What follows is an editorial from the Church of England News. It requires no comment from me other than to say, you better get used to it.
If recent reports of trends in religious observance prove to be correct, then in some 30 years the mosque will be able to claim that, religiously speaking, the UK is an Islamic nation, and therefore needs a share in any religious establishment to reflect this. The progress of conservative Islam in the UK has been amazing, and it has come at a time of prolonged decline in church attendance that seems likely to continue.
This progress has been enthusiastically assisted by this government in particular with its hard-line multi-cultural dogma and willingness to concede to virtually every demand made by Muslims. Perhaps most importantly the government has chosen to allow hard-liners to act as representing all Muslims, and more liberal Muslims have almost completely failed to produce any leadership voices to compete, leading many Britons to wonder if there are indeed many liberal Muslims at all, surely a mistake.
At all levels of national life Islam has gained state funding, protection from any criticism, and the insertion of advisors and experts in government departs national and local. A Muslim Home Office adviser, for example, was responsible for Baroness Scotland’s aborting of the legislation against honour killings, arguing that informal methods would be better. In the police we hear of girls under police protection having the addresses of their safe houses disclosed to their parents by Muslim officers who think they are doing their religious duty.
While men-only gentlemen’s clubs are now being dubbed unlawful, we hear of municipal swimming baths encouraging ‘Muslim women only’ sessions and in Dewsbury Hospitals staff waste time by turning beds to face Mecca five times a day — a Monty Pythonesque scenario of lunacy, but astonishingly true. Prisons are replete with imams who are keen to inculcate conservative Islam in any inmates who are deemed to be culturally ‘Muslim’: the Prison service in effect treats such prisoners as a cultural block to be preached to by imams at will. Would the Prison service send all those with ‘C of E’ on their papers to confirmation classes with the chaplain?! We could go on.
The point is that Islam is being institutionalised, incarnated, into national structures amazingly fast, at the same time as demography is showing very high birthrates. Charles Taylor’s new and classic work on the Secular Age charts the rise of the secular mindset and what he calls the ‘excarnation’ of Christianity as it is levered out of state policy and structures. Christianity is now regarded as bad news, the liberal elite’s attack developed in the 1960s took root in the educationalist empire, and to some extent even in areas of the church.
Today the Christian story is fading from public imagination, while Islam grows apace. There needs to be some fresh thinking in this area where the claims of Christ are sensitively explained. Our church leaders must develop ways of explaining this, as our feature on mission and evangelism this week demonstrates.
It is obvious to me that Europe will let it happen. If you doubt it read this incredible story about how Police in the UK told a football fan to remove his St. George flag because it is deemed racist. Like I said, it is obvious to me that Europe will let it happen, but will God let it happen?
I am reminded of a prophecy I once read by Father Nectou in 18th Century France.
“The confusion will be so general that men will not be able to think aright, as if God had withheld His Providence from mankind, and that, during the worst crisis, the best that can be done would be to remain where God has placed us, and persevere in fervent prayers….At that time there will be such a terrible crisis that people will believe that the end of the world has come. Blood will flow in many large cities. The very elements will be convulsed. It will be like a little General Judgement.”
“A great multitude of people will lose their lives in those calamitous times, but the wicked will not prevail. They will indeed attempt to destroy the whole Church, but not enough time will be allowed them, because the frightful crisis will be of short duration. When all is considered lost, all will be found safe. This disaster will come to pass shortly after the power of England begins to wane. This will be the sign. As when the fig tree begins to sprout and produce leaves, it is a sure sign that summer is near. England in her turn will experience a more frightful revolution than that of France. It will continue long enough for France to recover her strength; then she will help England to restore peace and order.”
One wonders.
May 28, 2008 at 2:54 pm
The mandarins of multiculturalism – the new czars of western culture – non-Western cultures get a free ride because of our (sic.) belief that Western culture, based on Catholic faith, truth, and morals, too long has been “oppressive”, “patronizing”, and “imperialistic”. We (sic.) must not foist our Western values on non-Western peoples.
As a result, a mythic shroud of silence cloaks realities of fallen human nature like ”honor killings.” Such succubi are allowed to grow their malignant tendrils throughout the old West, city by city, while the mandarins smile in ignorance at what is growing around their ankles, knees, and waists…
Does that sound pessimistic? (Guess so.)
May 28, 2008 at 10:42 pm
I’m not so sure “Suicide Through Slumber” rightly describes what’s going on here. Sounds like Europe is taking a pretty awake and active role in it’s own suicide, and I can’t but believe that these people know what they’re doing.
Trouble is, these Westerners despise the West so much (despise themselves that is) that, even if they realize it’s their own throats they’re slitting, they don’t feel that they can stop their hand from the slitting. The secularists have indulged in self-hatred for so many decades now, they can hardly suddenly turn on their heels and claim that Western values and Christian virtues are superior than those of the militant Muslims. So, even the horror of honor killings can’t be outlawed in the present political/social atmosphere.
Europe will commit suicide, demographic, political, economic and spiritual suicide, rather than admit that the secularist philosophy that’s dominated her for the last half century is a failure.
But, wood hath hope. Life can spring anew from the tree that’s been cut down. It’s happened before. It can happen again. Maybe new life requires that the old tree be cut down. God’s will be done.
Bob Hunt