Is Europe at a crossroads?
On multiple occasions in prior columns, I’ve used my past rat problems as an analogy to home-grown terrorism. I’ll spare you the convoluted details and revisit the shorter version.
The local government had banned cats from roaming around at night. They claimed cats were destroying the native fauna and wildlife in our inner city. They didn’t like the noise generated by cats fighting at night, and the dogs barking as a consequence. So it seemed like a great idea to keep the cats inside.
Households also kept compost heaps in their back yards, while some raised chickens as part of their economic strategy. Essentially we had removed the rat’s natural predator and left food out for it to eat. We provided fertile breeding ground and invited them into our homes. There was nothing to stop them.
Europe is experiencing similar dynamics. Note that I’m not calling people rats. The analogy is directed at the destructive Islamist ideology Europe has imported into its lands. While it is in denial, the West has provided a breeding ground for terrorism, and a growing culture which is antagonist to its traditional values.
Westerners have become soft on faith issues whereas Islamic ideology is vibrantly growing. Europe and America have marginalized Christianity. Atheist campaigning and “diversity sensitivity” is driving it out of public schools and the public square. The message being that Christian exclusivity offends.
Peter Hitchens (The Rage Against God) has shown how the progressive eradication of Christianity turned the Soviet Union into a godless dystopian state. He warned about seeing parallels operating in the United Kingdom when he returned home.
In just one example, Hitchens cites William Henry Chamberlin’s warning on the Communist campaign against – of all things – Christmas trees. Chamberlin quoted a pamphlet aimed at schoolchildren “Against the Christmas Tree.” It stated:
“The struggle against the Christmas Tree is the struggle against religion and against our class enemies.”
In the West, seasonal attacks on Christmas are predictable. But there’s a notable difference in the Western model. Unlike Christianity, Islam and Sharia Law are celebrated as multi-cultural imperatives which should be embraced and never criticized. The Soviet Union eschewed all religions. Will Christianity continue to wane as Islam grows in Europe?
The recent attacks in Paris surprised the French. However, as Gatestone Institute’s Judith Berman notes:
‘One of the most surprising aspects of the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night is how “deeply shocked” members of the European political establishment appeared to be.’
They shouldn’t have been surprised:
“…in February, it was reported in several European newspapers, among them the British Daily Telegraph, that ISIS threatened Europe with an influx of 500,000 migrants, which would include ISIS operatives hiding among them, to create chaos on the continent. Astoundingly, European leaders nevertheless allowed the current wave of migrants to flood into their countries.”
Another Gatestone writer warns:
“The reason Muslim extremists want to destroy Israel is not because of the settlements or checkpoints it is because they believe that Jews have no right to be in the Middle East whatsoever. And they want to destroy Europe because they believe that Christians – and everyone – have no right to be anything other than Muslim.” (Emphasis mine)
Christian apologist David Wood has analyzed the true nature of Islamic ideology in a recommended-viewing video presentation. He also corrects twenty major errors on Islam as presented in an ABC program. Did the ABC audience fact-check or did they nod their heads and pass the popcorn? Listen to Wood’s commentary on the Paris siege HERE.
I challenge all readers to listen to David Wood without being offended. He plays hard ball and tells it like it is. His message needs to be heard.
Can Europe rely on an America led by Barack Obama? Probably not.
The American president said he isn’t interested in “America winning.” In fact, from the beginning, Obama has managed a reduction in “America’s global footprint,” (while meddling in some areas). The consequence of this has been chaos in the Middle East and a resurgent Russia.
Will terrorism make hay while Mr. Obama is still in office? What if an Obama clone is elected in 2016? Can Europe fill a gap left by America?
The Paris attacks and France’s immediate military response raise a series of questions and possible scenarios about Europe’s future. Mr. Hollande has already sought emergency powers. Will we see a gradual transformation of France with Hollande morphing into a war chief?
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy has already vowed to electronically tag 11,500 people on France’s extremist watch list. He has a track record of being a tough man in relation to the 2005 civil unrest.
What if there are further across-the-board terrorist retaliations to France’s military response? How would frustrated Europeans react? Terrorism isn’t just going to magically go away, and one would be naive to assume that all people will continue to peacefully endure terrorist attacks.
Will we see large-scale angry mob crowds and attacks on refugees? Will we see a rise of the type of anarchy occurring in Sweden? Might we see Martial law being advocated as a consequence of these scenarios? It’s possible.
Watching ISIS operatives butcher defenseless people makes me angry, even though I’m at a safe distance. It’s difficult not to cheer when an ISIS camp is bombed. I try to avoid thinking about collateral damage. This is not to say that I think military action is always wrong. It isn’t.
Yet, as a Christian, I’m also reminded that these people are deceived. Christ died so they also could be redeemed. I am admonished to love my enemy and to do good (Luke 6:27; Rom 12:9-21). In that sense, the presence of Christianity acts as a definite restraining force against evil in a society.
Peter Hitchens notes that, left to themselves, human beings can justify all sorts of barbarism – including the mass murder of the unborn (The Rage Against God pp 141-143). He has history on his side. In contrast, his brother Christopher (an atheist) once described the order to “love thy neighbor as thyself” as too extreme and too strenuous to be obeyed (God Is Not Great).
The solution to the problem is Jesus Christ. But remember that Christianity is losing influence in Europe and the United Kingdom.
So the question remains: how might Europeans react to future terrorist attacks?
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