Cultural wars are stronger than national ties. That is why there are two Americas, two Frances, and, of course, two Lithuanias

Given this, it is worth discussing what cultural wars are and why, by losing these wars, we destroy our nation and state no less than in real wars.

A cultural war is nothing more than a community’s disagreement over fundamental issues. Most often, these are moral questions. True, we fight this war not with weapons, but only rhetorically, yet these wars are still highly destructive from a Catholic perspective, the result of such a war is the destruction of conscience and morality in a large part of the national community.

The scale of cultural wars in all countries of the world has not been seen for centuries, and this is undoubtedly connected to the expansion of the internet and the involvement of a large part of the world’s population in global discussions.

In this situation, national ties have been largely severed, because moral issues are more important than national ties, which is obvious to most participants in these disputes.

The same dividing lines are visible in the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, and other so-called “civilized countries.” Why is this true for “civilized countries”? Because they have experienced a similar destruction of religion and the beginning of debates on fundamental issues, especially those related to the concept of family.

In “pre-civilized” countries—mostly in Africa, but also in some Asian countries—division occurs along religious lines, and the main source of conflict is Islam.

These conflicts and divisions have one thing in common: they cut through national communities in “civilized countries” and also through national communities in “pre-civilized countries,” where the national community is divided along religious lines.

Therefore, the honorable argument of MP Vytautas Sinica that cultural wars should not be stirred up when the entire national community faces other dangers, that there will be “a better time” for this, is simply weak, because people are primarily interested in answers to existential questions.

Belonging to a national or tribal community can provide such an answer if this belonging automatically means belonging to a certain religion or philosophical belief system.

This was the case in Lithuania in pre-Christian times, when Baltic identity meant professing pagan religion. This was also the case in Lithuania from the late Middle Ages to modern times, when Catholicism had the status of a state religion.

However, with the (anti-French) revolution came the era of secular states, which were united only by mechanistic means—law, economy, language, etc. The sphere of religious and philosophical ideas and beliefs was shifted to the individual level.

In such a situation, the national community essentially ceases to exist, fragmented by the conflicting views of different social groups. Instead of one Lithuania, there are two or three.

The only way out of this situation is not to avoid cultural wars, but to win them. Victory can be achieved based on the only source of truth, which is the Catholic faith.

A return to a Catholic state and a Catholic state religion is the only way Lithuania and its culture, and perhaps even its language (this is not certain, but at least possible), can be preserved. Precisely this way, and not the other way around: first faith—a system of religious and philosophical views—then culture and language.

Why is this so? Because the main goal of a person is the salvation of the soul. External conditions here on earth may be better or worse for a person, and we cannot always influence this. But only if we are believing Christians—Catholics—can we ask God for better conditions.

And for another reason: Lithuania cannot survive if the moral condition of its community is weak. The best example is demographics. We often hear that migration is a threat. Yes, that’s true, but an even greater threat is declining birth rates. Nature abhors a vacuum. If new Lithuanians are not born, no immigration restrictions will help. In the end, Lithuania will simply die out.