Christianity teaches passivity in the face of insult: turn the other cheek, swords into plowshares, the meek shall inherit the earth, etc. The justification for this view of life rests on the concept of fate, that some overwhelming force controls your life, not you, and resistance is futile so don’t even try. The feeling of helplessness & hopelessness these admonitions foster turned out to be very appealing & supportive of kings who wished to retain control of their realms against peasants who could overwhelm & overthrow them if they weren’t passive.

The Enlightenment was the rejection of fate: the idea that we control our own destinies, or at least have a rudder against the winds of luck. The Enlightenment, at least in America, is about liberty: individual wants over the needs of the group. Enlightened people aren't expected to turn the other cheek. Unfortunately, passivity is back in a big way, not because people again believe in fate, but because they are complacent & aging; at the end of their privileged lives, just wanting things to stay the same long enough before they die. It’s a short-sighted selfishness, understandable in an age of plenty, especially when everything is so delicately balanced that acting in any way could cause the whole system to come crashing down. Passivity is the natural result of apprehension, acquiescence & fear.

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