Eva Vlaardingerbroek. Foto: Facebook.

Den nederlandske aktivisten, kommentatoren og filosofen Eva Vlaar­dinger­broek (26), som er blitt en ny stjerne i Europas konservative landskap med sitt engasjement for neder­landske bønder og generell kritikk av woke- og klimaideologi, konverterte sist søndag til katolisismen.

Vlaar­dinger­broek vokste opp med protestantisk far og katolsk mor som begge er musikere, og frekventerte selv en protestantisk kirke frem til hun var 15 år, da faren gikk lei av at kirken var blitt så venstrevridd. Far og datter har da også konvertert sammen.

Det opplyser 26-åringen selv i et intervju med Roma-korrespondent Edward Pentin i den amerikanske avisen National Catholic Register.

Ifølge Vlaardingerbroek, av og til omtalt som «Vlaar» slik hun fremstår på Twitter, var det koronatiden som fikk henne til å innse hva slags åndelig kamp som pågår i verden, og at den katolske troen er det kraftigste våpenet mot dagens relativisme.

National Catholic Register: What personally drew you to the Catholic faith, and when did you realize that the Catholic Church is the one true faith founded by Christ?

Eva Vlaardingerbroek: During the final days of my studies and at the start of my career in politics, I experienced a lot of backlash for my conservative political views. I quickly became rather used to the feeling of being canceled for speaking uncomfortable truths, but something — I think for many of us — fundamentally changed during the pandemic. Going against the establishment’s narrative didn’t just get you canceled “socially,” it got you canceled “legally” this time around.

During that time, I wholeheartedly realized that we aren’t just fighting a political fight (right vs. left), but that we are dealing with a spiritual fight (good vs. evil). The speed at which people were ready to condemn those of us who didn’t follow “the science” and the speed at which our governments abolished our constitutional rights, was a true wake-up call to me. Evil wasn’t something that only existed during certain times (of war) in history. It opened my eyes to the fact that evil is very much alive — and that sadly a lot of people can be seduced by it very, very quickly.

Det er ikke regjeringer som gir oss rettigheter, men Gud, sier Eva Vlaar:

I started noticing that when I argued against vaccine mandates, for example, a solely utilitarian argument didn’t suffice to me. I didn’t want to argue about whether the vaccine was stopping transmissions and whether it was justified for the government to force it on us for medical reasons. I wanted to take a moral stance. And the only moral stance that seemed right to me was that I was created in the image of God, that my body is a temple and that my (bodily) rights were endowed upon me by my Creator and therefore are inalienable. My rights were not given to me by the government, who could — and would, clearly — take them away from me anytime, but they were given to me by my Creator, by God.

Hun valgte derfor å involvere den religiøse dimensjonen ved livet i sine politiske kommentarer. Det kostet, men hun kunne ikke la være:

I experienced what happens when you come out and speak about your love for Christ: The evil forces in the world become louder, because there is nothing they hate more than testimony, but the good forces in my life are also a hundred times stronger and I became stronger.

En amerikansk professor som også er konvertitt til katolisismen, overbeviste henne om at dette også var det riktige valget for henne selv:

I found professor Peter Kreeft’s speeches on YouTube. I watched his content for hours on end till I stumbled on his video called “Seven Reasons Why Everyone Should Become a Catholic.” I watched it, and I simply couldn’t argue with what he said. Everything made sense. From the fact that Christ himself founded the Church, to the importance of the saints, to the real miracle of the Eucharist. I knew I had to make a choice.

Læren om transsubstansiasjonen ble avgjørende for henne:

What elements of Catholicism particularly attracted you?

Transubstantiation was key to me. As a Protestant I rejected the concept, I never felt like I could rationalize that, so I went with the “it’s symbolic” argument. But when you look at Scripture, at what Jesus Himself said, he’s crystal clear. It’s not symbolic at all. And even though I can’t rationalize it, I believe it; because if Christ said it is so, it is so. So then there is no other choice but to become a Catholic.

Katolisismen relativiserer ikke sannheten, mener hun:

The most powerful weapon against the leftist relativism is the Catholic faith. What is better at a time where people say, “anything goes” than to say “No”? There is such a thing as beauty, there is such a thing as Good, and there is such a thing as the Truth. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life. And that will never change. Catholic doctrine remains the same, no matter who is the Pope or what turmoil the Church goes through as an institution. The doctrine has and always will withstand the test of time, because he himself founded the Church.

Det å stemple vanlige mennesker som «foraktelige», er ikke i samsvar med Jesu lære, sier Vlaardingerbroek:

I make it my mission to stand up for conservative values, freedom and people’s rights. I make it my mission to stand up for ordinary people who are deemed invisible by the establishment. It pains me to see how people struggle in our society and are branded as deplorables by our global elites. That’s not what Christ teaches us.

Hun synes vi lever i en mørketid der alt er snudd på hodet, men finner trøst hos Gud:

Politically and socially speaking, I think we live in incredibly dark times. An upside down world, where people call men women, women men; a world where people call evil good and good evil, as described in Isaiah 5:20. But I trust in God, and I know that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Nothing gives me more hope than that. Good will win because Christ has already conquered death and set us free. Therefore, I fear God more than I fear man.

We are saved through him, no matter what happens here on earth. I try to remember that what people think of me on this earth is of no importance, compared to what God thinks of me. He and the Truth is what leads me in my political endeavors.

Eva Vlaar snakket om Gud allerede under en konferanse for nasjonalkonservative (dere vet, slike som gav Sylvi Listhaug assosiasjoner til nasjonalsosialister) i Brussel i fjor:

In my speech “Reject Globalism: Embrace God” at the National Conservatism Conference in Brussels in 2022, which can be seen on YouTube, I spoke about what I think Christians should do in the fight against globalism and transhumanism extensively.

I said: “We are fighting such a large evil, that we can only win with him on our side. And we have him on our side. But if we spend our energy on hiding him, why would He be there for us?”

Dagens ødeleggende ideologier vil selv erstatte Gud, mener hun:

The problem is that many Christians fall for the “pretty words” the globalists use to sell us their plans. Whether it’s climate change, COVID or transhumanism, they present their “solutions” under the guise of equality and noble pretexts, but in fact, if you look at what they’re really proposing, it always comes down to the fact that these people want to play God. And the solutions they offer — vaccine passports, transhumanism, “saving the planet” — always feed off of people’s fear of death. Which, sadly, if you believe this life on earth is all there is, is not a strange thing to be afraid of.

Kjønns- og klimaideologi er til syvende og sist livsfiendtlig, mener Vlaardingerbroek:

The gender ideology and feminism are probably the most damaging ideologies that there are for women (and man for that matter) because it stops people from getting married, starting families and becoming truly happy and fulfilling their (moral) duty.

My generation has been told we shouldn’t get married or have kids, because it’s all just an oppressive social construct created by the patriarchy to keep you down. And on top of that, having children is bad for the climate too, so just don’t bother. … And on top of that, we’re told that we can sleep around as much as we want and if you do get pregnant, you can have an abortion, because it’s your body, your choice.

Jeg mener ærlig talt at dette er djevelens verk, og han vinner terreng, fastslår hun – og beklager at hun knapt finner jevnaldrende som ikke er fullstendig indoktrinert av woke-ideologi. Mot dette behøves både kompromissløshet og Jesus Kristus, avslutter hun.

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