France cracks down on religious “extremists.”

“The French government has announced a plan to combat religious groups that are judged ‘potentially violent’ including both militant Muslims and traditionalist Catholics.”  According to the Interior Minister, “the government will protect the French tradition of secularity in government by fighting religious extremism which he called ‘an offense to the Republic.’”  He stated that his office “will try to determine ‘when it’s suitable to intervene to treat what has become a religious pathology’” (Catholic World News, January 13, 2013). Other examples he mentioned of religious extremism were “creationists in the United States... and ultra-Orthodox Jews who want to live separately from the modern world” (Reuters, December 12, 2012).

Last week, at least 340,000 marched in protest against a same-sex marriage and adoption proposal by President Hollande. Public support in France for same-sex marriage has been dropping in recent months (The Guardian, January 13, 2013). If France takes more conservative actions related to religion and human rights, its relationship with other, more liberal, European nations may be affected.

Bible prophecies indicate that a European Beast power will arise that will ultimately take many of the Israelite nations into captivity (see Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28).  France could be one of those nations. Meanwhile, it is important to watch events in France as they relate to Germany.

For more information on this topic, see our article The End of Liberté?