The true enemy of the West is not Islam, nor is it the decline of morality and decency. These are merely symptoms resulting from a larger problem. The true enemy is the mass apostasy from Christianity.
The last century witnessed the decline of faith at a tremendous rate. The Age of Reason or the "Enlightenment" which was centered in Europe is to a large extent, when modern European thought began and, ironically, apostasy took hold. With not only millions, but seemingly entire nations and peoples, leaving the Faith the inevitable consequence is the devastation of reason.
The Age of Reason brought about an intellectual skepticism and a desire to reexamine and question all received ideas and values. This necessarily included a rejection of traditional beliefs and dogmas. The Roman Catholic Church was viewed as the principal force that had enslaved the human mind and suppressed the free exercise of reason. Thus the "enlightenment" rejected the natural harmony between reason and faith. It has become imperative that this harmony between faith and reason be restored for the sake of the survival of the West.
We are now seeing the fruit of this devastation of reason on a magnified and indeed a global scale in the secular left's approach to Islamic jihad. Jihadism has become a threat to our way of life. Unfortunately, the gravity of this threat is barely acknowledged by many in the West. It is understood to be a curious social phenomenon isolated to a few radicalized muslims that have been mistreated in some manner by the West. The proposed solutions invariably take the shape of social programs, blind tolerance and appeasements which are detrimental to Western culture.
Modern secular minds devoid of the light of grace cannot reason through these muddy and tumultuous times. They fail to perceive the danger before their eyes-- and it is precisely in this failure that they become our worst enemies.
"Now the Faith is based upon reason, and everywhere outside the Faith the decline of reason is apparent." --Hillaire Belloc, Survivals and New Arrivals.
The Pope's recent condemnation of the idea of jihad, or holy war, as contrary to reason and God’s plan, highlights how reason, or the lack thereof, translates into a dangerous world view. Likewise, the secular left reveal a critical failure in the modern mind, and ultimately pose a deadly threat to the West. Without the light of faith, the world is at a loss to comprehend and provide solutions to the West's predicament.
The Left's reasoning is seen in the relativistic approach wherein all religions are equally blamed for bloodshed and discord throughout history, while ignoring the fact that secular atheism was responsible for the deadliest century of all time. These fallen away Christians of the West retain a twisted bit of Christianity that cause them to tolerate everything to our detriment. It is a self-loathing and self-defeating version of "charity" that condemns all things Western and prefers all non-western ideas.
"Today we can see it on all sides as the active negation of all that Western culture has stood for. Civilization - and by this I do not mean talking cinemas and tinned food, nor even surgery and hygienic houses, but the whole moral and artistic organization of Europe - has not in itself the power of survival. It came into being through Christianity, and without it has no significance or power to command allegiance. The loss of faith in Christianity and the consequential lack of confidence in moral and social standards have become embodied in the ideal of a materialistic, mechanized state . . . It is no longer possible . . . to accept the benefits of civilization and at the same time deny the supernatural basis upon which it rests." --Evelyn Waugh.
All around us is splintered christianity. Reason has not only declined in the secular West it has also dismally declined in christianity. In fact, it has declined to such an extent that it is difficult to decipher the mind of a christian vs. that of a worldling. If reason were truly enlightened by the Christian faith, one would hear from the churches that gay marriage is destructive to our culture; that the right-to-die will lead to the duty-to-die; that birth control will lead to promiscuity and depopulation; that divorce and remarriage is bad for children and has generational consequences; that abortion will errode respect for life; and that mothers need to rear their children. All of these things are only heard today from one church--the Catholic Church.
"There is no parallel between the Catholic Church and any other institution. There is no parallel between the Catholic Church and any other man made grouping of opinions or of moods. She is wholly distinct. As with her founder, so with Her: all that is not of Her is against Her; for She claims, and Her adherents maintain the claim, that Hers is the one and the only authoritative voice upon earth."...Hillaire Belloc, Survivals and New Arrivals.
God did not abandon His people to subjective self interpretation. He left us a Church that transcends worldly reason and understanding by the light of faith. Many churches today tickle the ears of members rather than provide sound doctrine. The hard teachings of Jesus have been watered down in the mega and mainline churches. Laxity and feel good psychology is disguised as religion. This laxity however does not hold the masses' loyalty and attention. Rather, it is the counter-cultural hard teachings that demand discipline, true conversion and that ultimately attract the youth and loyal adherents.