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The disturbing truth about Sweden's
moral decay should serve to sober us from our own complacent
drunken stupor. I recently had occasion to discuss religion
and politics (dangerous ground, I know) with a Swedish
mother of two visiting America. Sonya (not her real
name) is a manager at a large investment house in Sweden.
Her politics may be described as fiscally conservative
and socially liberal. In a word, fashionable. We chatted
about the Swedish economy, city life versus country
life, and agreed that high taxes were hard on families.
So much for the preliminaries.
Then we dove into the issue of homosexual
rights. Having found common ground on fiscal matters,
Sonya was not prepared for how divergent our views were
on "gay" rights. But our takes on Pastor Ake
Green's sermon on homosexuality could not have been
farther apart had she been from another planet. When
it became obvious to her that I would not repeat her
"same-sex-marriage-is-a-human-right" mantra,
she was visibly taken aback.
"Is this a religious thing for
you?" she asked, hoping to pigeon hole me into
a convenient corner. I said, "You seem to assume
that religion is something we can take out and put away
at will, like a broom in a closet. It doesn't work that
way." I then explained that just as my religion
affects everything in life, from homosexual marriage
to what I do for fun during the week, so her religion
(or lack thereof) affects everything for her, too.
When I probed Sonya's human rights argument
and asked her where those rights came from, she just
stared at me, unable to respond. She was speechless,
apparently never having considered the question. She
recovered her voice when I asked her to define the rights.
She said (somewhat judgmentally), "Everyone has
the right not to be judged." But when she conceded
that she judges pedophiles, she stumbled again, and
grew indignant. Our conversation ended abruptly only
moments later, and I am sad to say our previous good
relations were never the same again.
I don't mean to single Sonya out. I
suspect her views are representative of most Swedes,
and indeed of many Americans as well. But there is a
lesson to be learned: for all of us who hold strong
opinions on these issues, it behooves us to think through
the presuppositions we hold before charging into heated
discussions about them. Sadly, many of us who defend
traditional marriage have not critically considered
what we have presupposed.
The truth about Sweden
Before we parted, Sonya gave me a Swedish
newspaper. It was half in Swedish and half in English,
and I eagerly read it. If you are like me, you have
always heard what a laid back, peaceful, utopia Sweden
is, with low crime and little stress. It is the poster
child of the left, held up as a model of what a live-and-let-live,
anything-goes society ought to be. Such is the Swedish
media massage. So I was genuinely surprised to read
the truth about Sweden. One article in particular was
aimed at readers just like me, who had bought the chamber
of commerce line about life in Sweden. The author was
Swedish, and his title said much about his reasons for
writing: "Quiet No More." He had turned myth-buster.
Here are some of the startling facts
he shared:
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There is more crime in Sweden than
in New York City, though they are comparable in
population.
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Drug abuse is rampant, with the
number of deaths from overdoses having doubled in
the past 10 years.
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Sweden has one of the highest incidences
of rape in the world.
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Burglaries are so numerous that
many citizens have stopped reporting them, because
the police are overloaded and cannot undertake to
investigate them all anyway.
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Attacks on money transports (like
highway robbery) are so frequent that the transporters
are threatening to quit, thereby effectively closing
ATM's all over the country.
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Violent outdoor muggings are becoming
routine, having increased 15% last year alone.
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In Stockholm, the police recently
admitted having lied when they claimed to have neutralized
some 130 of the city's most prominent gangsters;
in reality, their sting operation was a bust.
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Swedish courts are plagued with
perjurious police officers who routinely lie to
support fellow cops in trouble.
I found this data remarkable. While
I do not want to place undue reliance on a single newspaper
article, it is entirely consistent with a Christian
worldview that a nation so firmly committed to the ways
of the world would eventually find itself wallowing
in crime. Augustine of Hippo put it this way: "He
who sees the truth and flees has weakened the acuteness
of his mind through the habit of carnal shadows."
That is, to the extent we turn from truth, away from
God, we weaken our ability to discern and become accustomed
to carnality, or wickedness. Of course, it is as true
for us in America as for those in Sweden. We have embraced
our sin, celebrated our "diversity," and indulged
our depravity. And now, having sown, we must reap. Will
we awaken from our stupor? Can we turn from the shadows
and once again gaze upon the glory of Truth? America
is only a step behind Sweden and the whole of post-Christian
Europe. Absent an abrupt change in our spiritual direction,
we are in for dark days ahead. Those who have light,
however dim, must lead the way.
Mr. Crampton serves
as Chief Counsel of the American Family Association
Center for Law & Policy (CLP), a public interest-type
law firm. The CLP's web site is www.afa.net/clp.
Mr. Crampton's daily radio show, "We Hold These
Truths," can be heard on almost 200 radio stations
nationwide. He can be reached at clp@afa.net.
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