The EU Referendum
In answer, we think, to the prayers of many of His people in Britain, the Lord gave the “Leave” vote a small and unexpected majority in the EU Referendum in June. The EU has been noted for its deceitfulness and corruption over a long period of time, and has been a powerful instrument in the hand of Satan for opposing and weakening the Christian influence in Britain. The dismay and political turmoil arising from the vote has been remarkable. Our hope and prayer now is that the political change may be accompanied by a spiritual one, especially among the working classes in northern England, who have unexpectedly turned against the EU and against their former political guides. O, that they might turn to the Lord! DWBS
Drunkenness in Scotland
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov 20:1). So said the inspired wise man Solomon.
Disquieting reports reveal that, after some years of decreasing consumption, alcohol intake in Scotland has risen sharply over the last two years relative to the rest of the UK. One Government report states that Scots have increased their consumption of alcohol for the second year in a row. NHS Health Scotland is blaming this trend on more drink being bought in supermarkets and off-licences, where alcohol costs less. This sector now has 74% of total sales – indicating a greater number of “at home” drinkers. Total sales of alcohol per head were 20% higher in Scotland than in England and Wales in 2015, the equivalent of each adult in Scotland consuming 477 pints of beer, 41 bottles of vodka or 116 bottles of wine. Off-licence sales of vodka per person in Scotland were estimated at more than double the level south of the border.
An earlier report in December 2014 appeared more optimistic, finding alcohol consumption in Scotland had fallen by the equivalent of 38 million pints of beer a year since 2009. The decline, they thought, was linked to the crash of the economy and the scrapping of multi-buy deals but, last year, the NHS said alcohol sales had risen to the startling figures quoted above.
In recent years, the Scottish Government has tried to tackle Scotland’s alcohol problem by reducing the legal limit for drivers from 80mg to 50mg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood, meaning that an average male driving his car would be limited to just under a pint of beer or one large glass of wine. The limit in England and Wales remains at 80mg. This reduction does not really deal with the issue of drinking at home, although it is hoped it will reduce road accidents.
The Scottish Government’s plans to introduce a minimum price for a unit of alcohol, passed in 2012, were challenged by the Scotch Whisky Association and there followed a row with the European Union over the legislation. Under the plans for a minimum price of 50p per unit, the cheapest bottle of wine (9.4 units of alcohol) would be £4.69 and a 70cl bottle of whisky could not be sold for less than £14.
Dr Mark Robinson, a senior manager at NHS Health Scotland, said the reversal in declining alcohol sales was “concerning”. He connects the price of alcohol with its consumption: “Between 2009 and 2013, the average price of alcohol increased and consumption decreased. Since 2013, the average price has flattened and consumption has increased.” He adds, “Higher levels of alcohol consumption result in higher levels of alcohol-related harm and these present a substantial public health and economic cost to Scotland”.
He believes that reducing the availability of low-priced, high-strength alcohol is the most effective way of reducing alcohol-related health issues, while Public Health Minister Michael Matheson claims minimum pricing is needed because cheap drink is the “real source of Scotland’s alcohol problem”. He added: “Minimum pricing will save hundreds of lives, prevent thousands of hospital admissions, reduce crime and save the public purse millions in dealing with the consequences of alcohol misuse”. The Scottish Government states that, on average, 22 people a week die in Scotland due to alcohol-related illnesses or accidents.
An added dimension to the increase in drunkenness was highlighted by a recent report in The Press and Journal newspaper. It revealed how drink-related incidents on flights and at airports have caused havoc for passengers and crew. Several hundred passengers have been arrested over the last two years for violent conduct, including head butting, attempting to open aircraft doors and even smashing the window of a plane. Several flights have been disrupted by drunken behaviour with at least one plane being diverted to another country, where police were called to deal with a group who were particularly uncontrollable.
Government and police do have a great responsibility for Scotland’s welfare, but ultimately it is the Lord alone who can deal with this addiction. Dr Robinson and others appear to focus on the secular and physical aspects of the epidemic on society (and we must not minimise these, including the anguish alcoholism causes in families). However, they seem not to acknowledge that the greatest harm is spiritual. There is little or no mention of the sin of drunkenness. It does harm society and the physical health of the individual, but it is a sin, against God, “He that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul” (Prov 8:36). We must be convinced of our sin and turn to the Saviour of lost sinners for forgiveness. The Word of God says, “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). The Holy Spirit’s work is vital to convince of this and other sins and to give strength to overcome them. How we need to pray for Him to come to our land to make us a “sober” people, not gratifying sinful fleshly desires! KHM
Rogue Waves
A rogue wave is one whose height is more than twice the average height of the waves around it. Such waves may be very dangerous to shipping because they often appear without warning and can exert a force far beyond what the ship was built to withstand. The loss, and even complete disappearance, of several ships has been attributed to rogue waves.
Mariners have been reporting such waves for centuries, but the scientific community was remarkably slow to accept their existence. This was because the standard mathematical model used for predicting wave height suggested that rogue waves would be exceedingly rare, occurring perhaps only once in thousands of years. In 1826, an eminent French naval officer who reported that he had seen a wave 100 feet high in the Indian Ocean was publicly ridiculed by the French prime minister, himself a physicist.
This negative opinion persisted as late as the 1990s, and textbooks on oceanography were silent on the existence of rogue waves. Eventually, in 1995, a wave-measuring device on the Draupner oil-platform in the North Sea recorded a 60-foot rogue wave, three times as high as its neighbours, and the existence of rogue waves was at last generally conceded. Mathematical models for rogue waves have now been derived.
The subject shows that the scientific community can be dogmatic, even abusively so, and yet entirely wrong. The application of this to the theory of Evolution is obvious. DWBS