The Briefing with Albert Mohler, Jr. – December 11, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Albert Mohler critically examines contemporary cultural and moral trends from a Christian worldview. He focuses on the reconsideration of marijuana legalization (especially in Massachusetts), declining birth rates among political liberals versus conservatives, and the alarming situation in Syrian ISIS family camps. Throughout, Mohler underscores the long-term consequences of ideas and policies on family, public health, and society’s moral fabric.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rethinking Marijuana Legalization in Massachusetts

• Parallel Social Liberalization Trends:

  • Mohler notes how the acceptance of same-sex marriage and marijuana liberalization closely tracked each other in terms of timing, not causation, observing,

    "Those two issues which have graft almost on top of each other, are the acceptance of same-sex marriage and the acceptance of marijuana." (00:25)

• Massachusetts as a Bellwether:

  • Massachusetts, an early adopter of both legal same-sex marriage (Goodridge decision) and marijuana legalization (2016), is now seeing a push to reverse marijuana legalization via referendum.
  • Health statistics, particularly increasing emergency room visits among young people, are driving the reconsideration.

• Health Dangers Emerging:

  • Recent studies cited report surges in adolescents presenting psychiatric emergencies linked to marijuana, with one hospital observing a fourfold increase since legalization.
  • Additional physiological syndromes, such as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), are also on the rise:

    "Emergency room visits for the disorder increased nearly eightfold just in the spring of 2020...it is stagnant at five times higher than before the pandemic." (03:40)

• Industry Influence and Future Referendum:

  • Mohler warns of the well-funded cannabis industry’s political power likely overwhelming public health concerns in any referendum.

• Economic and Diagnostic Concerns:

  • Diagnosing marijuana-related health syndromes is slow, costly, and often missed, with average patient costs nearing $77,000 before correct identification.

    "The approximate cost is $76,920 per patient." (08:45)

• Broader Societal Trends:

  • Daily marijuana use now surpasses daily alcohol use in America, marking a significant generational and cultural shift.

• Moral and Parental Responsibility:

  • Mohler insists on the pivotal role of parents, physicians, and policymakers in pushing back against normalization and defending youth health.

2. Birth Rates, Worldview, and America's Political Future

• Liberal vs. Conservative Fertility:

  • Mohler references studies and recent media discussions highlighting a pronounced gap in birth rates between liberals ("blue America") and conservatives ("red America"):

    "The greatest indicator in terms of how the culture is going to be shaped in the future is who's having the babies, because the impact of parents upon children is absolutely massive." (12:10)

• Media Arguments & Criticisms:

  • He critiques a USA Today headline:

    “Liberals may not want them, but need to have Kids,”
    calling it, "one of the worst statements I have seen in print in a major newspaper in a long time." (14:00)

  • Mohler objects to reducing children to matters of political necessity or self-expression.

• Parental Influence & Personal Autonomy:

  • The left’s prioritization of personal autonomy is seen as incompatible with reversing low birth rates for mere political gain:

    "It's hard for me to believe that you're going to have a couple...who are going to go, 'we don't want kids...but we need to take one for the team. Let's go have a baby.'" (17:00)

• Government Policy Limitations:

  • Mohler highlights that governmental incentives to raise birth rates consistently fail in secularized contexts.

3. The Problem of ISIS Family Camps in Syria

• Background:

  • The episode addresses the aftermath of the Assad regime's fall in Syria and the complex issue of internment camps housing ISIS fighters’ families.

• Radicalization and Youth:

  • According to Mohler, these camps have become hotbeds of jihadi indoctrination, with women and widows especially committed to ISIS ideology:

    "All the women here are radical. They all stayed with the Islamic State until the end. But the bigger problem is that the mothers are educating their kids according to Islamic State ideology." (22:12)

  • 60% of the population in two noteworthy family camps are under 18, demonstrating the scale of generational transmission of radicalism.

• Parenting and Ideological Formation:

  • Mohler returns to the central theme of parental influence:

    "No one has greater influence on children than parents." (23:15)

• Security and Policy Dilemmas:

  • The episode raises fears about the future dispersal of these radicalized populations, with global security implications.

• Western Secularism’s Blind Spot:

  • He criticizes Western elites’ inability to comprehend the enduring force of religious and ideological commitment, warning that disbelief does not lessen the reality of the threat.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Marijuana Normalization:

  • "Who would have thought that legalizing marijuana would become a problem? Any sane person, every sane person together should have thought that." (10:15)

• On Liberal Birth Rates and Political Consequences:

  • "If the left wishes to build a better future, it must show up for that future by reconsidering its thinking, messaging, and devotion to the nation's most important institution, the family." (16:50)

• On the Inadequacy of Policy Incentives:

  • "There is no evidence in the last several decades that government policy to encourage people to have children has any effect whatsoever." (19:48)

• On ISIS Family Camps:

  • "Once you have persons who are so deeply committed to this kind of jihadist ideology...no sane state wants them." (24:11)
  • "Just because they don't see it, that doesn't mean it's not real. What you see in these camps, all too real." (26:40)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:04] – Opening; introduction to the theme: trends in same-sex marriage and marijuana
• [01:25] – Massachusetts’ marijuana rethink and health data
• [03:40] – Adolescent ER surge and conservative warnings
• [08:45] – Costs and diagnostic challenges of marijuana-related illness
• [10:15] – Cannabis industry’s influence on public policy/referendum process
• [12:10] – Fertility trends; the political future shaped by birth rates
• [14:00] – USA Today headline critique; family as a political or personal choice
• [17:00] – Problems with viewing children as political tools
• [19:48] – Ineffectiveness of governmental pronatalist policy
• [21:02] – Situation in Syrian ISIS camps; generational radicalization
• [23:15] – Parental influence in extremist ideology
• [24:11] – Security concerns about camp dispersal
• [26:40] – Western secular elites' failure to recognize theological realities

Concluding Thoughts

Albert Mohler’s commentary underscores the long-term impact of today’s moral and legislative decisions, particularly regarding drug legalization, family formation, and ideological generation. He emphasizes parental influence as a primary shaper of societal futures and expresses skepticism about the ability of secular policies to reverse deep cultural and religious patterns. The episode closes with a sober reminder that realities ignored by secular elites—whether health crises, demographic shifts, or religious zeal—still powerfully shape the world.