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Britain--A Fresh Look at the Lack
of Biblical Values
Material wealth often masks spiritual and moral
poverty, and not just in the United States. Our correspondent in Britain sees evidence
all around.
by John Ross Schroeder
Traditional
British cultural values are fast disappearing--steadily undermined by the forces
of secularism and a growing ignorance of the Bible. The state of British society
is generally judged almost solely by the standard of material prosperity.
Britons today take previously undreamed of holidays abroad. Florida and the Costa
del Sol in Spain are particular favorites. The years of sacrificial rationing, particularly
after World War II, have given way to a plethora of brand-new motor cars and all
the many multifaceted modern conveniences that our Western technology can provide.
Economically, few want to return to yesteryear. But we must ask the question: Can
this material prosperity continue to defy the uncivilized face of a culture in deep
crisis, where traditional family values are increasingly found meaningless? In the
long run, can the marketplace prosper without moral values being practiced by the
citizenry?
There is no question that there are very big holes in Britain's national fabric.
Relationships are fragile. The land is full of broken marriages, lonely people, confused
and uncared for children, rising violence, plus a marked decline in courtesy, civility
and good manners. Even the standard of driving has suffered in recent years.
This general decline is not without its causes. And ignorance of biblical standards
constitutes a major one.
The virtual disappearance of
real religious influence
As British author Leo McKinstry observed: "Children growing up today know nothing
of the central tenets of Christianity: the Ten Commandments, the four gospels, the
Sermon on the Mount... We are living in a religiously illiterate society, where young
people are not even given the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they believe
in God or not because they are so ill-informed about the religion which built our
civilisation (British spelling in all quotes)" (Turning the Tide, 1997,
p. 6).
Is this overstating the case? If so, it is only an error of small degree. Jonathan
Sacks, the chief rabbi of London, adds: "We have become less religious, and
religion was the classic source of our belief in a revealed morality, commandments
engraved on tablets of stone. We have become more culturally diverse, and we now
know that what seems wrong to one group may be permissible in a second, and even
admirable in a third" (Faith in the Future, 1995, p. 17).
Spiritually speaking, what is being taught in the educational system is not helping
our young people. Wrote one Oxford professor: "Some people think that the Ten
Commandments are a set of universal moral rules, which everybody should obey. But
they are not. They are addressed to the Jews... Again these are not universal
moral rules for the whole world" (Keith Ward, God: A Guide for the Perplexed,
2002, p. 73, emphasis added).
The observing of biblical standards is definitely on the wane in the British Isles
and elsewhere in the Western world. Confusion reigns as to what is right or wrong,
good or bad, truth or error. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah looked at his own age, and
what he saw certainly applies to ours. He wrote: "Woe to those who call evil
good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20).
All these woes are with us today. We spend many millions annually trying to cope
with crime, single mothers, renegade fathers, AIDS and the HIV virus, abortion--the
list is virtually endless. And yet our society is chock-full of moral relativists
whose unofficial creed proclaims a message of situation ethics, "play it by
ear," with no universally right or wrong assessments of any given problem.
In answer, the intriguing book, Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air, poses
this declaration: "In the end, we must accept one of two alternatives. Either
relativism is true or morality is true. Either we live in a universe in which morality
is a meaningless concept and thus we are forever condemned to silence regarding any
moral issue, or moral rules exist and we are beholden to a moral God who holds us
accountable to his law. There are no other choices" (Francis J. Beckham and
Gregory Kouki, 1998).
The changing face of Britain
Britain has not always been this way. World famous British novelist, the late George
Orwell, wrote of his countrymen in 1941: "Their extreme gentleness, their deeply
moral attitude to life...the gentleness of English civilisation is perhaps its most
marked characteristic. You notice it the instant you set foot on English soil. It
is a land where bus conductors are good-tempered and the policemen carry no revolvers"
(The Lion and the Unicorn, 1941).
Writing 14 years later in 1955, American anthropologist Geoffrey Gorer echoed Orwell's
words and more: "The English are certainly among the most peaceful, gentle,
courteous and orderly population that the civilised world has ever seen. The control
of aggression has gone to such remarkable lengths that you hardly ever see a fight
in a bar (pub) and football crowds are as orderly as church meetings" (quoted
in Norman Dennis' Rising Crime and the Dismembered Family, London, 1993).
No author in his right mind could conscientiously write such glowing words today.
What we now see about us has happened in one or two generations. The behavioral changes
within one century are truly astonishing.
Over time, the neglect of spiritual absolutes regarding how a society should govern
itself brings with it the acute dangers of social disintegration and moral decay,
so evident in present-day Britain.
A cause for every effect
Clearly the fact that our culture is in crisis testifies to the existence of a moral
universe ruled by basic spiritual principles. There is a cause for every effect.
"The curse causeless shall not come" (Proverbs 26:2, KJV).
Our general way of living is producing lots and lots of undesirable, but predictable,
effects. For instance, the mental junk food we absorb daily from our television sets
is a big factor in the spiritual pollution currently dogging our permissive society.
More and more "trash TV" is becoming available, and even worse, is increasingly
acceptable to unsuspecting viewers (Romans 1:32). Truly our moral compass is gradually
being broken and fragmented. As a nation we are losing our moorings.
We have the public testimony of Britain's mainstream spiritual leaders. In 1996,
the archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, stated: "We live in a society which
is losing touch with its spiritual and moral roots. It is confused and struggles
to make sense of what it believes. Individualism and relativism have seeped deep
into our culture" (The Times, June 3, 1996). And the late Cardinal Basil
Hulme spoke of British society as living off "a dwindling supply of spiritual
and moral capital" (The Times, May 29, 1998).
There are plenty of specifics available for public scrutiny. To name one, consider
the wholesale breaking of the Seventh Commandment. Helen Weathers, Daily Mail
writer, wrote: "Britain has become a nation of adulterers. When academics studied
the sexual habits of men and women in 40 countries they discovered the British are
more likely than any other nationality to cheat on their partners. Not only this,
but a third of all men are in relationships with women they 'stole' from marriages
or other long-term relationships, while 28 per cent of women have 'stolen' their
other halves. Two in five marriages now end in divorce--the highest rate in Europe--and
adultery is cited in around 30 per cent of those cases. In France the rate is one-third
lower, and Italy is one-fifth that of Britain..." (Dec. 8, 2001).
Finally, hear the high-ranking Jewish rabbi, Jonathan Sacks: "In teaching our
children moral relativism we have placed them in a world without a moral compass,
even hinting that there is no such thing. In the name of tolerance we have taught
that every alternative lifestyle is legitimate and that moral judgement is taboo,
even 'judgmental.' ... A political order based on liberty and tolerance has yielded
a Britain significantly less tolerant and more violent, harsh and abrasive than the
one my grandparents knew" (Faith in the Future, 1995, pp. 14-15).
A call to repentance
What is the purpose of this article? To defame Britain and unfairly put the microscope
on her many moral problems? No, an integral part of the true gospel message involves
a call to genuine repentance--a change of heart and a turning to an altogether different
direction--one of obedience to God's basic spiritual law, the Ten Commandments.
What Isaiah wrote so many, many centuries ago applies equally well today: "Cry
aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isaiah 58:1). For what purpose? So that
as many individuals as possible (if not the whole nation) may repent and turn to
God, thereby receiving His abundant mercy.
The prophet Isaiah also spoke of this precious reconciliation process. "'Come
now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land'" (Isaiah 1:18-19).
The publisher of World News and Prophecy is fully committed to spreading this
message of repentance as far and wide as God makes possible--to the British Isles,
as well as the rest of the world. Luke's version of this great commission emphasizes
repentance in particular. "And that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47).
We also publish a booklet about the Ten Commandments, showing how each and every
one is as powerful, active and unchanging as the scientific law of gravity. This
basic spiritual law is the very summation of God's absolute standard for the conduct
of all people. You cannot afford to be without this publication. It's free for the
asking; it's titled simply, The Ten Commandments.
Ideally every British and American home should have a copy of this booklet--and every
reader of World News and Prophecy in particular. Don't neglect writing for
your free copy today. wnp
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