"I do not see in religion the mystery of the incarnation but the mystery of social order: it links the idea of inequality to heaven which prevents the rich person from being murdered by the poor. How can there be order in the state without religion? Society cannot exist without inequality of fortunes and the inequality of fortunes could not subsist without religion. Whenever a half-starved person is near anothers who is glutted, it is impossible to reconcile the difference if there is not an authority to say to him: "God wills it so, it is necessary that there be rich and poor in the world, but afterwards in eternity there will be a different distribution."
The priests no longer justify inequality but inequality is just and necessary and must be seen to be just. We can justify inequality because of the huge groth in living standards in the developed world and by arguments from freedom and conservatism but these are out of fashion. Instead people argue in favour of equality of opportunity and utilitarianism and this leads to the monstrous regiment of political correctness and the moral right is implicitly conceded for the state to reorder society on rational lines. This is the central weakness of modern civilisation and from this springs post - colonial guilt and the idea that our traditions are oppressive, and from these spring most of the evils of modern politics.
He also said:
I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of the Quran which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness.Napoleon in a etter to Sheikh El-Messiri, (28 August 1798); published in Correspondance Napoleon edited by Henri Plon (1861), Vol.4, No. 3148, p. 42
No comments:
Post a Comment