Evelyn Waugh and Malcolm Muggeridge were two prominent 20th-century British intellectuals who converted to Roman Catholicism, though they did so decades apart and under different circumstances. Both men were known for their sharp wit, satire, and eventual disillusionment with the direction of modern, secular society.Evelyn Waugh (Converted 1930)Context: Waugh converted at age 26, shortly after the failure of his first marriage and during a period of personal disillusionment.Influences: He was heavily influenced by his friend Olivia Plunket-Greene and instructed by Father Martin D'Arcy, a Jesuit who helped him move from a vague, youthful irreligion to a firm intellectual conviction of the Catholic faith.Perspective: Waugh’s Catholicism was traditionalist and central to his later work, including Brideshead Revisited. He famously told Nancy Mitford, "You have no idea how much nastier I would be if I was not a Catholic".Later Life: He was deeply disturbed by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), particularly the move away from the Latin Mass.Malcolm Muggeridge (Converted 1982)Context: A famous journalist and broadcaster, Muggeridge was a lifelong skeptic who turned to Christianity in his later years.Influences: His conversion was heavily influenced by his work with Mother Teresa, whom he profiled in Something Beautiful for God.Perspective: He felt that modern, secular society was in a "Gadarene slide into decadence and Godlessness," a theme he explored in his work as he moved toward faith.The Conversion: He was formally received into the Catholic Church in 1982 at the age of 79, after having rejected Anglicanism.Relationship Between ThemDespite sharing the same faith, the two were not close, and Waugh famously snubbed Muggeridge at a 1957 book launch, using his ear-trumpet as a prop to ignore him. Waugh died in 1966, long before Muggeridge's conversion.
25:00 Jews have no religious hierarchical structure or organisation at all.
27:00 Chief Rabbis are like Governor Generals.
1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis
29:00 Proposition nation
Habeas corpus
30:00 Regicide of Charles I
31:00 The Church of England service
32:00 Christian worship during the English Republic
AI Overview
Christian worship during the English Republic (the Commonwealth and Protectorate, 1649–1660) was defined by a shift away from episcopal, liturgical Anglicanism toward diverse,, Puritan-led Protestant forms. Key features included the abolishment of the Book of Common Prayer, a focus on sermon-centered worship, and the rise of gathered, independent congregations.
Key Aspects of Worship (1649–1660)
Abolition of Liturgy: In 1645, Parliament prohibited the Book of Common Prayer. It was replaced by a more flexible, non-liturgical approach, where ministers were expected to pray extemporaneously (spontaneously) rather than reading from a book.
Focus on the Word: Sunday worship was centered on long, often hour-long, sermons that explained the scriptures. Preaching was viewed as the most important element of the service, meant to bring "unvarnished" word of God to the people.
Presbyterian Ascendancy: Parliament established a Presbyterian system, removing bishops and placing governance in the hands of non-hierarchical assemblies of ministers and elders.
Rise of Sects and Independents: Under the, relative, religious freedom allowed by Oliver Cromwell (who favored, yet did not strictly enforce, a broad, reformed church), many, "independent," or, "Congregational," churches grew. These allowed for greater autonomy for local congregations.
Iconoclasm and Simplicity: To remove, "popish" influences, many churches saw the removal of statues, stained glass, and images, often replaced with painted biblical texts.
Restricted Holy Days: The celebration of traditional festivals like Christmas was severely restricted or banned.
Baptist Growth: Baptist churches grew significantly during this period,, flourishing, in part, due to the breaking down of the Church of England hierarchy during the civil war.
Quakerism: The 1650s saw the emergence of the Quakers, who practiced unstructured, silent worship led by the, "inward light" of the Spirit.
While Presbyterianism was officially favored, the reality was a mixed landscape of Anglican, Presbyterian, Independent, and Baptist, with, "gathering", and preaching taking center stage.
32:00 Henry VIII knew not to change the ritual and the prayers of the Catholic Church.
34:00 The confirmation ceremony
35:00 The Half-Way Covenant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Way_Covenant
36:00 The Great Awakening
https://thevoiceofreason-ann.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-roman-empire-reformation-great.html
AI Overview
Recent reports from Texas have highlighted incidents where individuals, driven by rising anti-Muslim sentiment and rhetoric, have harassed or complained about people they wrongly assumed to be Muslim, only for them to be revealed as Christian.
Misidentified Muslim Prayer Group (Plano, 2026): A man shouting Islamophobic slurs harassed a group of young people praying in a Plano park, calling Islam a "disgusting fake religion" and shouting that they "need Jesus," according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Targeting of Christian Crosses (Plano, 2025): During protests organized by far-right groups outside the EPIC Mosque in North Texas, demonstrators carrying crosses and shouting anti-Islamic slogans were observed. Some onlookers noted the irony of the protesters using Christian symbols to spread hate, acting against the Christian tenet of loving one's neighbor.
"Sharia City" Controversy (Plano, 2025): Texas leaders, including Governor Greg Abbott, faced criticism for targeting the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) with accusations of creating a "Sharia City," which fueled harassment against the community.
General Context: These incidents occur amid a broader, intensified campaign by some Texas politicians and groups that have made anti-Muslim rhetoric a key focus of their campaigns, often blurring the lines between political opposition to Islam and the harassment of individuals based on perceived, rather than actual, religious identity.
While some incidents have led to tense confrontations, others have resulted in local communities rallying together to combat the misinformation, notes TRT World and KERA News.
37:00 Uniformity of prayer and festivals amongst Muslims
39:00 Sexual offences under sharia
40:00 The matriarchy
41:00 All viable societies need a ruling class, a middle class and a working class.
42:00 Too much liberty leads to the law of the jungle.
43:00 America cannot be a Catholic monarchy and Americans must forget about Christian Nationalism and Christian Imperialism and instead embark on Islamic imperialism in a peaceful and Koranic way.
44:00 Caste system
Living in a meritocracy governed by a government that governs in the national interest
45:00 The nature and purpose of religion
46:00 The traumatic history of traumatised Europeans
47:00 British empiricism
48:00 MAGA
49:00 American Repentance is Secular Koranism with American Characteristics.
50:00 Daniel Haqiqatjou
53:00 Catholicism cannot be part of Christian Nationalism.
Urbi et Orbi
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