[extropy-chat] FWD [forteana] Europe VS America

[Terry W. Colvin]

The Dallas Morning News Editorial Commentary, 8 November 2004
By Darrell L. Bock

Darrell L. Bock is Research Professor of New Testament Studies at 
Dallas Theological Seminary and is currently a guest of the German 
government on a Humboldt scholarship at the University of Tübingen.

mailto: < DBockDTS at aol.com >

DON'T DISMISS EUROPE'S OPINION OF US

As an American who spent this election season living in the heart of 
Europe, it would be an understatement to say that Europeans wanted 
and expected Sen. John Kerry to win.  Pre-election polls here put his 
support as high as 80 percent.  Europeans believe President Bush did 
not tell the truth about the weapons in Iraq and that the war is a 
major mistake, inciting rather than quelling terrorism.  Living here 
helps one to understand the visceral reaction.

Europeans have been through two World Wars.  Think of 9-11 multiplied 
over decades all over your country, and you will appreciate why 
Europeans recoil at the prospect of war and leaders seen as too eager 
to wage it.  They also have a long history of interacting with Islam. 
That history spans centuries and has generated some experience with 
the religion.  Within a decade, Turkey may become a member of the 
European Union, and many Turks live in Europe.

More important, Europe is post-Christian, almost completely secular. 
Fewer than 5 percent of Europeans go to church or synagogue, a great 
contrast to the 40 percent to 50 percent in the United States.  What 
religious sense that remains is little more than a residue of history.

The British, for example, may call upon God to save the queen, but 
they no longer call upon God to bless Britain.  Today, more Muslims 
in England attend weekly worship services than do Anglicans.  The 
numbers are similar on the Continent.  It is hard to overestimate how 
little Christianity has to do with public discourse here.

Europeans also have a decisive legacy of religious warfare dating 
from the Crusades to the horrific Thirty Years War.  The bloodshed in 
wars between Christians provided the seed for the Enlightenment, 
which took Europe down the path to secularism.  The world wars of the 
last century also discredited in the public's mind the old European 
order, including the religious establishment.

As a result of all this, Europeans do not understand the religious 
dimension in American politics and debate.  They perceive our values 
debate as an expression of mere political conservatism or religious 
fundamentalism, to them a kind of mindless superstition.  The 
greatest difference between Europe and America is likely the issue of 
religion and its relationship to the broader culture.

In America, religion is more or less expected to play a role in our 
politics, even if it's only a bland sort of civic religiosity.  The 
opposite is true in Europe.  Recently a European Union minister, 
Rocco Buttiglione, a conservative Italian Catholic, expressed 
hesitation about gay marriage and the role of women in public life. 
In turn, the EU blocked him from serving as a cabinet member, causing 
the prospective EU president to withdraw the entire slate of 
candidates, and producing a crisis still to be resolved.

And Pope John Paul II, a personal friend of Mr. Buttiglione's, 
lobbied hard to have Christianity noted as part of Europe's heritage 
in the EU Constitution, a historical fact that even an uninformed 
visitor to Europe's museums and urban centers would observe.  He 
failed.  In both cases, the Europeans are not attaining their own 
standards for a tolerant, politically engaged society.

Europe cannot distinguish between political conservatives and moral 
conservatives.  The two are not necessarily the same.  Many Democrats 
who voted for Mr. Bush and past Republican candidates did so because 
they were cultural conservatives, more concerned about moral values 
related to nation, home and family than other issues.  On Election 
Day, enough moral conservatives of both parties -- including a 
surprising number of Hispanics motivated by values concerns -- showed 
up to elect Mr. Bush.  Not only does Europe not get this, neither do 
most Democrats.

Are Europeans correct?  That's beside the point.  It is important to 
understand how our neighbors and historical allies perceive us, and 
vice versa.  Many Americans do not care one whit what Europeans 
think.  This is unwise.  Like a spouse, it is important to understand 
why someone close to you sees things differently, even when one may 
not agree, especially if a potential partnership may allow both 
partners to accomplish shared goals.  We need to do a better job of 
explaining to Europeans why these value issues also matter.
-- 
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Rob Solarion
Northeast Texas


-- 
"Only a zit on the wart on the heinie of progress." Copyright 1992, Frank Rice


Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1 at mindspring.com >
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