Religion and the Rise of Western Culture

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Summary: Mysteries of european history
Review: This book has given me some clues to european history. I never understood why northern Europe (England, Scandinavia, Germany...) developed so much since XVII century, becomming more prosperous lands than southern countries like Italy or Spain. Dawson explains what happened during the "Dark Years" (500-800 A.D) in Europe, and there we may find an important difference between northern and southern countries. Recomended for deep thinking people on History.

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Summary: A book about a despised but resilient civilization
Review: This work makes a very convincing case that Western Civilization was produced during the Middle Ages by the Christian Religion (the Catholic Church, really). It also shows that the middle Ages themselves, rather than being only a period of barbarism and ignorance were also a period of great intellectual ferment. Modern Western Civilization, including Western science (the only real science) has its roots in Christian Medieval thought.

Reading this history book, one cannot fail to be impressed by how many times Western Civilization was close to complete annihilation. However, Providence, in the form of the unifying force that Christianity used to be, saved the West again and again.

A subtle point made by the author is that even anti-Christian aspects of Western thought, like Humanism, the Enlightenment and even Marxism have their roots in Christianity. Thus the influence of Christianity "can never be entirely undone except by the total negation or destruction of Western man himself."

When the author was writing, of course, Western Culture was still considered admirable in many ways, and possibly the best in the arts, sciences, philosophy, etc. Today this view is not fashionable in academic circles anymore: Western man is guilty of all evils in the world and his "negation or destruction" is a much-desired outcome.

The fight for the West is about to reach a critical point once again, making this a book of great relevance.