Plenty of people have had their say about France's utterly bizarre and predictably depraved Olympic opening ceremonies. But as the dust has settled from the Paris Poo Storm, I'd like to submit four glaringly obvious observations that need to be noted and remembered into the future.
First, gaslighting is one of progressivism's favorite and most frequent tactics.
Whenever the Left defecates on everyone's dinner plate, they are beyond adept at convincing those revolted by the dish that it's actually some kind of rare delicacy.
Notice how quickly the media narrative began to circulate that anyone who was upset by drag queens and gender-benders "recreating" da Vinci's vision of Jesus's Last Supper in his historic painting were uninformed buffoons.
In other words, don't believe your lying eyes.
Don't believe that the "lesbian love activist" playing Jesus in the depiction knew what she was talking about when she posted to her Instagram account an image of the drag parody directly above an image of Da Vinci's original painting with the caption, "Oh yes! Oh yes! The new gay testament!"
Don't believe the producers of the Olympic opening ceremonies when they admitted in a statement that "[Ceremonies director] Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting to create the setting."
Don't believe the actual title given to this sequence of the ceremonies: ‘La Cène sur la scène sur la Seine.' Translation: ‘The Last Supper on the stage on the River Seine.'
Of course it's great to watch those who attempted this blatant gaslighting retreat with their tails tucked between their legs. But it's crucial to remember that for postmodern progressivism, this is a way of life, not an isolated incident. The same people who told you this wasn't an insult to Christians are the ones telling you Kamala Harris was never actually Biden's "border czar."
Second, inclusion never includes orthodox Christianity. Ever.
College campuses are supposed havens of inclusion. An admissions counselor at a major university once told me that students on his campus were, "accepted no matter who they are." I responded by simply asking, "What would your orthodox Christian students that believe in God's stated guidelines for human sexuality say? Would they say they're included and championed by your campus culture?" The counselor just said, "I guess you'd have to ask them."
But I don't have to. We all know the answer.
Thomas Jolly said of his ceremonies, "Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide."
Spokeswoman for the 2024 Paris Olympic Committee Anne Descamps offered more of the same: "We really did try to celebrate community tolerance."
Barbara Butch, that "fat, queer, Jewish" actress who portrayed Jesus in the ceremonies, proudly describes herself as an, "LGBTQ+ activist who is prominent for promoting diversity and inclusivity in the community."
This is how it works. In progressive parlance, understand diversity never means diverse thought. Inclusion never includes Christianity.
Finally, Christians have to get shrewder and wiser when opportunities present themselves.
I get the outrage. I understand the impulse to be offended at the sight of our Savior being held in contempt. But what an opportunity we were presented with to respond to the obvious mockery of Jesus the way Jesus responded to the obvious mockery of Jesus: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
I fault no Christian for being upset, angry, or hurt by the rather shocking display. I just think it's important for us to remember the world doesn't need to apologize to us. They need to repent and surrender their lives to the better Way. That's why when the world acts like the world has always acted, may our hearts be transformed to respond in a non-worldly way.
That is, a way that isn't focused on us, but rather on glorifying Him, however best we can do that.
Beyond that, what is my parting advice for the Olympic committee?
It needs to dial down its heavy reliance on the "artistic community" and include a few athletic folks in the planning and production of these events.
I know that the ceremonies are about pageantry and the historical cultures of the host country, but the Olympics are an international sporting event. There are international arts festivals and similar events that can surely provide an outlet for perversion and depravity, right?
For the most part, those excited to see if Katie Ledecky can win another gold aren't stoked about seeing dudes in drag prancing around little kids.