Jesus, Hitler and The Abolition of God

The origins of modern secularism lie in the age of the Renaissance. This lecture tracks that legacy down to the present.
A lecture by Alec Ryrie, Gresham Professor of Divinity 9 May 2019
www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-an...
This series has argued that the origins of modern secularism lie in the age of the Renaissance. This last lecture will track that legacy down to the present. From Tom Paine through Bakunin to modern humanism and anti-Nazism, religion has not collapsed intellectually. Instead, religious impulses - defiance of unwelcome moral authority, the quest for ever-deeper truths, a readiness to judge churches by their own standards - have given our age a profoundly secular ethic with deeply religious roots.
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[@cohomologygroup]

There is a KMFDM song "Stray Bullet", on their Symbols album, with the line, "Even if god really existed, it would be necessary to abolish him!" I never thought I would learn the origin of that lyric in a Gresham College lecture.

[@richardrickford3028]

In this more secular age it is interesting to see the rise of very popular sagas such as star wars and lord of the rings. For some these are stories that take the place of bible stories. They have a strong moral dimensions. The most interesting characters are not those who are wholly good or evil but are Darth Vader and Kylo Ren - these are the doubters, the characters who are battlefields between good or evil.

[@PeteSchult]

Excellent series. Thanks for posting.

[@Lothnothus]

now that... is how you lecture. wonderful. no erms, no gulps, no weird noises, good lad. good dad.

[@GingerJoberton]

Truly an excellent speaker and historian

[@Eric-ye5yz]

Freedom is essential, because if you don't have freedom then you cannot be truly held responsible for your actions.

[@bcddd214]

I watched all 6!

[@snappycatchy]

This talk is so prescient.

[@DeadlycheesePeople]

I liked the other lectures, but I just don’t see World War 2 in the obviously emotional way he does. Perhaps it’s a generational difference. Maybe I’m too far separated from the sufferings of the time period to understand his view here.

[@stthomasaquarius]

This is a very weird set of talks. He wants to give Christianity credit for skepticism and points to Paine, Bakunin, and Nietzsche as having a moral framework derived from Christianity. But I don't recall hearing any acknowledgement that the things for which he wants to give Christianity credit, namely the building blocks of the enlightenment were borrowed pretty much entirely from the Hellenistic philosophy of the first century Roman Republic.

[@ontariochurchstories7276]

Whoa! Good overview.

[@slotenmakerdenhaag]

Very interesting series of lectures however I do not agree with his characterisation of humanism towards 50:00 as a movement prioritising human life, Indeed I doubt very much that this could’ve been gleaned from the book he is discussing on the topic. Furthermore characterising the Holocaust as the central moral event of the 20th century; why not the atomic bomb? After all, The Holocaust proves that it is possible to persecute and annihilate certain groups without destroying the human race entirely, whereas the indiscriminate killing resulting from a nuclear apocalypse Could result in the attacker dying as well. The proposition is a little bit wobbly

[@cronur]

Such a great talk

[@matimus100]

It's all about numbers in America 🇺🇸 A non believer in Power please.

[@slotenmakerdenhaag]

Wait a minute: does reason end at Nazism?

[@ulligoschmidt4189]

Is there a god ?One will never know. But if will he interact with human belongings? Dont think so. Because if the universe was created by him his plan would be perfect because he is divine.And that for why would he stirr up his own making?That makes no sense. But one thing for sure .There is no devil wether you call him Satan,Mephisto,Evil,or what ever - outside our body!

[@rahowherox1177]

He?

[@danasmith1165]

ulli goschmidt you are so deceived and satan loves it. Jesus Christ is the Only True God and right now you are serving satan whether you believe it or not.

[@rstevewarmorycom]

@@danasmith1165 There is no satan and there was no jeebus. It was a story with NO evidence behind it.

[@zimbabwe_twinnedwithanfield]

@@rstevewarmorycom creation is the best evidence for a creator.. Matter can not pop into existence by itself. You actually do not have any other option but a creator who is not bound by time, space or matter

[@zimbabwe_twinnedwithanfield]

@@rstevewarmorycom evil and sin is great evidence for the devil... if evolution was correct then we would have evolved sin out of us, such as greed, evil,stealing, murder, ect ect

[@minirock000]

i don't need to prove your religion is wrong, you have to provide evidence your gawd exists at all. i do not need mockery but you require evidence to convince me. edit: out by the time you mention Huxley. Dribble.

[@Julian-sy3qf]

This lecture is not about convincing anyone for or against religion

[@slotenmakerdenhaag]

The potshot he takes at Ken Livingstone shows this this speaker is not quite aware of his Christian guilt complex about the murder of millions of Jews