By Davis Carlton

Traditional orthodox Christianity is a mostly dead faith. It absolutely pains me to admit as much, but there can be no doubt Christianity is on the steep decline as we witness mass apostasy that has rendered us worthy of divine judgment. This judgment is apparent in a number of ways: the mass exodus of people from any form of organized Christianity, the abandonment of traditional Christian doctrines and morals by professed Christian clergy, the banishment of Christian symbols from public life and the rise of anti-Christian symbols like rainbow flags and satanic sculptures in places of prominence. There is also the sad spectacle of the demolition of beautiful architecture, especially historic and beautiful churches.

One vivid example of this transition is the transformation of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Syracuse, New York into a mosque. The church was founded in 1891 by German immigrants. Throughout its history the church was used by German and Italian Catholics. The parish was closed and consolidated by the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse in 2010 and eventually sold the former church building to a group called the “Northside Learning Center,” an organization dedicated to refugee resettlement, who in turn leases the building as a mosque. A professor from Syracuse even sees this transition from church to mosque as a poignant picture of America’s history of welcoming immigrants seeking religious freedom. The church building had been designated as a historic landmark, but this did not save it from being mutilated in order to be transformed into a mosque. The Church featured several crosses and stained glass that depicted episodes from the life of Jesus in the Gospels.

(Before proceeding further I realize that some object to any depiction of Christ or statuary in churches such as the Stations of the Cross, etc. I respect this position and I admire the desire to uphold the Second Commandment against idolatry. My own view comports with a traditional Anglican and Lutheran approach to religious art that rejects iconoclasm but appropriates images for pedagogical purposes. I don’t agree with the devotional applications made from some particular Catholic or Orthodox art, but I don’t have a problem with the religious imagery present in this particular church or in many other traditional churches. I love the majesty of the cathedrals and baroque churches of Europe.)

The church featured many exquisite stained glass windows. Fortunately these windows were not allowed to be removed, but have since been covered up in accordance with Muslim teaching. All crosses on the inside and outside of the church have been removed. The altar and statuary have been removed, and carpeting oriented towards Mecca has been used for Muslim prayer. Below are pictures of the stained glass from the church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Church-to-Mosque transition also is stark in terms of demographics. Notice how the mostly white Catholic population is gathered to celebrate the Church’s last mass, in comparison to the distinctly non-white Muslim crowd.

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After:

 

 

 

 

 

The sad transition from a gothic church to a mosque typifies and epitomizes the death of the West. The original Holy Trinity Church was a beautiful testimony to the truth of Christianity and the creative genius of white Christians. The mosque that has emerged from the former church building appears vacant, sterile, and dead; a mere empty shell of its former glory.

Before:

 

 

 

After:

 

 

 

 

 

The transition was led by a man named Yusuf Soule, an American convert to Islam who has married a Muslim woman from Indonesia. Soule’s Twitter account reveals him to be a Bernie Sanders socialist. The example of Soule demonstrates the foolishness of mainstream conservatives who believe that Muslims make natural Republicans because of their “religious” values and convictions. It also demonstrates how foreign women can play a role in turning men’s hearts astray after foreign gods as in the case of Solomon (1 Ki. 11:1-8). Yusuf Soule’s unique surname causes me to wonder if Mr. Soule is a descendant of George Soule who came to America on the Mayflower. If true this would be another example of the irony of this whole sad situation.

This is but one example of how the glory has departed from the once excellent Christian West. We have rebelled against our God and are now under His righteous curse because of our persistent rebellion. Only repentance will save us from utter ruin and destruction. For now we can take comfort in the knowledge that the old waste places can be restored and rebuilt (Is. 58:12), and God can remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh (Ezek. 11:19, 36:26). Let us pray that this happens before our people are totally consumed and our entire heritage demolished.