Thirty years ago, with the demise of the Soviet Union, there was euphoria in the west. It seemed that constitutional democracy was destined to prevail throughout the world. But democracy has been declining for years now and the worldwide response to the COVID pandemic has brought it to profound crisis. Collectivism is roaring back into the picture.
The warning signs came thick and fast after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Within three years genocidal conflicts had broken out in the Balkans and in Rwanda. Constitutional democracy, with its protections for minorities, respect for human rights, the rule of law and equality before the law, freedom of speech and religion and opportunities for human flourishing, seemed inadequate to quell longstanding animosities. The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre led to a hardening of the security environment, with its attendant increase of surveillance of citizens. Democracy, with its emphasis on the welfare of the individual, has been increasingly on the back foot ever since.
This has come as no surprise to the students of Biblical prophecy. Revelation 13:15-17 predict the collapse of democracy at the end of time. The issue then is over the question of worship, so we are not there yet. But the general collapse of constitutional norms during the COVID pandemic indicates not only that such a scenario is now eminently possible but may be just over the horizon.
With rare exceptions throughout history, more particularly in the modern era, collectivism has reigned supreme. The totalitarian instinct lies just below the surface, ready to be activated during times of crisis. There is something about unregenerate human nature that make power so attractive. Constitutional democracy is a fragile flower that requires constant attention and watchfulness for it to survive. Democracy can only thrive where self-determination and individual freedom are considered inviolate.
Martin Luther’s protest initiated a revolution of the individual. The near total collapse of Protestantism has created the conditions where that revolution can be overturned. Joseph de Maistre, the French theocrat who may have coined the term “individualism” in the 1820s, disparaged individualism as “political protestantism.”[1] Pope Francis describes “radical individualism” as a “clever virus” that is “extremely difficult to eliminate.”[2] This religious dimension to individualism has serious overtones for the loss of religious freedom should collectivism once more prevail internationally.
The complaint against individualism is that it is not conducive to society. But the United States of America, the country that is most committed to the freedom of the individual and association, has a superabundance of voluntary associations, aid organisations and individual philanthropy. E. L. Godkin, classical liberal and founder of The Nation, believed that “individualism was a cause, not an effect, of American democracy.”[3] If this is true, the decline of individualism in America will continue to be accompanied by a decline in American democratic norms, a disastrous outcome for that country and the world.
During the twentieth century the free world was strong enough and determined enough to see off the challenges from the collectivists of the left and right. But the malaise in the free world is now so grave that the countervailing forces against collectivism are nearing total collapse. Historical amnesia is not helping. American historian Timothy Snyder reminds us that the Holocaust is not only history but warning.[4] The authoritarianism of the past two years is threating to spill into totalitarianism. Anti-Semitism is again on the rise. How soon we forget!
The last two years have given everyone in the world the opportunity to reflect on what is most important to them. We’ve all been reminded of how precious freedom is and how its loss is so destructive. In my last three blog posts I have outlined the challenges to religious liberty that are bound to the developments across so many domains in western life, more particularly in America. So much has happened so quickly that it is difficult to make all the connections but one thing is certain—the world is now a vastly different place and hostility to biblical religion is reaching a point where it is not a question of whether Revelation 13:15-17 will happen but when. Where will 2022 take us?
[1] Individualism: A Reader (George H. Smith and Marilyn Moore, editors, Introduction by George H. Smith), Introduction, IV.
[2] Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, Section 105.
[3] Individualism: A Reader, Introduction, III.
[4] Timothy Snyder, Black earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning, (Bodley Head, London, 2015, Kindle End.).
