thread: 2007-02-13 : Exorcism
On 2007-02-23, Axel wrote:
The Anglican Church was created out not only out of compromise, but out of the failure of any religious faction in Britain to prevail and impose its will on the population.
Right. And I think that there was a self-reinforcing loop there - the process made it increasingly apparent to the public - especially the more educated public - that religion is a political battleground; not a search for higher truth, meaning or salvation. Thus we became increasingly disinterested in it.
The close association between political parties & religious factions (The Church of England is commonly referred to as "The Tory Party at Prayer") just heightens that.
If you haven't read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle (and you should, everybody should), it highlights the connections between religious factions and political ones at the beginning of the Enlightenment beautifully.
