The making of the Western mind: Historian Tom Holland on the legacy of Christianity
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- Our guest is British historian Tom Holland, whose book "Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind" has just been released in France. He speaks to FRANCE 24 about the lasting legacy of Christianity, why he believes "The Lord of the Rings" is a deeply Catholic book, and why he thinks Donald Trump is the least Christian president the Americans have ever had.
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Reading this as an African changed my whole perception about Europeans
In what way ?
@@marchajj9941 this is not the European Christianity that we are told about, we only know of the missionaries and not really the impact of Christianity in Europe..
People forget that Christianity was in Africa before Europe and how many of the great theologians including St. Augustine were from Africa
Maybe. He was born in modern day Libya, that much is certain. How he would have viewed himself we cannot be sure.
I read it, it's indeed full of information. After reading the book I have been become more confident in expressing my faith.
Tom is spot-on.
This is a great book, and I'm glad that it's been translated into French, along with his book The Shadow and the Sword, although unfortunately, that one is only available abridged in French. I think it's sad that in English as in French, the main thing people are commenting about is what he says about Trump. Neither this interview, nor the book, nor any of Tom Holland's other books are about Trump. And, as Tom Holland himself said in another interview, "I'm not interested in what bishops have to say about politics," then adding that if he wanted centrist, middle of the road advice, he would go to a LibDem counselor (Pro EU centrist party in the UK)
I would say I'm not terribly interested in what Tom Holland thinks about politics, that doesn't change the main thrust of what he's saying. And the fact that he, looking in from the outside, thinks another strand of thought with Christian heritage is better just means we disagree. The fact is, our very arguments, the very words and concepts we use, are inherited from Christianity. But those ideas have been fragmented, cut off from the whole picture, the whole story which gave them sense.
G.K. Chesterton made a similar point in his book "Orthodoxy," when he wrote that "The modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. The virtues have gone mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone. Thus some scientists care for truth; and their truth is pitiless. Thus some humanitarians only care for pity; and their pity (I am sorry to say) is often untruthful."
Hi there, do you know the difference between paperback and hardcover versions?
@@ivethsebilla1835 as far as the contents? No, I listened to the audiobook.
@@christophekeating21 Thank you!
Looking forward to reading
Coming in film format: Dominion. He has put a powerful clip on YT.
That's the nicest dress I've ever seen on a television presenter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PERFECT.
Super book!
there is nothing supernatural. Jesus begs us to be like him
Holland is a surname franc origin. The ruler class, the legacy of william
yeah sure. was there a revolution cos of that kind of thinking?
Brilliant, except Holland has totally misunderstood Trump. Oh well.
This is an interesting perspective. According to it gay rights and feminism derive from Christianity.
I think rights in general are a result of Christian philosophy. I don't see any other cultures being so obsessed with rights. It is so Euro-centric to have this approach. And you only see it once you step out of the West.
@@Alnivol666 not really, human rights are more closely associated with secularism, especially gay rights. and slavery of course.
@@HarryNicNicholas You would be wrong because you suck at history. Read Tom's book. You think secularism sprang out of nowhere somehow? It's fun watching people taking things for granted. It kind of ensures how everything will go the way of the dodo. If you can't understand where the foundations come from, you are bound to lose it all at one point.
The idea that human beings have rights at all seems to come from Christianity
As a pagan I agree with Holland's view - but it is precisely for the reasons he felt uncomfortable with the Romans, that I admire them. My dislike of Christianity is not that it has cultural power, but that it is hypocritical for celebrating the weak, the powerless, the broken, yet seizing power and perpetuating itself through power - There is nothing wrong with earthly power - but there is something wrong with hypocrisy.
Christianity is the only religion that started with defeat, yes - but doesn't make it a religion that celebrates weakness. There is a weak Christendom at the moment, we need more muscular Christianity.
Survive the Jive
Please strive to have some of “your own” thoughts.....might do you a little good...but I doubt it..
Well said , just look at the wealth of the Vatican and the wealthy slave plantation owners C of E .
@@JM-jj3eg do you have evidence for that?
@@iainrae6159 relatively, the vatican isn’t wealthy according to wealth measures today. Slave owning predates christianity and survives it. It’s a human institution that was firstly abolished (in an abstrach way) by the British empire (the rest followed) based on christian philosophy of integral dignity and individualism.
He lost me when he started dissing Trump... Yes, DT needs some more charm school,
but compared to the "progressive" Left these days, he is civility personified...
Whole Tom likes the biblical tskes.
By the way the good Samaritan was not a Christian.
Story predates Christianity.
Does he believe there is any factual truth that Jesus was ' son of God' with supernatural powers et all ?
Does he believe the Christian God exists while Thor, Posiden, Allah et all do not?
All that is irrelevant. What Christianity did was indoctrinate moral assumptions and gave the freedom of reason and even encourage reason.
@@samuelmorales2344
If you want moral guidance then the Bible and priests mumbo jumb is the last place to look.
@@iainrae6159 oh really? Explain to me the reasons for compassion. Why do we help the poor? Can you explain to me why polygamy is wrong? Should Ethiopia build the Great Renaissance Dam depriving more of Egypt's water source? Who is right and who is wrong? If you can explain those things with reasoning then you know what you are talking about. If you don't, you talking pure mythology.
@@iainrae6159 Let me see, the BIble says look beyond scripture, work hard for the Lord, that morality is written on the heart, compassion and caring for the weak and poor, that everyone is a sinner, that relationship with God is personal and not religious. This is all "Western" culture. Today we have welfare for the poor and disabled, we have secularism, and freedom, human rights, mandatory education, equality, and even international law is based on Christianity. These are not immanent values. The last time I checked, the US dollar, the leading reserve currency says "In God We Trust". Even the national anthem of the US and the Constitution is based on Protestant Christianity. These are not atheist invented values. Now compare Christian values to Hindu values or even Jainism and compare them. Christian culture is essentially cultures of the civilized West. End of story. The idea that values come from a vacuum that spontaneously arose is a myth.
@@samuelmorales2344
As evolved social primates we care for our children and extended family group.
Without this we would have become extinct long ago with our fellow mammals and primates
The good Samaritan predates Christianity. showing compassion for his fellow man.
Most societies do not practice polygamy, more practical and cultural rather than religious practice.
Wealthy powerful men have throughout history had more female conquests/ wives/lovers.
science just does it's thing, if religion doesn't aalign with science that's tough luck, religion should've done it's research. science works because it's open to updates, even einstein saw where he went wrong and updated his equations, religion is totally the opposite, god wrote a book, the religious claim the book can't be wrong, refuse to update it, then cry like babies when people god "talking snakes??" and quit religion. if god is so concerned about humanity, he ought to put in an appearance, update his book (his one book) and stop hiding.
anyone else wonder why no one wrote about jesus while he was alive? wandering about curing the sick and walking on water and no one thought to jot it down in a diary?
and jesus never wrote a word.
You don't understand Christianity. Laws in Christian culture is not a set of rules written in stone in a book or tablet. Apostle Paul did not establish any "laws" like the way Jews did. He himself had a hard time figuring out laws or rules should be implemented. Western laws are progressive based on the notion of conscience with the concern for others. Laws that are created for the protection of the weak, excessive exploitation of the individual, and even the human body itself. Christian morality and morality based on science are different things. Nature is about exploitation with the animal kingdom thriving by dominating other species and other mates. Nature created man stronger than woman. Nature doesn't imply or say that man and woman ought to be equal. That is Christianity, not nature. Like so, many cultures followed that basic instinct or intuition that a man should dominate a woman.
You compare first century with 21st century. There is no book or paper to write.... Even if somebody writes only few people can read it and understand because of the low literacy. 27 books of the New Testament were written in between 51 to 100 AD. Oral communication was the best method of passing a message.
This guy is a zealot
how?