Our Apocalyptic Times: The Four Monstrous Kingdoms

The mass readings this past week, the last of our liturgical year, involved Daniel's visions of the four horrific kingdoms: one is more grotesque, destructive and fearsome than the next. It occurs to me that our current world can be understood, by analogy, as a competiton between four such competing kingdoms: fascist dictatorships, Sharia Law, Cultural Liberalism and Communism. They are not equally evil.

The least evil of the four is the surge of righwing dictatorships across the globe. In the West we see a nationalist populism fueled by rage at the totalitarianism of Cultural Liberalism. Putin is a prime example. The hysterical-derangement-syndrom Left configures Trump as such but he is a "dictator-wanna-be." Ross Douthat is accurate in saying that he lacks the political will and talent to become a true strongman. In his middle-of-the-night delusional tweets he is another Putin but in the real world his narcicissm, lack of focus and incompetence shortcircuit his ambitions. Early on Douthat correctly suggested that his campaign lacked the intelligence and sophistication for a genuine collaboration with the Russians but the prolonged, expensive Mueller Commission, like the current hearings on January 6, was a necessary OCD ritual that helped the Left process their obsession, anxiety and rage.

The good news about dictatorships: recalling Hannah Arendt's famous distinction between the authoritarian and the totalitarian, we see that right wing dictatorships claim monopoly over political power but if that is not threatened they tolerate a wide range of religious, cultural, and business freedoms. There was more liberty under Saddam than in Iraq today; under the Shaw than the Mullahs; under Diem than Ho Chi Min, even under Hitler than Stalin. These dictatorships are often mixed bags with some wholesome elements supportive of religion, family life, patriotism and the weak and vulnerable. In contrast to the three totalitarianisms, authoritarian regimes can be open to the "Christian Strategy" advocated by Adrian Vermulle whereby we might emulate Old Testament figures (Daniel, Joseph, Esther) who worked with such rulers to protect their people, advance the good and minimize the bad.

Sharia law tends to be more totalitarian than fascism, particularly in its denial of religious freedom. But as it is itself based upon religious principles it also has redeeming qualities: respect for the unborn, openness to the Transcendent, and respect for most of the Moral Law.

Cultural Liberalism is in many ways, like Islam, a Christian heresy that inflates and distorts certain elements of the gospel as it denies others and creates a new monstrosity. Its repression is more sophisticated and subtle and camouflaged in the righteousness of a more enlightened Christianity. Yet, the Christian elements are alive and dynamic and so here again there is an opportunity for the "Christian Strategy" whereby we work with this realm toward the good even as we oppose the impulses to evil.

Worse by far is the communism, especially of China and North Korea, but also of Cuba and Venezuela. This is hard, absolute evil. The accomadationist policies of Pope Francis and Bide are misguided: this is an arena for martyrdom and warfare (hopefully cold not hot), not dialogue and cooperation.

What is a Catholic to do in this dystopian, dismal universe? That is a topic for another essay!