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shinyhero's review against another edition
Unrated.
I cannot really rate this book because I disagree with > 90% of the ideological and theological portions of it. Reading this book is kind of like reading Breitbart News from the 30’s. It is written by someone full of arrogance and bigotry. However, the historical portions of the book are well-written, and I actually learned quite a bit of history from it.
Ideologies aside, Belloc knows his history. This book chronicles the rises of, what Belloc considers, the five great Heresies to the Catholic Truth: Arianism, Mohammedanism (Islam), Albigensianism, Protestantism, and the “Modern Attack” (agnosticisim and atheism). The falls of two of these heresies (Arianism and Albigensianism) are also chronicled. The technical (non-ideological) analyses of the geopolitical forces are insightful, and on the whole, quite balanced. For example, Belloc fully acknowledges the corruption in the Catholic Church before and during the Reformation. I also find his technical analyses of the Islamic expansion (e.g. the technological prowess of Arabian forces) quite interesting.
Another example is regarding the economical ascent of Protestantism; Belloc wrote:
This book has very little pretense. And Belloc thinks and writes in absolutes:
Among the five heresies, Belloc seems to harbor the most hatred for Protestantism. Inexplicably, he attributes all modern ills to the Reformation, and particularly to Calvin:
It is difficult not to laugh at how ridiculous these claims are.
Later in the book regarding atheism, Belloc more particularly argues that because the Reformation invited men to reject the authority of the Church and to use his own reasons to determine his doctrine, it led to the rise of atheism because men can now also use reason to reject the existence of God entirely. That is an argument I have never quite heard before. And I give him props for the entertainment value alone.
In all, this book is an interesting read for its historical perspectives, whether you agree with them or not. Much like listening to Steve Bannon speak, parts of it are batsh*t crazy, but some parts are actually somewhat profound if you ignore the crazy stuff.
I cannot really rate this book because I disagree with > 90% of the ideological and theological portions of it. Reading this book is kind of like reading Breitbart News from the 30’s. It is written by someone full of arrogance and bigotry. However, the historical portions of the book are well-written, and I actually learned quite a bit of history from it.
Ideologies aside, Belloc knows his history. This book chronicles the rises of, what Belloc considers, the five great Heresies to the Catholic Truth: Arianism, Mohammedanism (Islam), Albigensianism, Protestantism, and the “Modern Attack” (agnosticisim and atheism). The falls of two of these heresies (Arianism and Albigensianism) are also chronicled. The technical (non-ideological) analyses of the geopolitical forces are insightful, and on the whole, quite balanced. For example, Belloc fully acknowledges the corruption in the Catholic Church before and during the Reformation. I also find his technical analyses of the Islamic expansion (e.g. the technological prowess of Arabian forces) quite interesting.
Another example is regarding the economical ascent of Protestantism; Belloc wrote:
“in the Protestant culture (save where it was remote and simple) the free peasant, protected by ancient customs, declined. He died out because the old customs which supported him against the rich were broken up. Rich men acquired the land; great masses of men formerly owning farms became destitute. The modern proletariat began and the seeds of what we today call Capitalism were sown. We can see now what an evil that was, but at the time it meant that the land was better cultivated. New and more scientific methods were more easily applied by the rich landowners of the new Protestant culture than by the Catholic traditional peasantry; and, competition being unchecked, the former triumphed.
...
But the great, the chief, example of what was happening through the break-up of the old Catholic European unity, was the rise of banking.
Usury was practised everywhere, but in the Catholic culture it was restricted by law and practised with difficulty. In the Protestant culture it became a matter of course. The Protestant merchants of Holland led the way in the beginnings of banking; England followed suit; and that is why the still comparatively small Protestant nations began to acquire formidable economic strength. Their mobile capital and credit kept on increasing compared with their total wealth. The mercantile spirit flourished vigorously among the Dutch and English, and the universal admission of competition continued to favour the growth of the Protestant side of Europe.”
This book has very little pretense. And Belloc thinks and writes in absolutes:
“There is no such thing as a religion called ‘Christianity’ - there never has been such a religion. There is and always has been the [Catholic] Church, and various heresies proceeding from a rejection of some of the Church’s doctrines by men who still desire to retain the rest of her teaching and morals…
No, the quarrel is between the Church and the anti-Church - the Church of God and anti-God - the Church of Christ and anti-Christ.”
Among the five heresies, Belloc seems to harbor the most hatred for Protestantism. Inexplicably, he attributes all modern ills to the Reformation, and particularly to Calvin:
“Though the iron Calvinist affirmations (the core of which was an admission of evil into the Divine nature by the permission of but One Will in the universe) have rusted away, yet his vision of a Moloch God remains; and the coincident Calvinist devotion to material success, the Calvinist antagonism to poverty and humility, survive in full strength. Usury would not be eating up the modern world but for Calvin nor, but for Calvin, would men debase themselves to accept inevitable doom; nor, but for Calvin, would Communism be with us as it is today, nor, but for Calvin, would Scientific Monism dominate as it (till recently) did the modern world, killing the doctrine of miracle and paralysing Free Will.”
It is difficult not to laugh at how ridiculous these claims are.
Later in the book regarding atheism, Belloc more particularly argues that because the Reformation invited men to reject the authority of the Church and to use his own reasons to determine his doctrine, it led to the rise of atheism because men can now also use reason to reject the existence of God entirely. That is an argument I have never quite heard before. And I give him props for the entertainment value alone.
In all, this book is an interesting read for its historical perspectives, whether you agree with them or not. Much like listening to Steve Bannon speak, parts of it are batsh*t crazy, but some parts are actually somewhat profound if you ignore the crazy stuff.
strong_extraordinary_dreams's review against another edition
5.0
Twice: as soon as I had finished I started again.
History just how I like it: important, familiar yet new, openly opinionated.
Virtually every sentence was interesting, but especially intriguing were:
* Islam as a heresy, not as a new religion
* Today's disbelief, rejection, as a heresy
* The continuing anti-joy purity of successive heresies
* The development of the Protestant split from a series of other problems - it was nearly impossible in isolation.
History just how I like it: important, familiar yet new, openly opinionated.
Virtually every sentence was interesting, but especially intriguing were:
* Islam as a heresy, not as a new religion
* Today's disbelief, rejection, as a heresy
* The continuing anti-joy purity of successive heresies
* The development of the Protestant split from a series of other problems - it was nearly impossible in isolation.
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