Make a baby. Save Western civilization.
Europe is in big trouble. The culture is becoming increasingly secularized, Christian traditions are ignored, refuted, and mocked. Christian Europeans aren’t reproducing at anywhere near the rate of Muslim immigrants.
The most alarming this about all this is how calmly everyone seems to be about these radical changes. That’s why I found it so refreshing to hear Father Piero Gheddo issue a warning to Europe that they’re on the brink of being Islamicized.
And what can stop it, according to Father Gheddo? War? Public demonstrations? Burning Korans? Nah. The solution is rather simple – Go to Church and have more babies.
Pretty simple, huh?
September 9, 2010 at 3:08 am
You'd think that would be common sense. . .
–Zach.
September 9, 2010 at 2:23 pm
In order for Europe to survive, it first has to want to.
September 9, 2010 at 4:47 pm
The issue at hand concerning fertility rates, is its correlation to the generous social insurance states the West developed in recent decades. In order to offer these expensive entitlements, a society needs to average anywhere from 3 to 4 children per female per generation. Even that number is a low ball, as the generosity of our government seems to have no end. But, a society that depends upon the government for so much lagress never grows up. That is the number of children a society produces every generation is inversely proportional to how large its government is. And the less children a society produces, the less concerned it is about its future; the society turns inward and cannot even imagine or care about its future. This is Europe. And for America, Europe is the Canary in the Coal Mine.
September 9, 2010 at 7:15 pm
I have lived in three European countries and in my personal opinion the problem is vastly overstated.
Muslim populations largely have no right to vote because they have no citizenship (see Germany); they often stay only a couple of years and then go back to Turkey to open that small restaurant (again, see Germany) or are so secularised that they are indistinguishable from the others (see France and, again, Germany for the long-termers).
In countries like England (where secularist and socialist government have tried to import as many minorities as possible, confident they'd vote for them) the situation is slightly more alarming, but still: Muslims are just a few percentage points, they care much less about islam than,say, English Catholics care about Catholicism and most importantly, revert to european child bearing pattern as long as they earn a bit more (second generation, at the latest). Neither in Italy, nor in Germany, nor in France being born in the country gives right to acquire the citizenship, which is acquired only by blood or by a complex process, highly humiliating for everyone not really "meaning it" (as in every conversion, you are requested to abandon what you were and swear fidelity to the new flag alone: not an easy thing, at all).
The muslim are in my eyes not a numerical problem, though fanatic groupings can be a public order problem. They'll not be in one generation and not in thirty generations, provided no indiscriminate waves are allowed to come in.
The real problems are the atheists, the aggressive secularists. They are the real danger for Christianity.
M
September 9, 2010 at 9:45 pm
@M
Your understanding of the situation is astute. I am curious how atheists and secularists are a danger for christianity?
September 9, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I agree with mumdabar, the secularists are more a danger for Christianity than most of Islam (excluding the violent). The secularists are more of a danger for a number of reasons (1) the power to tax = the power to destroy (i.e. tax rates are so high people reduce charitable contributions or cannot afford to send their children to a Catholic school); (2) anti-christian laws can be enforced with power of the state; (3) view points opposed to the secularists can be silenced and jobs threatened through laws/regulations.
September 10, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Mundabor,
Sorry to rain on your parade, but the 700 plus No-Go Zones in France alone counter your claims. And in case you don't know, a No-Go Zone is an area where Sharia Law prevails, where local police unofficially refrain from policing, and where non-Muslims are advised to avoid. In London, non-Islamic women when commuting through these nieghborhoods take up native garb in order not be harrassed; others avoid them entirely. This situation repeats itself in Belgium, the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Holland, as well as Italy and the UK. So, it matters not if these Muslim immigrants get seats on the city council, as they have effectively taken civil and political control of entire neighborhoods and urban precincts.
And Loki,
The evidence is fairly clear concerning Secular Europe. They have accomplished the secular-socialist dream. Europe is at best agnostic; its churches are empty museums (many have been converted to mosques, BTW); they built an entitlement state that makes our own Liberals drool with envy (Socialized Medicine, Income Redistriubtion that siezes over 50% of a wage earners income, mandatory 30 day vacations, early retirements (but that is quickly changing), 35-38 hour work week (of course, that has caused many jobs to flee to Asia), and a well educated, but very docile citizenry (docile until you cut thier entitlement benefits, that is). And what do they have to show for it? A native population that is litterally dieing off. Do the math. For any society to keep its population stable, females must produce 2.1 children in thier lifetime. But, Europe hasn't seen such fertility numbers in over 30 years. For the last 20, the native population of Europe has averaged about 1.8 children. But in recent years even that number is dropping. In Italy, Greece, and Spain, the fertility rates hover around 1.3-1.1 .It gets a bit better in Germany and Scandanavia (about 1.5 to 1.8). But overall, this means that by the middle of this century, Europe's population will begin to rapidly fall. Longer lifespans of the Baby Boomer population will mask this fall initially. But when you have fertility rates of 1.5, at some point your population will begin to halve itself every generation. In short, Socialist Europe has no future. Whether the Muslim population in Europe follows suit doesn't matter. Western Europe as we know it is litterally entering its Golden Years.
But Europe isn't alone. Japan (another socialist Mecca) has had fertility rates of 1.1/female for over a decade. And economists say China will get old before it gets rich; Russia isn't far behind them. What do all of these nations have in common? They are all secular, and all socialist. Open you eyes.
September 11, 2010 at 10:54 am
jerome,
sorry to rain on your doom and gloom fantasies, but I have been in Kreuzberg fully undisturbed and I live in London and can tell you that what you are talking about is utter tosh.
As to the "math", fertility goes in cycles, as it always has. Countries like Italy will be prone to phases of low birth rate, because they have high unemployment not "adjusted" by emigration or war or pestilence; when the situation slowly adjusts again (low birth rate cause end of mass unemployment and rising wages)birth rates go up again.
To just apply actual birth rates and project them into all eternity is as dumb as taking ten years of climate pattern and think that the earth is going to fry.
As to England, mass immigration from non -eu countries has been stopped thirty years ago from Mrs. Thatcher. The EU causes immigration to be prevalently from Eastern Europe, people who not only do not damage Christianity, but help it. Catholic churchgoers have gone up (in absolute terms and in percentage of the total) has gone up because of their influx.
But by all means, feel free to continue to live in your world of impending distruction if this pleases you. There' sno way to cheer a grumpy old man (of whatever age), simply because he doesn't want to hear good news.
M
September 11, 2010 at 11:04 am
Loki,
secularists are a danger for Christianity because they hate it and want to dismantle it piece by piece.
if I think of the UK, homo marriage (and the re-definition of marriage), civil partnerships and the like all conspire to destroy Christian civilisation. Same goes for the calls to abolish Christmas as a festivity, calling Christmas markets with fantasy names like "Winter Lights" or even propose that it be forbidden to express religious ideas which "offend" someone.
All of this proposed and debated, not fantasies of some grumpy old man.
And please mind that whilst Muslims here in the UK are around 1.5 million over a population of 60 million, people who do not belong to any religion are a big multiple of that.
You do not have a Muslim prime minister, but the deputy prime minister is officially atheist, as are many senior ministers of the old and new government.
THEY are the biggest problem and the enemy. Muslims are a problem of public order because of the hoheads among them (not very many, in truth), but they are certainly not anywhere near to subvert Christianity in this country.
M
September 11, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Mundabor,
I've been to Berlin to (I lived in Europe for 5 years). And I wonder why on earth one would even want to go to Kreuzberg. It would be akin to strolling through the old Carbini Green nieghborhoods of Chicago, or certain streets around Wilshire Blvd in LA. I wouldn't suggest going through some of those Kreuzberg neighborhoods holding hands with a gay lover, or with an uncovered wife, girlfreind, or daughter. One certainly wouldn't go through there if you're a Hasidic Jew.
And those "cylcical trends" you speak of are becoming a 2 decade trend. In Frankfurt, for instance only a half a dozen non-Islamic babies births were recorded in thier one large urban hospital for all over 2003. Frankfurt and its surrounding villages/towns account for over 2 million people. Without Muslim minorities, OB ward would close in most European hospitals. Even in Bavaria, fertility rates reamin under 2.0 for 25 years. In Italy, the age of the average farmer is now 66; In rural Sweden and Norway home schooling is becoming the norm because there are not enough children to support an even 1 room school house. Finally, the median age for the average European is now 40 years old. That's twice the average of the Islamic minorities.
September 11, 2010 at 5:06 pm
On a final note. My assessment is not gloomy – it is just facts. I am not quite as pessismistic as some demographers or writers (See Mark Steyn for really gloomy predictions). I am more worried about TFRs than growing Islam. However, in some nations like France, Islam continues to rise proportionally against the total population. One would have to use advance stats such as Principal Components to derive more granular trends. But, stats do not tell the entire story.
At the human level, we can see the decay if we chose to look. When I lived in Europe the first thing to hit me was the easy going secularism. The second thing I noticed was the dearth of children. It wasn't that there are not children. But the parks had more pets than children; in Saxony and Lusatia villages are empty. Some blame this on the economy, but the same thing is occuring in places like Moravia, and Galacia.
The most startling fact in the demographics is that Europe hasn't seen these kind of trends since the Thrity Years War (the most destructive European war until 1914), and before that the outbreak of The Plague. And once a society hits the the skids, it is difficult to stop. Do the math. The EU nations on average have a TFR of 1.5 . It's current population is roughly 400 million. If current trends continue, the EU population will be well below 300 million in just 70 years. If generous governemnt inducements will not propel couples to have more children, what will?
September 11, 2010 at 5:14 pm
"And I wonder why on earth one would even want to go to Kreuzberg."
Basically, because it is a famous neighbourhood and to see how it improves. Kreuzberg is in every tourist guide and every German knows it is (perhaps: was) the "alternative" place number one; but as all the alternative places, it soon becomes pray of urban professionals…..
I was there the first time in 1993 (the tourist bus brought us there, and we had a short stop) and found the place, basically, crap.
I went back in 2005 and last time I was there was in 2006 (both for business and as a tourist) and the place was becoming "bourgeois" at a barely believable pace.
As to the "gay lover", I wouldn't suggest you walk with your "gay lover" in front of me, either; but I do not engender any suspicion in that department anyway. I was dressed in suit and tie, though, and not even the drunkards (whom I remember omnipresent in Berlin) had anything to say.
I walked there for a couple of hours and the only thing I noticed was the contrast between the already restored buildings and those still left behind (not for long I believe). This is fascinating. If you are in London, you must think of Notting Hill or Earl's Court as they were 20 years ago and now. Like these (particularly Notting Hill) Kreuzberg has good real estate substance by the way, lots of beautiful old buildings left. In twenty years time will be, I think, as fine as Notting Hill is now.
M
September 11, 2010 at 5:17 pm
What I most remember of Berlin (coming from the Frankfurt region, socially much more conservative) is the big number of sexually deviant: homos and lesbians flaunting their deviation in a way that would have attracted huge ridicule, or worse, in Hesse.
When I was in Germany I read that Berlin was the city with the biggest percentage of lesbians and homos in Europe, worse even than London.
M
September 11, 2010 at 5:31 pm
On Frankfurt.
Frankfurt is a strange place. More jobs than inhabitants, which is rather unique. People want to live outside of Frankfurt (which is rather small, some 650,000 or so inhabitants) and work there.
For this reason, Frankfurt has a small number of rich people and a lot of people living on benefits (again, German record). Lots of immigrants. Besides, it is too warm in summer and generally rather ugly (bombings; ugly reconstruction). The hills outside are *spectacularly* beautiful, Wiesbaden the real posh place amd Mainz both beautiful and relatively cheap. Therefore, many young people leave Frankfurt when they marry. At least those who can afford to choose.
But I have lived a decade in the region and I assure you the Germans living outside of Frankfurt married and had their two children with beautiful regularity; not as much as in the Fifties' Italy, but no real drama.
Yes, population will go down, but it always did. If it's not a demographic trend it's a war or a pestilence. What happens is that work becomes more expensive and people start making more children. As long as they don't start massively importing people from Muslim coutry it will all be perfectly fine, the country is rich enough (as is Italy, by the way) to sustain every demographic shock; besides, people are active as never before.
In the former Eastern germany, the trend is alarming. But this is also rather obvious.
This is former Commie land. People who can just move to West Germany and those who stay are the pensioners. With all that, last time I looked the numbers had been fairly flat for ten years. They'll need more recovery to get new impulses, though.
M
September 12, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I've only managed to have three. I don't know if I'll be able to have any more. I've done what I could to help!