In and Around Brussels, the Practice of Islam is Outstripping Christianity

The Economist ^ | 2/18/16 | Erasmus

[marshmallow]

Like so many other pieces in the European mosaic, Belgium has an idiosyncratic relationship with faith. It is both historically devout and heavily secular in its present-day practices. Its ancient cities are cradles of Christian art and learning, and Catholicism is in many ways the country's raison d'etre. When it was created in 1830, the kingdom offered a political home to Catholic Dutch-speakers who preferred to unite with French-speaking co-religionists than with Protestants with whom they had a common tongue. Faith had trumped language. But as Christianity's role has waned, so too has Belgium's ability to hold together the two linguistic camps. And a new creed, Islam, is gaining importance all the while.

The royal family, a national linchpin, is devoutly Catholic. In 1990, King Baudouin stepped aside for a day rather than sign a bill legalising abortion. But in 2014, his successor King Philippe disappointed conservative Catholics by signing an exceptionally liberal euthanasia law, extending the practice to terminally ill children.

The easy passage of that law reflected the political strength of non-religious ethical systems. But in contrast with secular France, a lot of religion is taught in Belgian schools; children are generally instructed in the faith of their heritage, be it Christian, Jewish or, in steadily increasing numbers, Muslim. In Brussels, about half the children in state schools opt for classes in Islam, although this figure excludes the large share of youngsters who attend private, mostly Catholic schools.

All that is part of the background to a study of religious attitudes among Francophone Belgians, conducted by the Observatory of Religion and Secularism, a helpful resource for the study of faith in Europe. Respondents came in equal numbers from Wallonia, the country's Gallic-oriented south, and the Francophone majority in Brussels.

[Blue Collar Christian]

That void will be filled.

[Jim W N]

Not quite accurate.

The practice of Islam is filling a vacuum left when around the beginning of the 20th Century, the world began leaving their trust and faith in the God and Father of Jesus Christ.

[A Conservative Thinker]

Europe is a series of developing Islamic republics based on the suicidal multiculturalist agenda of massive and historical demographic changes by importing endless numbers of Muslims that are also ironically supposed to labor for the ever aging population but ironically 80% of them live on government benefits. Some secular utopia they have there..

[factoryrat]

I thought that brussels gave a mandate to the rest of the EU to submit to sharia and dhimmitude?

Maybe some of the infidels in the outlying areas of the new europeon caliphate didn’t get the message.

[Travis McGee]

[zeestephen]

This is not a new problem.

One of my college friends worked in Air Force Intelligence and was stationed in Brussels when the second Iraq War started.

He had to check his car every morning for explosives before driving to work.

And, as I recall, he was not allowed to carry a sidearm outside the Embassy, which added more stress.

[mythenjoseph]

The chaos which is culminating in Europe is because of the strict gun laws.....FREE MEN own guns SLAVES do not own guns...I own many of the afore mentioned. I despise any form of Islam along with the the governments that help in any way the intergration of these subhuman animals into any judeo-christian society ....just my 2 cents. Understand I attend a true Christian church ...but I will be the first to admit that I am not as devout as most there...(my wife is way christian) I prefer to be around people who forgive ...rather than promote violence as a means of adherence to a belief. To just be myself let me put it this way F__K Islam and anyone who follows or promotes it’s existence. Can you read into my fellings at all with this post?....All comments welcome!

[faithhopecharity]

EU’s ruling elite (as well as USA’s ruling elite) have sold out their countries to the IslamoNazi invasion

it is the regular citizens who’ll suffer

the ruling elite figures it has enough money and power to move elsewhere (perhaps some nice pretty tropical island resort) while Europe, UK, and USA are transformed into IslamoNazi Krapistans with Shariah law and subjugated Christians

[soycd]

When you have groups like Catholic Charities riding shotgun for islam, you will have this sort of disgusting trend.

Too many morons being born and raised by ever increasing morons. The idiots are multiplying.

[SgtHooper]

Evil will expand wherever it is allowed. Moreover, Islam feeds on the prurient and power interests of men. How could it fail in these days of Godlessness.

[matginzac]

Er, let the nose of the camel into the tent, next thing...
The camel is in the tent.....

[opus1]

Strange article for the Economist, they are part of the problem.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

I don't think it's been just a case of the world turning its back on God or Christianity. IMHO, Christianity has been targeted by the left for much of the last century, and it continues. The approach was to discredit Christianity as a superstitious belief system that is perpetuated in large measure among the ‘uneducated’, and that can't stand up to ‘intellectual’ scrutiny. This strategy has had an impact. Ironically, Islam, with the clinging to barbaric practices of centuries past, is less scrutinized by the ‘intelligentsia’ than is Christianity.

Ironically, it is actually the dogma of the pseudo-intellectuals in society that is the most vulnerable to critical thought, and this scrutiny is what needs to happen. Political correctness is just one element of an extensive philosophical construct that has been perpetuated in Western society as ‘modern’ and ‘progressive’. IMHO, we should be moving forward, and our understanding of the world growing from generation to generation, but the way to do this is not by suppressing conversation and individual thought, and not by propagating a specific way of thinking such as that which is ubiquitous on almost every college campus.

To me, God is truth, and to be a truth seeker is the highest order of intellectual activity. Further, fervent secularism is also a ‘belief’ system, and requires a lot of blind faith. To stop the slide away from spirituality of which you write, IMHO we need to fight back against the false characterizations of spiritual thought and faith as anti-modern and anti-intellectual. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[Jim W N]

Go for it my FRiend. I’m with you.

However, I also find that it helps me to wage this good fight of faith and freedom with an awareness of the overall context within which I am living and dealing. It helps me to feel less like I am beating the air or shadow boxing because I feel I’ve got a pretty good grip on what I’m dealing with. So some time ago, I asked God to show me how HE sees these times we are living.

I believe we are in the end times and Jesus’ return is imminent and the End is at hand. But even though it could happen at any time, I have reason to believe it won’t be for a few decades yet. I also think the Book of Revelation gives us insight into the state of the world just before Jesus comes back to take us to be with him - the last church age - the Laodicean Church age where Jesus is on the OUTSIDE knocking and asking to be let back in.

I believe this godless age began around 1900 and is characterized by a spirit of anti-christ that basically shuts out Jesus around the world because, it says, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing [including God]” (Rev 3:17).

But I also think we have a remnant of the preceding Philadelphia Church, the alive church, and I have hope that God will send out his light one last time to round up all he can before it all comes crashing down. We all have our part. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ shine brightly through us in these last days.