The Spiritual Dimension of Culture

 
Christopher Dawson was an English historian who, in the 1930s, explored history from the aspect of culture. A convert to Catholicism he recognised that cultures have a spiritual underpinning. His interest was in the character of Western Civilisation, but he also explored Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and primitive religions, as well as legend and myth. His central contention was that religion is necessary foundation of development of culture.  
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In his 1929 book, Progress and Religion, he conducts a historical survey ranging from primitive societies to the great civilisations, showing that religion has always been the great dynamic in social life and the source of cultural vitality. Stressing the role of religion in the formation of Western culture, he warned that “a society which has lost its religion becomes sooner or later a society which has lost its culture”.
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Dawson was aware that the idea of progress was the all-pervasive view of social advancement since the Enlightenment of the 18th century and became almost the religion of Western nations over the past few centuries. Dawson argued that unless human society contained a spiritual and intellectual content along with material prosperity, no true progress could be made.
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He offers a critique of movements that attempt to separate religion and culture. He states, “It must be recognised that our faith in progress and the unique value of human experience rests on religious foundations, and that they cannot be severed from historical religion and used as a substitute for it, as men have attempted to do during the past two centuries”.
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He steadily argued through his many books that culture must have a spiritual foundation. He says, “Every living culture must possess some spiritual dynamic, which provides the energy necessary for that sustained social effort which is civilisation. Normally this dynamic is supplied by religion, but in exceptional circumstances the religious impulse may disguise itself under philosophical or political forms”.
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Dawson was ahead of his times. He foresaw the grave dangers of attempts to advance a culture while denying its spiritual roots. It is true that while religion may be viewed as other-worldly and appears to deny all the values and standards of human society of the day, it nevertheless exerts a dynamic influence on culture and can provide the driving force in movements of social change which enable true human flourishing.
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We are living through a time when forces are at work within our society to remove all influence of Christianity from our society. We have seen this clearly expressed in the introduction of same-sex marriage, acceptance of transgenderism, of total availability of abortion, of medically assisted suicide. All these profound social changes that fly in the face of traditional Christian beliefs about the sanctity of life, the nature of marriage and the biological reality of sex have been not only enacted in law but have been protected by various anti-discrimination laws.
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These changes have not been only introduced as possible alternatives but are being imposed on the society. People are being coerced into accepting these new ways of viewing the nature of the human person. The current introduction of hate speech laws further threatens freedom of speech by which no voices can be raised to challenge these developments.  
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Christopher Dawson has argued the great civilisations of the world do not produce the great religions as a kind of cultural by-product but rather the great religions are the foundations on which the great civilisations rest. A society which has lost its religion becomes sooner or later a society which has lost its culture.
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At this moment in our history we face the threat that our Western culture has lost its moorings in Christianity and is being set adrift. The quality of human life within the culture is being diminished and cultural norms are in free fall.
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While some form of spiritual revival of Christianity could ensure that this process of disintegration is arrested, there is a case for mounting the argument in the public square for what have been the traditional Christian views of matters related to the way in which life can best be lived. Men and women of good will, seeing the evident decline in our culture, can see the value of such ideas and support advocacy for their restoration within our culture.
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Taking its lead from this great thinker, the Christopher Dawson Centre endeavours to be such agency, arguing for the worth of a Christian understanding of human life and the way in which social life can be best lived.
 

Archbishop Julian Porteous
Emeritus Archbishop of Hobart