Diane Weber Bederman is, among other things, a blogger for the Times of Israel and a multi-faith endorsed hospital trained chaplain. I had not read anything by her until I ran across a marvelous piece that appeared in Canada Free Press, “The Devolution of Belgium.”
When trying to get a grip on Belgium’s race to the bottom, her opening paragraphs are about as good as it gets:
“Bob Schieffer, of CBS News, recently lamented on the condition of the world. It’s gone mad, he said. Then Schieffer quoted [author and philosopher] Will Durant.
“’Barbarism, like the jungle, does not die out, but only retreats behind the barriers that civilization has thrown up against it, and waits there always to reclaim that to which civilization has temporarily laid claim.’
“I have the 1927 edition of Durant’s book ‘The Story of Philosophy.’ It is a treasure for so many reasons. I found it in my father’s library, long after he had passed away. I have come to love and respect Durant’s reflections. Based on the wisdom of Durant I can safely say Belgium is in the process of being reclaimed by the jungle.”
We have also written extensively about what one commentator said of Belgium: that it has “leaped head-first off a moral cliff.”
Most NRL News Today readers are well aware that euthanasia—supposedly bracketed by “safeguards”—is completely out of control in Belgium. Not just a “500% increase in cases in ten years; one third involuntary; half not reported; euthanasia for blindness, anorexia and botched sex change operations; organ transplant euthanasia,” to quote Dr. Peter Saunders. In the name of autonomy and non-discrimination, children can now be euthanized on the flimsiest of grounds.
Bederman writes that Belgium is losing (actually, willfully throwing away) “the most important, most revolutionary piece of civilization”:
“respect for the sanctity of life. All life. Not that long ago it was common practice to sacrifice women and children to the gods. …Sadly, sacrificing human beings still continues at the hands of present day barbarians.”
If you read NRL News and NRL News Today regularly (which I hope you do and are passing along to pro-life friends), you know that the bioethical establishment considers every 24 hours a lost day if it has not found some “given” that needs to be thrown overboard. Wesley J. Smith writes about that eloquently. We republish his posts nearly every day.
Wesley wrote a piece –Making infanticide respectable”—where he offered thumbnail sketches of the worst offenders, places—the most “respectable places”—where a cold-blooded secular gospel of killing babies is preached with gusto and inventiveness.
Bederman reminds us that by adopting a “changing ethical paradigm,” Belgium now has “a growing and thriving euthanasia industry.” It is no exaggeration to say that
“Belgium is devolving. She has let go of the foundation of Western culture–the sanctity of life.”
Put another way, the equality of life is the strongest barrier against the incursion of barbarism, which is always probing for weakness. She adds
“We are forgetting that life is sacred,” she writes. “As children of God we are all equal, all equally loved and valued, and that value is intrinsic. We are loved for being, for existing, not for what we do or how we can be used.” (emphasis mine).
I would highly recommend that you read Bederman’s post. After you do, you will be reminded once more how crucial your role is.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.
