These are also areas that, in recent decades, in some of the more 'civilised' nations in the world, have become increasingly under attack from a secular, atheistic, humanism that would have us all made in its own image - rather than in the image of the Creator God Who is responsible for our very existence.
Birth. It was in 1967 that abortion became legal within the UK. Since then, around 10 million babies have been callously murdered in the very place in which they ought to have been best protected - their mothers' wombs. And that is in England, Scotland, and Wales alone! By the way, if you missed my brief series on abortion - "Womb - or tomb?" - you can scroll down to the Blog Archive; click on "August", and then scroll down to Tuesday, 19th for the first article. Birth, in far too many cases, is not being celebrated - it is being prevented!
Coming of age. It is the case, as I type, that it is when one reaches the age of 18 years that, in the UK, one is considered to have 'come of age'. Of course, as my pupils were quick to point out, the age varies for different activities - from joining the Armed Forces, to purchasing alcohol, to acquiring a mortgage. However, for at least two - maybe three - generations, we seem to have been encouraging our children to 'grow up' far too quickly. Beauty Pageants, at least in the USoA, for toddlers - dressed up by their mothers in 'sexy' outfits (must be some sort of paedophile 'heaven'!), to Clubs and bars being frequented by children who have barely left puberty, to 'under-age' sexual activity. And much of this with the knowledge, and tacit approval, of parents/guardians!
Marriage. In the UK, with the honourable exception of N.Ireland, marriage has been redefined as being the union of any two persons, regardless of gender. This has been, effectively, a response by politicians to a sustained lobbying exercise by those representing (according to recent National Office of Statistics report) a mere 1.6% of the population. A massive petition opposing the move, in both Westminster and Holyrood, was ignored. Of course, it is arguable, given revelations since, that the reason for that is that the percentage of those who practise deviant sexual relations, is much higher in government circles than in the population at large! Now, I read that an OFSTED inspection in a Jewish school resulted in pupils feeling bullied, and traumatised, by the questions asked - questions such as "Do you know that it is acceptable for two men to be married to one another?" Marriage, instead of being a relationship in which a man and a woman fulfil God's plan for them, and produce a family (something that no two people of the same gender can ever do, on their own!), has become a declaration of deviance that is sanctioned by the state.
Death. There was a time when death came to most people before they reached 80 years of age. Today, in the western world, more and more people are living to be centenarians. At least, that is what we would like to think. However, the constant push by some for the legalisation of euthanasia, and assisted dying/suicide, shows that death is becoming a marketable commodity - think Dignitas in Switzerland, or the whole situation in the Netherlands! The tragedy of such a situation was shown by a newspaper report just a few days ago:
"An elderly husband and wife have announced their plans to die in the world's first 'couple' euthanasia - despite neither of them being terminally ill.
Instead
the pair fear loneliness if the other one dies first from natural causes.
Identified
only by their first names, Francis, 89, and Anne, 86, they have the support of
their three adult children who say they would be unable to care for either
parent if they became widowed.
The
children have even gone so far as to find a practitioner willing to carry out
the double killings on the grounds that the couple's mental anguish constituted
the unbearable suffering needed to legally justify euthanasia.
…
The couple's daughter has remarked that her parents are talking about their
deaths as eagerly as if they were planning a holiday.
John
Paul [their son] said the double euthanasia of his parents was the 'best
solution'. 'If
one of them should die, who would remain would be so sad and totally dependent
on us,' he said. 'It would be impossible for us to come here every day, to take
care of our father or our mother.'"
One commentator has responded like this: "I wonder why
no one considers the fact that the reason some elderly parents may experience
“mental anguish” is that they have come to the sickening realisation that their
grown children would rather find an executioner to dispatch them, than take on
the responsibility of caring for their parents. Imagine the thoughts of a
mother realising that the child she fed and rocked to sleep, played with and
sang to, would rather have her killed than care for her; that their
relationship really does have a price."
When I consider all of that, I confess to being glad that I am now out of the RME classroom. My fear is that those who are in may be pushing the kind of agenda that is mirrored above!
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