SQT: New Site and The Benedict Option

1. I moved to a new blog site. My tech savvy, soon to be brother in law, recommended it and I am so glad he did. The old site was so irritating to write on and to read.
2. Everyone is talking about The Benedict Option. I can’t wait to read it! I want to thank both the American Defense for Freedom and Rod Dreher. They retweeted my first blog post since baby Evelyn has been born. It has really given me an impetus to start writing more again.
3. Baby Evelyn is six months old! And we can’t remember life before her. 
4. I think I have found a more focused direction for the blog. I would like to write about the struggles housewives and mothers have in today’s world, and how reading the philosophy of the ancients, medievalists, and moderns may help us to understand our predicament.
5. It seems to me like our predicament is two fold (at least). The first problem is an ancient problem linked to human nature and the fall of Eve. The second problem is a modern one linked to the way things have been flipped on their heads since Descartes denial of his own hand, but for women even more so in the last 60 years.
6. The last 60 years secularism has taken a stronghold in this country. Secularism seems like a particularly difficult thing for Christians to deal with because they use Christian principles while at the same time turning over Christian values.  For instance, we are going to invite everyone into our country despite who they are (Christian value), but if you are a practicing Christian living in this country you must adhere to our secularism, and if you don’t we will ostracize you. (Check out ADF’s video at the University of Madison for more info.)
7. This is a further distinction I would like to draw out on this blog: secularism, Christianity, and paganism. Paganism seemed to get many things right despite not having revelation. Christianity has both revelation and reason (philosophy), but secularism seems to use the principles of Christianity that it likes but disregards the faith (theology) and reason (philosophy) behind those principles. A professor of mine from college said “In order to become good Catholics, we must first become good pagans.” I whole heartedly agree with this sentiment. We must return to nature and an understanding of things rooted in the natural order of things to have a better grasp of ourselves as Christians. The more we try to enter deeper into the culture of Christianity through Kant and technology, I fear the further we will get from our roots and thus the less we will understand the richness of our beliefs.
8. Linking up with Kelly over at This Aint the Lyceum. She’s reviewing The Benedict Option today.