a multicultural institution. They relented after parental protests, the strongest objections coming from Islamic families who were utterly baffled by the decision. Like many Muslim immigrants, they felt more comfortable as minorities in a Christian society than one without any religion; Christianity was an old rival and adversary, but also a brother-faith. They also, more simply, enjoyed the festivities."
I believe I have mentioned before that here in Canada, many Muslims prefer to send their children to the Catholic school system for precisely that reason.
It is funny how progressives often urge "Westerners" to try to see the world through "non-Western" eyes. Yet, Muslims clearly recognize that Western and Eastern Europeans are the heirs of "Franks" and "Romans"
When I was in grade school my class did a play, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". We sang the Whos' hymn, "Jubilate deo". I wonder if a public school would allow that now.
"In a similar vein, my son has recently been learning about human rights at school, and the classroom material explains about the 1998 Human Rights Act, and the background literature mentions Magna Carta and the 1689 Bill of Rights as origin stories. But where do they come from? Why should humans have ‘rights?’ We tend to assume that our laws came about through reason, or that this is just the obvious way to order society, or perhaps there is some force called ‘progress’ pushing us towards higher levels of personal freedom"
At the present, the concept of "human rights " is derided mainly in the far left and far right. In my view, the aspect of "human rights " that future generations of Homo Sapiens may mock as much as Enlightenment and proto-Enlightenment figures mocked the real and supposed inconsistencies of medieval Catholic theology is that some "rights" inherently contradict or at least water down others.
The right to freedom from discrimination and the right to freedom of association are both considered human rights but as per Christopher Caldwell's book, anti-discrimination principles (particularly in "society" rather than formal rights by the state) must interfere with freedom of association to be meaningful. And without freedom of association, none of the others like freedom of expression or conscience can in my view be exercised meaningfully and certainly not effectively.
A year before Caldwell's book, John Gray made an article on this (though he never specified anti-discrimination rights):
Similarly, the right to self-determination of distinct nations, peoples, etc is a human right. But doesn't this principle give them the right to exclude others (such as for example with immigration restriction) and therefore "discriminate" in the eyes of others?
Re: The right to freedom from discrimination and the right to freedom of association are both considered human rights but as per Christopher Caldwell's book, anti-discrimination principles (particularly in "society" rather than formal rights by the state) must interfere with freedom of association to be meaningful.
Well, no one (as far as I know) demands you must marry or befriend people you do not want to associate with. Private life is sacrosanct from that sort of demand-- though some trans activists are mightily peeved when other people, gay or straight, will not date trans people as the sex they are presenting to be and instead want the real thing in their love (and sex) lives.
Once you are dealing with public matters however it's a very different situation: there you really do have to accept that everyone has the same value and rights as you yourself do. There are specific instances when you can refuse to have dealings with individuals (the individual has wronged you in the past; or lacks what you require, e.g., money for customers or skills for employees), but you do not have the same free rein in public dealings that you do in private.
On dropping the ‘Nativity Play’ I remember once telling a British friend that I wished Britain was a slightly more Christian place, he was deeply puzzled; I told him it isn’t nice to be in country that feels without deep spiritual roots, and Christmas would be much better if some genuine adherence to the foundation of the faith is in place!
One interesting detail (that will make the proponents of multiculturalism super happy) is the fact that English common law is used as the reference point in Dubai’s financial authority (DIFC). Notwithstanding its Christian origins, this is happening in the UAE, a country that is formally governed by Shariah.
Which I think is lovely as it shed light on the fact that we humans, despite all of our differences, can innovatively borrow and steal ideas, practices, and recipes from each other!
that's interesting, I suppose expected being under former British dominance, and since it's a financial centre and NY and London both have a similar system.
Agreed. Christmas nowadays, for most of the populace, seems on a par with Halloween. When I was a kid in the 1960s, Halloween was one evening a year where your mum had made a lantern out of a turnip – none of this pumpkin nonsense – and you did bobbing for apples. Then there was Mass the following day as it was The Feast of All Saints. Halloween now goes on for about a month, with people buying all kinds of hideous – and expensive – tat. And how did this Trick or Treat nonsense arrive on these shores? Christmas is treated in the same way: it starts in September and is about buying things. A commercial horror show has replaced any vestige of the true meaning of Christmas.
I feel strongly that The Bible, as literature and history, should be taught K-12. You cannot understand Western Civilization without that knowledge. I compare it to studying Saudi Arabia while ignoring the Koran. Idiotic.
We had an elective course The Bible as Literature in my US high school
One certainly can't understand how "Western Civilization" became distinct from "Classical Civilization" without it. Even down to a reverence for "truth" as philosopher John N Gray noted almost two decades ago.
https://libquotes.com/john-gray/quote/lbe1r5n
"Back in 1612, the Baptist lawyer and theologian Thomas Helwys wrote that the king’s power extended ‘to all the goods and bodies of their servants’ but not their spirits, and therefore all religions should be tolerated: ‘Let them be heretikes, Turcks, Jewes, or whatsoever it appertynes not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure.’
Two years later, Leonard Busher wrote a tract called Religious Peace; or, a Plea for Liberty of Conscience in which he argued that king and Parliament ‘permit all sorts of Christians; yea, Jews, Turks, and pagans, so long as they are peaceable, and no malefactors’."
Interesting how "Turk" in the Early Modern Period was the generic, vernacular term for Muslim given how much Ottoman Turkey dominated the lands of that faith in Christians minds.
Years ago the powers that be in Pittsburgh renamed the Christmas holiday "sparkle Season". I still enjoy wishing people a happy Sparkle Season just to remind them how insane it can get.
Beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measure.
thanks!
I read Dominion recently, and while I agreed with Holland's thesis I think a number of his arguments lacked the rigorous historical evidence which seems to underpin Onrani's book, if this piece is any indication, so I look forward to reading that!
Speaking of which, I found the latest Canon Club episode fascinating, and I'm annoyed I missed it in person. I've been thinking of setting up a Western Canon book club in London in the same vein. There's clearly a gap in the market for that kind of thing, so to speak, but even a Lit degree these days often fails to supply you with the cultural grounding that was more or less universal a couple of generations ago.
great idea! Get in touch if you want help!
Thanks Ed! I may take you up on that - currently just trying to think through how best to tackle 3,000+ years of literature...
In the spirit of Harold Bloom?
Precisely!
Pedant alert: ‘In making his judgement, Lord Atkin used the passage of the Good Samaritan as his legal argument . . .’ Legal judgments are never spelt ‘judgement’.
Hymns: ‘But they’re not singing anymore, and this is another dying tradition’ . . . Coming from a rugby league town, and having attended many Challenge Cup Finals, I can say that one of the most emotional and unifying moments is the crowd singing ‘Abide With Me’.
I meant not singing the hymns, the God of Football is totally impervious to secularisation. I defer to judgement on judgment.
I know you meant not singing hymns. My pedantic point was simply about judgment/judgement. The comment about hymn singing was only to mention the potency of ‘Abide With Me’ at RL finals. I grew up singing Latin Masses in an excellent church choir, and there was a real beauty to that. The world has changed so much.
it's always quite moving at the FA Cup final, especially considering the history.
https://www.johnderbyshire.com/Opinions/Culture/singing.html#hymns
I have the same thing with the lyrics of Iron Maiden's first eight albums.
"Most major charities are now overtly progressive, the successor faith (or heresy) of Christianity which still proclaims that the last shall be first, or as they might phrase it, ‘the most vulnerable members of society’. "
I was curious if any readers have seen this article.
https://unherd.com/2025/09/faith-is-the-new-successor-ideology/
Ed: I love your comment under the Wilton Diptych. Presumably a council of demons would pursue them asking then to take St George's flag down and be more inclusive.
a council of demons in hi-viz
Erase the past, control the present.
"When I was at primary school, my mother recalled, the ILEA types in charge decided that they would drop the Nativity Play because it was inappropriate in such a multicultural institution. They relented after parental protests, the strongest objections coming from Islamic families who were utterly baffled by the decision. Like many Muslim immigrants, they felt more comfortable as minorities in a Christian society than one without any religion; Christianity was an old rival and adversary, but also a brother-faith. They also, more simply, enjoyed the festivities."
I believe I have mentioned before that here in Canada, many Muslims prefer to send their children to the Catholic school system for precisely that reason.
It is funny how progressives often urge "Westerners" to try to see the world through "non-Western" eyes. Yet, Muslims clearly recognize that Western and Eastern Europeans are the heirs of "Franks" and "Romans"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_the_Franks
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_(endonym)
Same in England about Christian schools
When I was in grade school my class did a play, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". We sang the Whos' hymn, "Jubilate deo". I wonder if a public school would allow that now.
"In a similar vein, my son has recently been learning about human rights at school, and the classroom material explains about the 1998 Human Rights Act, and the background literature mentions Magna Carta and the 1689 Bill of Rights as origin stories. But where do they come from? Why should humans have ‘rights?’ We tend to assume that our laws came about through reason, or that this is just the obvious way to order society, or perhaps there is some force called ‘progress’ pushing us towards higher levels of personal freedom"
At the present, the concept of "human rights " is derided mainly in the far left and far right. In my view, the aspect of "human rights " that future generations of Homo Sapiens may mock as much as Enlightenment and proto-Enlightenment figures mocked the real and supposed inconsistencies of medieval Catholic theology is that some "rights" inherently contradict or at least water down others.
The right to freedom from discrimination and the right to freedom of association are both considered human rights but as per Christopher Caldwell's book, anti-discrimination principles (particularly in "society" rather than formal rights by the state) must interfere with freedom of association to be meaningful. And without freedom of association, none of the others like freedom of expression or conscience can in my view be exercised meaningfully and certainly not effectively.
A year before Caldwell's book, John Gray made an article on this (though he never specified anti-discrimination rights):
https://unherd.com/2019/06/our-illiberal-empire-of-rights/
Similarly, the right to self-determination of distinct nations, peoples, etc is a human right. But doesn't this principle give them the right to exclude others (such as for example with immigration restriction) and therefore "discriminate" in the eyes of others?
Re: The right to freedom from discrimination and the right to freedom of association are both considered human rights but as per Christopher Caldwell's book, anti-discrimination principles (particularly in "society" rather than formal rights by the state) must interfere with freedom of association to be meaningful.
Well, no one (as far as I know) demands you must marry or befriend people you do not want to associate with. Private life is sacrosanct from that sort of demand-- though some trans activists are mightily peeved when other people, gay or straight, will not date trans people as the sex they are presenting to be and instead want the real thing in their love (and sex) lives.
Once you are dealing with public matters however it's a very different situation: there you really do have to accept that everyone has the same value and rights as you yourself do. There are specific instances when you can refuse to have dealings with individuals (the individual has wronged you in the past; or lacks what you require, e.g., money for customers or skills for employees), but you do not have the same free rein in public dealings that you do in private.