In the 2010’s, the term ‘woke’ became a popular word, implying political and social awareness, although critics say the term signals a sort of pretentiousness or elitism about one’s understanding of any given issue.
In his new book, Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, Rod Dreher – author of the New York Times bestselling hit The Benedict Option – warns that increasingly extreme leftwing ‘woke’ groups pose a serious threat to the freedoms enjoyed in Western society.
However, speaking to a small group of journalists and representatives from Catholic associations following the Rome presentation of the book, Dreher said he sees new threats also coming from the right.
The main concern, in Dreher’s view, is “wokeness, the soft totalitarianism of the left, but that’s not the only threat.
We’ve seen emerge on the right fanatical illiberalism that has the same qualities, but from the right. I’m talking about QAnon, which is all about conspiracy theories.”
QAnon is an umbrella term referring to a widespread set of internet conspiracy theories that allege that the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles, most of whom are on the left.
Once a small fringe group no one paid much heed to, QAnon has now gone mainstream, with believers playing a key role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots, and their activities have become increasingly violent.
“What I’m really afraid of,” Dreher said, “is that this radical left-wing in power is going to inspire the radical right, especially the racist right, to rise up and make conflict.”
“As Christians, we have to reject all totalitarianism, all anti-Christian doctrines, whether it’s from the woke left or the racist right,” he said.
Dreher gained international fame for his 2017 work, The Benedict Option, in which he argues that Christians can “no longer live business-as-usual lives in America,” and must develop “creative, communal solutions to help us hold on to our faith and our values in a world growing ever more hostile to them.”
In his new book, Dreher goes further, arguing that a form of “soft totalitarianism” is overtaking the West, posing a threat to Christian culture through the subtle imposition of a leftist ideology, any opposition to which could potentially result in a hefty fine, a jail sentence, or the loss of one’s business. Continue reading
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