We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Western Civ is mainly founded on a late-Roman/Judeo-Christian socio-cultural foundation. It's a foundational structure which has been slowly spreading around the world because it sorta works ok for people.
I have Holland's viewpoint, but still stick with the the idea of the divine. The "Y" axis of existence. I can't live entirely on the X axis.
late Roman/Christian (Catholic) not Judeo-Christian, which does not exist.
If you bother to read the New Testament or European history, you will see that Christianity is a repudiation of Judaism, and that Orthodox Rabbinic Judaism is thoroughly incompatible with and overtly hostile to Christianity.
Thanks for posting. I also like Paul Johnson's A History of Christianity. It does seem that any educated person from 100 years ago would have had the same ideas.