Beware Secularism's War Against Christianity

Beware Secularism's War Against Christianity

Jesus observed that the sons of this world are wiser than the sons of light (Luke 16:8). This truth is clearly seen in blindness of American Christendom. For the past few weeks I have been presenting lessons on the Challenge of Being a Christian in a Non-Christian Society. Rabbi Daniel Lapin understands what we are up against. Please consider the words he recently wrote. I have condensed his message:

"I am certainly not a Churchill ... but I am issuing a very serious warning ... It is a warning about the earliest stages of what could become a cataract of disasters if not resisted now. ...a serious war is being waged against a group of Americans. I am certain that if we lose this war, the consequences for American civilization will be dire."

Phase one of this war I describe is a propaganda blitzkrieg that is eerily reminiscent of how effectively the Goebbels propaganda machine softened up the German people for what was to come. There is no better term than propaganda blitzkrieg to describe what has been unleashed against Christian conservatives recently. Consider the long list of anti-Christian books that have been published in recent months. Here are just a few samples of more than 30 similar titles, all from mainstream publishers:

"American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America"

"The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us"

"The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason"

"Piety & Politics: The Right-wing Assault on Religious Freedom"

"Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism"

"Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America"

"Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right"

What is truly alarming is that there are more of these books for sale at your local large book store warning against the perils of fervent Christianity than those warning against the perils of fervent Islam. Does anyone seriously think America is more seriously jeopardized by Christian conservatives than by Islamic zealots? I fear that many Americans believe just that in the same way that many pre-World War II Westerners considered Churchill a bigger threat than Hitler.

Second, major movements that changed the way Americans felt and acted came about through books, often only one book. Think of Rachel Carson's 1962 error-filled "Silent Spring" that resulted in the pointless banning of the insecticide DDT and many unnecessary deaths. Other books that caused upheavals in our nation were Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," many of Ayn Rand's books and of course "Uncle Tom's Cabin." I fear for an America influenced to detest Christianity by this hate-filled catalog. It is not just books but popular entertainment also that beams the most lurid anti-Christian propaganda into the hearts and minds of viewers.

Richard Dawkins, an Oxford University professor, is one of the generals in the anti-Christian army of the secular left. American academia treats him with reverence and hangs on his every word when he insists that "religious myths ought not to be tolerated." ...He asks, "It's one thing to say people should be free to believe whatever they like, but should they be free impose their beliefs on their children?" He suggests that the state should intervene to protect children from their parents' religious beliefs. Needless to say, he means Christian beliefs, of course Muslim beliefs add to England's charmingly diverse cultural landscape.

The war is against those who regard the Bible to be God's revelation to humanity and the Ten Commandments to be His set of rules for all time. Phase one in this war is to make Christianity, well, sort of socially unacceptable. Something only foolish, poor and ugly people could turn to.

Fervent zealots of secularism are flinging themselves into this anti-Christian war with enormous fanaticism. If they succeed, Christianity will be driven underground, and its benign influence on the character of America will be lost. In its place we shall see a sinister secularism that menaces Bible believers of all faiths. Once the voice of the Bible has been silenced, the war on Western Civilization can begin and we shall see a long night of barbarism descend on the West. Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without America, the West is doomed."

I could not have said this better. To maintain our freedom and place in American society we must heed his warning.

* The complete text of Rabbi Lapin's article can be seen at www.rabbidaniellapin.com.

Sincerely,

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