THE LONG SHADOW OF THE DARK AGES

In the Middle Ages, and long before that, certain “facts” held indisputable sway in the minds of our  ancestors.  It was taken as fact, for instance, that the earth was flat (and you could actually fall of it), devils really existed, as did witches who could fly and change shape (like the characters in True Blood). Our ancestors believed the stars and the sun all revolved around our planet and the northern lights, they were sure, were the spirits of their dead ancestors. The list goes on and on…..

Science has gradually rolled back most of these beliefs, with  demonstrable fact and proof replacing superstition and cult belief.  Whilst there was a certain delightful logic to the assumption that, if the earth was in fact as flat as a table, then you probably could have sailed off its edge, it is one of those hilariously quaint assumptions relegated to history. However, some of these equally implausible, yet more unpleasant beliefs from the dark ages have been curiously resistant to the tides of civilisation, logic and common sense.

In the USA, Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum really seems to believe, not only that a physical entity called Satan exists, but that he has taken a personal decision to attack America via its academics (one could be forgiven for wondering if Wall Street’s denizens might not have made a more plausible target of Mr Satan…). How Mr Santorum actually "knows" this is not clear, however its incongruous to hear such beliefs espoused from someone who would be expected to deal with incredibly complex economic, financial and international / diplomatic challenges if he became President and from whom a balanced, reasoned and enlighten outlook on the world is essential. Not so apparently with Mr Santorum.

In London witchcraft murders by children of children have taken place giving expression to beliefs of terrifying and primitive barbarity in the world’s capital of Finance. A grisly and blood curdling tale of torture and murder of a child emerged in court, followed by the police confirming that this sort of thing took place more often that generally acknowledged....

Elsewhere in the UK right now men of the cloth (no women please) are turning various bright and bilious hues at the thought of gay people getting married. Indeed, Archbishop Rowan Williams has hurried off, beard in tow, to see his counterpart in the Vatican to confer, amongst other things, about this dreadful state of affairs. Given the Vatican’s seeming near tolerance of child abuse amongst its own clergy, one might have assumed the good Archbishop could have found a more appropriate figure with which to confer over this delicate matter. Setting that to one side however, why is there this reluctance to finally let go of a mind-set of deeply ingrained prejudices that stretches back centuries.

Elsewhere, in the Middle East, Iran’s President Ahmadinejad believes that, a few years ago, he had a paranormal experience whilst addressing the United Nations, and that he was bathed in light from heaven whilst all the other leaders of the world were frozen before him during his speech (perhaps it was just incredibly dull, but, somehow, I doubt it). He is convinced his main mission in life is to pave the way for the return of his messiah. Ahmadinejad believes that when this happens it will be the end of the world – a sort of glorious conflagration.  This man is seeking to build a nuclear bomb. Along with the Mullahs and Ayatollahs, amongst whom he counts as a moderate, they harbour a world view (and sense of fashion) hardly changed since the time of the crusades and before. They are considerably less enlightened than Saladin who in fact battled the Crusaders about 900 years ago and who was much admired as a cultured and chivalrous man, which cannot be said for all his heirs. It’s as if we are regressing and we rush forward.

How is it in an era of near unbelievable progress where humans are making incredible and wonderful strides in science, medicine and technology, that the black shadow of these often near primitive and deeply unpleasant beliefs and prejudices still fall about us? Perhaps these and other belief systems run on some form of “ancient program” in the human mind that, having evolved with us over millennia, predisposes the human condition to this kind of way of thinking? That’s probably a question for someone like Steven Pinker (unless Satan’s got him), but how else is it explicable that obviously intelligent and well educated people hold onto beliefs that are as misplaced today as a belief in a flat earth was in the dark ages and before?