We are contributing to the financial support of a young man and his wife as missionaries in Berlin of all places. He grew up two doors down from us, his parents are very good friends and he and his brothers are all very good friends with my sons. He was back home visiting this summer and we had a long talk about his mission trip to Germany. The Germans are the most atheist country in Europe right now, but they are polite atheists unlike our own home-grown militant evangelical atheists.
I told him it was my opinion this atheism stemmed from lack of organized religious objection to the Nazi movement, and it’s participation in supporting the Wehrmacht during the war. “Gott mit uns” was inscribed on every Landser’s belt buckle. Now, I’m sure the German clergy felt a need to provide spiritual support for the young German soldier, but it tainted them as an institution. After the horror of the war, the defeat, and the confrontation of the Holocaust, the Germans were and still are spiritually spent. Religion was discredited. My young missionary friend confirms this; the Germans don’t know about Christ, have completely lost touch with their Christian heritage, and simply don’t care about renewing it.
Because the Germans live in a spiritual vacuum, they don’t see Islam as a threat. They don’t “get” the concept of religious zealotry.
I think they're about to find out. Heaven only knows how many ISIS are infiltrating the "refugees." These days it doesn't even take a cell. Individuals can radicalize over the internet and carry out lone wolf attacks.
On a lesser level, as soon as they settle into state housing and welfare checks, there will be demands for Shariah, veiled women and who knows what else, polygamy? And if the Europeans don't give in, they'll be deemed bigots.