Last Saturday, Pope Francis attended a nativity exhibit in the Vatican that depicted the baby Jesus as a Palestinian.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Pope Francis inaugurates the new nativity scene called ”Betlehem 2024” in the Vatican
Looks like the Pope has also fallen for the absurd claim that Jesus was a Palestinian. <a href="https://t.co/nVhsOW8vuL">pic.twitter.com/nVhsOW8vuL</a>
&mdash; Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) <a href="https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1865501290031165766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The exhibit in Paul VI Hall was <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/pope-francis-inaugurates-nativity-scene-in-vatican-showing-baby-jesus-on-keffiyeh/#:~:text=The%20keffiyeh%2Ddraped%20cradle%2C%20which,Bethlehem%2C%20according%20to%20Vatican%20News." target="_blank" rel="noopener">created by Palestinian artists</a>. The baby Jesus was swathed in a Palestinian Keffiyeh. Palestine Liberation Organization spokesperson Ramzi Khouri brought “warm greetings” from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and lauded Francis, telling of his “deep gratitude for the pope’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and his tireless efforts to end the war on Gaza and promote justice.”
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Francis has expressed anti-Israel beliefs before, apparently labeling Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas massacre of more than 1200 people in Israel as immoral, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-israel-lebanon-hezbollah-72b592696627d1a671e7419e98e354b6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, “A country that does these things — and I’m talking about any country — in a superlative way, these are immoral actions.”
Francis has <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/pope-francis-calls-for-probe-to-determine-if-israels-actions-in-gaza-constitute-genocide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for an investigation into Israel’s actions in Gaza to see if they should be labeled “genocide.” On the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre, Francis issued a Letter to Catholics of the Middle East. In the letter, he cited John 8:44. “The verse chosen by the pontiff, a vitriolic accusation that the Jews ‘are from [their] father, the devil,’ has for centuries provoked and been used to justify Church hostility to Jews,” Tablet Magazine <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/unfulfilled-promise-pope-francis-israel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted.</a>
The consistent attempts by Palestinians and their supporters to rewrite the history of the land of Israel have included trying to claim Jesus was a Palestinian, a claim easily refuted since there was never a state of Palestine. Yet in 2013, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/2013-12-23/ty-article/abbas-jesus-was-palestinian/0000017f-e55e-d9aa-afff-fd5e01410000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Jesus “a Palestinian messenger,” and in 2019, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) shared a tweet that stated, “I was once asked by a relative who is a Palestinian Christian why the Christian right in America largely supports their oppression. ‘Don’t they know we’re Christian too? Do they even consider us human? Don’t they know Jesus was a Palestinian?’”
As Peter Wehner has <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/jewish-history-jesus-settler-colonialism-claims/677149/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">written</a>, “In fact, although many Palestinians today are Christians, Jesus himself was not one. He was born to Jewish parents in Judea, he lived as a Jew, and he died as a Jew. In the time of Jesus, Palestine didn’t exist—as a place, an entity, a word, or a concept. In the second century, Judea, which was the epicenter of large-scale Jewish rebellions against Roman rule, was renamed Syria Palaestina—later simply Palaestina—by the Romans.”

VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE

Pope Francis Attends Vatican Nativity Exhibit Showing Jesus As A Palestinian

Jesus Christ

Palestinians

Pope Francis

Religion

Vatican

World

As Jesus embarked on his ministerial journey, word of his miracles spread throughout the Holy Land. The accounts of his miracles have since filtered through time and across the world to the point we are still discussing them today. To what degree does spiritual healing change and positively impact an individual’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-eternal-question-of-human-beings-how-do-you-live-in-the-world">day-to-day life</a>? How do the stories of Jesus physically healing the sick relate to our society&#8217;s need for its own type of healing today? How would witnessing these events, on a micro and macro level, affect a soul in search for rescue? Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, surrounded by nine other scholars, leads a conversation about these questions in the third episode of “The Gospels.” And <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-modern-day-socrates-jordan-b-peterson-conducts-socratic-seminar-in-new-gospels-series">the tabletalk</a> is real. Each member of this group takes up their knowledge, devoid of pretentious facade, as they vulnerably talk of Jesus’ miracles applicability to life in the present day and age.
To imaginatively place yourself in the Holy Land during the early stage of Jesus’ ministry is a curious notion. Imagine hearing by word of mouth that a man in the town where you live is performing outright miracles. This is a tiny town of maybe 1,500 people — where people move to get away from social media, television, email, and phones in general. It is a place devoid of electronic communication, yet the rumor slowly spreads, ever so gradually. You hear it from a neighbor, from a friend, from conversations spoken in whispers on the dirt road you walk. A man’s son is sick to the point of death, but he recovers his health. A crazed man becomes instantly sane. A man with a deadly skin, nerve, and respiratory disease is healed in an instant.
Then, you find yourself in the right place at the right time to see the rumor turn to reality before your very eyes. From a short distance, you see a crowd clambering around this man, pressing in on him. Some hope to be healed; some hope to see healings. A window through the horde of hopefuls forms, and you catch a glimpse of him. Surrounded by this small mob, the man simply touches the sick, and they are healed in that moment. What would you think? What would you do? How would seeing the miraculous affect you?
Perhaps witnessing a miracle would make clear the path of your life as an individual moving throughout the world. Perhaps it would, in some way, alleviate the pressural pursuit of wealth, pleasure, power, or honor. As the group recounts Jesus’ travels through Samaria, they discuss Jesus’ meeting with the woman at the well. Here, Jesus essentially announces himself as the source of salvation — the Living Water. Rather than continue to pursue counterfeit satisfaction in the four <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/substitutes-for-religion-are-meaningless">substitutionary (and earthly) pursuits</a>, Jesus offers an opportunity away from contagious rhythms through a relationship with Him. This cyclical nature of unending and ill-begotten pursuits has a universal appeal. Bishop Barren posits that this is where hope enters in, because, “At the well, I meet Jesus — if I have eyes to see.” In other words, Jesus is the escape from the trap of pursuing meaningless accolades that never truly satisfy.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-gospels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH JORDAN B PETERSON&#8217;S THE GOSPELS ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Perhaps watching a miraculous occurrence in real life would unveil the beauty of community. In their discussion, Jordan makes the point that Christ represents a sacrificial offering that paradoxically returns everything in abundance, including the pathway forward to life. Community is founded on this relationship — of giving and receiving. And as Douglas Hedley mentions, Christ gave expression to a philosophical universalism with imaginative power, vision, and spiritual sincerity. His sacrificial teachings, actions, and being itself represents community.
But perhaps seeing a miracle performed in real life would bring clarity to your role as an individual within the greater context of society. During the time Jesus walked the earth, philosophy had shifted to focusing on the human as a part of the cosmos. In other words, particular significance was given to the individual in relation to the universal. How unique a time for Jesus to come to earth and illuminate a philosophy already in vogue. In the present day, Jordan has tailored his teachings in this way, advocating for individuals to <a href="https://store.dailywire.com/collections/books/products/12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos">set themselves in order before criticizing the world</a>. Societal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-going-to-be-ok-jocko-willink-on-dealing-with-sadness-and-forgiving-yourself">healing begins</a> on the level of the individual.
“The question of miracles is fascinating,” Dennis Prager says, continuing, “Obviously, they’re miracles within the framework of the world as it exists because they’re suspensions of the natural in some way.” But the miracle of the universe, the presence of life itself, and the existence of consciousness is all miraculous, Prager contends. As the group reads the biblical stories of Jesus’ miraculous physical and spiritual healings, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meditations-with-oliver-anthony-negotiating-a-shared-vision-and-taking-a-leap-of-faith">the topic of faith </a>organically makes its way into their discussion — as founding belief and fostering faith was part of Jesus’ point in performing these miracles.
“What do you make of this miraculous healing and its constant repetition throughout the text?” Jordan inquires of the religiously diverse group of scholars. Before they answer, he defends the text through a psychological lens, implicitly demonstrating the masterful purpose in bringing nine voices to surround this table. Each offers a certain area of specialization alongside a particular religious perspective. When one man poses a question based on a passage, another answers with, sometimes obvious, indications of their background. This, then, is followed by a comment from another that steers — and sometimes entirely redirects — the conversation back to the biblical text.
Why the need for such steerage or redirection? The answer is obvious in the third episode. Obvious are the varied interpretations of the text, which, as John Vervaeke points out, gives it a surplus of meaning and makes evident its sacredness. But where does the interpretation end? At this, Jordan asserts his hopeful purpose of this seminar: to specify the symbolic relationships <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit-distinguishing-between-your-will-and-gods-will">encoded</a> in the text. Jesus’ interaction, for example, the woman at the well was to give her hope in this life and of the next, but that was not his sole intention.
What else did Jesus intend to communicate symbolically through the Living Water he offered her? What else did Jesus intend to communicate by performing healings? What else did Jesus intend to communicate by fulfilling Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah’s coming? Jordan wants to discover those answers. “I’ve been thinking we’re on the verge of something like computational epistemology,” he says — intending that meaning is not arbitrary. Tradition brings meaning to the forefront, making the most potent and actual relationships within the text not merely interpretive but, rather, reflective of meaning.
When Jordan began his investigation into the Bible, he did so with humble curiosity, professing he came to it not knowing what he was doing and not having “a prior presumption of my superiority in any manner to the text.” He continues, “Now, that doesn’t mean I had any real attitude towards it except what in the world is this? And perhaps there’s something I can learn from it.” He has, both implicitly and explicitly, taught others during his own learning process — with a keen sense to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wherever-you-are-is-not-as-good-as-it-could-be-plot-a-course-forward">aim at the highest</a>.
While the group often has differing ideas, one consensus is clear: Jesus’ miracles go beyond supernatural events (as if that would not be a fine stopping point). They are stories that teach of healing the individual and society — stories still teaching us today should we so choose to investigate them with curiosity and expectation.

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

Hope In, Through, And From Miracles — And The Miraculous In Peterson’s ‘Gospels’

Bible

Jordan Peterson

U.S.

A host of ceremonies will take place this weekend as part of the official reopening of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/france">France</a>’s legendary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/notre-dame-cathedral">Notre Dame Cathedral</a>, which was badly damaged in a 2019 fire.
It will begin on Saturday, December 7, with the Archbishop Laurent Ulrich knocking on the door of the Paris cathedral with his crosier [a Bishop staff] to return to life the building to worship where he will be joined by more than 1,500 guests, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2024/12/06/reopening-of-notre-dame-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-ceremony_6735412_30.html">LeMonde</a> reported.
It will be followed by a choir singing Psalm 23, 7-10. Ulrich will then re-awaken the cathedral’s thunderous organ with its nearly 8,000 pipes, that were covered at one point in the blaze, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/france-paris-notre-dame-trump-macron-religion-fire-e76aee3fdb9d391943e7955424d330cc">the Associated Press</a> reported. This will occur with a series of incantations as the Archbishop states the following, “Awaken, organ, sacred instrument: Sing the praise of God.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Notre Dame’s reopening will begin with an archbishop’s knock on the doors. Here’s what comes next <a href="https://t.co/SwWcRerDQp">https://t.co/SwWcRerDQp</a>
— The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1864973149185417301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
Four organists will operate the organ with its five keyboards of 56 notes, foot pedals for 30 notes, and 115 stops, the outlet noted.
Exactly what the organists will respond with is unknown, with one organist, Olivier Latry, telling the AP, “Since it’s improvisation, you really need to feel the moment.”
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“When I am there, I will know what I am going to do,” he added. “Before that, I simply have a few ideas but the ideas are not fully formed — because they will change depending on the atmosphere, the lighting, the people who’ll be down below, their reaction.”
And on Sunday, the first Catholic Mass to be held in the cathedral since the fire engulfed the building in April 2019 will take place with special rites to consecrate the main altar, the outlet noted. It follows the massive <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/notre-dame-cathedral-restoration-after-fire-finishes-macron-tour/">restoration process</a> that reportedly cost more than $700 million on the roughly <a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/notre-dame-cathedral-restoration/index.html">860-year-old</a> cathedral over the last few years.
President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> announced on Monday that he will travel to France to attend the re-opening ceremonies.
“It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113586046394556777">post to Truth Social</a>.
“President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so,” he added. “It will be a very special day for all!”
French authorities <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/devastating-notre-dame-fire-was-probably-started-emily-zanotti">have said</a> they suspected the fire started due to a lit cigarette or a faulty electrical connection, but The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/world/europe/notre-dame-cathedral-reopening.html">noted</a> last month that an investigation continues and the cause “may never be determined.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-visit-paris-for-notre-dame-re-opening" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump To Visit Paris For Notre Dame Re-Opening</a>

Notre Dame

Notre Dame Cathedral To Reopen With Host Of Ceremonies Following Catastrophic 2019 Fire

Church

Donald Trump

France

Notre Dame Cathedral

Paris

Heritage Action for America&#8217;s President Kevin Roberts called on Americans of faith to get out to the polls, warning that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a> is the most &#8220;anti-religion&#8221; candidate the United States has ever seen.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe it is hyperbole to claim that Vice President Kamala Harris is the most anti-faith, anti-religion presidential candidate in our history,&#8221; Roberts said during a media roundtable on Friday.
Roberts, who is Catholic, drew on Culture Research Center <a href="https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CRC-Release-Pre-Election-1-Oct-12-2024-Final.pdf">polling that found</a> only 51% of religious Americans are likely to vote in the 2024 election. According to that research, the other 49% of religious Americans who don&#8217;t plan to vote represents about 104 million eligible non-voters.
Roberts argued that they need to get to the polls — or they may lose their ability to worship.
&#8220;People of faith who are worried about the choice they are making really need to understand what&#8217;s at stake,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to lose our ability to worship. We&#8217;re going to lose our religious liberty if the Harris, Walz campaign prevails.&#8221;
&#8220;There are people of faith who are sitting on the sidelines, because they have forgotten that we&#8217;re electing a president, not a pastor,&#8221; Roberts argued. &#8220;None of us are perfect. I&#8217;m not perfect. None of you, dare I say, are perfect. We believe in the doctrine of original sin. Donald Trump therefore is not perfect. Even my Catholic friend JD Vance is not perfect.&#8221;
The Heritage Foundation president discussed how some religious voters may have qualms with Trump&#8217;s abortion policies. Trump has said that he would not sign a national law protecting the unborn — a move that some Republicans view as a political necessity, but many pro-lifers have taken as a betrayal.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
&#8220;While certainly the position of Heritage Action and the Heritage Foundation is more robust than where President Trump is, [religious voters] need to remember the former president&#8217;s track record on this,&#8221; Roberts said, referring to Trump&#8217;s legacy as the president to appoint the Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. 
Trump is also the first president to attend the national March for Life in person, appointed a slew of pro-life federal judges throughout his time as president, signed an executive order protecting babies born alive in botched abortions, and significantly slashed Planned Parenthood&#8217;s federal funding.
 &#8220;If President Trump and Senator Vance are elected next Tuesday, there is a far greater chance of being able to work with them and the people they appoint on issues that matter to us, including abortion and including religious liberty,&#8221; Roberts said. &#8220;I think in contrast, there&#8217;s a 0% chance we get that opportunity in a Harris, Walz administration. On abortion, on religious freedom, people of faith need to be mindful of that.&#8221;
Harris has <a href="https://catholicvote.org/president-harris-what-catholics-need-to-know/">previously drawn fire</a> for suggesting that a Catholic jurist, Brian Buescher, was unfit to serve as a judge due to his Catholic beliefs, specifically suggesting that holding Catholic teaching on abortion and gay marriage is disqualifying for a judge. She sponsored the FACT Act as California&#8217;s attorney general, a law requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to post advertisements about where women can get abortions (the Supreme Court struck this law down several years later).
As California attorney general, she also <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/08/07/exclusive-kamala-harris-sent-agents-raid-pro-life-journalists-home-met-planned-parenthood-emails-show/">targeted pro-life activist</a> David Daleiden for his undercover investigations alleging that Planned Parenthood was illegally selling aborted baby body parts. Planned Parenthood <a href="https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/congressional-scorecard">has repeatedly</a> given Harris a perfect score on their congressional scorecard, since she supports unlimited abortions and emphatically promotes abortion as &#8220;reproductive rights.&#8221;
Most recently, she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/religious-freedom-defenders-tear-into-kamala-for-denying-religious-exemptions-to-abortions">alarmed proponents of religious freedom</a> by saying she would not allow religious exemptions for abortions as president. Religious liberty advocates have said Harris was expressing support for unconstitutionally forcing medical professionals to violate their religious beliefs by performing abortions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jackson: “Religious exemptions [to abortion], for example? Is that something you would consider?” 
⁰Harris: “I don’t think we should be making concessions when we are talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body.” <a href="https://t.co/AVzyKEjBrG">pic.twitter.com/AVzyKEjBrG</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1848845392617611650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;She was emphatic last week or so when she made that comment about eliminating religious exemptions,&#8221; Roberts told The Daily Wire of Harris. &#8220;And obviously, that&#8217;s something that is a real problem even for people of no faith. Because if you eliminate our first freedom, which is to believe and worship as we shall, then all of the others are endangered. And that also is not hyperbole, because we have surrogates of the vice president&#8217;s campaign out there talking about beginning to abrogate the freedom of speech.&#8221;
&#8220;This is what we&#8217;re up against,&#8221; he warned. &#8220;I think we&#8217;ve got to be ready to saddle up if, in fact, they prevail.&#8221;

Capitol Hill

‘Understand What’s At Stake’: Heritage President Urges People Of Faith To Vote Against Kamala

2024

Elections

Kamala Harris

Politics

Conservatives are making a play for the Amish vote in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state both former President Donald Trump and VP Kamala Harris are desperately trying to capture. 
Amish Americans generally stay out of mainstream politics despite recent efforts from Republicans, who see the conservative and religious residents as allies and an untapped voting bloc. When Amish people do vote, they <a href="https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/amish-voter-turnout-increased-in-lancaster-county-in-2020-research-shows/article_aecdd306-6b54-11ed-8c58-df9c5ac311e3.html">overwhelmingly</a> register as Republicans.
“I want you to know, we are courting the Amish vote,&#8221; conservative activist Scott Presler <a href="https://x.com/ScottPresler/status/1837585681935487338">said</a> at a political conference. &#8220;The Amish, if they are mobilized, could literally save Western civilization.” 
Presler is leading this stronger, renewed effort to capture the Amish vote this election cycle — especially in Pennsylvania, where 87,000 Amish reside. He says the Amish people he&#8217;s spoken to are receptive to mail-in ballots.
“When I go to the Amish and I tell them that they can have a private secret ballot that is sent to their homes, and they don&#8217;t have to drive their buggy to town and go to a polling location and have that stigma from their community: they love the idea of mail-in ballots,&#8221; Presler <a href="https://x.com/ScottPresler/status/1837585681935487338">said</a>. &#8220;And how epic would it be if a tool of the Democrats was used in order to get out the Amish vote and win and elect Donald J. Trump?” 
It&#8217;s not just the relatively new draw of mail-in ballots. Conservatives say the Amish are under threat from big government policies in PA, specifically when it comes to farming. Earlier this year, an <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/health/2024/03/amish-raw-milk-farmer-loses-bid-to-stay-in-business-without-permits.html">Amish farmer</a> named Amos Miller in Lancaster County had his farm raided by the state and was banned from selling raw milk products. Pennsylvania outright bans the sale of some raw milk products, like butter and yogurt, and mandates permits for others. The high-profile case that got the attention and support of both <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-jr-sick-after-amish-farm-raided-eggnog-1858257">Donald Trump Jr.</a> and RFK Jr., who is now a surrogate for Trump. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump,
I don’t know if you’ll see this, but I spoke to an Amish man last night that really wants you to come to Lancaster, PA.
He said more Amish people would be able to attend to your rally if it’s on a Saturday.
He also suggested to advertise in the local… <a href="https://t.co/OxEjIrnTZB">pic.twitter.com/OxEjIrnTZB</a>
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottPresler/status/1837474679088410823?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2024</a></blockquote>
There are nearly 400,000 Amish nationwide, predominantly residing in rural areas in Ohio, Indiana, and, of course, Pennsylvania. The state&#8217;s Lancaster County holds the largest Amish community in the U.S. with about 44,000 Amish residents. 
In 2016, there were about <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/10/09/famously-secluded-amish-are-target-republican-campaign-drum-up-pennsylvania-votes-trump/">15,000 eligible Amish voters</a> in Lancaster County, but only about 1,000 of them voted in the presidential election. By 2020, though, <a href="https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/amish-voter-turnout-increased-in-lancaster-county-in-2020-research-shows/article_aecdd306-6b54-11ed-8c58-df9c5ac311e3.html">that number tripled</a>, to about 3,000 votes. A significant increase, likely due to some GOP efforts, but still a relatively low voter turnout. 
Presler, leading a PAC called Early Vote Action, is trying to change that. He and his team have been in the battleground state since last week, and plan to stay there and register voters for a total of 40 days.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For the next 40+ days, I am not leaving Pennsylvania.
I even purchased property in Pennsylvania just to vote for Donald Trump.
We have 40+ paid staff on the ground &amp; ALL of our resources are going to PA.
This is it — the final battle.
We’re all in.
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottPresler/status/1837278996322542056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
Presler is a highly effective grassroots <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/scott-presler-conspiracy-theories-lara-trump-rnc-job-rcna144144">activist</a>. He’s not working directly for the Republican National Committee (RNC), since he has his own PAC now, but RNC co-Chair Lara Trump has praised Presler and said he’s registered more voters than anyone else she knows of. Presler also has support from <a href="https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1762508959234113711">Donald Trump Jr.</a>, who spoke to Presler earlier this year and advocated for efforts to register the Amish to vote. 
While Presler and his team still have weeks left in PA, the activist says their efforts in Pennsylvania more broadly have already helped to flip Luzerne County Red, with respect to voter registration. There are now 87,415 registered Republican voters, which is a razor thin 83-person lead over Democrats. Luzerne County was considered a Democrat stronghold.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WE DID IT!
IT IS DONE!
We flipped Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from 🔵🔜🔴.
This is monumental, earth-shattering, ground shaking news.
Thank you to EVERY single volunteer that contributed to this victory!
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottPresler/status/1838241343606300740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
Currently, statewide, Democrats are holding the <a href="https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/democrats-in-pa-approach-2024-election-with-slimmest-voter-registration-advantage-in-decades/article_812ce277-e743-5758-bf18-b2b56f197f46.html">slimmest lead</a> in voter registration over Republicans in decades.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania

GOP Makes A Play For The Amish In Key Battleground State

conservative

Pennsylvania

Former Democratic presidential hopeful <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marianne-williamson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marianne Williamson</a> weighed in on the controversy over Haitian migrants and whether or not reports of them taking and eating ducks from local parks — or even cats from their neighbors&#8217; homes — were grounded in reality.
Williamson took to X to express her thoughts on the matter, and declared that voodoo — the religion that is prevalent throughout much of the island nation of Haiti — was a real thing that should not be dismissed outright. In addition, she argued that people dismissing the notion as crazy in an effort to attack former President Donald Trump would likely backfire come Election Day.
&#8220;Continuing to dump on Trump because of the &#8216;eating cats&#8217; issue will create blowback on Nov. 5. Haitian voodoo is in fact real, and to dismiss the story out-of-hand rather than listen to the citizens of Springfield, Ohio, confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of Democrats as smug elite jerks who think they’re too smart to listen to anyone outside their own silo,&#8221; Williamson posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Continuing to dump on Trump because of the “eating cats” issue will create blowback on Nov. 5. Haitian voodoo is in fact real, and to dismiss the story out-of-hand rather than listen to the citizens of Springfield. Ohio confirms in the minds of many voters the stereotype of…
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) <a href="https://twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/1834230977788313677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The controversy exploded after residents of the city of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-ohio-town-overrun-by-haitian-immigrants">Springfield, Ohio</a> — where thousands of Haitian migrants have been resettled and given special legal status under the Biden-Harris administration — said at a city commission meeting that they had witnessed the migrants taking ducks from the local parks, cutting off their heads, and taking them home to eat them. Others alleged that the migrants had stolen farm animals to eat as well.
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Former President Donald Trump mentioned the reports during Tuesday evening&#8217;s debate on ABC with Vice President Kamala Harris, and moderator David Muir jumped in to &#8220;fact-check&#8221; Trump. He claimed that ABC had spoken with the city manager, who said that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elderly-springfield-ohio-resident-says-shes-been-followed-groped-amid-haitian-migrant-influx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multiple reports</a> of migrants stealing and eating pets were unfounded.

Guerrilla Tactics & Asymmetric Political Activism – 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals

Marianne Williamson Weighs In On The Haitians Eating Cats Debate: ‘Voodoo Is, In Fact, Real’

Marianne Williamson Weighs In On The Haitians Eating Cats Debate: 'Voodoo Is, In Fact, Real'

Haiti

Haitian immigrants

Marianne Williamson

Ohio

Republican presidential nominee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> said this week that he believes the U.S. needs to get back to having more religion if things are going to get better.
The former president made the remarks during a podcast interview with Lex Fridman that aired on Tuesday when asked if he was afraid of death — a question that comes just several weeks after a would-be assassin shot Trump in the ear at a political rally in Pennsylvania.
After recounting talks with an unnamed friend of his whom he says has a &#8220;dark&#8221; mindset about the future and death, Trump said that religious people have a better outlook on such things.
&#8220;You’re supposed to go to heaven, ideally, not hell, but you’re supposed to go to heaven if you’re good,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I think our country’s missing a lot of religion. I think it really was a much better place with religion.&#8221;
&#8220;It was almost a guide,&#8221; he added. &#8220;To a certain extent, it was a guide. You want to be good to people. Without religion, there are no guardrails. I’d love to see us get back to religion, more religion in this country.&#8221;
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump: &#8220;I think our country&#8217;s missing a lot of religion. I think it was a much better place with religion. It was almost a guide&#8230; you want to be good to people. Without religion, there are no guardrails. I&#8217;d love to see us get back to more religion in this country.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Ns6iYuhdqN">pic.twitter.com/Ns6iYuhdqN</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1831018640088670430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2024</a></blockquote>

Donald Trump Speaks On Economy, Inflation, And Manufacturing

Trump: U.S. Needs To Get Back To Having More Religion

2024 Election

Christianity

Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a>&#8216; campaign hired Rev. Jennifer Butler on Wednesday as its national faith engagement director. The leftist activist claims that Christianity has been &#8220;hijacked by white supremacists&#8221; and believes the Democratic ticket gives Christians &#8220;an opportunity to reclaim faith for justice.&#8221;
Butler is a minister in the liberal Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination and founded the leftist think tank and activist group, <a href="https://www.faithinpubliclife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Faith in Public Life</a>, in 2005, Religion News Service <a href="https://religionnews.com/2024/08/28/harris-walz-campaign-hires-rev-jen-butler-longtime-religious-advocate-to-lead-faith-outreach/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Faith in Public Life has campaigned for leftist policies on issues ranging from immigration and voting to abortion and LGBT rights. Now, the PC USA minister directs most of her public comments toward attacking Republicans and condemning &#8220;Christian nationalism.&#8221;
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/harris-camp-hires-activist-reverend-who-claims-christianity-has-been-hijacked-by-white-supremacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that in 2022, Butler wrote a response to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the months of Congressional hearings that took place after and claimed that &#8220;white supremacists&#8221; were &#8220;hijack[ing]&#8221; the Christian faith. She also called on Christians to &#8220;denounce Christian nationalism.&#8221;
&#8220;We must do more than just watch the January 6th hearings aghast. We cannot allow our faith to continue to be hijacked by white supremacists covered in religious language,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;For the sake of our faith and our democracy, we must denounce Christian nationalism and reclaim a faith that values and affirms the human dignity of all people. Including our own.&#8221;
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Butler also <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRW2dD0htZj/?igsh=MWgyZGo1aTQ0NXpoeQ%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reposted</a> a tweet in 2021 that said, &#8220;It&#8217;s impossible to follow Jesus and not embrace CRT [Critical Race Theory]. Pass it on.&#8221;
In November 2023, Butler <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzWk0xaAboB/?igsh=YmpvdWxsbWoyNHF6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Republican and devout Christian Rep. Mike Johnson&#8217;s election as Speaker of the House &#8220;a threat to global democracy.&#8221; She argued that Johnson represents political leaders who manipulate religion and called on &#8220;religious communities in the US&#8221; to &#8220;challenge the growth of Christian nationalism.&#8221;
Two years prior, in November of 2021, Butler joined a list of faith leaders who <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWeCGSoPtw8/?igsh=MWNzdjYwMDZzYmh2ZA%3D%3D&amp;img_index=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse after he shot three protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in self-defense. Butler accused Rittenhouse of &#8220;murdering&#8221; the two men who died after they were shot and called the not-guilty verdict &#8220;the newest face of an old evil.&#8221;
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Butler said that Christianity &#8220;has long been used to justify the oppression of others,&#8221; adding, &#8220;As Christians, particularly as White Christians in this country… we need as Christians to speak more loudly about what our faith – that our faith calls us to resist the pharaohs, the Egyptian kings, the Roman Caesars of our day.&#8221; On Wednesday, Butler <a href="https://x.com/RevJenButler/status/1828858838700675520" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> the majority of Christians who believe abortion is murder, posting on X, &#8220;Being anti-Abortion was always a fig leaf for racism and anti-regulation/taxation agenda.&#8221;
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xQ8bdTcpfdrPBAzczIuck">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
Butler was arrested in 2017 while protesting on Capitol Hill when Republicans were pushing to repeal provisions in the Affordable Care Act. She claimed that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act would kill people.

Rev. Jen Butler

Meet The Kamala Campaign’s New Faith Leader Who Believes Christianity Has Been ‘Hijacked By White Supremacists’

Meet The Kamala Campaign's New Faith Leader Who Believes Christianity Has Been 'Hijacked By White Supremacists'

Faith

Spencer Klavan, associate editor at the Claremont Institute and host of the “Young Heretics” podcast, discussed his new book exploring the relationship between science and faith and rejected the popular notion that the two are incompatible on the latest episode of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/sunday-special" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ben Shapiro Show Sunday Special</a>.” 
During the interview, Shapiro asked Klavan about his new work “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Light-Mind-World-Science-Illuminating/dp/1684515335">Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science through Faith</a>.” Klavan told Shapiro that &#8220;religion has always motivated the best scientific discoveries and how science as it is currently unveiling, the natural world can reveal to us the glory of God.&#8221;
Shapiro and Klavan are also featured in “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/foundations-of-the-west">Foundations of the West</a>,” the new DailyWire+ docu-series from Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, exploring the profound legacies of Western civilizations and their lasting impact on the modern world. 
“Obviously, the way that many people are taught in public school or have come to believe because of media is that science and reason are completely opposed to faith and religion,” Shapiro said. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/sunday-special" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH THE FULL &#8216;SUNDAY SPECIAL&#8217; EPISODE WITH BEN SHAPIRO AND SPENCER KLAVAN</a>
Klavan said that the idea of science and religion being at odds is &#8220;not just pernicious&#8221; but also &#8220;wildly out of date.&#8221; He pointed to recent scientific discoveries that go hand-in-hand with “the world as described in the Jewish and the Christian Scriptures.&#8221; Klavan argued this narrative creates an unnecessary barrier for people of faith, making them feel that they must &#8220;abandon the most important thing to all of us, which is the life of the soul and the life of the spirit&#8221; in order to be rational.
Klavan emphasized that science itself requires faith principles to function. The Daily Wire host agreed, saying, “The reality is that science can&#8217;t prove itself. And this is something that scientists are constantly attempting to just sort of ignore. But science as a process is not a provably true process. And in fact, the very idea of an absolute truth is a faith principle because evolution, biologists have said many times, does not point to truth.”
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“It points to adaptability. And so you can say that perhaps an idea is adaptable, that perhaps it helps us in our evolutionary fitness,” he added. “But you can&#8217;t ever make the claim that it has an absolute level of real truth. That is a faith principle. And in fact, virtually all of science is rooted in faith principles like that.”
Klavan cited historical examples like Galileo, who defended his observations by saying, &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to insult God by believing that my reason has a hard stopping point.&#8221;
“In other words, if it&#8217;s true that human reason only extends so far and no further, that&#8217;s an insult to religion,” he continued. “The religious point of view at that time, or one at least of the most passionately faithful points of view, was that because we&#8217;re made in the image of God, that classic Judeo-Christian idea, our minds are little microcosms or templates for understanding the whole rest of the natural world. If you take away that religious conviction, you have no reason to believe that or to expect good answers to the questions that science teaches us to ask.”

Spencer Klavan/Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro, Spencer Klavan Defend Vital Role Of Faith In Science: ‘Very Idea Of An Absolute Truth Is A Faith Principle’

Ben Shapiro, Spencer Klavan Defend The Vital Role Of Faith In Science: ‘Very Idea Of An Absolute Truth Is A Faith Principle’

Ben Shapiro

Science

Sunday Special

The Ben Shapiro Show

Actor and comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-allen">Tim Allen</a> updated X followers to let them know he was taking time to read the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bible">Bible</a>.
“Never took the time in all my years to ever read and really read the Bible. Currently almost through the Jerusalem Bible Old Testament and almost done with the Prophets. Next up to New Testament. So far amazing and not at all what I was expecting,” he posted on Tuesday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Never took the time in all my years to ever read and really read the Bible. Currently almost through the Jerusalem Bible Old Testament and almost done with the Prophets. Next up to New Testament. So far amazing and not at all what I was expecting.
— Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) <a href="https://twitter.com/ofctimallen/status/1826015094473633984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
His followers were supportive in the comments, offering the “Last Man Standing” star encouragement and kudos.
“Every time you read it, different verses will pop out at you relative to your current station in life. Truly enlightening,” one person <a href="https://x.com/MJTruemper/status/1826017519410520491">replied</a>. 
“Can’t wait for you to read the gospels!” Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry <a href="https://x.com/JoelWBerry/status/1826048189725855949">said</a>.
“Good for you, sir,” David Limbaugh <a href="https://x.com/DavidLimbaugh/status/1826078372134306251">wrote</a>.
“You&#8217;re reading a book that changed the history of all mankind and will change your life in big, small, and unexpected ways. If you&#8217;re ‘still that wisecracking kid from the Midwest, looking for answers to life’s big questions,&#8217; you&#8217;re about to find them. So excited for you!” another follower <a href="https://x.com/TaraLynnSays/status/1826021112263909833">wrote</a>, referencing Allen’s X profile.
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The actor has discussed his relationship with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christianity">Christianity</a> before. In 2022, he spoke with The Wrap about keeping Christ at the center of his “Santa Clauses” series on Disney+.
“It originally had a lot of otherworldly characters, and ghosts, and goblins. I said no, this is Christ-mas. It&#8217;s Christ-mas. It literally is a religious holiday,” Allen <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/the-santa-clauses-christianity-tim-allen-disney-series/#brid_cp_Brid_1178858">told</a> the outlet. “We don’t have to blow trumpets, but I do want you to acknowledge it. That’s what this is about. If you want to get into Santa Claus, you’re gonna have to go back to history, and it’s all about religion.”
In 2011, Allen opened up about his struggle with faith following his father’s death after being struck by a drunk driver. The actor was 11 years old at the time of the accident.
“For years, I just did not like this idea of God, church,” he said at the time, per <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/11/funnyman-tim-allen-serious-about-god">ABC News</a>. “[I was] still a churchgoer, but constantly a cynic.”
He said he eventually started referring to God as “The Builder.”
“I always do ask…The Builder, what did you want me to do?” Allen said. “And I do ask it. But you’ve got to be prepared for the answer.”
“Whoever built me, this is too much, too weird that it happened by accident,” Allen added. “It didn’t happen by accident.”

Tim Allen

‘So Far Amazing’: Tim Allen Reacts To Reading The Bible

'So Far Amazing': Tim Allen Reacts To Reading The Bible

Entertainment

Twitter

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/the-vatican" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vatican</a> has joined a growing list of those expressing disapproval of the opening ceremony of this year&#8217;s Summer Olympics in Paris because it featured a controversial <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-features-drag-parody-of-last-supper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag show parody</a> evoking &#8220;The Last Supper&#8221; with Jesus Christ and his apostles.
&#8220;The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offense done to many Christians and believers of other religions,” the Vatican said in a press release, <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/08/vatican-responds-olympics-last-supper-controversy-1236031141/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Deadline</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-senators-press-olympics-to-amend-charter-over-vulgar-mockery-of-christianity-in-opening-ceremony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: GOP Senators Press Olympics To Amend Charter Over ‘Vulgar Mockery’ Of Christianity In Opening Ceremony</a>
&#8220;At a prestigious event where the whole world comes together to share common values, there should be no allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people,&#8221; it added. &#8220;The freedom of expression, which is clearly not called into question here, is limited by respect for others.&#8221;
Those who lashed out in response to the performance include the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/07/28/paris-olympic-organizers-apologize-the-last-supper/74582213007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French Bishops’ Conference</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bishop-robert-barron-rips-olympics-condescending-apology-for-blasphemous-last-supper-scene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bishop Robert Barron</a>, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), NFL kicker <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/chiefs-harrison-butker-slams-paris-olympics-parody-last-supper-this-crazy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harrison Butker</a>, and C Spire — a U.S. tech company that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tech-company-drops-olympics-support-over-mockery-of-christianity-in-opening-ceremony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it would be removing ads from the Olympics.
<a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40661411/paris-2024-apologizes-last-supper-sketch-criticism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN reported</a> the organizers of the games have apologized to anyone who took offense at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-features-drag-parody-of-last-supper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drag show</a> performance, one of several acts during the opening ceremony, because it appeared to mock the biblical scene in &#8220;The Last Supper,&#8221; a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci.
&#8220;Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,&#8221; said Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps, adding, &#8220;We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.&#8221;
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The ceremony&#8217;s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said the scene was meant to embrace &#8220;diversity&#8221; and inclusion. He also has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/02/arts/thomas-jolly-olympics-director-death-threats.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly claimed</a> the scene had nothing to do with &#8220;The Last Supper,&#8221; but rather Greek mythology, as it included someone dressed as the Greek god Dionysus.
First lady <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jill-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jill Biden</a>, who <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/07/22/president-biden-announces-full-presidential-delegations-to-paris-france-to-attend-the-opening-and-closing-ceremonies-of-the-paris-2024-olympic-games/#:~:text=First%20Lady%20Jill%20Biden%20will,place%20on%20July%2026%2C%202024.&amp;text=Second%20Gentleman%20Douglas%20Emhoff%20will,place%20on%20August%2011%2C%202024." target="_blank" rel="noopener">led the U.S. delegation</a> to the opening ceremony, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jill-biden-calls-olympics-opening-ceremony-which-mocked-christianity-spectacular" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praised</a> the show <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/paris-2024-summer-olympics/paris-opening-ceremony-first-lady-jill-biden-la-2028-olympics/3470647/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during a brunch</a> for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. &#8220;It was spectacular,&#8221; she said, &#8220;&#8230; Every step of the way, I was thinking to myself, &#8216;Oh my God, oh my God. How are we going to top this?'&#8221;

Olympic Fever Invades Paris

The Vatican Decries ‘Offense Done’ By Opening Ceremony Of Paris Olympics

The Vatican Decries 'Offense Done' By Opening Ceremony Of Paris Olympics

Catholic Church

Olympics

Sports

The Vatican

In the latest “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/balancing-faith-reason-matt-fradd-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunday Special</a>” episode, Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro discussed the importance of religious communities and traditional values in combating societal decline with Catholic author Matt Fradd.
During the wide-ranging interview, both Shapiro and Fradd agreed that religious communities play a crucial role in preserving traditional morality and family structures in the face of secularization. 
&#8220;When we talk about the West and Western civilization, a muscular pursuit of religious values — and in the West you’re talking about Christian values — is absolutely necessary to the upholding of the West,” Shapiro stated. “All the fundamental premises of the West are built on these Christian values.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/balancing-faith-reason-matt-fradd-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH THE FULL &#8216;SUNDAY SPECIAL&#8217; EPISODE WITH MATT FRADD</a>
Shapiro added that &#8220;the loss of community is the single greatest factor in the decline of religion,&#8221; highlighting how religious institutions historically provided economic support and fostered bonds across class divides. He emphasized that such community ties &#8220;cannot be duplicated&#8221; by government programs.
Fradd agreed, arguing that family life is so important that he encouraged couples to &#8220;get married before you’re ready, have more kids than you can afford, and then move into a bubble of other like-minded people and raise them in the faith.&#8221; 
“Of course, I could qualify all those things,” Fradd said. “Obviously, you should discern.”
He also clarified that by living in “a bubble,” he did not mean complete isolation, but rather living among those with shared values. 
&#8220;My 15-year-old daughter doesn&#8217;t have a cell phone, and it&#8217;s never really occurred to her to ask for one because we hang out with other homeschooling families who also, of course, wouldn&#8217;t give their child a smartphone,&#8221; Fradd said.
Shapiro concurred, stating: &#8220;I am very much the same way.&#8221; 
The conversation also touched on the topic of pornography, an issue Fradd has written a book on. He emphasized the need to educate children early about pornography, and said he points to specific words of Christ to battle the sinful practice. 
“I think the man who continually kind of gives over his life to pornography is becoming emasculated. He&#8217;s being robbed of the ability to be masculine,” Fradd said.
“I would look at Christ&#8217;s words, ‘So this is my body given up for you,’ and that this act was the most masculine act,” he added. “And it&#8217;s something that I should try to replicate with my own wife in that I deny myself for her good. But pornography trains a man, not to say this is my body given up for you, but the opposite: This is your body taken by me. I deny and forsake and trample over your dignity for the sake of my pleasure.”

Ben Shapiro/Matt Fradd

‘Absolutely Necessary To The Upholding Of The West’: Ben Shapiro, Matt Fradd Highlight Importance Of Preserving Religious Values

Judaism

The Daily Wire

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