Netherlands: Weariness With Moral Squalor

It would seem that liberal licientiousness is not all that it's cracked up to be! Looks like the people of the Netherlands have come to the conclusion that they need to rethink that nation's anything-goes policies.

Article excerpt:

The effort to rein in the Netherlands' famed social liberties is not limited to the small, newly empowered Christian Union party, which holds two of the 16 ministries in the coalition government formed this year. Increasingly, politicians from the more center-left Labor Party are among the most outspoken proponents of closing some brothels and marijuana shops -- known here as "coffee shops."

"Has the Netherlands changed? Yes," said Frank de Wolf, a Labor Party member of the Amsterdam City Council. "There is not only a different mood among our people and politicians, but there are different problems now."

The Netherlands is going through the same racial, ethnic and religious metamorphosis as the rest of Western Europe: Large influxes of black, Arab and Muslim immigrants are changing the social complexion of an overwhelmingly white, Christian nation struggling with its loss of homogeneity.

But here those anxieties are exacerbated by alarm over the international crime organizations that have infiltrated the country's prostitution and drug trades, the increasing prevalence of trafficking in women and children across its borders, and dismay over the Netherlands' image as an international tourist destination for drugs and sexual debauchery.

"There is an uneasiness about globalization that the Dutch don't have control over their own country anymore," said James C. Kennedy, professor of contemporary history at the Free University of Amsterdam. "There is a more conservative mood in the country that is interested in setting limits and making sure things don't get out of hand."

It would seem that God had our best interests at heart right from the start! He knows what is best for us. The pitfalls of sin have devastating effects upon the mind, body, soul, and spirit. Obedience to God's Law helps us avoid the terrible consequences of unrepentant sin and is good for us.

Article excerpt:

"This toleration policy goes back 35 years," said Veling, snapping the lids off plastic boxes of pungent marijuana blends marked Neville's Haze and White Widow. "Now the word 'coffee shop' has become a symbol of something we don't like about society."

But historian Kennedy describes the attitude as a national "weariness with moral squalor -- the Dutch have grown tired of it and unwilling to put up with it."

He said the rise of the orthodox Christian Union party, many members of which shun television as part of their strict religious code, has coincided with the changing public attitude

Obviously, it is going to take a long time to turn things around. After 35 years of unrestricted sex, drugs, prostitution, abortion, same-sex marriage, organized crime networks, criminal gangs, marijuana "coffee shops," and several years of allowing euthanasia, no one can expect an immediate return to morality.

Article excerpt:

"They are chopping away at the edges so that people don't notice," Gomperts said, "resetting the norm of what is accepted practice."

Editor Kranendonk said his Christian Union party is realistic: "When you're a small party, you can't change everything in four years.

At least it's a start. This is good news.

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In further news, the battle for liberty and our religious freedoms continues. Note this email I received from the ACLJ:

Dear Christine,

Your life - your liberty - are in a battle ... on multiple fronts. From my vantage point - seeing firsthand what's happening from the courtroom to the congressional cloakroom - I can confirm:

The ACLU, Americans United, People For the American Way, N.O.W., NARAL, Planned Parenthood, the abortion lobby, and others are almost overwhelming in their intensity right now.

The heat is on - and not just because it's summertime. Yet wherever a threat exists, the ACLJ fights back. So your generous online gift today, which can be DOUBLED through our $350,000 BATTLE FOR LIBERTY Matching Challenge, will give the ACLJ strength in its battle against the anti-life, anti-freedom groups that are so determined to take those liberties away.

[Please visit the ACLJ website to donate today. ]

We will not see the American people stripped of their constitutional freedoms, their religious liberties, their time-tested traditional values.

We will not stand by and let extremists continue taking the lives of unborn babies as if they are worthless trash to be discarded.

As you read these words, we are in the midst of a ''Battle for Liberty'' of nationwide scope - unprecedented in its breadth. We're in court and in the halls of Congress reflecting your values and viewpoints in every case:

Summum v. Pleasant Grove - The latest attack on the public display of the Ten Commandments. A group is suing to display their own guidelines (the Seven ''Aphorisms''), and we're already preparing to go to the Supreme Court of the United States if necessary.

Trunk v. City of San Diego - Opponents of the Mt. Soledad war memorial cross refuse to give up. They're relentlessly fighting public expressions of the Christian faith, even after our court victories. We'll file an amicus brief in federal court soon.

McLean Bible Church v. McLane, et al. - We're in federal court because Fairfax County, Va., says a Bible church must become an official college or university in order to hold Bible studies or religious ministry classes in its facilities! It's an obvious, outrageous attempt to squelch churches' proclamation of the Gospel - and an attack on freedom of religion and speech.

We're preparing a federal case in defense of Teen Challenge, one of the world's most successful drug rehab programs. A local Tennessee planning commission has discriminated against this Christian organization by refusing them the use of property already zoned for rehab services!

We're working hard to turn back congressional efforts to pass a so-called ''Freedom of Choice Act,'' which would enshrine Roe v. Wade into law and open the floodgates for abortion.

We're also working on Capitol Hill to turn back attempts by liberals in Congress to advance the abortion lobby's agenda and restrict our religious liberties in other bills in Congress.

Thank you for whatever support God leads you to give today.

American Center for Law and Justice is a d/b/a for Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, Inc., a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom of speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to educate, promulgate, conciliate, and where necessary, litigate, to ensure that those rights are protected under the law. The organization has participated in numerous cases before the Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, Federal District Courts, and various state courts regarding freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Your gift is very much appreciated and fully deductible as a charitable contribution. A copy of our latest financial report may be obtained by writing to us at P.O. Box 450349, Atlanta, GA 31145-0349.

As always, let us know of threats to freedom in your area by calling (757) 226-2489. And tune in to our daily radio program, "Jay Sekulow Live!"

We can see, in hindsight, what happens when a country such as the Netherlands just lets the moral squalor reign in their midst. Therefore, it is truly a worthy cause to donate to organizations like the ACLJ which work hard in court cases to avoid the downward spiral of licientiousness where the liberal left loonies in this country want to send us. Any readers here who are in a position to give to this important organization, I would encourage you to do just that!

Thanks!
Christine