Insight on the News
England and the Bible
‘Six out of ten people in England today do not have even a passing knowledge of the Bible,’ stated Tom Houston, an executive of England’s Bible Society. Referring to the recent findings of a nationwide Gallup survey, he continued: ‘Half the population do not know the content of even the Gospels, let alone the Old Testament.’ Of those under the age of 25, one out of three have never read the Bible! What is wrong?
It is alleged that people are turning away from religion simply because the church is dull and uninspiring. ‘Almost two in five people questioned felt the church needs to change its image if it is to attract people,’ continued Houston. According to the survey, 56 percent of the population, if they go to church at all, go only for weddings, funerals or christenings.
Not only is England spiritually parched but so is the world in general. The Bible predicted such bleakness by stating: “I [Jehovah] will send a famine into the land, a famine, not for bread, and a thirst, not for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah.” (Amos 8:11) In contrast, Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoy a spiritual paradise. (Isaiah 65:13, 14) For example: In Britain a steady growth in active Witnesses is experienced—5 percent last year—with attendance at their weekly meetings peaking at 110 percent. The Witnesses’ meetings always have a strong Bible-based theme. When making disciples, they teach observance of all of Jesus’ commands.—Matthew 28:19, 20.
Delinquency—Cause and Prevention
Is the tendency toward juvenile delinquency inherited or acquired? One school of thought points an accusing finger at genetic factors as its primary cause. Another school of thought indicts social environment. While both may play a part in the development of delinquency, family relations are a key in sparking or dampening its growth. In a research paper recently published in Adolescence, Dr. Steven A. Anolik of the Department of Psychology, St. Francis College, Brooklyn, New York, observes: “Whether the causes of antisocial conduct are perceived as originating from biological or social processes, conditions in the home are still recognized as a causative factor in delinquency.” Studies from as far back as 30 years ago and up to the present characterize many parents of delinquents as unkind, inconsistent with discipline, and physically abusive.
In this day when children are “disobedient to parents” and family members have “no natural affection,” the Bible’s sound advice is still valid. (2 Timothy 3:1-3) Children learn to love by being loved, and happiness comes from giving love as well as from receiving it. (Acts 20:35) While discipline and restrictions are necessary for youth, the Bible explains that it is also the obligation of parents not to go to extremes, overcorrecting to the point of irritation or even harassment. It counsels: “Do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become downhearted.”—Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4.
“Economic Wringer”
“The world is on the verge of a human catastrophe and a political disaster,” writes Charles Maynes, editor of Foreign Policy magazine and former U.S. assistant secretary of state, in The Guardian. He sees the massive world debt as straining the political structures of Third World countries to the point of triggering violent revolutions. “Developing countries are being put through an economic wringer that is undoing the achievements of several decades,” Maynes observes. “Countries that achieved independence in the early 1960s and began the process of modernization in the early 1970s are now being demodernized. Investment projects are lying idle, children are not being taught, disease is spreading, beggars are filling streets from which they have been absent for decades, people are looting food shops . . . Whole continents have seen their hopes for the future disappear.”
In these critical times, how appropriate it becomes to heed the psalmist’s wise words: “Even if your riches increase, don’t depend on them.” Rather, follow what he did: “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him.”—Psalm 62:5, 10, Today’s English Version.