The modern age is crumbling. You can see it in the news. Rather than hearing about supposedly sophisticated, enlightened people, every day there are stories that seem to have been ripped from history pages about ancient barbarians and medieval vandals. Halls of government are increasingly characterised by political theatre more than rational, civil debate. We Read more
A Japanese author, in a book about Benedict XVI, has described the Catholic Church as an “East” in a West determined to impose its values on other cultures. Hajime Konno, in his book “Benedictus PP XVI, Renovatio Europae Renovatio”, draws attention to the Western presumption that wants to impose its values on the entire world. Read more
The new Archbishop of Sydney says that the biggest challenge facing the family today is that modernity has forgotten how to love. In an opinion piece on abc.net, Archbishop-elect Anthony Fisher wrote that “modernity struggles with any kind of love that goes beyond feelings”. “People today are less and less willing to commit, for the Read more
In the western experience modernisation and secularism come in a single package. “Real modernity must be democratic, runs the logic; and real democracy must be secular” says Lois Lee. However, outside of Europe, modernity is emerging without secularism. In modernised India for example the organisation of public space and the place of religion in it is quite different. The historian Dipesh Read more