An Apparent Moral Demise

Pope Francis, spiritual head of Roman Catholics globally, and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England, for instance, have seemingly denied the "connection of Jewish people to their Holy Land" by apparently endorsing "replacement theology." Many in the Church believe that they are the true inheritors of certain biblical promises made to the Jews. Pictured: Welby (L) and Francis attend a meeting in Juba, South Sudan, on February 3, 2023. (Photo by Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images)

Genuine Bible-based faith has long been under threat of marginalization or, in some instances, elimination. The main problem might be identified as the gradual secularization of society –the view that G-d is no longer required in the public square. Blame might also be directed at the creeping influence of other faiths, some religious, others not.

In Western culture, suggests David Bonagura Jr., a professor at St. Joseph's Seminary in New York, various ideologies such as "Marxism, progressivism, multiculturalism and now wokeism" have emerged to compete with the traditional Judeo-Christian moral ethos of society. Once principles of morality have been removed from the public arena, then associated precepts of truth, justice, freedom, democracy -- and the equality and dignity of all persons --become compromised and sidelined in favor of whatever is the fashionable wisdom-of-the-month.

Although Aristotle (384–322 BCE) and his circle of philosophers argued that one can have moral virtues without religion, the French author Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859), believed the "safeguard of morality is religion, and morality is the best security of law and the surest pledge of freedom." De Tocqueville was referring here to principles derived from Judeo-Christianity; principles which constitute the basis of Western civilization. Moreover, the foundational documents of the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence firmly reflect such ethos.

In the present era, there seems to have been a turning away from traditional moral values based on religious tenets -- a trend which may have led to rejecting established social norms. As Safra Catz, the CEO of US technology giant Oracle, remarked, the "Jewish people brought morality to the world thousands of years ago, and some people are still mad about it." As a consequence of social secularization, religious moral standards are no longer deemed relevant in the post-modern setting.

Pope Francis, spiritual head of Roman Catholics globally, and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England, for instance, have seemingly denied the "connection of Jewish people to their Holy Land" by apparently endorsing "replacement theology." Many in the Church believe that they are the true inheritors of certain biblical promises made to the Jews. The Pope and Archbishop appear to deny the biblical covenant that the promised land was made exclusively with the Jewish nation, through their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The United Nation's International Court of Justice recently ruled Israel's presence, in the so-called "occupied Palestinian territories," to be unlawful. In South Africa, Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein disagreed with the ruling: "Archbishop Welby should know that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel before anyone heard of Britain" he said. Goldstein added that the two gentlemen have "abandoned their most sacred duty to protect and defend the values of the Bible." It might therefore be claimed the two Church leaders were apparently repeating a heresy prevalent among certain Christian denominations for centuries.

The dirty little non-secret is that anti-Zionism actually is an expression of anti-Semitism. To deny that Jews have no right to a state -- especially in light of four countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mauritania and Iran, highlighting "Islamic Republic" in their names -- would appear on the face of it fundamentally biased. This list does not even include the other 53 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), that declare themselves Islamic, even if their names do not herald it.

This is a sad state of affairs, indicative of the increasing irrelevance of Christendom in the public arena, in favor of fashionable ideologies and other, competing, faiths. It is also indicative of the moral decline of certain major Christian denominations. A compromise on core biblical principles, such as Israel's right to its land, reflects a decline in moral clarity.

It is for good reason that ancient Hebrew prophets and scribes were entrusted with the Holy Scriptures, for they faithfully preserved humanitarian values through the eons despite horrific persecution by both Christians and non-Christians. The foundation of the great Western civilization is derived from core Jewish values. The world owes them much gratitude.

Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A Lawyer by profession, he is member of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Retired from law, Dr. Haug holds a Ph.D. in Theology (Apologetics). He is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden – the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning in a Dark Age.' His work has appeared in First Things Journal, The American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute, Anglican Mainstream, Jewish News Syndicate, and others.