I spent a week traveling around Scotland last month and had a wonderful time among warm and friendly people with a strong sense of national pride and identify. But Scotland has not been immune to the relativist ideologies that infect the rest of Europe. At times, that produces an odd disconnect. For example, I attended a performance by the talented and beautiful Scottish harpist and singer Katie Target-Adams . She played moving songs of Scottish nationalism. But then, switching to a “modern theme” she sang John Lennon’s “Imagine” which, you’ll recall, contains such lyrics as:

Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too … I’m afraid this sort of “Lennonism” is what passes for idealism in much of Europe. Speaking of “no religion too,” I saw in Scotland several beautiful old churches – that had been turned into pubs and fitness centers. How fashionably post-Christian. And in Ireland not long ago, I was puzzled by people who are adamant to keep England and Britain at arms length but have no problem letting bureaucrats in Brussels dictate what’s best for them and who view the U.N. as a world government.