The aggressive push for socialism in America is not just a policy debate. It is a direct assault on the American founding and the prosperity it created. Under the guise of “progress,” bloated liberals are imposing a compulsory, state-led ideology and economy that mirrors failed socialist experiments of the past.
In 1988, I escaped the crushing weight of communism in Romania, trading a life of state-mandated silence for the promise of American liberty. As a political refugee, America gave me the soil to rebuild my life from nothing. But today, America’s foundation is shaking. I look at the country that once stood as a beacon of freedom, and I no longer recognize its face.
The values that drew me here – the very soul of America that saved me – seem to be slipping away. Is this still the land of the free? Or are the shadows of oppression I fled finally catching up to me?
With the new Democratic Socialist Marxist Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, we are witnessing a state-sponsored effort to radicalize youth and transfer the American economy to democratic public control, replacing the American dream with a collectivist vision that history has repeatedly proven to fail. The systemic infiltration of socialist ideology into America’s public institutions is eroding the foundations of individual liberty. America’s schools and universities have transitioned from centers of learning to hubs for socialist indoctrination, stripping the next generation of their appreciation for free markets. Expanding government control over housing, healthcare, and education, these modern socialists are creating a permanent socialist state of dependency that undermines national self-reliance.
Socialism has never worked and never will. And the truth of the matter is playing out in New York City right now. Mandani was mayor for less than a month when the streets of New York were buried in garbage and snow. And 16 homeless people have died as temperatures plummeted. Mamdani’s housing czar called “white, middle-class homeowners a weapon of white supremacy.”
But how did we get here? How have foundational principles of American governance and economics been eroded?
The Founding Fathers' vision for America has shifted from a unifying force to a legal battlefield. Scholars describe the U.S. as largely "post-Christian," meaning that while many people still follow Jesus, their values are no longer the primary drivers of legal or social systems.
Having lived through the suppression of belief in communist Romania, I see the same transformation sweeping through the American Bible Belt. Many describe it as a "vanishing" of traditional cultural norms. This shift is a change not only in personal faith, or of its structural realignment of the region’s social, but also of its legal landscape.
For decades, the American Bible Belt was defined by a steady 78 percent Christian majority. As of early 2025, that has dropped to 62-66 percent, representing a loss of approximately 15 million self-identified Christian adults in just five years.
As Christianity has contracted, a biblical worldview is no longer the “default” lens in American political debate. Today, public policy is increasingly driven by secular consensus rather than biblical conviction. While Christianity has shrank since 2020, Islam has grown by 12 percent, Buddhism by 56 percent, and Judaism by 21 percent. This shift often leads to the creation of faith-centered enclaves that operate under cultural expectations different from those in the traditional Bible Belt. There is a sharp divide between the "Silent Generation" (85 percent Christian) and Gen Z (only about 55 percent identify with any religion).
When Christians speak out, they face persecution. To implement socialism in America, liberals are using soft persecution. That includes Cultural and Social Marginalization, like being fired or passed over for promotions because of biblical views on marriage, gender, or life. Or "cancel culture," involving public mockery, shaming, or being "de-platformed" for expressing faith, and making believers feel like outcasts in their own communities. soft persecution has a "squeezing" effect as a way of building socialism – faith isn't banned, but it is pushed out of the public square as restricted speech. Laws may technically allow faith but penalize "offensive" religious speech, leading to self-censorship among Christians who fear social or legal consequences. The goal of soft persecution is to make the cost of following Christ seem "too high" so that the truth remains unspoken.
I’ve stared down the barrel of a gun when an assassin came to take my life in communist Romania. My perspective is one forged in fire, and I urge you all to take these urgent and courageous steps now.
1. Stand Up Without Fear
Refuse to be "bullied" or “indoctrinated” into socialism. Stand up for faith in Christ, be involved in the political arena, and spiritually rescue America.
2. Victory Over Fear
In my memoir, “Saving My Assassin,” I explain that fear is the primary tool of any regime or movement seeking to silence faith. I was just a 5-foot-tall attorney against a brutal dictator, yet I prevailed because I refused to let fear dictate my silence.
3. Prayer and Persecution
The early warning signs of socialist indoctrination are very clear and happening right now. We cannot wait for "better times" to speak. Now is the time to recognize that in persecution with Christ’s power, our strongest faith is built.
4. The Power of Truth in Public
Take your faith into the marketplace, the courtroom, and the school board. A single voice speaking God’s truth can dismantle a lie that an entire government is trying to uphold.
5. Loving Your "Assassin"
Standing up for Christ includes the courage to love and share the Gospel with those who oppose you in America. I famously led the man sent to kill me to Christ. We are called to pray for our enemies, and that’s what we must do.
Socialist indoctrination poses significant risks to individual freedoms and societal structures. Promoting a single worldview often stifles critical thinking and dissent, leading to a homogenized society where alternative perspectives are marginalized. This can undermine personal choices and freedoms, harm economic growth, lead to authoritarian governance, polarize communities, and threaten the very foundations of a free, democratic society.
And that’s exactly the direction America is headed in if we don’t wake up and take action now.
Virginia Prodan is an international human rights attorney, best-selling author of the memoir “Saving My Assassin,” host of the “Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan” podcast show, and a highly sought-after keynote speaker, writer, and interview guest. In her work as an ambassador on the President's Council for National Religious Broadcasters, a member of the Advisory Board of the American Christian Leaders for Israel, and an Allied Attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, she addresses free speech threats, defends the rights of religious nonprofits, and advocates for First Amendment freedoms.