Americas Secular Challenge: The Rise of a New National Religion

by Herbert I. London

In this timely and wide-ranging book, one of America's leading public intellectuals explores the rise of radical secular humanism as a religious experience. London shows that while secular humanism has it's saints, sinners, and even its quasi-religious rituals, it is too anemic and self-centered a philosophy of life to serve America and the West in its battle against the threat of radical Islam.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594032270
• ISBN13: 9781594032271
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Encounter Books
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

How much trouble are we in?

This is a small but truly important book. London writes that "I, as a Jew, have come to appreciate the role that Christianity plays in buttressing Western democracies" (p 5). Religion, unless you count New Age boutiques and Islam, has all but vanished from Europe. And it is in the decline here in the United States. Without Christian belief that God created each one of us, and that we are therefore born with inalienable rights, what will happen to western democracies? Already the idea that truth is relative has taken hold. A generation of secularists "aptly called the 'me generation'" (p 15) has all but destroyed marriage. Some 40% of newborns are illegitimate. These children are hugely more likely to be criminals, promiscuous, emotionally damaged, drug addicts, and school dropouts. How long can any society survive a catastrophic decline like that? Claims that secularists are going to define a new, better morality are nonsense. Secularists like the notorious Peter Singer at Harvard argue that animals should have as many rights as humans. And whenever researchers delve into who is most moral, theists or secularists, the results show clearly that theists are moral; secularists are not. Those interested in the research should read "Makers and Takers" and "Who Really Cares". We are in terrible trouble.

Words of Mass Instruction

In this extended essay the author explores the spiritual malady afflicting the West by identifying & diagnosing the auto-immune disease of radical secularism and showing how it renders our civilization vulnerable. In many ways, London echoes the warning of the French philosopher Chantal Delsol as expressed in her works on contemporary Europe: Icarus Fallen and The Unlearned Lessons of the Twentieth Century. There's a vast difference between healthy & militant secularism as London explains in the first chapter. In its extreme form it's a belief system that aims to destroy the foundations of our culture. It arose out of multiculturalism - which is not the same thing as the healthy appreciation of diversity - that celebrates all other cultures except the Western. The multicult carries the germ of self-loathing. Some of the pillars of radical secularism are the following: (a) Truth is relative & subjective. (b) Reason & Science can solve all problems. (c) Technological advancement is the panacea & the state will administer the medicine. (d) Nationalism & patriotism are evil by definition. It is thus a materialistic faith that does not understand spiritual matters, least of all the threat posed by fanatical religion. Terrorism is ascribed to material deprivation and social injustice. This religion claims that once everybody enjoys material well-being, all hostility will disappear. Robert Conquest considers this utopian delusion as a resurgent dragon of expectation. A perverted form of tolerance, moral relativism, is inverting good & evil, rendering people indifferent to the suffering of others. The latest dystopian vision, far advanced in Europe, is transnationalism which suppresses healthy expressions of nationalism, promoting instead a "black market" form as so entertainingly revealed by Claire Berlinski in Menace in Europe. A general loss of confidence in tradition and culture goes hand in hand with the decline in traditional religion and the growth of a vast array of substitutes, some of them quite detrimental; conspiracy theories form part of this cluster. The main movement, however, is militant secularism spearheaded by authors like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris & Christopher Hitchens. To be fair, the case of Hitchens is a bit different; he may be a radical secularist but he is also a brave warrior for freedom and the dignity of the individual. Chapter 3 deals with the limitations of science. There is a complete misunderstanding of the interaction between science, faith & society. It isn't science but faith which upholds the fragile notion of personal dignity with its reliance on conscience, responsibility & moral agreement. For a more detailed examination of this issue, I refer the interested reader to Michael Polanyi's 1946 book that provided a brief outline of the historical process by which the current crisis has arisen. (He warned against the idea that liberty does not mean the acceptance of any obligations & that fre

Could extremist secularism be doing as much damage as extremist religions?

Could extremist secularism be doing as much damage as extremist religions? "America's Secular Challenge: The Rise of a New National Religion" is an examination of secularism and its impact on America. Herbert London, president of the Hudson institute, lays out his argument against something that the country so often ignores in the idea of tolerance and political correctness. "America's Secular Challenge" is a top pick for anyone who thinks political correctness may be going too far.

Essential Reading

This is a book you are going to think about for a long, long time. You are going to recommend it to all your friends. It highlights the essential tool we must utilize to defeat radical Islam and their terrorist methods-a return to our traditional values. London's brilliance is that he creates his air tight case in 97 very accessible pages. This one or two night read will arouse in you many years of thought.

A necessary insight

Most people in the United States appear to have no idea what secular humanism is, even though they are surrounded by it every day. It is the only religion for many people, but they often cannot even recognize it as a belief system. This book is short and easy to read, but it conveys very important information. It ought to be assigned to high school classes to give the students a better understanding of modern culture.