VIOLENCE

The violent killing of fifty people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in the middle of March was unjustifiable murder.

The perpetrator thought that it was justifiable to kill Muslims, but he was wrong, there can never ever be justification for murder. We are living in a violent world where human life is valued cheaply and capital offences occur because of one reason or another.  Sociologists and Criminologists have pursued many avenues to discover the cause of violent behaviour in Society and between Nations.  There seems to be an acceptance of the use of violence when it is used in self-defence whether it is the invasion of National borders or the intrusion of an individuals home by an aggressor. 

Are you a Christian?

Can your parents make you a Christian?

Does the fact that you are born in a Christian country (so called) mean that you are a Christian?

Does going to Church or reading the bible make you a Christian?

Did I just make these questions up – no, I was once asked them by a girl in Liverpool when I was “street preaching’. She had been told that you became a Christian when you were christened and that if you are born in England you must be a Christian because it is a Christian country (that’s debatable!). 

Are you frightened about the the state of the world?

Are you frightened about the state of the world at the moment? Many people find it very scary, as every day seems to bring another disaster. Murder seems to be so commonplace! On a daily basis we hear of someone else going on the rampage and killing people! Individual acts of terrorism are on the increase resulting in the tragedy of people being deprived of their loved ones by an act of violence. Events of yesterday seem so long ago as we wake up to hear of another tragic evil act being perpetrated.

I find it all very distressing and yet I, sadly, can see the inevitability of the way the world is going. The Bible teaches that conditions in society will get worse and worse as time progresses. Paul, as an old man, wrote to Timothy, a young man – ‘but understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with deceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power,’ 2 Timothy 3:1-5. I think what the Bible is saying in these verses is staring us in the face. Do you recognize a description of our society?

Snow Forecast

In some areas of the world this time of year brings with it the possibility of snowfall.  Recently there has been exceptionally heavy snow in the Alps with over 10 feet of snowfall in just 15 days in some resorts in Austria. Snow on the roofs of buildings has brought danger to the structure of many dwellings.  Avalanches have taken the lives of skiers and people in isolated places.  At least 27 people have been killed across the Alps.  The Telegraph newspaper reported that “Many died after defying official warnings and venturing off piste despite the risk of avalanches, and nine current and former skiing stars on Tuesday issued an appeal to people to heed the warnings”.