Christendom as the True Model for a United Europe
Joseph A. Crisp, II
   Many people today like to think of our own time as the most innovative in history. We are constantly developing new technology, new ideas and even new values to replace those we have had before. One of these new ideas is the European Union, a body which began as a Western European economic alliance has grown and strengthened to the point where many envision the establishment of a "United States of Europe" in the near future.
   This sounds quite innovative, even revolutionary, but the fact is that, like many of our "modern" ideas, European unity is a very old concept. The primary differences between the old united Europe, and the modern effort is that the unity of the Middle Ages was based on shared adherence to the Christian religion; and that, ironically to some liberal minds no doubt, the Europe of Christendom was a much more open and free society. That is to say, while there was certainly less license, there was infinitely more independence than modern Europe.
   The modern European unity is, at heart, still based on cold economics. Financial benefit is the driving force behind the expansion of the European Union and the only real reason for new countries to join. However, this unity of economics is a foundation built on sand; particularly the sand of socialism which is currently acting like a narcotic for the nations of Europe, giving temporary pleasure in exchange for long term devastation.
   To put it briefly, Europe began to recover and prosper after the end of World War II, partly through help from the United States and partly through the administrations of, at least moderate to conservative European leaders such as Konrad Adenauer in Germany or Charles DeGaulle in France. Since then, socialism began to grow faster and faster, particularly in the 1990's. At first, it seemed the ideal way to prosperity. People had good jobs, making good wages and could pay higher taxes for more government benefits. However, this prosperity could not last forever and is on the decline now. Expansion of the European Union could be seen as the effort of the socialist politicians to save their economies by "robbing Peter to pay Paul" so to speak.
   The problems with this socialist utopia arose primarily from a shift away from traditional Christian values and the huge influx of African and Near Eastern immigrants. Eventually, the two issues would become overlapped, as more and more non-Christians established themselves in Europe, the harder it became for Christianity to assert itself in any meaningful way. In the old Europe of Christendom, the society based on cross and crown, social welfare had been private, handled by the Church rather than public taxation. When the Church was hurled out of society and replaced by the state, this was lost, to the benefit of an elite few. The wave of immigration then tipped the delicate socialist balance.
   Socialism had worked, seemingly well, for a while because there was sufficient money going into the system to pay for all of the vast programs instituted by the State, which was able to care for the still relatively few who were unable to do for themselves. The increasing wave of immigration threw this off. What is ironic is that many of the original immigrants were brought in specifically to take the menial jobs which native Europeans were becoming less willing to do. However, as their numbers increased, particularly illegal immigrants (though this status was eventually largely changed by making everyone legal) who were largely uneducated and to a large extent quite helpless. They arrived in ever growing numbers, on the shores of Europe, often unable to speak the language, unable to find gainful employment and sharing none of the values of traditional Europe, but taking full advantage of the benefits of the European socialist welfare state.
   This became a problem which many Americans would be familiar with. Having nothing, dependent on the government, many of these people were crowded into public housing districts, quite bleak and hopeless areas, which soon became a focus of crime, drug abuse, illegitimate birth rate growth, prostitution and other related problems, with conditions forcing the situation to become worse and worse. The state then was forced to pay out more and more benefits with less and less money coming in as their numbers increased. The loss of Christian values also played another role here which is seen in the dramatic drop in the birth rate of native Europeans. So, all the problems feed on each other to make conditions worse. Europeans stop reproducing, many because of their desire to maintain a more luxurious standard of living, which meant that as people age, greater numbers are draining government benefits with fewer workers paying into the system. This in turn also meant that more foreign workers would be needed to fill the gaps, however, though their birth rates are much higher, so also is unemployment which also means an increasing drain on the stressed national economy.
   Of course, as we can see, materialism is at the core of this web of chaos. The need for cheap labor and the desire for government benefits by one side and the other also became the driving force for expansion of the European Union into Eastern Europe. Many of these nations were experiencing similar problems to the west, due to often very socialist economies, and were eager for E.U. membership in order to help cushion the blow their economies were taking. Western Europe, likewise, hoped that the poorer nations of the east would be able to provide goods and workers which were less expensive for their own weakening economies. Obviously, this situation cannot go on forever, and the hidden debt will eventually catch up with every country in question. As the number of state dependents grows and the number of working tax payers goes down the debt will continue to rise until it pulls everyone down together.
   However, the problems with the modern united Europe sadly run much deeper than economics, but tear at the very heart of the shared culture of Europe. Part of this is seen in the declining birth rate, but also in the increasing secularization of the continent, and the concerted effort, led by the E.U. and opposed, almost single-handedly at times by the Holy See, to turn their back on the Christian roots of Europe, on the old Christendom that once so defined Western civilization. France is often the most cited example, as this country which was once called "the eldest daughter of the Church" and was reigned over by the "Most Christian" kings now has the largest Muslim population outside of the Mohammedan world. Even though Christendom has long been gone, finished off really by the French Revolutionary wars, the memory of it is now being purged as well, and the few who do stand opposed are themselves attacked as being "intolerant" for trying to defend their own heritage and traditional values.
   This reveals another overlooked but obvious similarity and contrast between the E.U. and Christendom. Both were based on a shared ideology, however, while Christendom was based on the ideology of Catholic Christianity, the ideology of the E.U. is basically that all ideologies must be accepted other than that of Christendom, which must be suppressed for being opposed to the acceptance of all other ideologies. No one ever said liberals make an awful lot of sense. In contrast, all of the non-Christian groups coming into Europe have a definite ideology, which includes, for the majority which are Muslims, a hostile stance toward Christianity; which has led to such absurdities as attempts to remove crucifixes from schools in Italy, and also an stoutly socialist ideology which is only natural when so many depend on the socialist welfare state for their livelihood. So Christians are really in a situation with the odds stacked against them. It also means that there can never be a real firm cultural basis for something like the modern European Union, and so they must fall back on unity based on political centralization of power and loss of local national independence.
   What Christians can do in response to this situation is certainly nothing quick or easy. In the Western Christian world, we are faced with the fact that Christianity is rapidly dying out in Europe and in America it is dominated by anti-tradition, anti-Catholic evangelical fundamentalists who might be interested in opposing the spread of Islam, but certainly have no desire to see Catholic Christendom restored. It is also true that many Protestant fundamentalists in America have very much tied their religion to some special "divine" status for the United States and would never support a united Europe, whether Christian or pagan, that was a potential balance to the power of their "shining city on the hill".
   Since the spread of the modern European Union is essentially like the increased tolerance of a drug addict, the solution will also have to be rather like that of a slow "detoxification" process. It will require a great deal of patience, argument, prayer; and for starters, the simple ability to draw a hard line and stop giving up one after another of the things we believe in. It would be necessary to try to impress on the modern mentality a greater awareness of the very real danger of cultural extinction, and a greater appreciation for their own history and traditions, which also means we of the Western world should stop feeling obligated to crucify ourselves over every little mistake made by our ancestors, and look around and see that there is no other corner of the world that can compare to this one.
   Of course, going hand in hand with a cultural, which includes a religious revival, is the need for a restoration of the traditional monarchies, which itself must go hand-in-hand with a stronger sense of national pride and independence, while not sacrificing the great gift of European peace and unity. People have to be convinced that there can be, and indeed has been, a unity in Europe without a centralized government of elite politicians stamping uniformity on the continent and forcing the surrender of European greatness for fear of causing offense to those who oppose that image, yet come from far and wide to be a part of the legacy it has given us. In particular, I would say that the restoration of the Houses of Bourbon and Hapsburg should be seen as most important, because of the crucial position of the lands these families once ruled in terms of the growing threats to Western civilization. It may seem impossible, but Europe has faced dark times before, and I think the most important thing to do, is to look at the big picture, not just at this aspect or that aspect, of religion or this dynasty or that dynasty, but to see the broad threat faced by everyone and to remind the people that there is a better way, European unity is not a new idea, it is a very old one, and the Christendom of hold has a lot to teach us still, and many benefits which should be applied today.
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