The Moderator of the Kirk and Section 28
SECTION 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 requires that “A local authority shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality; nor promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.”
It was appalling therefore that the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. John Cairns, should brand Section 28 as useless, and indicate his support for its repeal. It would appear also that he is taking issue with those who rightly regard homosexual activity as a perversion of the God-appointed order in human relationships. Those who look for a moral lead need not look up to a Church leader who does not appear to accept what the Scriptures clearly teach – that sodomy is a most heinous sin. Also, it was deplorable that another Church of Scotland minister, in recently presenting “Thought for the Day” on Radio Scotland, supported the repeal of Section 28.
It is not too late for parents and other concerned parties to contact their MPs and MSPs to register their opposition to the repeal of this safeguard against promoting homosexuality in our schools. Those who have difficulty in determining who are their MSPs may contact the editor, giving their post code, and he will try to help.
The fall of a spin doctor
IN the middle of December, media attention in Scotland was firmly focused on the sacking of First Minister Donald Dewars Chief of Staff, John Rafferty. This followed a succession of press briefings where truth was even more of a casualty than in the normal activities of spin doctors. Rafferty had claimed, after a warning from the Scottish Health Minister to anti-abortion protestors, that she had been the subject of death threats. It was later revealed that these threats had no basis in fact.
The Herald reported that “other fanciful stories have included . . . a claim that the First Minister was about to support publicly the repeal of the Act of Settlement”. Thankfully this last did not take place. But is it a coincidence that one of Rafferty’s previous posts was special adviser to Cardinal Thomas Winning? As adviser, he “was credited with restructuring the finances of the [Roman] Catholic Church in Glasgow when he helped clear the archdiocese’s massive debts”.
KDM
Record number of abortions in England and Wales
THE number of abortions in England and Wales in 1998 was greater than in any previous year, almost 500 more than in 1990, the last year when abortions reached a peak. This means that 187,402 human beings were killed in the womb – in just one year. By way of contrast, the death of 31 in the tragic Paddington rail disaster caused an outcry, and calls for drastic measures to improve rail safety.
Of these abortions, only a tiny fraction would have been performed because the mother’s life was in danger. In other words, almost all of these unborn children had their lives taken away without any justification – if we measure justification by the only legitimate standard, the law of God. It is worth also noticing another measure of the deterioration in respect for unborn life: women of child-bearing age were twice as likely to have an abortion in 1998 compared with 1970. It is one of many indications that society today is becoming more and more godless. God is not in all their thoughts, and there is no understanding of how much is being lost even in terms of temporal blessings. And the loss for eternity is unspeakable for every individual who in heart follows the godlessness of contemporary society.
KDM
Return to Table of Contents for The Free Presbyterian Magazine – February 2000