Worshipping the State

How Liberalism Became Our State Religion

By: Benjamin Wiker PhD

Narrated by: Ken Maxon

Many Christians feel that they are being opposed at every turn by what seems to be a well-orchestrated political and cultural campaign to de-Christianize every aspect of Western culture. They are right, and it goes even further back than the Obama Administration. In Worshipping the State: How Liberalism Became Our State Religion, Benjamin Wiker argues that it is liberals who seek to establish an official state religion: one of unbelief. Wiker reveals that it was never the intention of the Founders to drive religion out of the public square with the First Amendment, but secular liberals have deliberately misinterpreted the establishment clause to serve their own ends: the de-Christianization of Western civilization. The result, they hope, is government as the new oracle. Personal faith in a deity is replaced with collective dependence on government, and the diversity of religious practices and dogmas is reduced to a uniform ideological agenda. The liberal strategy is two-pronged: drive religion out of the public square, and then, in religion's place, erect the Church of the State to fill the human need for a higher power to look up to.

But what was done can be undone. Outlining a simple, step-by-step strategy for disestablishing the state church of liberalism, Worshiping the State shows the full historical sweep of the war to those on the Christian side of the cultural battle - and as a consequence of this far more complete vantage, how to win it.

©2013 Benjamin Wiker (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Why do martyrs exist?

Every Christian or non-Christian intellectual should read this book, as it provides a very Big Picture image of the political meaning of Christianity.

If you’re the kind of Christian who feels peculiarly ambivalent about politics, there is a reason for that. And people were not martyred just because they dared to say that loving is good, and hating is bad.

Wow!

In this audiobook (which I listened to twice), Dr. Wiker takes us through a very different overview of Liberalism. He covers its origins (largely the sixteen and seventeen hundreds), and its current role in the various societies within which it may be found. If the listener considers himself a conservative or a libertarian; he will find that some of his historical heroes were benighted with a deist's worldview. And, due to my Christian beliefs; I of course cannot embrace deism.

Deism taken by itself though, has generally not been a disqualifier in determining who I may admire or perhaps venerate (for example Thomas Jefferson). But if one takes to heart the connection (which is extensively demonstrated in this audiobook) between deism and secular liberalism; some of my former "heroes" (including Thomas Jefferson) were tinctured with a philosophy which seeks nothing less than the complete eradication of Christianity - not a benevolent condescension toward it, but its ultimate eradication!

In the interest of fairness to Dr. Wiker, it must be said that he did not indict with animus those who had fallen prey to secular liberalism. His overriding focus throughout this audiobook, was to help the listener to both see and understand the genesis of secular liberalism, and its detrimental impact particularly on America. My takeaway of this situation as it currently stands, is that we are truly in dire circumstances! Or to put it in another way; there is a lot of work that must be done to remedy the situation. Dr. Wiker's recommendation is to take back the universities, wherein the impetus of secular liberalism exists. Can this be done? My thought is that if the government's financing were removed, perhaps it could.

Finally, in my view Ken Maxon was a poor choice in the reading of the text of this audiobook. He unfortunately sounded as though he were reading a bedtime story. A more powerful performance would have greatly benefited this particular material.

An Excellent Excellent book

This is the fifth book that I have read it to Dr. Wiker After Moral Darwinism, 500 year after the Reformation, 10 books that screwed the world and 10 books every conservative should read,and in every book Dr. Wiker prove to me that he is an Excellent scholar with deep knowledge and outstanding understanding of the Western history,if you want to understand how we reach this ugly point of this enforcement of hard Secularism you should read Dr. Wiker books especially this book, in this book Dr.Wiker illustrate the Long history of the relationship between the religion and the state in the west, from the pegan Roman empire and the spread of Christianity and the revival of the incient peganism in the Renaissance era up to these days, you will understand how all of these major changes in the Western countries happened, because all of these ugly notorious Secular ideas have been spread to us in the Muslim world and we have been deeply and badly effected with it, so these knowledge is highly valuable for us,Don't hesitate to read this book even if you are not interested in these topics you will gain an Excellent knowledge and understanding to our current era from it.

Less Than Enthralling

While the premise is good and some of the perspectives are rather intriguing and thought-provoking, a lot of the points are so repetitive as to be painful. Also, some of the points seem or appear to be as biased as the author blames the other side of being.