When many of us think about totalitarianism, George Orwell’s 1984 or the former Soviet Union often come to mind.  Government inflicts terror and suffering on its people to force them to conform. Rod Dreher, the senior editor of The American Conservative contends America is fast becoming what he calls, a “soft” totalitarian state.

Dreher’s premise is featured in the new book, Live not by Lies: a Manual for Christian Dissidents.

“Ours is going to be a more soft version where they use the infliction of economic pain and marginalization and shaming to force Christians out of the public square and to compel us to conform with left-wing ideology and the fact that it’s soft doesn’t mean it is any less totalitarian,” Dreher said.

Dreher says today, social media is a major driver behind isolation and unease – especially among young people.

“It has made them desperate for something to solve their problem of alienation and their anxiety,” he explained.  “I think this is opening them up to the acceptance of a false idol that will be totalitarian that will tell them, ‘We can take care of all your problems, we can fix it if you will only say yes to us.’ That’s what happened in Russia and that’s what happened in Germany and that’s what’s coming here. And those who advocate Judeo-Christian values and reject the lies of the new American leftist state will be marginalized and singled out for persecution.”

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