What's So Great About Christianity? (Book Review)
Dinesh D'Souza launches into his 2008 book 'What's So Great About Christianity' with three ambitious objectives: (1) demonstrate the triumph of religion over secularism, (2) defend Christianity from its attackers, (3) and establish Christianity's uniqueness among religions.
D'Souza attempts to demonstrate his first objective by detailing how traditional religion is growing in adherents while secularism is collapsing. He claims this has created a standoff because traditional religious adherents on the right and atheistic secularists on the left. D'Souza argues that while Christianity is dying in First World Western countries, it is growing exponentially in the Third World, and whatever we perceive as weakness in our home countries is really just a transition into new strength.
D'Souza undertakes a prolonged defense of Christianity from the secular atheistic attacks against it. He alleges that atheists have simply replaced traditional religion's metaphysical assumptions with a new one: Science is the only way to gain knowledge. They have taken their metaphysical assumption to our schools and indoctrinated kids. Additionally, they have tried to popularize the notion that a parent passing their faith to their kids is tantamount to child abuse.
In 'Part II: Christianity and the West,' D'Souza defends Christianity by asserting that almost every cherished value of modern secular society, including limited government and the concept of equality, was introduced by Christianity. He discusses how women in the ancient world were treated poorly, and it was only the arrival of Christianity that allowed for women's social elevation. Christianity also inspired medieval rise of a manly gentleman's code of chivalry that sought to protect and honor women. D'Souza claims that Christianity was the origin of modern science, and that the big bang and evolutionary theories are both compatible with the Bible and actually support its divine inspiration. He deconstructs the famous Galileo case in which atheists claim Christianity stood in opposition to science. Galileo was just a jerk who was rejected by the Pope for personal reasons. D'Souza uses David Hume, the famous critic of miracles, to point out why miracles should be accepted instead of dismissed. He points to the incredible philosopher Blaise Pascal to demonstrate how our world is uniquely designed to allow those who want God to find him while those wishing to deny him can find justifications for their atheism. This brilliant design allows for the faith mechanism to become the gateway to God. Faith is egalitarian, whereas logic and learning is reserved more for privileged minds.
D'Souza tackles Christianity's alleged historical sins during the crusades, inquisition, and Salem witch trials. He points out that the crusades were a Christian attempt to recover lands stolen by Muslims during earlier centuries, that most reports of the inquisition were little more than fables invented by Spain's enemies, and that very few people actually died in the Salem witch trials. Christianity's alleged historical sins were either fabrications or justifiable actions according to modern measures. Christianity's two thousand years of moral moderation, however, should be contrasted with the tremendous destruction, chaos, and death produced by secular atheists in just one century. Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, alone killed multiplied millions.
D'Souza uses the final chapters to delve into philosophy and the uniqueness of Christianity. He uses the existence of objective moral standard to argue for Christianity over the postmodern idea that truth is a relative personal concept. In his chapter 'Ghost in the Machine.' he discusses how mankind cannot be reduced to atomic particles, and how there must be something more that animates the human body. D'Souza also argues that atheism has become popular only because it provides the masses an excuse to live in their own desired way. Christianity, however, is unique for three reasons: (1) it makes specific claims about truth and conforms to them, (2) it is the only religion that embraces the concept of grace, (3) and it is the only religion to claim that God came to earth as a literal man. These specifics, he argues, are hard and substantial, and they contrast with the mushy nonsense of New Age philosophy.
Critique
Although I appreciate D'Souza's attempt to paint Christianity as triumphant, I disagree with his prognosis. Although Christianity may be growing numerically in the Third World, those populations are not as strong as those in the First World. Western populations are more intelligent and industrious than those inhabiting the Third World. Christianity is largely being propped up in Third World countries by the remaining First World faithful (through money and missionaries). However, when the Western populations are completely secularized then the Third World will not be able to sustain Christianity, and it will begin collapsing there as well. The only solution is to save Western Civilization and her historical peoples.
D'Souza comments on the outright hatred atheists possess towards religion. I find it fascinating that modern atheists are so adamantly anti-religious. Their hateful reactions against faith are revealing coming from people who claim "God is fake" and "God is a silly imaginary friend." Atheists don't disbelieve in God as much as they simply hate him. Atheists have created a materialistic ontology that necessitates God's nonexistence. As a result, they attack all traditional religions because what they advocate is just a modern pseudo-religion masquerading as something "scientific." It should come as no surprise to Christians that atheists hate our religion just as much as many Muslims, all three are hegemonic religious worldviews.
D'Souza defends or repudiates Christianity’s historical "sins" by pointing out that they were comparable to stealing candy from a gas station when compared with the long list of mass murdering atheists. Atheism's utopian Marxist project is responsible for over 100 million deaths worldwide. Atheistic fascism is responsible for another 11 to 17 million more, while all of the crusades combined never produced a million casualties, the Salem witch trials resulted in less than 30 deaths, and only around 225 people died as a result of the Spanish inquisition. The three primary historical "sins" of Christianity, over the course of two thousand years, probably amounted to less than 0.8 percent of all the deaths inflicted by atheism in the twentieth century alone.
D'Souza's book is a great defense of Christianity, and it hit all the major points of contention. The only other point of disagreement I have with D'Souza is his defense of the big bang and biological evolution. Evolution has so little support that many scientists are now abandoning it, and the big bang is such a bad theory it has a fudge factor of nearly 97 percent! Although I agree that it may be theoretically possible to reconcile Christianity with both of these theories, I do not believe science supports them.