How the West Really Lost God
A New Theory of Secularization
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How the West Really Lost God
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Narrated by:
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Nan McNamara
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By:
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Mary Eberstadt
About this listen
In this magisterial work, leading cultural critic Mary Eberstadt delivers a powerful new theory about the decline of religion in the Western world. The conventional wisdom is that the West first experienced religious decline, followed by the decline of the family. Eberstadt turns this standard account on its head.
Marshalling an impressive array of research, from fascinating historical data on family decline in pre-Revolutionary France to contemporary popular culture both in the United States and Europe, Eberstadt shows that the reverse has also been true: the undermining of the family has further undermined Christianity itself.
Drawing on sociology, history, demography, theology, literature, and many other sources, Eberstadt shows that family decline and religious decline have gone hand in hand in the Western world in a way that has not been understood before - that they are, as she puts it in a striking new image summarizing the book's thesis, "the double helix of society, each dependent on the strength of the other for successful reproduction."
©2013 Mary Eberstadt (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about How the West Really Lost God
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- platosdunce
- 07-08-20
Interesting essay
Seeking to dismiss the trite notion that the decline of religion, and particularly Christianity, in the West and North America is due to the sophistication of their societies, and the supplanting of faith explanations with the eminently more rational ones offered by science. Eberstadt brings to bear a wealth of data which argues against such simplistic a notion, and offers the thesis that the decline of the (traditional) family, aided and abetted by Protestantism's own churches, has sped the decline the family being the bedrock of the church.
The blurring of moral lines and positions fortified by the real mantra of the Westerner's reality 'I'm not harming anyone else' has brought the widespread use of birth control methods amongst even Roman Catholic Church members and smaller family units equals less attendance (an of course support) of the Church institutions. There is of course more argumentation and evidence offered than a review can provide, but I think she fails to note two points. 1.America has a poor school system, if its presentation via the media is to be believed, so any parents who can would send their children to America's Public schools, of which many of the pre-university ones seem to be faith based. Whereas Western schools are generally of a higher standard, well at least better funded and thus our paid schools are more the option of the traditionalist or social climber, but religion as a subject is now thoroughly of a comparative type which effectively reduces faith to a private option of no public relevance, and at all costs the dread spectre of particularism is to be avoided, that love which dare not speak its name.
Thus the second point follows on from the first in any genuinely multi-cultural democracy, and the key point is democracy, multi-culturalism can only be maintained by stripping religion of any legislative force, other than its bare protections against abuse, for any entrenched religion this is the slow battle of attrition as it loses its privileges to the new power bases of emerging and usually different groups, against this her argument seems to be that offered by a French aristocrat pre their Revolution 'one must have the Peasants religious else what's to prevent them killing us in our beds', similarly the argument for Christianity's renaissance is that it has proven social utility, with an aside to a study showing Birmingham England's Muslim youth are more abiding (a study which this Birmingham resident is highly sceptical of) so maybe she intends religion generally. These questions are left for further discussion and so one is left mildly disappointed, but that aside a very worthy essay and superbly read by Nan McNamara.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Damian
- 09-06-21
Shrewd and Convincing
A very intelligent work that convincingly highlights the causal and effectual relationship between God (Faith) and family.
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