CampeadorWhile I agree with you in concept, in practice the reality is something else entirely.
I understand what you mean by practical reason, but unfortunately practical reason as it is currently interpreted has led to secular humanism and delusional levels of cultural relativism.
Christian societies that practice practical reason are the best suited at combating Islam. Its not to say I want them to practice Christian orthodoxy (something that I do not advocate for), but they recognize the importance of Christian tradition and culture within each of their societies. To be fair, largely atheist societies like the Czech Republic also practice strong practical reason, rooted in nationalism and a disdain for the globalists who seek to undermine and destroy them.
It cannot be denied that Christianity led to the unity that helped Europe overcome Islam when it was at its most vulnerable. Throughout the centuries, the shared Christian identity of Europe beat back waves upon waves of muslim jihadists. You living in Austria should be keenly aware of this, since Vienna is where the tide was finally turned against the muslim invader. Christian armies, with swords in hand, defended their Christian neighbors from the Islamic onslaught.
Muslims arrive not as people who want to participate in our cultures, but rather as colonists and invaders who seek to undermine and replace us. It's time to reintroduce them to Christian steel (or lead).
Christianity is not to blame for the fall of Europe, the secular humanism and cultural relativism born from the global Left is to blame. However, it is true that there are plenty of members of the Left that have infiltrated the church, the Dhimmi 5th column. They use Christianity's own principles in attempts to undermine it, the same way the Left uses Western ideals to undermine those very ideals.
Secular humanism (which I am sympathetic to) does not necessarily lead to cultural relativism (which I am fully opposed to). The secular ethics found in Aristotle, Kant, and Mill are very much opposed to relativism concerning what constitutes right and wrong, and good and bad. There is an objective basis for morality and it does not come from a supernatural deity that endorses human slavery, i.e. Christianity, Islam, etc. It comes from using practical reason and paying attention to the facts & evidence around you. Secular humanism (which is related to but separate from the above ethical philosophies) values facts and evidence over superstitious faith based reasoning. Show me any society which has failed because it placed facts and evidence over faith - it simply does not exist and has never existed. The moment a culture embraces this, it will conquer problems more effectively and more efficiently. The problem (at least one of the problems) with cultural relativism is that it gets this wrong. It is not paying attention to the facts, nor to the evidence of objective human suffering. It may be secular, but it is confused about what to do.
Another point I am trying to make is that the values you find admirable in Christianity are not rooted in nor stemming from pure Christian beliefs. Notions of justice, courage, self-defense, temperance, honesty, loyalty, generosity, friendship, honor, etc. are found in Christianity but they are not solely stemming from Christianity. These virtuous concepts are detailed at length by philosophers such as Aristotle, predating Christianity by over 400 years and were for sure recognized by cultures hundreds if not thousands of years before that. They are not unique to Christianity. To claim that these values are Christian is a mistake. The Christian culture of the Middle Ages no doubt was responsible for keeping Islam at bay. But when you look at what values they held that brought them to that, it cannot be argued that they are uniquely Christian. The values they embraced were ones arrived at through practical reason. Self-preservation in this world is not something that Jesus ever preached- in fact he preached the opposite.
I fully agree with you that a shared, unified culture is what will defeat something like Islam. But such a shared, unified culture should have values found in reason, facts, and evidence, and not in faith or claimed revealed truth. In this latter regard, it would be just as foolish and unfounded as Islam.