Herb Meyer's

The Siege of Western Civilization

Discussion Group Ideas

About SIEGE Discussion Groups

The Siege of Western Civilization is fast becoming a subject for discussion groups throughout the US.  In some cases, viewers just want to share the video with friends and colleagues, then talk with them about the video’s key points and their own reactions to these points.  In other cases, viewers are using The Siege as a learning tool, for instance with groups of high school and college students.

To help launch these conversations, here are some questions and “talking points” for viewers on the three main threats to Western Civilization:

The War on Terrorism:

1. What’s the difference between what the mainstream media says about the War on Terrorism, and what you have learned in the video?

2. If power in the Islamic countries isn’t drawn away from the radicals, and if Islam itself isn’t “modernized,” what are some possible scenarios for these Islamic countries in the years ahead.  And what are some possible scenarios for us?

3. Our education system has generally failed to teach the virtues of Western Civilization – or even its principles, such as the rule of law, the separation of church and state, the idea of economic liberty, and the very concept of human rights.  What are the dangers of not teaching our children what Western Civilization is all about?

4. Western Civilization has been threatened by philosophies such as Fascism, Communism, and now by radical Islam.  What would the world look like today if the Fascists or the Communists had won?  What will the world look like if radical Islam wins the current conflict?

 America’s Second “Civil War” 

1. The key to understanding what the American Revolution was about -- and why it remains so important to the world even today -- lies in understanding that our Founding Fathers were the ones who said that power flows from God to the people, rather than from God to the king.  Were you taught this in school, or were you taught only that the American Revolution was about “taxation without representation” and winning our freedom from England?

2. What are some of the issues of the so-called “Culture War” that is raging in our country today?

3. There is a big difference between the separation of church and state – which is a key part of Western Civilization – and the efforts under way today to ban religion from public life and turn the US from a Judeo-Christian culture into a secular, anti-religious culture.  What role do you think religion should play in our culture?

4. Name some examples of how this “culture war” is being fought in your own community?

5. Are you aware of what is being taught in your community’s schools about Western Civilization?

 The Demographic Issue 

1. Did you know before watching The Siege that the populations of Europe and Japan are imploding?

2. Here in the US, our country’s birthrate is below the replacement level.  Are you worried about this, or are you content to “solve” this problem through higher rates of immigration?

3. Do you agree that parts of our country’s popular culture are “anti-family,” and lead to an individualistic, selfish, “me-first” kind of society?  What can we do to help restore our traditional culture and values, in our communities and even within our own families?

Defending Western Civilization

1. When all is said and done, do you think Western Civilization has been a force for good in the world? 

2. If so, what specific steps should we take to defend Western Civilization?

3. Name one specific thing you plan to do.