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WORLD CONGRESS OF FAMILIES
IV
DEFIES THE ANTI-FAMILY EUROPEAN UNION
The World Congress of Families IV, held in
Warsaw, Poland, May 11 - 13, 2007, defied the European Union
(EU), which insists that Europe implement, as its state religion,
an atheistic and nihilistic philosophy.
That is, the Congress was extremely important
because it defied the edicts of the EU and instead, the 3,300
delegates discussed issues from a pro-family perspective.
These issues included abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage,
population decline, pornography, the importance of marriage,
and the impact of the news and entertainment industry on the
family, etc.
This approach by the Congress differed markedly
from the EU's pro-homosexual/abortion and anti-family policies
administered by the 5,000 EU bureaucrats operating from Brussels,
through the European Court, the European Human Rights Council,
and the European Parliament, regardless of the views of its
member nations. This EU coup is taking place, despite the
fact that the Treaty of Rome, which first established the
EU in the late 1950's, specifically provided that member states
of the EU were to retain the right of sovereignty over their
own domestic affairs. Instead, the EU is operating like a
totalitarian government demanding obedience to its policies.
It was a hectic three days in Warsaw for the
delegates from 64 countries, many of whom came from Eastern
Europe. The latter, who experienced trauma under a Communist
dictatorship which lasted from the end of World War II to
1989, are determined to retain their independence from a dictatorship.
Delegates from Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, the Czech Republic,
and the Ukraine, and, of course, Poland expressed concerns
about the attacks on the family by the EU. Their presence
at the Congress served notice of their independence from the
growing totalitarianism of the EU. These East European countries,
having lived under Communism for so many years, knew from
experience how important the family is to a stable society.
This is because the family teaches the hard truths of moral
values. It forms the child's character and gives the young
the ability to grow up to become independent, stable, functioning,
and compassionate individuals, and to be dependable and loyal
workers, or independent, forward-looking entrepreneurs. Such
individuals are also much more difficult to control. As a
result, such individuals and their families tend to be regarded
as a threat to totalitarian governments.
Consequently, it is not surprising that every
totalitarian movement has tried to destroy the family unit.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wanted the independent family
destroyed, as did Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. They believed
the family was a dangerous threat to the power of the State
and, therefore, undertook to take away the rights, responsibilities
and authority of the family.
The family unit, built on the foundation of
marriage between a man and a woman, is regarded as dangerous
by the totalitarian state because the family, while raising
its children, passes on tradition, culture and faith - all
of which confront the state when it wishes to impose its own
will on the public. For example, Soviet leaders in 1917 regarded
the family as a hindrance to structuring the new socialist
regime and regarded the family as the prime source of potential
opposition. The Soviets, therefore, worked toward the disintegration
of the family by transferring the care, education and maintenance
of children from the family unit to state run child care centres,
entirely under the control of the regime. This effectively
ended the family's socialization functions in Soviet society.
American sociologist, Christopher Lasch, described
the family as "a haven in a heartless world" , since
it is the only institution which provides children with a
love that is centered on them. All other institutions, including
schools and the day care centres, are intentionally designed
to be impartial. But, in order for children's personalities
to develop in a healthy manner, it is necessary that someone
care intensely for them: so intensely as to give them priority
over all other children. It is within the family unit that
both this kind of intense caring usually takes place and strong
independent characteristics are encouraged. It is because
of these factors that dictators seek to destroy the family
unit by removing children from its care and responsibility.
Mikhail Gorbachev, in his book Perestroika:
New Thinking for our Country and the World (1988) acknowledged
that the dysfunction in Soviet society, as evidenced by pervasive
alcoholism, high divorce and abortion rates, and very low
birth rates etc. might well have been caused by the separation
of young children from their mothers.
EU's Alarm at Poland
Although Poland has been a part of the EU
since 2004, it is determined, as are some other East European
nations, to set its own course. For example, while Christianity
is in steep decline across most of Europe, Poland's Catholic
faith burns brightly: its churches are overflowing. On Sundays,
the masses have to be broadcast outside the church for those
unable to obtain a seat inside. Worshippers kneel down devotedly
in rows on the sidewalk outside the church to follow the mass
being said inside the church. Because of its faith, Poland
has embarked on a cultural war with the EU. The President,
Lech Kaczynski, and Prime Minister of Poland, Jaroslaw Kaczynski
(identical twins born 45 minutes apart), are outspoken in
their rejection of same-sex marriage, homosexuality and abortion,
which the EU describes as "crucial European Values."
At the World Congress of Families, the Minister
of Education and Vice Prime Minister of Poland, Roman Giertych,
and the Speaker of Parliament, (Sejm) Marek Jurek, both stated
that Poland had no intention of agreeing to the demands of
the EU. Moreover, in March 2007, Mr. Giertych told European
news reporters that Poland would not back down on plans to
oppose abortion and homosexuality should they be enshrined
in any future European constitution. Giertych called abortion
"a new form of barbarism," and warned of the impending
demise of Christian-based culture in Europe when he said,
A nation which kills its children is a nation
without a future. A continent which kills its children will
be settled by people who do not kill theirs.
Giertych then called for a serious discussion
of the Christian foundation of morality that has sustained
Europe over the centuries - a discussion denied by the movers
and shakers at the EU.
Poland Further Enrages EU
Poland further enraged the European power
brokers by recently entering into an independent agreement
with the U.S., similar to the agreement also made by the Czech
Republic, to establish an anti-missile defence base on its
territory. Two other European Union countries Bulgaria and
Romania have also expressed interest in allowing anti-missile
bases on their territory. The growling and ever difficult
Russian bear, President Vladimir Putin, is situated on one
of Poland's borders. Russia is flush with oil and gas profits
and is threatening to turn its cruise and ballistic missiles
in the direction of Western Europe, in retaliation for the
agreement by its former satellites to allow the U.S. to place
the anti-missiles base on their soil. On another border, a
revitalized and dominant Germany is also a problem, as well
as Iran's build up of nuclear weapons. Poland, therefore,
has good reason to protect itself by its agreement with the
U.S. However, the EU believes that it will become a superpower
equal to that of the U.S., and, therefore, is upset that Poland
has gravitated independently to the U.S. Poland also thumbed
its nose at EU policy when it supported the U.S. and NATO
in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to the rage of the EU bureaucrats.
The latter believe that the EU should speak and act for all
of Europe and that its member nations should assume a subservient
role in foreign affairs.
EU Flexes Its Muscles Against
Poland
In order to intimidate Poland, the EU has
flexed its muscles. In a 6-1 decision in March, the European
Court of Human Rights ordered Poland to pay 25,000 Euros (approximately
$35,587.00 Cdn.) to a Polish woman who claimed her rights
were violated when she was denied an abortion. The Council
cited Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
which provides for a person's "right to respect in private
life." But, in fact, Article 8 of the Convention does
not even mention pregnancy or abortion, the European court
created this so-called "right" to abortion out of
thin air.
In June 2006, the Polish Minister of Education
Giertych banned the distribution of an EU manual on human
rights education which, among other provisions, equated homosexual
relations with heterosexual marriage. He also dismissed the
Director of Polish In-Service Teachers for publishing and
distributing this controversial manual. The Council of Europe
blasted the Minister and Poland for this rejection of "European
Values" and has now threatened retaliation by cutting
off Poland's EU subsidies.
How long Poland, along with other East European
countries, can stand up to the powerful European Union is
the question. The World Congress of Families, held in Warsaw
in May, was a tremendous show of support for these brave countries.
The Congress strongly indicated to these countries that they
were not alone in their struggle for traditional family values
and independence.
Lasch, Christopher, (1995) "Haven in
a Heartless World: The Family Besieged", W.W. Norton
& Co. Inc., New York
Gorbachev, Mikhail, Perestroika: "New
Thinking for Our Country and the World", 1988 ISBN: 0006373569
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