In the modern view "With the Enlightenment… World history was finally brought to its climax, its real new beginning, not in Jerusalem but in Western Europe and America, not in the first century but in the eighteenth. (We may perhaps be allowed a wry smile at the way in which post-Enlightenment thinkers to this day heap scorn upon the apparently ridiculous idea that world history reached its climax in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, while themselves holding a view we already know to be at least equally ridiculous.)"

N.T. Wright The Challenge of Jesus

"They are good people in the worst sense of the word."

Mark Twain on the religious right of his day, quoted by Jay Nordlinger in National Review April 19, 1999 [actually quoting Garrison Keillor quoting Twain].

"it is the only true object of existence to mean something"

G.K. Chesterton, "The Heraldic Lion," in Alberto Manguel, ed., On Lying in Bed and Other Essays by G.K. Chesterton

“Mr. Swinburne does not hang up his stocking on the eve of the birthday of Victor Hugo. Mr. William Archer does not sing carols descriptive of the infancy of Ibsen outside people’s doors in the snow…. The strange truth about the matter is told in the very word ‘holiday.’… It is hard to see at first sight why so human a thing as leisure and larkiness should always have a religious origin. Rationally there appears no reason why we should not sing and give each other presents in honour of anything--the birth of Michael Angelo or the opening of Euston Station.  But it does not work. As a fact, men only become greedily and gloriously material about something spiritualistic."

G.K. Chesterton Heretics

In my latest Mercatornet article I say the problem with "ethical debates" is they always end up saying yes to whatever departure from traditional morality is under discussion.

Thanks to everyone who has pushed the "Israel for Canadians" funding campaign past the 10% mark. But there's still a steep hill to climb and less than 4 weeks to climb it. So if you want to help set the record straight on the dynamic, open, peace-loving Jewish homeland, the only democracy in the Middle East, and you haven't yet backed the project, please make a pledge today and share it on social media and elsewhere.

If you are a backer, thanks for the contribution and please keep helping spread the word so we can get to 25%, 50%, 75% and then by the April 2 deadline to 100% and maybe beyond.

As always there's a stretch goal; if we get significantly past our basic target I will also make an "Israel for North Americans" version and perhaps one for Australians and others. But first things first.

Let's get it funded.