I have always argued that this never-enacted society finished two-hundred plus years ago with the French Revolution. That's when the Church's alliance with kingships and autocrats was irrevocably broken, and all the contracts- favourable, uneasy and cosy- between Church and State were broken, and like Humpty Dumpty, could never be put together again.
Religious institutions had discredited themselves prior to 1789, by abandoning people during the plagues, punishing millions with inquisitions and starting wars that few wanted. its authority eroded as they grew fat and indolent at other's expense.
And
that's before we talk about the monopoly the religious orders kept over biblical
interpretation, and the sterling efforts in sustaining people's ignorance
instead of their education. Their monopoly was slowing being broken by the
printing press, a diversity of ideas and dangerous new ideas not found in the Bible - like
democracy, freedom of expression, equal opportunity and Science-. The
Judeo-Christian ethos was doomed.
In
terms of social equity, religious texts sympathised with the poor. But once religion
institutions became powerful, it supported the princes, kings and dictators of
the period.
For
centuries the Christian church opposed and undermined democracy. Less than a
century ago, it still gave various tacit and explicit support for the fascisms
of Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
The
truth is the 'Judeo-Christian' has been (and is) authoritarian, anti-democratic, a long opponent of Science , especially when it disagreed with dogma. It alway busy accumulating wealth and property, opposing and undermining secular society and
its ethos.
The
subject is far too big to do justice here. But religion has broadly oppose
people's liberty, preferring obedience and duty. It opposed all but a
religiously-based education, fought and against gay rights, in birth control, etc, always preferring conformity. It has
often been a source of zealotry and religious intolerance.
So
it is an overwhelmingly good thing that the modern world is no longer
Judeo-Christian, 'basic' or
otherwise. The myth persists because there are those who want to return to
authoritarian ways, who nostalge it, and who know that if it is repeated often
enough, some people are silly enough to believe it.
Welcome
to the modern world's greatest (and incomplete) project : democratic, liberal,
egalitarian, social and creative. Tis a far, far better way.
