What we saw last week – a violent attack on a Christian school, killing three innocent children and three adults – is the product of a society that has lost its way, devaluing faith, encouraging group-based hatreds and anti-Christian violence. Reality is we may see two inflection points, the end of anything-goes-transgender-dysphoria promotion, and rise of anti-Christian domestic violence.
You think not? You think all is well, or all is unchanged? Then follow me. The bit about slowing the open-ended promotion of transgenderism, as an end in itself, objectively devaluing biological girls – 98 percent of whom “identify” as female – is a fresh reality. If we see it, this will have been long in coming.
Pushing hate in the name of a mental illness, which is what gender dysphoria officially is, must have limits. Building and fanning resentments in a frayed society is irresponsible, and bound to produce pushback.
When 95 percent or more of those born biologically female believe they are girls, 99 percent born boys think they are boys, only those who want to sow resentment pump an alternate narrative, disenfranchising the majority who “follow the science,” selling social inversion. They have now seen – we all have – where seeding violent resentment leads: nowhere good.
The other part of this is more significant, especially in a society where religious education is slipping, respect for those of faith – any life-loving faith, but especially Christianity – is disparaged by the media, Democrats, and even the FBI.
What you are seeing is a slide toward anti-Christian hatred, not unlike anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic hatred, not far from the Bolshevik Revolution’s push to ostracize, attack, and marginalize those of faith in the former Soviet Union, replacing faith with fear of the State.
This turn also brings to mind revolutionary France 230 years ago, ushering in anarchy, led by those who relished destroying churches, killing clergy – as did the Soviets, as do the Chinese – leaving a path of fear and destruction, like those recent tornados, only through the society.
No, this is not an everyday event, and has nothing to do with guns – except that all who mean to do harm will choose a means for doing harm. This event and the left’s response to it suggests the start of quiet justification, perhaps normalization, of violent attacks on those of faith.
The Biden Justice Department and FBI targeted “traditional” churches for “domestic terrorism,” failed to take precautions for faith-centered Supreme Court justices after the pro-life Dobbs decision, today prosecute pro-life protestors in record numbers, fail to halt violence against pro-life churches, have a task force (which still exists) to prosecute conservative parents under the Patriot Act – parents who speak up for faith-centered values.
Now, we see the rise of political violence – illegal, unconstitutional, corrosive to rule of law – against Christian schools, churches, non-profits, and peaceful protestors, those seeking only to “exercise” peacefully rights they are granted in the First Amendment.
What is the response? The White House, leading Democrats, and the media – led by CNN and CBS – reported the school shot up by guns, not violence by a transgender dysphoria person against those of differing views, a Christian school. Facts and motive were obscured.
They turned the entire day into an anti-gun story. What is not said is significant. The tide is rising against Christians. While this must be reversed, the current trend is toward using politics and media to delegitimize those of faith, villainizing religious institutions and even Christ’s message.
This is not uncommon around the world, but is a red line here, something “not tolerated.” There should be no room here for anti-religious hatred in a nation founded on Christian values by Christians with respect for all faiths, who number 240 million of 350 million Americans.
Bottom line: We are in the eye of the storm, and this is not going away fast. The left is on a mission to justify society-wide attacks on Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist values – those of moral fiber – because these values threaten their power.
Faith – premised on prioritizing individuality, conscience, and God above government – threatens those who aim to consolidate power, centralize and expand control, promoting the State over God. This is fundamental, and why the act we just saw was the natural outgrowth of demonizing those of faith.
People of good heart must forcefully speak up for those of conscience, faith, and who wish to preserve the right to believe – directed by the New and Old Testament, Torah, Koran, peace-loving religious texts, simple loving conscience. Americans cannot want, tolerate, or ignore creeping anti-Christian, anti-faith villainization – or yes, anti-Christian violence.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.
