Great Heresies

Rating:
Summary: Much to be appreciated here
Review: As is his inclination, Belloc is often opinionated without support, off by a mile with statements to the effect that Calvinism and Reformed theology are dead, which sixty years distance has proven untrue. At the same time, he can be remarkably prescient, such as his statement about the dangers of Muslim people to the world at large, and western culture in particular.

It is worth observing, however, that, unlike his unreadable Crusades work, this one is at least interesting and fiery, as everyone has told me Belloc could be. I particularly note that prejudice in favor of one's culture and race is here, as it is always, indicative of a healthy mind. You can sense his devotion and fondness for all things European and Catholic in every sentence, which is refreshing change of atmosphere to an age of self-flagellating, vulgar simpletons who haven't the testicular fortitude to enjoy being what they are. I shall read more Belloc, despite my dislike for his Crusades book. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Very Prescient
Review: I don't want to bore the reader with too many examples. One will suffice.
In the chapter titled: "The Heresy of Mohammed" page 71.
.....and only saved by the Christian army under the command of the King of Poland on a date that ought to be among the most famous in history---September 11, 1683.

Rating:
Summary: "Heresies survive by the truth they contain"
Review: That line, from page 4, is embedded into my brain, because it is so darn true!

This book is not a theological refutation of heresy, but an historical and sociological account of the effect that heresies have on civilization, even long after they have been abandonned.

"Heresies survive by the truths they contain"??? Can there be any truth in heresy? "What, can the devil speak true?" (That's for you fans of Shakespeare's "Macbeth").

Yes, there is truth in heresy. But the truth is oversimplified, exaggerated, and mixed with falsehoods. That is what makes the heresy dangerous - heresies appeal to those who want a simpler truth (even if the truth is not so simple), and heresies hide their lies behind those truths.

This sets the tone for the whole book, and it also serves to make the heresies and their appeal much easier to understand.

After discussing heresy in general, the author goes on to describe five of the great ones (Arianism, Mohammedanism, The Albigensians, Protestantism, and The Modern Attack). He discusses how they came to be, how they affected the contemporary world, how they still affect us today, and what the world would have been like if the heresy had prevailed. And, his section on the Modern Attack is nothing less than prophetic, when you realize that the deteriorations he discusses, deteriorations we face in society today, he wrote about back in 1938 - a time when protestantism was just beginning to embrace artificial contraception.

Well, Hilaire Belloc is now my favorite author. Read this book, and he will become one of your favorites too!