George Soros is synonymous with a well-funded, highly partisan brand of “philanthropy,” which begs the question: Why are U.S. taxpayers underwriting it? During the Obamaadministration, USAID granted Soros’ Foundation Open Society-Macedonia (FOSM) and its counterparts$4.8 million,earmarking an additional$9.5 millionthrough2021. Macedonia’s center-Right president, Gjorge Ivanov,has charged Soros’organizations with rallying to destabilize his government and askedwhyAmerican foreign aid is attemptingto foist unpopular, EU-centric policies on his nation. One Macedonian official called these groups “the Soros infantry.”

In a fascinatingnew essayfor Religion & Liberty Transatlantic, Mihail Neamţu contrasts politicalpressure groups with the organic intermediary institutions that Alexis de Tocqueville placed at the heart of American exceptionalism.Neamţu, a public intellectual in Romania, reminds Americans that Eastern Europe once naively regarded Soros as a genuine philanthropist:

Unfortunately, George Soros’politically motivatedgiving aims at increasing state power at the expense of grassroots, or religious, organizations. Soros’ progressive agenda is inimical to everything that Alexis de Tocqueville admired about America: the flourishing of traditional families, the free establishment of churches, the existence of Bible study groups and book clubs, and the encouragement of self-restraint in social settings. The tone and the language used by activists funded by Soros is always incendiary, calling for a revolutionary action.

Neamţu writesthatChristiansshould be particularly concerned about how Soros’ funding has divertedfaith-based organizations from spreading the Gospel tofurthering a hard-Left political agenda:

Oftentimes, the radical ideologues favoured by the Open Society Foundation subvert or divert religious organizations from their high purpose. If there is a Catholic organization that they want to align with Soros’ progressive agenda, they would initially broaden the scope of its mission, soften the pastoral language of its spiritual leaders, and shift the focus of Christian theology from the pursuit of heavenly blessings to entirely earthly matters e inequality,social justice, orglobal warming. This gradual transition of Christian civil society organizations, from diversion to subversion, has proven effective. By following the model of Saul Alinsky, the heresiarch munity organizers in Chicago, countless activists from across the globe engage in street mobilization… to replace imperfect but legitimate conservative governments with leftist politicians and bureaucrats whose policies will further erode the voluntary sector.

When Soros’ extensive funding of Roman Catholic organizations became known, Acton Institute founder Fr. Robert Sirico wrote:

This isn’t education. It’s political manipulation in order to focus the Catholic Church onMr. Soros‘ political agenda; a well-funded, cynical effort to exploit the faithful to achieve dubious moral and political ends.

Mr. Sorosshould be condemned for using his money in this way, and the faith-based organizations that took it should be ashamed.

With sweeping insight, Neamţu analyzeshow American taxpayers further this agendain the former Eastern bloc – yet at the same time,through Tocqueville’s immortal work, America’s past continues to illuminate the path to liberty.

You can read his full essay here.

de Tocqueville as depicted by Théodore Chassériau. Public domain.)