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A society in trouble CHRISTIAN VOICE paints rather a gloomy picture of the current state of affairs
in our Nation
Data to backup the above claims: For example, the scale of the severity of addiction problems in the U.S. as reported by AI (November 2025): Over 35 million people in the U.S. struggle with substance use disorders annually. Alcohol is involved in approximately 95,000 deaths each year in the U.S. Opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999, with tens of thousands of fatalities annually. Around 1 in 10 adults report experiencing a substance use disorder at some point in their lives. Drug addiction costs the U.S. economy over $740 billion annually in healthcare, crime, and lost productivity. Mental health disorders often co-occur with substance abuse, complicating treatment efforts. The cost to the UK economy of substance abuse and addiction again reported by AI (November 2025): Economic Burden: Substance abuse costs the UK economy approximately 20 billion pounds sterling annually. Healthcare Expenses: The NHS spends around 1.4 billion pounds each year on treating substance-related health issues. Crime and Law Enforcement: Substance abuse contributes to crime, costing the justice system over 13 billion pounds annually. Lost Productivity: Employers face losses of about 8 billion pounds due to absenteeism and reduced productivity linked to substance abuse. In addition about 9 million people in the UK currently either smoke or use vapes. The long term health implications of both indulgencies is well understood, certainly in regard to smoking: My grandfather voluntered to be a WW2 medical orderly at the age of 42. He travelled across western Europe attending to severely wounded soldiers and airmen from both sides and became a heavy smoker due to the trauma. As a result both of his legs had to be amputated after the war. He soon afterwards died of gangrene, not a good way to end ones life. We suggest people are driven to substance abuse because they see little point in life. Once belief in God is abandoned mental health goes into steep decline for many people, and the situation is worsening everywhere in the West at the moment. We Christians need to pray for our nation and its people, out of our love for our Saviour, our land and the victims of injustice. But our prayer needs to be more than just: "Lord, do something!" It needs to be: "Lord, what can I do?" When we work, we work. When we pray, God works. When we do both, God works miracles. And it will need a miracle for our sad, dysfunctional nation to turn from its belief that mankind knows best and to trust in God again. What was written 3,000 years ago is still true: "Blessed is that nation, whose God is the Lord." (Psalm 33:12). All of Psalm 33 is without parallel, a masterpiece of the written word: Praise to the Creator: 1 Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous ones; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. 2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to Him with ten strings. 3 Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. 4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is trustworthy. 5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His loving devotion. 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth. 7 He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. 9 For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His inheritance! 13 The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14 From His dwelling place He gazes on all who inhabit the earth. 15 He shapes the hearts of each; He considers all their works. 16 No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save. 18 Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. 21 For our hearts rejoice in Him, since we trust in His holy name. 22 May Your loving devotion rest on us, O LORD, as we put our hope in You. In conclusion The danger of continuing to pretend that we don't have a problem is likely to end up making matters worse. Turning a blind eye to evils in society will encourage miscreants to continue on their errant path unabated. Haven't we been here before you will be thinking? Politicians are renowned for not taking any form of action that might lessen their popularity, potentially losing them votes at the next General Election. Then there is the little (big!) matter of 'The Grooming Gangs', which successive Governments prefer not to talk about, or take any assertive action, again for fear of losing votes. This attitude does not impress the public. Individual church leaders are also wary of treading a controversial path when examining certain areas of the Bible in case some parishioners are offended and simply walk away never to return. This reluctance to take a stand doesn't impress the public either. The Church should arguably issue guidance to vicars rather than giving them a free hand to think and deliver sermons in a manner that suits them. Leadership from the top is somewhat lacking. When we asked Justin Welby how he would advise church leaders on contentious issues he said it wasn't part of his remit to intervene, advise or give opinions. The obvious outcome of this approach is that there is little consensus of belief in the Anglican Church on contentious issues and of course all training establishments think their own thoughts and act in any way they see fit. There is little or no oversight. Some declare that certain tracts of The Bible are open to different interpretations, although this is disputable. It is highly unlikely that God would allow His Bible to create confusion and doubts in the minds of people by allowing it to contain vague statements. The Catholic Church by comparison is more led from the top although the hierarchy also tend to avoid getting embroiled in controversial issues.  Massive Contradiction in the Family Tree of Jesus SOLVED
We are undoubtedly in a moral malaise and our educators are also not helping by bending with the wind rather than standing up for the social principles heralded in times past, again for fear of losing their job, or facing opprobrium. We do indeed need a John Knox or a John Wesley figure but would he or she be listened to in our modern age. Such a character would experience fierce criticism today because he/she would have nothing attractive as defined by modern life styles to offer? In Knox and Wesley's era there was much poverty and the populace may have seen adopting their mindset as a potential way to improve livelihoods - God might come to the rescue! Life was very different in the mid 1700's to what it is now in the Western World, and these preachers were sincere, and believable, helping many people to improve their lives by, for example, fostering a togetherness that encouraged mutual support amongst families in similar predicaments. Turning to God worked for many and we may well be heading in this direction again in the not too distant future! We may think we can live without God even convincing ourselves that He doesn't exist. Whether we like it or not however modern scientific evidence provides conclusive proof that He does exist, and is all powerful. Fortunately for us He is omnibenevolent, understands our weaknesses and makes allowances for us throughout our lives. Jesus was proof of that! Finally, you might ask, what has all this got to do with the Creationism verses Evolution debate at the heart of this website? We suggest everything! Once society abandons belief in Creationism therefore belief in a Creator (God), then it begins to fall apart. Is there any evidence for this assertion? Definitely, this connection has been demonstrated endlessly throughout human history. Disaster always follows abandonment of belief in, or rejection of, God: Examples: 1. Nazism: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party adapted, manipulated, and radicalized the unfounded belief in the existence of an "Aryan race." . The plan was to wipe out all non-aryan individuals. Religion, therefore belief in a Creator was banned in Germany by Hitler. 2. In the Abrahamic religions, Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin. 3. The practice of abandoning God and its consequences is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, serving as a solemn warning to the faithful. The Scriptures consistently illustrate that turning away from God leads to spiritual, moral, and often physical decline. An interesting question that stems from this is: Do the people involved in these behaviour patterns genuinely believe there is no God, or do they believe He exists but simply wish to rebel against His leadership? Whichever is the case such individuals feel free to perpetrate evil as defined in the Christian Bible remorselessly. Is it a case of history repeating itself over and over again? Fortunately there are many good people on our planet and goodness ultimately prevails at least for a while. The good vastly outweighs the bad within the indigenous UK population. For example, we have outstanding numbers of charities run largely by volunteers: According to Register of Charities, as of 14 January 2025, there are 170,713 main charities registered in the UK and a further 14,161 linked charities, totalling 184,874. Behind these registered charities, there are an incredible 1,124,241 employees, 923,842 trustees and 6,654,595 volunteers working hard to keep the charity sector buoyant. Clearly many charities in the UK rely heavily on volunteers, who make up a significant portion of the sector's workforce. According to a recent study, 91% of charities in the UK have no paid staff and are entirely run by volunteers, who perform a wide range of tasks, from fundraising and administrative support, to providing care for vulnerable people and conservation activities. Evidence supporting the above
Contrast the Christian principles that most members of the UK indigenous population uphold with those of many illegal immigrants with Islamic backgrounds who are coming here uninvited. They aim to exploit our generosity without ever having contributed to our success as a Nation achieved through hard work and honest endeavours over many centuries. In conclusion we should be entirely grateful that we live in such a hospitable and kindly society. The Glory of God's Creation He calls the sun to wake the dawn And run the course of day 'Til evening falls in crimson rays. His fingerprints in flakes of snow, His breath upon this spinning globe; He charts the eagle's flight; Commands the newborn baby's cry. Refrain: Hallelujah! Let all creation stand and sing, "Hallelujah!" Fill the earth with songs of worship, tell the wonders of creation's King. 2. Creation gazed upon His face; The ageless One in time's embrace Unveiled the Father's plan Of reconciling God to man. A second Adam walked the earth, Whose blameless life would break the curse, Whose death would set us free To live with Him eternally. 3. Creation longs for His return, When Christ shall reign upon the earth; The bitter wars that rage Are birth pains of a coming age. When He renews the land and sky, All heav'n will sing and earth reply With one resplendent theme: The glory of our God and King! Creation sings the Father's song
Words and Music: Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend |