World News and Trends
An Overview of Conditions Around the World
by John Ross Schroeder and Jerold Aust
- The European constitution suddenly reemerges
- Who will be the new pharaoh?
- Religion very important to teenagers
- Building the behemoth
- Never on Sunday?
- Atheism in British and Spanish education
- TV and your child's brain
The European constitution suddenly reemerges
As a Daily Mail feature article recently reported: "Suddenly the threat of an all-powerful EU constitution is perilously close ... How profoundly it will change Britain" (March 26).
The new European constitution had appeared all but dead after Poland and Spain had caused the negotiations to collapse last December. But then the terrorist carnage in Madrid changed everything. Now there is even a call for the constitution to be signed in the Spanish capital city. (It is, however, interesting to note that, wherever it is finally signed, the document will be permanently housed in Rome, just as all signed EU treaties are.)
Shortly after the Madrid train bombings, the Spanish left won the national elections and leaders of the new socialist government pledged to support the European constitution—immediately followed by clear indications that Poland was now willing to compromise and cooperate to possibly reach a final agreement within the first half of this year.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is a strong supporter of the European constitution, but past polls indicate that well over half of the British people clearly oppose it in its present form.
British fears are well summarized by Daily Mail feature writer Edward Heathcoat Amory. He wrote: "It will create a new European state of which we will all be citizens. It will be able to sign treaties and join international bodies and its law will supersede our own. Britain will become a mere region within its federal embrace."
Notwithstanding the good intentions of present European statesmen, the Bible foretells the eventual emergence of a European superstate with terrifying results for the whole world. To learn more, request our free booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled, Are We Living in the Time of the End? and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy. (Sources: Daily Mail [London], EUObserver.com.)
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is now 75. He has ruled Egypt since Anwar Sadat's assassination in 1981. Much has happened in the Middle East in those two decades. Mubarak is aging. He has tried to groom his son to replace him, but many Egyptians disapprove of any modern-day pharaonic dynasty. Clearly, a succession crisis looms in Egypt while a 30-year "cold peace" may give way to ethnic, cultural and religious heat to ignite another war between Egypt and Israel.
Egypt has stockpiled chemical weapons and purchased Scud missiles from North Korea. There is a strong Muslim fundamentalist movement in Egypt motivated by hatred of Israel.
The Bible speaks of Egypt's involvement in a future confederation of Arab nations, led by an individual it calls "the king of the South," who will be overrun by an invasion from the north (Daniel 11:40-43). Thus, leadership changes in the Arab and Muslim world should draw our attention. The next just might be the one who helps inspire a confederation among the Muslim Arabs and bring about the fulfillment of these prophecies. But a lasting peace will eventually come. God will solve the Middle East crisis in due time (Revelation 19:11-21; Daniel 2:44).
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Religion very important to teenagers
Laura Sessions Stepp articulated an obvious but important truth in a recent article for The Washington Post. She stated: "Last year, a commission convened by Dartmouth Medical School, among others, studied research on kids, including brain-imaging studies, and concluded young people who are religious are better off in significant ways than their secular peers. They are less likely than nonbelievers to smoke and drink and more likely to eat well, less likely to commit crimes and more likely to wear seat belts; less likely to be depressed and more likely to be satisfied with their families and schools" (emphasis added throughout this article).
Religious teachings impact human behavior. More and more teenagers are coming to realize the significance of religion in their lives. One survey in 2001 showed that "three out of five teenagers said religion was 'pretty important' or 'very important.'" This amounted to a significant increase over past years.
These commission members stated that "religious congregations benefit teenagers by affirming who they are, expecting a lot from them and giving them opportunities to show what they can do." But the keynote is the follow up: "What sets religious groups apart, however, and makes a surprisingly big difference to kids, according to the panel—is that they promote a 'direct, personal relationship with the Divine.'"
Secular Britain is also exhibiting some encouraging signs of teen interest in greater morality. A Daily Mail article titled "Teens Are Absolutely Fed Up With Their Liberal Parents" makes for interesting reading. It begins: "Teenagers are far more conservative than their parents on moral issues, a survey of young people shows today. They frown on abortion, under-age sex and drugs and are firmly in favour of the institution of marriage" (March 11).
Commitment to God and biblical morality protects children, as well as adults, from risky conduct. We all need God in our lives. The publishers of The Good News also produce a free magazine for teens and young adults, Vertical Thought. Interested readers in that age group are welcome to subscribe. (Source: The Washington Post, Daily Mail [London].)
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The Middle East isn't getting any quieter or terrorists less suicidal. Thus Europe is quietly ramping up its defensive capabilities. On April 5 in Brussels, the European Union endorsed 2007 as the date by which it plans to formulate six or seven battle groups of 1,500 each, able to fight in the world's most hostile and dangerous locations.
"It is hoped the groups will be deployable within 15 days and sustainable for 30 days (120 with rotation), as preparation for a larger EU contingent, if necessary. The EU had previously agreed to have 60,000 rapid reaction troops available at 60 days' notice, sustainable for up to one year by the beginning of this year. Now some say these new battle group proposals signal a watering down of the EU's ambitions after laborious work was made of the 60,000 goal. The EU's Foreign Policy representative, Javier Solana, emphasized ... 'You must get it out of your minds that the EU is starting from scratch. Lots of things are ready. For operations of this size, we have at this point enough capabilities to deploy them,' he told journalists" (EUObserver.com, April 5).
Bible prophecy tells us that in the end time, a European-centered power will dominate the world (see "The Rising European Superpower: Prophesied in the Bible?," beginning on page 4). Keep your eyes on the EU's internal and foreign policies. The EU-endorsed battle groups appear to be the tiny bud of a great blossoming standing army.
The Middle East cauldron will eventually stir up and directly affect this coming great behemoth.
You might well live to see it happen! (Source: EUObserver.com.)
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The Daily Mail's social affairs correspondent Steve Doughty recently summarized a somewhat surprising Anglican Church report. It said: "Sunday should be abandoned as the Sabbath day because nobody wants to go to church at the weekend ... Britain is no longer a Christian country and most of the population would rather spend Sunday with their families."
This is a rather sad assessment. While Sunday is, in fact, not the biblical Sabbath (as it is an ancient substitute for the true Christian Sabbath, Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, as explained in our free booklet Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest), the grounds for Sunday's rejection in the above report have nothing to do with that. Indeed, the same thinking would also rule out the true Sabbath as a day of worship.
This development comes in the wake of years of declining adult and child church attendance. As an example, in the 20th century attendance at Sunday school collapsed from 55 percent to 4 percent of children. The team of clergymen producing this report recommended that the church rebuild itself by having meetings at other less-formal times.
The fact of the matter is that one of God's Ten Commandments tells us to remember and observe the Sabbath day, which comes on the weekend (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Indeed, the Sabbath is the holy day that ends each week. And on it God commands His people to assemble before Him (Leviticus 23:3). One day, the whole world will learn this important truth and live by it (Isaiah 66:23). (Source: Daily Mail [London].)
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Atheism in British and Spanish education
The British government should be engaged in encouraging youth trends like the one on the opposite page ("Religion very important to teenagers"). Instead, a leading Labour government think tank is advocating that "children should learn more about atheism and less about Jesus" (Daily Mail).
"Children with strong religious beliefs would be encouraged to question them and to ask what grounds there are for holding them." While this approach is appropriate in certain legitimate contexts, one gets the feeling of a deliberate intent to undermine religious beliefs rather than strengthen them. Conservative Christian groups have expressed their strong opposition, but regrettably the recommendations of this particular think tank often become government policy.
One popular British atheist author is Philip Pullman. Apparently "even the [current] Archbishop of Canterbury says Philip Pullman's anti-God books should be taught in school" (Daily Mail, March 11). Also, the new administration of Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero wants to severely deemphasize religious education. However, a vigorous opponent has stated that "to renounce religious studies is to go against 80 percent of parents in Spain" (The Times, April 9).
Good News readers may wish to request our free booklets Life's Ultimate Question: Does God Exist?, Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe? and Is the Bible True? Alert Christians need to be thoroughly informed so they can sustain their faith in these troubling times. (Sources: Daily Mail, The Times [both London].)
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Young children who watch television at a very early age may risk later attention deficit problems, according to Dr. Dimitri Christakis (Associated Press report, April 5).
Researcher Christakis indicates that TV might overstimulate and permanently rewire (or miswire) the developing brain. "The truth is there are lots of reasons for children not to watch television. Other studies have shown it to be associated with obe-sity and aggressiveness" (ibid.). The government-sponsored study can be found in the April 2004 issue of Pediatrics.
Dr. Christakis' findings support the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations that children two and younger should not watch TV. Why? "The newborn brain develops very rapidly during the first two to three years of life. It's really being wired during that time" (ibid.). The fast-paced visual images typical of most TV programming affect the brain and create the potential for serious attention deficit problems.
Electronic media purveyors realize that TV viewers have become habitualized to fast-paced visual images, and to keep the viewer glued to the set they must change onscreen visual images rapidly.
Otherwise other distractions will win the day.
Try this experiment yourself: Watch the evening news and time the number of seconds that separate new and/or moving images, small or large. You'll quickly see why there's little wonder that some are concerned about the potential of rewiring a two-year-old's brain beyond what is considered safe and normal.
On balance, Jennifer Kotler, assistant director for research at Sesame Workshop, which produces educational children's television programs including Sesame Street, questioned whether Dr. Christakis' studies would legitimately apply to educational programming. She wondered whether more variables could be included in such studies to see whether content or kids watching with their parents make a difference (ibid.). Still, common sense and good parenting can make for normal and therefore better child brain development. Reading to your child trumps TV. (Source: Associated Press.)
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