Faith and Reason-Episode 68-‘World spiraling into darkness’: Anti-Christian attacks on the rise as France burns in race riots
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‘World spiraling into darkness’: Anti-Christian attacks on the rise as France burns in race riots
LifeSiteFri Jul 7, 2023 - 8:00 pm EDT
(LifeSiteNews) — On this week’s episode of Faith & Reason, Liz Yore and Jack Maxey join John-Henry Westen to discuss the recent attacks against pro-lifers and Christians a year after the Dobbs decision, as well as troubling developments in France and elsewhere overseas.
Late last month, Michigan pro-life sidewalk counsellor Mark Zimmermann allegedly suffered a hit-and-run from abortionist Theodore Roumell of the Woman’s Center of Saginaw. Speaking with LifeSiteNews, Zimmermann said that he stopped in the street after seeing a car coming for him, explaining that the driver could clearly see him from it. Two people have confirmed Zimmermann’s story with LifeSite, and local police say that the investigation is ongoing. A GiveSendGo has been set up for Zimmermann for medical and legal expenses.
Yore, commenting on the attack, noted “this is how serious [the situation for pro-lifers is] becoming. Not only are there threats under the [Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE)] Act … but also the attacks physically against … very prayerful, very peaceful … pro-life counselors.”
“This is a sobering reminder that things even after Dobbs … it appears things are becoming more and more dangerous for those in the pro-life arena.”
Maxey agreed with Yore, and that the pro-abortion argument’s narrative is being “destroyed.” “I think everybody has to be wary,” he said. “We’re watching the whole world spiral into this kind of darkness.”
“We’re watching the architecture of the West slowly collapse before our eyes, and it requires extra [vigilance] on the part of we Catholics and those of us who live without fear because of our faith, to continue to be vigilant and continue to stand up for what is right and what everybody organically knows is right,” he continued.
Continuing the discussion on persecution of pro-lifers and Christians, the trio discussed the uptick in attacks against Christians in Jerusalem.
Also late last month, Yossi Eli, a reporter for an Israeli newspaper walked around the Old City of Jerusalem dressed as a Franciscan. Within five minutes, he was spat upon. While walking, he was spat upon by soldiers, an eight-year-old child, and a man came up to him and mockingly said in Hebrew, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.”
What happened to Eli follows a series of increased attacks on Christians in the country, and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem released a statement in April saying that while such attacks are not new, they have increased since the installment of the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December.
“I think … the frequency of these attacks is very, very troubling in a place where … Christians and Catholics hold very dear,” Yore opined. “As persecution continues to ramp up, we’re going to see these holy sites are going to be continued to be attacked.”
Maxey shared a nuanced view of the attacks. According to him, Israel experienced an influx of Russian Hassidic and Orthodox Jews after the fall of the Soviet Union and that they “operate as a negative influence inside Israeli society.”
Maxey remarked that while he has respect for the Israelis and doesn’t want to “condemn the entire Israeli population,” “I see something like [these attacks] as really no different than watching an Hasidic guy walk down through Brooklyn and have every … street punk do the same thing to him that they did,” adding that “I think this is kind of an unfortunate fringe element that [the Israelis] actually suffer with dealing with every day as well.”
Last month, an Algerian boy called Nahel M. died while attempting to avoid a police check in a suburb of Paris. As a result, race riots have broken out across France in resemblance of the George Floyd riots of 2020, and multiple people, including the mayor of Paris and Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally Party, have urged President Emmanuel Macron to declare a state of emergency.
Discussing the cause of the crisis, Yore commented that it is a “complex one.” “The lack of integration and assimilation by the … massive Muslim immigration from Syria and Libya into Europe and into France.”
Likening the French situation to the influx of migrants on the American southern border, Yore added, “It’s the danger of not having safe borders. It’s also the danger of not having a legal immigration system where people can be acclimated. … As a result, now we’re seeing the great countries of Europe really struggle with chaos.”
Maxey noted that Europe is a “very volatile place,” with the influx of Muslim migrants essentially replacing the European population, but that the structure of European society making the transition “difficult,” as the situation in France demonstrates.
He also commented on the situation in France and Europe as a whole, in light of previous unrest in the country and the rising cost of living from the Ukrainian conflict, as well as COVID and various environmental policies, noting: “I think you’re going to start to watch things collapse on a political level in France.”
Maxey also predicted that the “trust that was built up [for the United States] is quickly collapsing” on account of the Ukrainian War. “The postwar era is going to collapse in the next several years,” Maxey contended. “And it’s going to be shocking, and it’s going to be mostly shocking to the masters of the universe who have led us into [the Ukraine War].”
SHOWNOTES
1. Persecution update
EXCLUSIVE: Michigan pro-lifer run over by abortionist speaks to LifeSiteNews
Gunman arrested for Philadelphia mass shooting that left 5 dead is BLM activist who wore women’s clothes: sources [New York Post]
Bud Light marketing VP takes leave of absence amid Dylan Mulvaney trans controversy
Fire destroys Florida Catholic church on first anniversary of Dobbs decision
Israeli investigative reporter spat on, harassed in Jerusalem while dressed as a Catholic priest
Tucker Carlson: ‘Pride’ is a ‘religious war’ that may bring same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah
2. International news
Macron betrays French police as country burns in George Floyd-style protests
Teenagers in French riots are copying video games, says Emmanuel Macron[The Telegraph]
France protests spread to Switzerland [The Telegraph]
Watchdog raises concerns after arson attacks on German, French churches[Catholic News Agency]
Brazil elections court bans former president Bolsonaro from seeking office until 2030
‘Britain is lost’: Nigel Farage becomes the latest victim of debanking in the UK
FBI Whistleblower Report: Bank of America Gave Americans’ Banking Info to FBI Around January 6 [Breitbart]
JPMorgan to Pay $290 Million in Settlement With Epstein’s Victims [New York Times]
3. Good news
Supreme Court Sides With Postal Carrier Who Refused to Work on Sabbath[New York Times]
Supreme Court protects web designer who won’t do gay wedding websites [The Washington Post]
Sound of Freedom starring Jim Caviezel was the #1 movie in America on July 4
EXCLUSIVE: Conservative, pro-life star Eduardo Verástegui considers run for president of Mexico
Hunter Biden won’t be charged with money laundering, bribery or trafficking after ‘slap on the wrist’ plea deal [New York Post]