Yesterday, my social media feeds were inundated with righteously indignant folk posting concerning their disgust at some of what had gone on during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

A few days ago, I posted my 2024 Summer of Sport blog (see here) noting that while a lot has already happened that was blogworthy regarding a range of sports played at the highest levels, the best was yet to come: “We now stand on the eve of the biggest sporting highlight of them all – the 2024 Paris Olympics, with much to look forward to. One hopes for more sporting excellence and teams taking part in the right spirit”. Like many, I looked forward to this premier, top, important sporting extravaganza where the best at their best would be competing with the best in the world in many different sports. The one thing I did not expect was to be blogging about what was going on with the Olympics having only just begun.

My love affair with the Olympics began, as I recall, in 1960 with the Rome Olympics and when a few of the neighbours had recently acquired televisions and we could watch the highlights on their TVs. One enterprising school chum even put on a mini-Olympics in his back garden! Roll on having noted highlights from most Olympics held after then and I have many memories, mostly positive ones. As for opening (and also closing) ceremonies, these barely featured early on and were pretty low key and barely a patch on the extravaganza we have witnessed in recent years, something I first became aware of with the 2012 London Olympics. I actually thought the opening ceremony then was very good although on reflection the closing ceremony wasn’t for reasons I am soon to get to.

I confess, I didn’t watch the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics (and I note it has been taken down on media outlets like YouTube because of the backlash those responsible subsequently had picked up and which I will also get to) but I have watched excerpts along with numerous assorted commentary on said excerpts, enough to come to a view. It wasn’t until yesterday morning that I realised the untoward significance of much of what took place and while those who posted on the likes of Facebook were many and tended to be folk more on my wavelength when coming to terms with what happened, most of what was posted was not just critical but those who saw it as anti-Christian, satanic, occultist, promoting transhumanism and paedophilia and intent on brainwashing the masses with among other things the signs and symbols on display and for the more the discerning intent on letting it be known what the baddies who run the world would make or at least want to happen, evidenced, for example, with its US Statue of Liberty and horseman of the apocalypse depictions. While alternative explanations have been given to what I suggest, and there are examples of those standing against the evil on show, e.g. Novak Djokovic, (especially as aimed at and affecting our children), but the fact is there have been many examples backing up these points I make, not just in this but other ceremonies too.

It should be noted that there were some, including among some Christians, that considered what was witnessed was at worst done in bad taste but not something we should get het up about especially in the light of much worse going on in the world, notably in the area of the “woke agenda”, social injustice and the weak and vulnerable being oppressed by the strong and uncaring. I would beg to disagree and for reasons to do with my second find yesterday morning. Two years ago, I posted my “Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, Satan and Baal” blog. I reflected on the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games and much that related to some of the satanic agenda that was on display. This was by no means an isolated occurrence and is being seen at other big events where there would be a large audience e.g. the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl. Sometimes it comes with a predictive element, with those wanting bad things to happen wanting to broadcast their intentions. It is why I mention part of the 2012 London Olympics ceremony a large section was devoted to the NHS and it dealing with pandemics, which actual happened in the era of Covid-19. There is an irony too: in recent years Russia and China (considered by the woke media as the bad guys) have put on Olympic events and their opening ceremonies were far more wholesome.

Ironically, I was wanting my next major blog post to be a reflection of happenings in the UK following the Labour landslide and how the new Starmer led administration is doing. This is meant to complement some recent thoughts on the situation in the USA (see here). My thoughts thus far have only gone to confirm my worst fears, and besides that there are developments on the world stage such as the wars involving Israel and Ukraine, but all that has to wait. When I was stirred to write this blog, my original idea was to sift through many of commentaries on the Paris Opening Ceremony and provide highlights to support my argument that, while there were no doubt some positive aspects and allowances could be made for artistic licence, what was most significant it was satanic and degenerate in nature and a pointer to what we might expect in the days to come. To do so, however, would require a lot of time and effort on my part. Instead, I leave readers with images from the ceremony to check out and suggest for the commentary (and there is lots of it) go to Bitchute and Rumble, but not YouTube or the BBC.

The question is begged – what next? Some have said they would boycott the rest of the games out of disgust. As for me, while what I had hoped would be growing enthusiasm in the light of the Olympic aspirations, including excellence, friendship and sportsmanship, happening against a backdrop of the best of the culture of the host nation, that I once believed was something commonly accepted, has now been dented due to the outrageous opening ceremony that had little to do with such ideals. I daresay I will be following some of what will take place because of my love of sport and admiration of those taking part with such dedication. 100 years ago, Eric Liddell performed heroic feats at another Paris Olympics and went on to do further heroic exploits as a missionary in China. I wonder (and hope) we will see similar happenings now. As for ending positively, which I often try to do when having a rant, I do so while believing the worst is yet to come before things get better but also to share a text that I have found worth pondering and hope for the future. I am encouraged that many saw what happened at the Opening ceremony for the evil that it was and suggested a response. I give the last word, aimed at real Christians, to this chap: “Demonic Agenda In Your Face at Olympic Games Opening Ceremony!?”