Theologian Suggests U.S. Learn from Europe's Shift Toward Secularism
by Ed Thomas
June 15, 2005
(AgapePress) - A theologian and author sees the recent two-nation rejection vote of the European Union constitution in a positive light, saying it slowed down the rush to establish a more secular Europe. But he warns the U.S. to take note of the effect increased secularism can have on a nation's traditional family structure.George Weigel says Europe is in a dangerous spiritual and population decline -- one that would be accelerated with the secular landscape that the EU constitution would create in its current form, and ignore the continent's 1,500-year Christian history. That viewpoint is examined in his book The Cube and the Cathedral -- Europe, America, and Politics Without God.
On CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, Weigel said the biggest practical issue of the continent's crisis is a dropping birth rate. He describes that downturn in a very graphic way, saying Europe "is de-populating itself in numbers not seen since the Black Death in the fourteenth century."
Weigel says the population decline is caused by a spiritual emptiness that is removing the family unit from the social base and bringing about the disintegration of traditional families. He cites some specific forecasts.
"It's bad enough that Spain will lose approximately 25 percent of its population by 2050, or that Germany by that time will lose the equivalent in population of the former East Germany. What really brings it home is to think that by 2050, 60 percent of Italians will not know from personal experience what a brother, a sister, an aunt, an uncle, or a cousin is."
In addition, the Catholic theologian predicts the population drop will eventually lead to a financial and fiscal crisis as the continent is unable to provide workers for its economies. That, he says, would affect America and every other free market. He says it stems from the attempt to remove spiritual life from the social equation in government and every other arena. He cautions the United States to take note of what happens to a society that becomes primarily secular.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
