Category Archives: Atheism

Healer of Nations – extracts

From the book with that title by Gary North (published 1987). Free download (PDF) here.

[Editor’s introduction, by Gary North:]

Page ix:

There is virtually nobody of material on Christian international relations and foreign policy, and what little that does parade as Christian is simply warmed-over humanism, and intellectually lightweight humanism at that.

Page xi:

Foreign policy in the United States is controlled by a tightly knit “old boy” network of dedicated humanists, who quite properly regard their control over foreign policy as the linchpin in their overall control of the United States government. They do not want outsiders criticizing their little monopoly. They have devoted millions of dollars since World War II to finance books, journals, and studies on American foreign policy, all of which conclude that we must be firm with the Communists until we join with them in a one-world humanistic order. We must be visibly tough negotiators while we are capitulating to the vast bulk of their demands. Most important, the West must not try to roll back Communism.

Page xii:

Christians today are blissfully unaware of the need for an explicitly Biblical view of international relations, just as they are unaware of the need for an explicitly Biblical view of every other real-world problem. Sleepwalking Christians are the heart of the crisis of Western civilization in our day. They are unwilling or unable to offer explicitly Biblical alternatives to the collapsing humanist order. Until about 1980, they fervently believed that the humanists possessed some legitimate title to the seats of power in
this world, and they still believe that common natural law moral and legal principles are sufficient to hold the world system together until Jesus comes back in glory. So they sit on the side lines of life, waiting for Jesus to bail them out, or up, literally. Just as He bailed out Israel when the Assyrians arrived? Just as He
bailed out Judah when the Babylonians arrived? Just as He bailed out Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania when the Soviet troops arrived?

But we’re different, of course. We’re Americans. No need to worry. And if1.5 million babies are aborted here each year, it isn’t the Christians’ fault. Jesus is coming soon. Sit tight. Pray. And don’t miss the Superbowl next Sunday.
The Communists, who are our mortal enemies, are self-conscious in their hatred of Christianity and Western society that was built originally by Christian principles. They wish to destroy all traces of Christianity. So do the weak-willed humanists of the West. These humanists are also in agreement with the world retreating Christians of the West in their unified hostility to any suggestion that Christians should provide the world’s intellectual and cultural leadership because Christians alone have access to the Bible through the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Communists do not face any concerted opposition. World satanic empire is expanding without any significant organized opposition from the West. This has been Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s complaint long before the day that the Soviets expelled him in 1974.

[Introduction by R. J. Rushdoony:]

The purpose of Biblical history is to trace the victory of Jesus Christ. That victory is not merely spiritual; it is also historical.

Had Christ merely arisen as a spirit from the grave, it would have signified His lordship over the world of spirit but His surrender of matter and history. But by His physical resurrection, by His rising again in the same body with which He was crucified, He set forth His lordship over creation and over history. The world of history will see Christ’s triumph and the triumph of His saints, His church, and His kingdom. History will not end in tribulation and disaster: it will see the triumph of the people of God and the manifestation of Christian order from pole to pole before Christ comes again. The doctrine of resurrection is thus a cornerstone of the Biblical dimension of victory. . . .
There is thus a dimension of victory in history, Jesus Christ. The alternative plan of victory is social science, and history as a social science. This means the totalitarian socialist state, the world of 1984. For the Christian this is rather the dimension of hell, not of victory; for the believer, “this is the victory that over
cometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4).

(Introduction by Gary North) Page 3:

Christians do not know what the Bible says about social, economic, and political issues. They are going to have to learn very rapidly if the West is to be salvaged.

Page 4:

One of modem humanism’s most dangerous presuppositions: that the State *1 is the central institution in every area of life. It was also a major presupposition of ancient humanism. *2 It is a demonic belief.

*1 I capitalize the word “State” when I am referring to the covenantal institution of civil government; I do not capitalize it when I am referring to a regional political unit called a state.

*2 R. J. Rushdoony, The One and the Many: Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy (Fairfax, Virginia: Thoburn Press, [1971] 1978), chaps. 3-5.

Nobody Goes To War for the Rules-Based Order

Article by J.B. Shurk.

Excerpt:

Are all cultures equally worthy of our respect?  Globalists say, “yes.”

Are all religions equally worthy of our respect?  Globalists say, “yes.”

Are all nations equally worthy of our respect?  Globalists say, “yes.”

Globalists speak of “multiculturalism” as if it were a virtue and equate Western civilization with “white supremacy,” “patriarchy,” and “imperialism.” They believe Christians should celebrate Islamic holidays. They believe national borders are “racist.” They believe that anybody who rejects globalism promotes “hate.”

The Intersection of the Enlightenment, Freemasonry, Illuminism, and the Religion of Humanity Represents a Profound Shift in European Thought During the 18th and 19th Centuries

Article by Charles Burris. Here it is:

The intersection of the Enlightenment, Freemasonry, Illuminism, and the Religion of Humanity represents a profound shift in European thought during the 18th and 19th centuries.

This era marked a transition from traditional, divine-right Christian orthodoxies toward secularism, reason, and human-centered moral frameworks.

Here is a breakdown of how these four movements connected, interacted, and shaped modern intellectual history.

1. The Enlightenment: The Catalyst

The Enlightenment (17th–18th century) was the overarching intellectual framework that made the other movements possible.

Core Idea: Replaced blind faith, dogma, and absolute monarchy with reason, science, and individual liberty.

Religious Shift: Shifted the cultural focus from a God-centered universe to a human-centered universe.

Deism: Many Enlightenment thinkers (like Voltaire and Thomas Jefferson) embraced Deism—the belief in a “Clockmaker God” who created the universe but does not intervene in human affairs, rendering traditional church rituals obsolete.

The Enlightenment was the overarching intellectual movement of the 18th century that championed reason, science, and individual liberty over dogma and superstition.

Human reason, rather than divine revelation, is the primary source of authority and legitimacy. It reframed the universe as a rational machine governed by natural laws (Deism) rather than a stage for constant divine intervention. It provided the philosophical foundation for political revolutions and the restructuring of society around human rights.

2. Freemasonry: The Networking Hub

Freemasonry emerged in its modern form in the early 18th century, acting as a crucial institutional vehicle for spreading Enlightenment ideals.

The Lodge as a Microcosm: Masonic lodges functioned as rare spaces where men of different social classes, religions, and political backgrounds could meet as equals (“on the level”).

Secular Rituals: Freemasonry stripped away sectarian Christian dogmas, requiring members only to believe in a vague “Supreme Architect of the Universe.” This allowed Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and Deists to fraternize.

Spread of Ideas: Lodges became experimental labs for democratic governance, meritocracy, and free speech, deeply influencing figures like Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington.

The Shared Space: Lodges became neutral grounds where aristocrats, merchants, and intellectuals met as equals (“on the level”).

The Shared Creed: Freemasonry required a belief in a Supreme Being (the “Great Architect of the Universe”) but banned sectarian religious debates.

The Impact: It institutionalized Enlightenment ideals like meritocracy, religious tolerance, and self-governance, acting as a blueprint for democratic societies.

3. Illuminism: The Radical Fringe

“Illuminism” refers to various mystical, esoteric, or radical secret societies of the late 18th century, most famously the Bavarian Illuminati (founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt).

Radical Enlightenment: Unlike mainstream Freemasonry, which generally respected civic authorities, the Illuminati aimed to actively infiltrate Masonic lodges to covertly overthrow monarchies and religious institutions.

The Goal: Weishaupt sought to achieve a utopian state of nature where mankind would be governed by reason alone, free from princes and priests.

Reactionary Backlash: Though the Bavarian Illuminati was banned and dismantled by 1785, its existence sparked widespread counter-Enlightenment conspiracy theories, blaming secret societies for the French Revolution.

4. The Religion of Humanity: The Secular Climax

Developed in the mid-19th century by French philosopher Auguste Comte (the father of sociology), the Religion of Humanity (Religion de l’Humanité) was the logical conclusion of the Enlightenment’s secularizing trajectory.

God is Replaced: Comte argued that society had outgrown both theological and metaphysical thinking. He proposed replacing the worship of God with the veneration of Humanity itself (the “Great Being”).

Secular Religion: It copied the structure, rituals, and hierarchy of the Catholic Church but stripped out the supernatural. It featured secular saints (like Newton, Galileo, and Shakespeare), a calendar of festivals, and moral sacraments.

The Legacy: While Comte’s specific church ultimately foundered, the core concept deeply influenced secular humanism, positivism, and the modern belief that human progress and ethics can exist entirely independent of religious dogma.

The Interconnected Thread

The Enlightenment provided the theory (Reason over Dogma).

Freemasonry provided the social infrastructure (The Lodges) where these ideas could cross borders.

Illuminism pushed these ideas to their absolute radical, underground political extremes.

The Religion of Humanity attempted to institutionalize this entire trajectory into a formal, post-Christian moral system for the modern secular world.

Gnosticism: The Enduring Heresy and Menace to Western Civilization

Fire in the Minds of Men: Origins of the Revolutionary Faith, by James H. Billington

Heroes of the Enlightenment (Two Superb Documentaries)

Freemasonry (Book List)

Utopian Nightmares and Gnostic Political Religions

Explore utopian nightmares and gnostic political religions through essential books like Norman Cohn’s The Pursuit of the Millennium and The Black Book of Communism, revealing the dark history of ideological extremism.

Utopian Nightmares and Gnostic Political Religions II

Eva Vlaardingerbroek’s Stark Warning About the Future of the West

'We are dealing with an enemy who wants to play God'

Eva Vlaardingerbroek delivers a forceful warning (video, 14 minutes) about what she sees as a growing crisis in Western civilisation, arguing that conservatives cannot effectively defend their values without returning to faith, morality and belief in God. Speaking at the National Conservatism Conference, Vlaardingerbroek argues that the political and cultural battles facing the West are not simply about elections or policy, but about fundamental questions of truth, morality and human nature. She criticises what she describes as globalist attempts to reshape society and warns about the rise of transhumanism, pointing to technologies such as Neuralink and artificial wombs as examples of humanity increasingly attempting to alter or transcend the limits of human nature. Vlaardingerbroek also argues that conservatives should stop being hesitant about discussing religion in public life. In her view, younger generations are looking for moral clarity in a world that has become increasingly uncertain and relativistic. Among her strongest arguments is her warning that transhumanism could be presented as a technological solution to humanity’s problems while ultimately creating a new set of dangers.

Why the New Atheist Movement “Collapsed”

Video with Stephen Meyer.

Dr. Stephen Meyer joins Michael Knowles to analyze the cultural and intellectual collapse of the “New Atheism” movement that peaked in the mid-2000s.

Meyer argues that prominent atheist apologists overplayed their philosophical hand by chaining their worldview to strict Darwinian materialism while actively avoiding major modern scientific breakthroughs. He breaks down how 100 years of discoveries in cosmology, cosmic fine-tuning, and cellular biology have continuously challenged materialistic assumptions by pointing toward a definitive beginning and intelligent design. The conversation also explores the philosophical flaws in popular secular arguments, including the common misapplication of Occam’s Razor to the concept of God. Ultimately, they track the modern cultural shift that has led unexpected secular intellectuals, and even Richard Dawkins himself, to publicly re-evaluate the foundational necessity of the Christian worldview.