France and Europe are messed up.

Last week sometime, French students were rioting by the millions over freedom given in a new law to employers. The students were bent out of shape because this new law made it easier to fire younger workers. Unemployment among young workers in France is supposed to be 25% to 50% in some areas. The business owners won't hire them because it is too hard to fire them. The youth complain that having to compete for their jobs is too much like evil American Capitalism. Sheesh. And I thought our welfare nanny state-ism was out of hands.

About a month ago Muslim youth were rioting in the streets of France for some of the same reasons.

Elder L. Tom Perry recently delivered a devotional at BYU-I and said of he and his wife's trip to Europe:

We witnessed the de-Christianization of Europe. Europe is beginning the 21st century in a new and uncharted phase of history. People of these great nations are embracing secularization. Most secularized value systems reason that the human being has total autonomy. An individual does not have to give an accounting to anything or anyone except himself and, to a certain extent, to the society in which he lives. Secularization becomes a force for bringing about false ideas and the breaking down of old traditions that have held civilizations together.

This secular lifestyle has a spiritual and moral price. It has brought with it a curse of extreme worldliness and selfishness, the decline of public and private morality, and the defiance of authority, favoring individual freedom over responsibility to society, community and the world. Another result is a declining birthrate to below replacement levels. Filling the gap of these reduced numbers will be those of strong non-Christian faiths. It is forecast that the native German population will drop from 85 million to 25 million by the turn of the next century.

My concern is that we are following the same pattern towards secularization. We have embraced and committed ourselves to the gospel of Jesus Christ which is completely contrary to Satan’s plan. He is doing all he can to destroy families. Throughout your life, you must set an example to safeguard the principles and doctrines which will bring the blessings of the Lord.

People don't understand the consequences of their actions. People cut ties to families (or never even make those ties in the first place), turn to government for help, and then they wonder why society and civility fall apart.