The Roman Catholic education system in Scotland
THE head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland warned the Government in February to keep its hands off the content of religious education in Roman Catholic schools. The Church of Rome is ensuring that its right to separate education and government funding, gained by the notorious 1918 Education Act, remains inviolate. It therefore has appointed a field officer (a former headmaster) for the Catholic Education Commission, and also plans to have a representative on each of the 32 new local authority councils in Scotland.
The Herald of 9th May makes this valid point: “Given that church attendance figures have been declining rapidly since the 1960s, the separate Roman Catholic schools may well come to represent the church’s only sphere of influence left over Roman Catholics, and if the Act is ever repealed by Parliament, then [the priests] will lose all control, power, and influence over their flock and thus will have no-one left to manipulate, threaten, and coerce into submission.”
Because the Act has fostered Romanism, “the sense now prevails,” says the same Herald article, “that Roman Catholicism has triumphed not only socially but also, and much more significantly, politically.” Rome will never be satisfied with anything less than total triumph. Let us never cease to pray for the downfall of this soul-deluding system and for the spiritual liberation of the multitudes under its dominion.
The Scottish Sabbath caricatured in the pulpit
THE minister of Inverness Old High Church, in a recent sermon, “has made a call for people to mark the Sabbath” by desisting from taking part in commercial activities on that day. Six days are enough for buying and selling as traders and customers, he is also reported to have said.
However, it seems that he has no time for the Scriptural Sabbath-keeping which once prevailed in the Highlands and which he regards as legalistic. He caricatures the “Scottish Sabbath” by comparing it to the Jewish Sabbath as that was legalistically kept under Pharisaical rules.
A Christian use of the Sabbath, he said, could include recreation and sport. He qualified this by saying, “Our freedom for enjoyment can only go to the point where we don’t infringe anyone else’s similar right.”
What many ministers in our national church need to preach is God’s inalienable right to require us to sanctify His Sabbath “by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.”
Let us pray that the Lord would raise up ministers in the nation who would obey His injunction, “Preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.” Only then will our land see days of spiritual blessing again.
The worsening of the National Lottery mania
SINCE the National Lottery was established, about an extra 15% of the adult population in England has been drawn into gambling, bringing the total of gamblers up to 89%. In Scotland the figure is higher. It is expected that the introduction of the “bigger grid” National Lottery ticket will pressure people into spending even more than they already do.
One tragic result is an increase in gambling addiction. Ian Brown, senior lecturer in psychology at Glasgow University, says, “From what we know in the field of alcohol and drugs, the easy access to a great deal more gambling will inevitably increase the number of people who have problems with it.” Gamblers Anonymous groups are seeing a significant increase in the number of people seeking help because of their addiction.
Another bad effect (as was predicted) is the drop in the number of people who voluntarily give to charities — in Scotland the drop is 16%. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations says charities may lose up to £212 million annually.
The prevailing gambling mania manifests a marked nationwide despising of the God of providence. The gambler is not the man who prays, “Give us this day our daily bread,” but depends on what he calls “luck”. If he wins anything by gambling he cannot have it with the blessing of God, and therefore his gain is loss. “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it,” Proverbs 10:22.
Increasing deterioration in broadcasting standards
THE BBC’s recently announced drama programme for the coming year includes films which feature such shocking examples of violence, sex and foul language as drew gasps from a preview audience of journalists.
The Broadcasting Standards Council which, in its annual report, has detailed a record number of complaints, condemns the proliferation of sex, violence and bad language on TV. Lady Howe, who chairs the Council, said: “I share the astonishment of many complainants at the broadcasters’ persistent failure to curb such incidents.”
Charles Denton, head of BBC drama, has arrogantly stated that the BBC does not need to be reminded by the Council about standards in these matters. Channel 4, despite numerous protests, from individuals and organisations, including our Religion and Morals Committee, persisted in showing the blasphemous film, The Last Temptation of Christ.
It is appalling that such blasphemy and filth is beamed into millions of homes, and it is high time that the Broadcasting Standards Council be given more power in dealing with offending broadcasters. Meantime, we should not hesitate to protest against offensive material — not that we expect anyone with Christian principles to be watching TV plays, but that they would note and complain about those instances which are brought to their notice.