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The attempt to violently disrupt a beloved Christmas tradition at Rockefeller Center shows that multiculturalism isn’t about “welcoming the stranger” or “bringing the nations to us.” The goal is to completely replace Christian values and destroy Western civilization.
Once a year, in the heart of New York City, stands a symbol of Western tradition and Christian values. Given how secular New York has become in recent years, many people, of course, miss the true meaning. But it stands still, like a herald of ancient wisdom, eternal truths, and the ghost of a Christian past. That symbol is a Christmas tree, and it’s annually graced with a lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. In times past, this ceremony has been peaceful. All is merry and bright.
Not this year. Last Wednesday, the Christmas tree lighting ceremony was violently disrupted by a horde of pro-Palestinian protesters (organized by the openly pro-Hamas group Within Our Lifetime). Videos showed protestors waving Palestinian flags, displaying pictures of swastikas and bloody hands, attacking police officers, calling for global intifada, and repeating the genocidal chant “From the River to the Sea…”
One Israeli philosopher, Yoram Hazony, explained the sinister ideology driving the protest:
“Why does this crowd want to replace Christmas celebrations with messaging about the war in Gaza?
Their goal is not to replace the US population with a different population. They don’t think there’s any need for that.
Their goal is to replace the Christian civilization that once existed in America with a completely new public culture—a revolutionary concoction of woke neo-Marxism and radical Islam.
That’s the only victory they want or need to utterly defeat the old America.”
He’s right: These people attack a Christmas celebration because they want to replace the Christian civilization that built America. What do they want to replace with? “A revolutionary concoction of woke neo-Marxism and radical Islam.”
Or, in a word, multiculturalism.
Evangelicals must understand this: Multiculturalism isn’t about “welcoming the stranger” or “bringing the nations to us.” No, multiculturalism is the sworn enemy of Western Christian civilization. Its adherents have no desire to assimilate into American culture but to completely replace it. As such, we will either defeat multiculturalism and save America, or we will have a future in which there aren’t any Christmas tree lighting ceremonies to disrupt.
Western civilization has bestowed upon Europe and the United States, and the world, a wealth of blessings. It has given us institutions of government and law that provide unprecedented freedom. It has fostered the development of science and technology, enabling a level of health and material prosperity undreamed of in earlier times. It has birthed capitalism, an economic system that, despite its flaws, has lifted countless individuals out of poverty.
It enabled the Gospel to be brought to the nations in fulfillment of the Great Commission.
It gave us the First Amendment and religious liberty.
It gave us America, the home of the brave and the land of the free.
And these blessings are deeply rooted in the Christian tradition. The Bible teaches us about the inherent dignity of every human being, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). It instructs us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31), fostering a culture of empathy and compassion. It champions the principles of truth, justice, and righteousness (Psalm 89:14), which are foundational to our legal and political systems.
If multiculturalism gets its way, that will all burn down.
Ah, multiculturalism! The magical elixir that promises to cure all societal ills. Drink deeply, they say, and watch as harmony and understanding bloom like flowers in a global garden. But as we’ve seen, the reality is often less rosy.
The rise of multiculturalism in the post-World War II era poses a significant threat to the preservation of Western values. Multiculturalism, at its roots, is a form of radical, egalitarian, cultural relativism, denying the unique contributions of Western and Christian civilization and equating all cultures and belief systems as equally valid and beneficial.
More than denying the blessings of Western civilization, it points the finger at Western Christians and labels them as “oppressors.” Multiculturalism isn’t about people from varying backgrounds living in peace with one another; it’s about uprooting the only reliable foundation for a free and stable society: Christian morality.
The recent incident at the Rockefeller Center is a case in point. The disruption of a cherished Western and Christian tradition by violent protestors calling for the death of Jews is indicative of a disregard for the values and customs that have shaped our society.
In the pursuit of multiculturalism, Western societies are increasingly turning to the false gods of globalism, open borders, and neo-Marxism. These ideologies, while falsely promising equality and harmony, instead work to undermine the very freedoms and benefits that Western civilization affords.
Globalism, with its disregard for national sovereignty, erodes the distinctiveness of Western culture and values. It’s an effort to rebuild the Tower of Babel in the modern era. Remember how well that worked out for the first builders?
And then there’s the promise of open borders. Come one, come all, they say. But what happens when the party gets too big? When there’s not enough food to go around or space to comfortably accommodate everyone? It’s all fun and games until someone has to sleep on the floor. Open borders aren’t a blessing; they bring uncontrolled immigration, strained societal resources, and a flood of drugs and criminals. It sets up an inevitable culture clash, like the one we’re living in now.
As for neo-Marxism, it’s like a game of musical chairs. Everyone scrambles for a seat when the music stops, but there’s always one less chair than there are players. The promise of equality is enticing, but the reality is that someone always ends up on the floor. Neo-Marxism, with its focus on class struggle and redistribution of wealth, undermines the principles of personal responsibility and free enterprise that are key to Western prosperity.
In the face of these challenges, Christians must be galvanized to unapologetically fight for the unique values of Western and Christian civilization. We must remember the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place” (Ephesians 6:14).
The Bible warns us about false prophets who come to us in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). We must be wary of ideologies that promise utopia but deliver discord. We must hold fast to the values and principles that have guided Western and Christian civilization to its current prosperity.
Western Christians have nothing to be embarrassed about. So, let’s raise a glass of eggnog to the blessings of Western civilization, Christmas tree lightings and all, and to the freedoms and benefits it has bestowed upon us. Let’s be mindful of the false gods of multiculturalism, globalism, open borders, and neo-Marxism. After all, as the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold — even during the holidays.
Editor’s Note: While some of those participating in the disruption of the Christmas tree lighting may not have been explicitly “pro-Hamas” but only wanted to show their support for Palestinian civilians caught in a warzone, the background, beliefs, loyalties, and goals of Within Our Lifetime, the organizer behind this protest, and the behavior and rhetoric of its most aggressive protesters provide evidence that this protest, like many others sponsored by this group before and after October 7, 2023, was intended to show support for and help advance the cause of Hamas.
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