Of course everybody knows that the christian ecclesiastical powers that be (in all times and places) had a very in-bed-relationship with the political establishments in all times and places. Indeed in many places and time the church WAS the political establishment.

And that as such they were responsible for massive violence against their perceived enemies (and their imaginary ones too).

Furthermore christian-ISM is both a "heresy"-hunting religion.
Such "heresy"-hunting become the norm when the "official" institutional church was established 1700 years ago by those who WON the culture wars at the time. All the losing factions were (over time) systematically eliminated.

Furthermore, because the "catholic" church pretends that it is the ONLY source of truth in the world, and that it has an (entirely bogus) "great commission" to convert ALL human beings to the "one-true-way" it has effectively declared war against all other faith traditions and their multi-various cultural expressions. It has thus used whatever means that it could get away with in any time and place to achieve this inherently TOTALITARIAN agenda.

Systematic Cruelty was thus the (dis)-order of the day:
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/cruelty.html

One modern means of doing this is via Concordats with various states, whereby the "church" operates completely outside of the laws of the States in which they have such "agreements". It is explained here: http://www.concordatwatch.eu

Interesting piece. Maybe as a compromise Christians could work to establish an alternative public square rather than worrying too much about non-believers. 2 Cor 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you".

Why not also google the topic: the vatican in world politics.

Thank God for saving the church from being contaminated by state-affairs and worldly powers.

It would probably take a few more generations for the church to complete this rehabilitative purification process so its spirituality can shine again.

The tyranny of evidence was a justified fashion in reaction to the stagnation of the church. Once the church is no longer stagnated, this insistence on evidence will naturally wither and fall by the way-side.

Thank you Pat for this excellent quote from Corinthians.

Secularism's "meaning over time has changed and has come to refer to a realm that excludes the sacred" -- Not really: that new 'meaning' has largely come through religious people resenting secularism as equal space in the public sphere for all beliefs and for those with no belief, and then misrepresenting secularism as 'a realm that excludes the sacred'.

notice my reference to space - it is hardly about time.

"Secularists are antagonistic towards Christianity ..." -- true secularists can include Christian-secularists.

True secularists are antagonistic towards overbearing Christianity - i.e. Christianity that seeks to impose itself on non-Christians, especially in public institutions and in the public sphere/space (as it is against other overbearing religions that seek theocracy or Dominionism).

"Secularism must fail because it is unable to address the human dilemma, it knows nothing of grace, would reduce humanity to the result of evolutionary process and is in danger of producing a new totalitarianism of universal reason" -- lol --

Secularism is against those who know nothing of grace.

Secularism is not about reducing humanity.

Once again Sells is rabbiting on about time. Get real man.

David