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NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE PEWS |
| Message
from Neil |
| I
was reading an alarming newspaper report about life in New Zealand the other
day. It recorded a raft of social problems that we are so familiar with.
I will list some of them below: |
- New Zealand suffering
the effects of a recession
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- Children sleeping
on the streets
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- Young girls involved
in prostitution
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- Widespread alcohol
abuse leading to infant neglect, immorality, crime, and concerns about
the vulnerability of women
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| The
sort of thing we all expect to read in today’s and tomorrow’s newspaper.
Except that the above were some of the social problems abounding in 1893
just before New Zealand women won the right to vote, according to the New
Zealand Herald. |
| I
would have liked to believe that many of today’s disturbing trends are due
to the contemporary disinterest in religion and its associated ethical values,
but I can’t blame the 1890’s situation on that ! Nor were things any better
in biblical times! |
| What
we see now is pretty much what has always been through the history of Western
civilization. We do need to get tougher on criminals and we do need more
police, but neither of those initiatives will stop crime, much of which
has to do with the boredom, desperation and anger of a poorly educated underclass
in society who will never be able to find meaningful employment in today’s
technology led job market. |
| It
also has to do with some well educated but very devious individuals who,
lacking any sense of ethics or consideration for what they are doing to
their victims, rip off anyone they can for everything they can get out of
them. These are some of those who would be denounced in the name of God
by the biblical Prophets for oppressing the people, especially those who
are poor. Our legal system seems to be far too lenient with those found
guilty of such crimes, especially when they can find loopholes to secure
their ill gotten gains so that they can’t be accessed to implement any fair
measure of restorative justice. |
| If
you’re waiting for my instant solution to all of this you’ll be disappointed.
I don’t believe that there is any “magic bullet”. The Government can and
should recruit more police, be far tougher with sentencing the real villains,
and the Education system and the Church have a responsibility to be much
more proactive in teaching ethics in human living to children from a very
young age. Most of all however there must be a fundamental change of attitude
among all New Zealanders, from “How can I feather my own nest” to “How can
I lend someone less well off than me a helping hand?” |
| I
wish that parents would bring (not send) their children to church and that
there they would not be taught about Noah’s Ark or David killing Goliath
or Samson bringing down the temple, but about living responsibly in community
with honesty, kindness, generosity and fair play. |
| In
the Dominion Post, Charlie Brown has just shocked Lucy by telling her of
his belief that he was put in this world to help others. It’s a revelation
to Lucy and it would seem to be a revolutionary idea to many others. As
followers of the Christian way, let’s start a revolution. After all Jesus
was the greatest Revolutionary of all time. But few want to know that. |
| Neil
Keesing |
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