France Abhors a Vacuum

Cal Thomas | Syndicated Columnist | Published: Jun 05, 2008

France Abhors a Vacuum


June 6, 2008

A French judge has agreed to annul the marriage of a Muslim couple because the bride said she was a virgin and it turned out that she wasn’t.

The ruling has stunned France and raised concerns about the country’s cherished secular values. The French believe secularism is losing ground to the religious traditions of its fast-growing immigrants, who are Muslims.

I am stunned that they are stunned. What did they expect? A secular nation creates a spiritual vacuum which allows other faiths to rush in. People need a reason to live and hope beyond this life. If the Christian faith has largely departed France and created that vacuum, Islam is more than eager to fill it.

There are all sorts of people quoted in the French media about how this ruling is a setback for women, but the French don’t seem willing to do two things necessary to repair the their self-inflicted damage. Step number one is to reconnect with a personal God in a personal way. And step number two is to stem the flow of immigrants and deport the troublemakers already there. Otherwise, France will be lost.


Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.

France Abhors a Vacuum