Dr Robin Douglas

Indeed. What "demos" meant in ancient thought is not what "the people" means to modern nationalists. Powell never understood that because, for all his classical learning, he seems to have taken modern nationalism as a kind of self-evident norm.

I entirely agree. I was just struck by the specific "demos" phrasing (straight from Powell the Greek scholar).

The richest and most successful entity on earth is a federation of 50 states with profound cultural and ideological divisions whose people seem to hate each other.

That "no European demos" line is straight from Enoch Powell, of course.

Muscular Christianity.

“Wear some headphones, kid. And put your shoes back on”

A piece on apocalyptic writings - the genre in which people imagine what the end of the world will look like. A time of crisis and degeneracy ends with the intervention of God and a final judgment, with rewards and punishments.

These ideas have secular equivalents too....

The pope who saw demons in the Vatican A piece of Catholic folklore This article examines the history of a piece of Catholic folklore – the story that Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) saw a vision of demons one morning in the Vatican. It…

"The Pope who Saw Demons in the Vatican"

The last Pope Leo - 13, not 14 - saw a demonic vision one day, in the late nineteenth century.

There is a fascinating story behind how this vision passed into Catholic folklore and what uses it was put to.

See more here:

robindouglas.org/2025/11/27/t...

The pope who saw demons in the Vatican A piece of Catholic folklore This article examines the history of a piece of Catholic folklore – the story that Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) saw a vision of demons one morning in the Vatican. It…

"The Pope who Saw Demons in the Vatican"

The last Pope Leo - 13, not 14 - saw a demonic vision one day, in the late nineteenth century.

There is a fascinating story behind how this vision passed into Catholic folklore and what uses it was put to.

See more here:

robindouglas.org/2025/11/27/t...

Since we’re talking about books and money, I’ll also talk specifically to new occult authors, because I watch new people go through this every single season: your first book might change your life, but almost surely not in the way you think.

Thank you! What a beautiful cat.

Sherlock the cat a big fan of @robincdouglas.bsky.social & @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social 's 'Paganism Persisting'

"If John Henry Newman had been born in 1851 rather than 1801, he would have joined the Golden Dawn. If he had been born in 1881, he would have joined the OTO."

Discuss.

It's a good book.

They’re saying from each according to his ability — and I have the best ability, a soldier came up to me and told me, tears in his eyes, she said “you saved America, sir,” she said, cold day, she had these rosy cheeks, unlike Rosie O’Donnell, no ability — to each, to each according to his needs.

The end of the world The strange genre of apocalyptic literature

🚨 New on my Substack!

THE END OF THE WORLD

A piece on the weird world of apocalyptic literature

People really like to imagine how the world will end

religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com/p/the-end-of...

The end of the world The strange genre of apocalyptic literature

🚨 New on my Substack!

THE END OF THE WORLD

A piece on the weird world of apocalyptic literature

People really like to imagine how the world will end

religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com/p/the-end-of...

Pope Leo XIV Talks Movies To A-List Crowd At Vatican: Read His Speech Pope Leo XIV Talks Movies To A-List Crowd At Vatican: Read His Speech

For those interested in how Catholic Social Teaching is responding to AI, this in-passing remark of Pope Leo XIV when receiving an audience of actors and film producers is quite striking: "The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what 'works', but art opens up what is possible."

This has to be the funniest @churchtimes.bsky.social headline of the year, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

contrary, with Submission, to the Designs of an Omnipotent and Merciful God, who has created every Man to be saved, according to the Tenor of Holy Scripture, if his own perverse Will, and voluntary Transgressions, do not obstruct his gracious Intentions.

Nursed up in Enthusiasm and pretended Miracles, attended with the dangerous Doctrines of assuring Grace, they have learnt to look upon the Rest of their Fellow-Creatures as no Part of the divine Creation; that is to say, as a Set of Wretches reserved for Vengeance hereafter;

Neither good subjects, good Servants, and, what may concern the Male-Creation more, good Wives, can reasonably be expected to be found amongst them.

The very Doctrines it teaches, tend only to make its Professors obnoxious to society; and I can affirm, from Experience, that it is imprudent to put any Confidence in them.

1763 - an amusingly hyperbolic denunciation of Methodism

I have always considered Methodism, taken in the most favourable Light, as the most destructive and dangerous System, to Government and Society, that ever was established:

I have some sympathy with this, but I think the line of "stuff that's pagan isn't necessarily satanic" is worth defending. The Guardian hasn't handled this brilliantly, but I think there is a story here.

“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938

zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context

I'm sure that's true, and it's a shame that the Guardian didn't reach out for comment to one of us who specialise in this area. Educate rather than sneer indeed. There is an interesting story here behind that image and the article would have been improved by telling it.

I'd say that there is a relationship between the image in that context and TWITW; they're not disconnected. Kenneth Grahame was a Pagan revivalist and it's not difficult to imagining him subscribing to Hellebore, although I appreciate we can't ask him his view now.

I don't think that's what was going on here, though. The person seems to be sincere and the Abbey has admitted that they may have made a mistake. This is about a church employee conflating Pagan imagery with Satanic imagery. There is a history behind this, and it's not ok.

I think that works both ways, though. You could equally say that the modern stereotyped Christian image of the Devil was constructed from the iconography of Pan.

Ironically, Kenneth Grahame referred to his own native Christianity as "Scots-Calvinist-Devil-Worship".

cc @pjrobichaud.bsky.social