Drink and Trade
The Poll held recently in the Isle of Skye regarding the sale of drink in certain areas, unfortunately failed to bring about a “no licence” result. The hotel-keepers retained their licences by a very small majority. The people of Skye concerned in this Poll and who voted for the continuance of the sale of drink seven days a week have probably been influenced by the spurious propaganda that to do anything else would hinder the tourist trade. We do not accept this argument by those who make their living by the sale of drink. Tourists will visit the Isle of Skye to see and admire the Island. One would think that the most of tourists could not live even a few days without strong drink, and if there was no drink on the Island, tourists would cease to come. We know that drinking is on the increase in our country with the loss of money, health and comfort to many. But if tourism and drink must be linked together then we are in a pitiable state. In this connection, the town of Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, which was for almost half a century “dry,” recently went “wet” after a local veto poll. The Provost said after the result was announced, “He was sure that the repeal of the local veto would improve trading conditions for the burgh.” How such an improvement will come about, he did not explain.
Certainly people will be more readily induced to spend some of their wages on the folly of visiting public-houses for drink and more drink. The shops which sell food and clothing will not find anything but loss in their trading. Families and homes will suffer, but the distillers and brewers will benefit.
Suggested Lottery for Health Service
We quote from a press report as follows: “A suggestion that advantage should be taken of our ‘national gambling fever’ to introduce a state lottery even on behalf of the National Health Service, was put forward at the meeting of the Royal College of Nurses representative body.” This meeting took place recently in London. We are surprised that such a body would give serious consideration to such a proposal. But Miss Sheila Collins, Chairman of the R.C.N. Council spoke strongly in favour. But it was a relief to read that Miss M. H. S. Hunter, speaking for the Edinburgh branch, said they did not feel that the R.C.N. as a professional body should urge the setting up of a state lottery. She continued: “We in our own branch are in a position to know the havoc and misery that is caused by extensive gambling.” These are words which express a realistic and proper moral outlook and condemn the gambling fever which is like a plague throughout the nation. What an outlook some have today when gambling is proposed to assist the Health Service and drink the tourist trade!
State Lottery Proposed
Mr James Tinn, Labour M.P. for Cleveland, has stated that he intends introducing a Private Members Bill to set up a state lottery. The profits of such a lottery, if it comes to operate, are to be allocated to medical research and sports facilities. Mr Tinn’s arguments for this further encouragement to gambling include the opinion that the great majority of the public would welcome a State lottery. If this is true, then here we have another serious aspect of our national moral declension. The Christian does not require the lure of a large cash prize to induce him to give directly to worthy causes, and churches who indulge in worldly and questionable methods to extract money from their people for church purposes, are a poor and a bad example to the irreligious world. We hope Mr Tinn’s proposed Bill will never become law.
Women in the Ministry
The question of women being admitted to the office of the ordained Ministry and to preach the Word and administer the sacraments, has been debated and discussed for years now in the Church of Scotland. At present the Presbyteries of the said Church throughout Scotland have been debating this question and voting thereon. Although a majority of Presbytery decisions may be in favour; yet from many results published it can be seen that there is quite a definite division on the question. The Scriptural and Apostolic doctrines and practices of the Church of Christ and of the Reformation in Scotland, are in many instances being undermined and abandoned under pressure from the ‘world’ within the Church. A day of cleansing by the hand of Christ is greatly needed today.
More Powers for the Police
The police in certain parts of Scotland need and desire now extended powers and authority to search people suspected of being in possession of offensive weapons. The Secretary of State for Scotland has been slow to deal with this request, especially from the Glasgow magistrates and police authorities. The respectable and reasonable section of the public are fully in support of this request; and indeed any other measure which will help our police to undertake their difficult tasks in dealing with wicked and dangerous characters in our cities and elsewhere. It is high time the birch and capital punishment confronted certain of the criminals of today. The Bible refers to “the powers that be,” employing “the sword” for the punishment of evil doers. Imprisonment in itself is all very well in appropriate cases; but the literal rod and the death penalty are called for in other cases by the teaching of the Word of God.
Foot and Mouth Disease
Foot and Mouth disease, as our readers will know, has been rampant among cattle and sheep in certain areas of England. Well over a quarter of a million animals have been slaughtered to prevent the disease spreading. But at the time of writing, new cases are being reported. Agricultural specialists may suggest likely sources of this scourge; but the hand of God is not discerned by many. Yet God reigneth in the Kingdom of Men, and by His providence frequently punishes men and nations for their transgressions and sins. In this present outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease, we must not think that the farmers immediately affected are the only people to whom God is speaking by way of reproof and punishment. God is saying to the whole nation, “Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.” At least throughout England, a day of prayer should have been called for by the Church leaders and the Government. But no! There is so much spiritual darkness and death prevailing that God does not come to mind under such a disaster. Yet there is in such an afflictive providence a call to repentance and prayer. One bishop of the Church of England did intimate a day of prayer in the chief area affected, which was no more than his duty. If the people in general will not heed the Lord’s hand in this, maybe the Lord will visit us with some sorer punishment. May the prayers of the Godfearing in our midst as a nation be heard and we as a people turned from our evil ways.
The Aberdeen Case of Heresy
Dr Edmund Jones, the Church of Scotland minister, of Queen’s Cross Church, Aberdeen, has by his recorded views on fundamental truths of the Christian faith, exposed himself to the charge of heresy on several counts. He has repudiated the Biblical revelation of God, the Virgin birth of our Lord, the miracles and the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus. To us, it has been a great relief to read in the press many declarations of abhorance and amazement at the effrontery of Dr Jones, as an ordained minister of a professed Christian Church. The excellent, detailed and restrained letter, signed by 85 students of Aberdeen University, set forth and exposed Dr Jones’s views as clearly heretical in the light of the Word of God; and in this letter he was called to resign, or failing this, that the Aberdeen Presbytery should deal with him on charges of heresy. The Presbytery have appointed a committee to consider the views of Dr Jones. We cannot say that we are very hopeful of anything being done by the Presbytery by way of charging and condemning Dr Jones. His congregation, by a letter to the press, support him, which is a terrible commentary upon those who regularly sit in the pews of a Church of Scotland congregation. Then an article by Rev. David Cairns, Professor of Practical Theology at Christ’s College, Aberdeen, dealing with Dr Jones’s views, rejects what Dr Cairns calls “extreme fundamentalism.” This indicates somewhat of the attitude of Dr Cairns, writing from the Church of Scotland point of view. In his lengthy article, Professor Cairns handles primarily the erroneous, and in our view, blasphemous views relating to the being and glory of God, expressed by Dr Jones, and does in his own way criticise Dr Jones. But the Professor ignores the questions of the Virgin birth and the resurrection of Christ. These omissions, in our view, appear to indicate that the Professor was not prepared to challenge Dr Jones on these fundamentals of the Christian faith. This case requires more time and thought than we can give to it at present. But we will give our readers a quotation from Professor Cairn’s article which reveals Dr Jones’s idea of God, viz. “… But in the end his hearers were left with the impression, which did not logically follow, that God had been dissolved into the experience of human beings loving each other, and being loved by each other.” Again it is levelled against Dr Jones, by the Aberdeen students in their letter that he “… sarcastically dismisses any idea of the wrath of God; but yet again all four Gospels report Jesus as giving dogmatic statements on this …” Of course behind all this lies the question of what the present Church of Scotland’s view is of the Holy Scriptures; and further as to what really is the extent of her belief in The Westminster Confession of Faith; and again, what are her ministers required to profess before God and men on Ordination. Our final comment just now is, that her views and requirements may not only permit what we call heresy, but a wide range of heretical views.