Lineage, By William Haines

I come from this particular country; that's where I get my identity from. Being involved in the social world, yes, and then in the Middle East, how do they dress? They dress very modestly, don't they? If you're lucky, you can see their face and their hands and their toenails. But in Greece, when they exercise, they exercise in the nude. It's a very different kind of tradition. The Hebraic traditions are very sexually conservative, with loads of laws in the Old Testament and Leviticus about who you're allowed to marry and who you're not allowed to marry. In contrast, in Greece, they are sexually very liberal, so pedophilia, having sex with little boys, was perfectly acceptable. It's a very different kind of thing. You can't really say that one is wrong and the other is right; they're both necessary and complementary. If you just have one without the other, it tends to become either very fanatical on the Hebraic religious side or very dissolute and corrupted on the Hellenistic side. Both of these need to be synthesized, and that's the thing. Where was the synthesis achieved then? If we go back to the Middle Ages, who achieved this kind of synthesis before Martin Luther? Yes, Thomas Aquinas. I'm skipping out a bit here regarding Baghdad and Spain, where a similar synthesis was achieved with the Islamic and Jewish worlds. But if you look at Thomas Aquinas, he is, as you know, a philosopher, theologian, and monk, and he was able to synthesize Aristotle and Christian thought. This became the medieval synthesis and the basis of Western Christianity. Up until today, Thomas Aquinas is basically the official theologian of the Catholic Church. He was able to bring together and synthesize Hebraism, the biblical tradition, and Hellenism based on Aristotle, the Greek tradition. This meant that European Christianity then did this, and so European Christianity made a foundation to receive the Messiah. The Islamic world did this also, but it lost it after a while. The medieval world, as you know, became very corrupted and ossified, and so God wanted to establish and realize the Three Blessings, but medieval society was making that impossible. The original mind was very repressed, and free development was very blocked in a feudalistic society. In feudalism, society is very stratified, with lots of different class divisions and very little social and economic freedom. If your father was a blacksmith in the Middle Ages, what were you going to do with your life? Be a blacksmith. Supposing you wanted to be a violinist and play in the orchestra? The violins in those days were not Stradivarius. If you wanted to play in the orchestra for the king, could you do that? No, it's a very stratified society. You were born into a certain place in society, and that's where you lived and died. There was very little social mobility, so you can imagine how frustrating it must have been. You may have been born incredibly intelligent, but you had no choice because you were a peasant but to go around digging and planting potatoes and wheat and harvesting apples. That was your lot in life. The Church itself became very secularized and corrupt, very ritualistic and dogmatic. The path for the rich to restore their original nature was blocked; people couldn't fulfill their potential in a medieval feudal society. It's a bit like when you make a road, and after a few years, the grass starts popping out. That's original human nature; it is irrepressible. It doesn't matter how much society tries to repress people; at the end of the day, the human heart wants to break free and fulfill its potential. It wants the freedom to be responsible, the freedom to realize the Three Blessings. This led to the breakdown of these barriers, particularly through the Renaissance and the Reformation, and to the possibility that a society could be created where people had the opportunity to establish the Three Blessings. So what do the Three Blessings mean? The first one is about becoming a mature person, achieving your own personal relationship with God, becoming one with God. This requires religious freedom, so you can worship God in the way you choose to worship Him and develop your own relationship with God. In order for that to happen, you need religious freedom to explore this whole realm of ideas. You also need to have the rule of law, so you can live your life without the government or someone else coming along and killing you or taking away your house or belongings. You need to have society protected by the rule of law, which means that there's justice, allowing the second blessing to be realized: a peaceful society based upon the rule of law and justice. The third blessing, taking dominion over creation, means that people have to be able to own property. People need to say, 'Right, this field belongs to me; I can decide what I'm going to plant in it. This house belongs to me; I can decide what colour to paint the front door or whether to extend it or whatever else I want to do with it.' People need that again in order to be free. This is what I talked about before, and the impetus behind the Renaissance is very interesting. People often think the Renaissance is a bad thing, but actually, it's a really good thing. We're created to attain perfection by fulfilling our given responsibility of our own free will without God's direct assistance. We're then to attain oneness with God and acquire true autonomy. What's autonomy? Self-governing. The normal word 'nomos' means law, so you become self-governing. You decide, 'I'm an adult; I make my own choices, I make my own decisions; nobody tells me what to do.' Basically, you become a free person, an adult. Therefore, it's a calling of our original nature to pursue freedom and autonomy: the freedom to make decisions, the freedom to make choices, the freedom to be responsible. When you become a mature person, a person of perfect character understands the will of God and puts it into practice through his own insight and reason without the need to rely on revelations from God. It's interesting, isn't it? You don't need to go around waiting for God to tell you what to do; you work it out yourself using your own insight and reason. Hence, it's only natural that we pursue reason and understanding. We're also endowed with the God-given right to master the natural world, the third blessing, to attain and cultivate it in order to create a pleasant living environment, etc. So that is the impetus behind the Renaissance: this desire to be able to realize this original human nature. Where did it start and why? Where did the Renaissance start? Italy. Can anyone be a bit more precise? France? No, inside France. Sorry, the first letters are right: Florence. Yes, Florence, that's right. The Italian city-state started there around about the 14th century. The reason why it started there is that the people in Florence loved freedom; they wanted the freedom to be creative and pursue beauty, truth, and goodness. If you're an artist, you need to have the freedom to paint the kind of paintings that you want to paint instead of having somebody say, 'Right, you're not allowed to paint this kind of painting; you're not allowed to write this kind of music; you're not allowed to write these kinds of poems.' Creative people need freedom; they want the freedom to be creative. When you're creating something, you have to make lots of decisions: what kind of paint should I use? What kind of things should I draw? It's a free creative act. In Florence, it so happened that good governance and the Medici family patronized the arts. Then, lots of Greek scholars, after Constantinople was conquered, went off to Italy and the city-states. The Renaissance started off by imitating Greek and Roman thought and culture. This then became the driving force behind the modern world and the impetus behind the Reformation. As people advocated humanism, they also rebelled against the ritualism and rules of the Church, which constrained their free devotion. They couldn't worship God the way they wanted to worship God. If they started to come up with other ideas, they could easily be called a heretic and burnt at the stake. They fought against a stratified feudal system and against papal authority, which deprived them of autonomy. In other words, they didn't have the freedom to make their own decisions. They protested the medieval view that faith required unquestioning obedience to the dictates of the Church in all areas of life, which denied them the right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience based on their own reading of the Bible. They also questioned the otherworldly and ascetic monastic ideal, which devalued the natural world. You can see the impetus behind the Reformation: there was a desire for freedom to worship God the way one wants to worship God according to one's conscience. So what happened next? Some of the most devastating wars in the whole of European history occurred. The Reformation, actually, the great tragedy of the Reformation, was that it didn't take place. There were many other movements in European history where the Church was reformed by the Franciscans, the Dominicans, or other monastic orders. The great tragedy is that Luther was rejected by the Pope, and the Catholic Church wasn't reformed. What happened is that Europe was split into two. There were certain princes in northern Germany who supported Luther, and so Germany became divided into two between Catholics and Protestants. This ensued a long conflict and fighting and wars between Catholics and Protestants. During these wars, the male population of the German states was reduced by almost half. That is shocking; nearly half the men in Germany died during these wars. Staggering, isn't it? Finally, peace was settled, but then the whole of Europe became involved in these religious wars, the Thirty Years' War, the most destructive war in European history. The population of the Czech Republic and Moravia declined by a third due to war, disease, famine, etc. You might think Swedes are very peaceful people; they have that reputation today, don't they? Well, at this particular time in the 16th century, the Swedish armies invaded Germany. They destroyed two thousand castles, eighteen thousand villages, and one thousand five hundred towns in Germany. The Swedes destroyed a third of all the German towns. Shocking, isn't it? These incredible wars wrecked Europe at this time. Terrible. Finally, peace was settled and a new political order was established, which more or less exists until today: sovereign states. We don't go around interfering in each other's affairs. That's what happened there. We're going to move on to the next part, which is what I really wanted to talk about, which is here again the Cain-type world is to submit to the Abel-type world to establish the worldwide foundation of substance. We have this split; we have the development of an Enlightenment. What led to the Enlightenment? The Renaissance elevated the dignity of the human being and the value of the natural world over devotion to God. People started painting beautiful pictures, Michelangelo's amazing statues of people like David and all these sorts of things. But then the balance became a little bit skewed, and people valued the human world and natural world over devotion to God. It's all about the value of the human being, which is a good thing, and they sought to understand everything by reason, experience, logic, and experiment. This led to the development of rationalism and empiricism and the breakdown of the medieval synthesis established by Thomas Aquinas, who was able to synthesize faith and reason and experience. The basic tradition of approaching the Enlightenment was to question values, question traditions, question doctrines. Why should we be doing this? Well, because your dad does it. Why? Why should I do it? Because your grandfather said so. We've always done it this way, and we're always going to do it this way. But why? People started to question traditions; there must be some logical explanation to support this, not just tradition and doctrines. Again, people started to look at these rationally. A lot of this came out of the Reformation, actually, and also a rejection of revelation as a sole authority. Some streams of the Enlightenment, which is a good movement, were invaded by Satan, and they became materialistic and atheistic. The Divine Principle doesn't actually analyse this very well; it sort of peters out. I'm just taking it to analyse it a little bit more here and to try and understand how the Enlightenment developed in different countries. Then you can see where the foundation to receive the Messiah was established. Let's have a look first at the English Enlightenment, which was sparked off really by the development of deism. Along with the Reformation, what did Luther say was the sole source of authority for Protestants? The Bible. Yes, the Bible. Whereas for the Catholic Church, it's the tradition, and the Bible is part of the tradition. The way in which the Church interprets the Bible is determined by the Church. But Luther said, 'We're doing away with all this; we're just going to base everything upon the Bible. If it's not in the Bible, it cannot be true.' What happens when you look at the Bible? What do you notice? Contradictions. It's full of contradictions. How many lives of Jesus are there? Four Gospels. Do they all tell the story in the same way? No, they're all very different. You know about the resurrection, for example. If you compare the lineage of Jesus in one book in Luke and the...

The lineage of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew presents a discrepancy in ancestors, leading to questions about the Bible's consistency. When examined through reason and logic, one can identify numerous contradictions within its texts. This realisation prompted some individuals to reject the Bible altogether. The Reformation shifted the focus towards studying the Bible with reason, guided by the Holy Spirit, although there were times when the Holy Spirit seemed absent. As a result, critical faculties emerged, revealing contradictions that led some to dismiss the Bible as mere fairy tales. This gave rise to Deism, an attempt to create a reasonable religion based on rational thought, discarding miracles and focusing solely on theology grounded in reason. Ultimately, this approach led to a form of practical atheism, particularly in England, where the Church of England remained intellectually vibrant.

Prominent figures such as William Law, a priest, and Bishop Butler contributed significantly to this intellectual discourse. Law wrote a notable work, while Butler's 'Analogy of Religion' addressed the arguments posed by Deists, demonstrating the limitations of reason. They argued that not everything could be explained through reason, a position rooted in empiricism. Consequently, Deism waned in England, and the culture remained deeply influenced by Christian values until around 1950. Intellectuals, including Isaac Newton and John Locke, maintained their Christian beliefs while contributing to scientific and philosophical advancements. Newton, known for his work in mathematics and physics, also penned numerous biblical commentaries, while Locke's 'Reasonable Christianity' aimed to present Christianity as a rational belief system.

The Enlightenment in England unfolded within the Church, with figures like Bishop Berkeley, who, despite being Irish, contributed to empirical thought and philosophy. The English Revolution of 1640 was largely driven by religious individuals, including Oliver Cromwell, who sought to establish a more democratic society rooted in religious values. This momentum continued into the Glorious Revolution of 1688, further intertwining religious and democratic ideals. The synthesis of the Christian tradition and Enlightenment thought, particularly the integration of Hebraic and Hellenistic influences, marked a significant development in English culture. The empirical tradition emphasised that truth arises from experience, albeit with the understanding that experience can be complex and messy.

During this period, England experienced a spiritual revival, with various groups emerging from the Reformation. The Puritans, dissatisfied with the state of England, migrated to America, while George Fox founded the Quakers, leading to a proliferation of spiritual movements. A century later, John Wesley sought to reform the Church of England, resulting in the development of Methodism and an evangelical revival. This era also saw the Great Awakening in America, with figures like George Whitefield playing pivotal roles. In Britain, a de facto religious freedom emerged, accommodating a diverse array of Protestant denominations, including Quakers and others, fostering a practical sense of religious liberty.

In Scotland, the Scottish Enlightenment flourished, particularly in Edinburgh, which was once dubbed the 'Athens of the North.' David Hume, an empiricist and my favourite philosopher, focused on human nature and the significance of emotion in human behaviour. His work laid the groundwork for ideas supporting the free market and liberal democracy. Adam Smith, another key figure, explored human nature in his writings, particularly in 'The Theory of Moral Sentiments,' which addressed the moral life of individuals. The Scottish philosophical tradition was marked by a commitment to humanism and moral improvement, contrasting with the often contentious nature of French philosophical debates. Scottish philosophers, including Hume and Smith, would gather in taverns to discuss ideas, fostering a spirit of camaraderie despite their disagreements.

The synthesis of Hebraism and Hellenism in Britain established a foundation for democracy, the rule of law, and private property. This environment was seen as divinely prepared to protect Christ at the Second Advent. The British Empire, at its height in the 1920s, expanded these principles to the United States and beyond, influencing various parts of the world, including Korea. In contrast, the French Enlightenment, spearheaded by figures like Descartes, adopted a rationalist approach, positing that truth is derived from reason. This rationalism often led to dogmatism, as exemplified by the rigid answers found in mathematics and geometry, which contrasted with the empirical tradition that embraced diverse approaches to societal development.

In France, the intellectual landscape was weakened by the expulsion of the Jesuits, leaving the church ill-equipped to counter Deist ideas. Consequently, Deism flourished, eventually giving way to atheism among many intellectuals. This shift led to a predominantly atheistic and violent revolution, contrasting sharply with the English Revolution, which reduced monarchical power and expanded individual liberties. The French Revolution resulted in a totalitarian state, with citizens defined primarily by their civic identity. Napoleon's expansionist policies further spread these revolutionary ideas across Europe, leading to significant historical consequences, including the imposition of the metric system and other modern reforms.

The German Enlightenment featured figures like Spener, a Pietist, and Leibniz, who proposed the concept of monadology, suggesting that the universe consists of spiritual atoms reflecting a perfect God. Kant synthesised rationalism and empiricism, introducing transcendental idealism. Goethe, a prominent writer, contributed to the emotional and romantic aspects of German philosophy. The German philosophical tradition, while rich, diverged from the Scottish approach, often engaging in more contentious debates rather than collaborative discussions.

The idea of placing emotion over reason emerged during the French Enlightenment, where reason was paramount and everything was viewed through a rationalist lens. In contrast, the German response developed into romanticism, which prioritised emotion. The question became, does it feel right? It may be entirely logical, but does it resonate emotionally? This perspective largely reacted against the French view, which was characterised by universalism. The French believed they had the right ideas, such as the metric system, and sought to impose these on others, reflecting a universalist mindset. The Germans, however, reacted against this imposition, asserting that there are multiple ways for nations to live their lives correctly, thus embracing pluralism.

This emotional and mystical approach in German philosophy led to a rise in irrationalism. Figures like Victor, who was an idealist, adopted these ideas, becoming increasingly nationalistic and authoritarian. Hegel further developed dialectical idealism, and at this point, the French ideas that had been imposed on Germany began to take root in German intellectual life. Unlike the English Enlightenment thinkers, who were predominantly Christian, Hegel's ideas were influenced by French atheism, which contributed to the rise of left-wing Hegelianism. This shift allowed for the emergence of atheistic materialism, as seen in the works of Marx and Engels, who introduced dialectical materialism and historical materialism as forms of scientific atheism.

Nietzsche later rejected Christianity, labelling it as a slave morality and famously declaring the death of God. This trajectory of German idealism ultimately degenerated into communism, fascism, Nazism, and anti-Semitism, creating a lack of foundation to receive the Messiah in Germany. God intended to establish a foundation for the Messiah across Europe, but unfortunately, Satan invaded the providence in Russia, Germany, and France, disrupting the Enlightenment in these regions. Only in Britain did a foundation exist to receive the Messiah, leading to ideas and consequences that shaped the course of history.

The Cain-type view of life led to totalitarian democracy, while the Abel-type view, rooted in British empiricism and spiritual revival, fostered the development of liberal democracy. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain a couple of hundred years ago, marked a significant turning point in human history. It was the most important event since the domestication of animals and plants. For the first time, the living standards of ordinary people began to experience sustained growth. This economic behaviour had never been witnessed before, and it lifted countless individuals out of poverty, largely due to the adoption of the free market.

The consequences of the French and German revolutions were costly, leading to the Napoleonic Wars and significant loss of life as attempts were made to restore order. The First World War, influenced by the invasion of Satan in Germany, resulted in staggering casualties. On the Allied side, approximately five and a half million people died, with nearly thirty million wounded. The Central Powers, including Germany and Austria-Hungary, also suffered immense losses. These figures highlight the devastating impact of atheistic and materialistic ideas on society, steering it in a dangerous direction. The Second World War further compounded these losses, with millions perishing as a result of the ideologies that had taken hold.

Today, we must consider the implications of these historical events. The intellectual landscape shaped by English and Scottish thinkers significantly influenced the political and social culture of their countries, steering them in a positive direction. In contrast, where intellectuals failed to engage, societies often went astray. Our movement has historically been involved in critiquing Marxism, Leninism, and communism, and we must continue to engage with the world of ideas today. As students, we should ask ourselves how God is working in our lives and how we can combat the ideas that threaten our society.

Historically, England was a very Hebraic Christian country, but we are witnessing a shift. Traditionally, homosexuality was viewed as wrong according to biblical teachings, yet in 1965, Parliament decided to change the law, disregarding divine principles. This trend raises concerns about the future, as it suggests that other moral boundaries may soon be challenged. The Victorian era, with its modesty, contrasts sharply with today's societal norms, where immodesty is increasingly accepted. There must be a balance between extremes; modesty does not necessitate a return to oppressive dress codes, nor does it mean abandoning all standards of decency.

The foundation for the Messiah was established in part due to the sacrifices made during the world wars. The lives lost in these conflicts created the conditions for the Messiah to be born and to begin His work. On Remembrance Day, we honour those who gave their lives for our freedom and the opportunity for the Messiah to fulfil His mission. It is essential to remember and appreciate their sacrifices, as they laid the groundwork for a society where the Messiah could thrive.