Enlightenment, Revival, and Awakening: Part 1

Has enlightenment ever truly accomplished anything meaningful? Seriously. I know that people often point to the period known as the Enlightenment as a time where we put aside our childish and superstitious ways to pursue a more reasonable worldview. Well, I question that assertion. For one, the Medieval period was not as bad as it was claimed to be. However, even if it was, the Enlightenment has not produced fruit that is much better, if at all better, than the Great Awakening, let alone Medieval Times. Thus, the Western world needs another Great Awakening, as it puts aside the so-called fruits of enlightenment.

This is not a condemnation of the period that we know as the Enlightenment. Britannica.com sums up the fruit of the Enlightenment as, "the belief that human history is a record of general progress." In a general sense, this is correct. Mankind has made remarkable improvements in terms of technology, government, and even humanitarian outreach. This only makes sense as this was a time in history when the belief was popularized that mankind was inherently good and should seek the greatest good.

The fruit of Enlightenment, however, has ultimately manifested in the idea that mankind is its own worst enemy. It justified the ideology of secular humanism; that God does not exist and that mankind is the ruler of its own destiny. At first, this sounded great, as remnants of a theistic worldview lingered within its movement. As the enlightened individuals started to realize that their movement eliminated the necessity for God, all of a sudden the world became a giant free-for-all or survival of the fittest. Evolutionary thought dominated the secular community and all of a sudden the progress which had been made became the bane of society.

Evolutionists will ask creationists, "How can you refuse to believe in evolution and yet still use a smart phone, a computer, or even a toaster?" Aside from the false premise of this question (that evolution is the basis for all modern thought, thus all technological achievements), the evolutionists are the ones who seek to destroy the very industries that make such technology possible. This sounds absurd, but its true. 

You see, these enlightened individuals are the same people who are decrying fossil fuels, nuclear power, and even the procreation of human life in the name of Mother Earth. They believe that pollution, mostly in the form of carbon emissions, is quickly leading the environment into a global catastrophe that could destroy a significant portion of life. Essentially, they believe that the technologies they have created have made life so good and so prosperous that life will, ironically, not be sustainable in a few decades of time due to the ramifications of overpopulation. This being the case, was not the Medieval period ultimately more ideal according to the standards of these enlightened folk?

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Enlightenment, Revival, and Awakening...