Moral Decline

The title of this newsletter should not come as any surprise. We have surely seen a decline in the morality of our country – some would say for the last fifty odd years, but all alive today have witnessed a dramatic change in current morals.

Just in the last two years, while this so-called pandemic has been front line news, there have been many laws passed without much public notice. One that sticks clear in my mind, I distinctly recall our prime minister making a loud announcement over the main-stream media that the New Zealand public could kill people if they passed the virus on to others and that we must keep a distance from others and wear masks. Right at the same time, parliament was discussing and passing a bill that would afford a woman to be able to perform an abortion of her child right up to delivery. It got passed through with a majority back in 2020. Now, that little one fully formed ready for life, can legally meet with death at the mother's whim. That has now progressed to being able to order the death of her child over the phone, even to terminate its life after birth.   

That is only one of many laws discussed and passed. Close on the heels of that, was legalising the use of marijuana, although that did not pass due to public reaction. Euthanasia was on the table about the same time for a person to make a choice for their own death, or family to choose for the sick and infirm. That law did pass and we haven't heard much since.

Another very disturbing law that has only just been on the tables for discussion and passed into law just this last few weeks is that of the Conversion Therapy Ban. It has now become illegal for any parent, faith leader, or teacher to try to influence any person who chooses their sexual orientation different to what they were born as, to guide them back to their original birth gender – even if they ask for help. If anyone is found to be guiding them back, counselling them, praying for them, they can be imprisoned for up to five years.

We have to ask, what has gone wrong with our country? This is such a huge shift in our New Zealand society, in contrast to what we have been brought up with. What makes this more concerning, is that those who wish to turn from their biological birth gender to another identity can ask for all the help they want to change to their preferred choice and get it and those helping are celebrated.

As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we would have to view this recent law change with grave disrespect, as it goes against all we have ever stood for. As we base our whole belief system on the Bible, this brings change totally against Bible teachings and in turn, the Bible teaches completely contrary to this new law just passed in parliament.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul… And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  

“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” —Genesis 2:7,18,21-25

Pattern Established

Here the pattern was established as to how male and female were created and for what purpose – a man and his woman because she was taken out of man – his help meet. This was so set for the human race that when Jesus came Himself about four thousand years after this, He quoted exactly the same words in Matthew 19:3-6.

To add to this, through the Old Testament, morals were clearly outlined in Israel's time. Leviticus 18 is a very strong chapter on morals and intimacy. One man was given to one woman and any intimacy was only in marriage between them, not outside marriage. The laying of mankind with mankind was clearly condemned. This also held right up to the New Testament when Paul was writing to the Romans in his time. This is written very strongly in Romans 1, particularly from verses 22 to the end of the chapter. These are only just a couple of examples from a vast array of subjects, but morals were upheld from the beginning all through Scripture to the end.

We are left in absolutely no doubt in regards to morals for our day. We have the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy and this has much on the subject of how to live in marriage and in the home. Many examples are recorded in the volumes of Testimonies for the Church, plus there are books written specifically on the subject, Adventist Home, Child Guidance, Testimonies on Sexual Behaviour, Adultery and Divorce, and there are other books that closely align with how the two genders work and relate to each other. There is plenty of information for our reading.

The counsel is clear right from the very beginning of the creation of this world – right through to the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, direct from the mind and handwriting from the One who made us, our Creator – one man for one woman, they have children – and He is the One we give our full allegiance too.

We are counselled to obey our governing bodies as far as we can without compromising God's principles. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” —Hebrews 13:17. But notice we are to obey our governing bodies, yes, and submit to them – as they watch for your souls. When our governments depart from looking out for us, then we are to choose to obey God and His law, His commandments above any ruling earthly government.

More current than the book of Hebrews is the book, Acts of the Apostles, “We are to recognize human government as an ordinance of divine appointment, and teach obedience to it as a sacred duty, within its legitimate sphere. But when its claims conflict with the claims of God, we must obey God rather than men. God's word must be recognized as above all human legislation. A 'Thus saith the Lord' is not to be set aside for a 'Thus saith the church' or a 'Thus saith the state.' The crown of Christ is to be lifted above the diadems of earthly potentates.

“We are not required to defy authorities. Our words, whether spoken or written, should be carefully considered, lest we place ourselves on record as uttering that which would make us appear antagonistic to law and order. We are not to say or do anything that would unnecessarily close up our way. We are to go forward in Christ's name, advocating the truths committed to us. If we are forbidden by men to do this work, then we may say, as did the apostles, 'Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.'” —Acts of the Apostles, p.69

So one would say with all the counsel we have on the subject of morals involving sexuality and our personal being, we would be one of the loudest voices against this conversion therapy bill, which is now a crime to draw your child back to their biological gender if they decide to choose another. Have we, are we, a loud voice? We will all have our decisions on the subject but perhaps not voicing it – and because there is a fairly loud silence on the subject, we may think we are an Elijah, a lone voice as we talk of it to others.

Well, there definitely are the '7000' who are still there and making a noise. A ministry, who is watching the moves of our New Zealand government on moral issues such as  abortion, euthanasia, marijuana and conversion therapy ban, is speaking very loudly. On receiving a recent newsletter, I was impressed with their response to the new law.

Report from Bob McCoskrie, Family First, Feb. 18, 2022

“The new law banning 'conversion therapy' which was passed in Parliament this week will criminalise certain expressions of parental love, prayer, personal choice and preaching. Unfortunately, we may never know for sure what they are exactly until some parent, faith-leader or school is investigated. But the law will have a chilling effect on families, freewill, and faith-based communities. It is important to remember, however, that nothing has changed in terms of truth, biology and faith-based sexual morality, even if that was the underlying target of this new law. My message is simple. Keep going.

IF YOU ARE A PARENT:
* Keep going
* Keep instilling your family's values into your children. Explain why values matter.
* Talk with your children during dinner and other family mealtimes, as well as one-on-one conversations.  Make sure they know you have their best interests at heart, and that your love for them is unconditional.
* Explain why biology matters, that there are only two genders, and affirm them in the body they were born in.
* Continue to encourage your children to see marriage as one man and one woman, joined together for life. God's design is perfect – even if we humans don't always get it right.
* Monitor what's being taught at the schools your children attend. Withdraw your children from sexuality and gender education programmes if you as a parent aren't allowed to see the material in advance. 'Conversion therapy' will still be happening in New Zealand – that is, the ushering of children and young people towards LGBT lifestyles - through the indoctrination of sexuality and gender-identity ideology in schools, in the health system, and even in workplaces. Be alert.
* Attend a church or faith-centre which teaches sexual morality without compromise, but with both truth and grace.
* Remember, ultimately it's your responsibility to raise your children, not the Government's.

IF YOU'RE A COUNSELLOR, TEACHER OR YOUTHWORKER:
* Keep going.
* Continue to journey with children, young people and clients in a respectful, non-coercive and open way, but never compromising the truth when given the opportunity and their permission to speak into their lives (John 17:17).
* Answer their questions as honestly as you can.

IF YOU ARE SEEKING COUNSELLING FOR UNWANTED SEXUALITY AND/OR GENDER ISSUES:
* Keep going.
* Find someone who will journey with you respectfully, through gentle non-coercive advice, prayer, support and open discussions regarding sexuality and/or gender.
* Continue to seek inner freedom and healing from unwanted sexuality and/or gender issues, to align your sexuality with the teachings and values of your faith if that is your desire.

IF YOU'RE A PASTOR OR FAITH LEADER:
* Keep going.
* When you're told not to preach or teach certain parts of the Bible or Quran (or any other faith-based Scripture) on topics such as marriage or morality, because you may be accused of 'conversion therapy' or 'hate speech' or some form of 'phobia', don't comply. Speak the truth always, seasoned with love and grace (Eph 4:15).
* Pray with anyone who requests prayer from you for sexuality or gender issues.
* Always pray with both truth and grace (John 8:32, 1 Cor 13:6).
* Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong (1 Cor 16:13).

KEEP GOING, 'EVEN IF….’
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. —Daniel 3:16-18

The law may have changed under the hand of a majority of politicians in our Parliament – but Truth has not. It is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

Humanity Redefined

One of Family First's board members, Bruce Logan personally responded to the passing law with the following letter.
“In August 2012 I wrote an opinion piece for the NZ Herald claiming that legalising same-sex marriage would profoundly alter the citizen's relationship to the state. And it would do so in its presumption that marriage, and the familial identity that followed, was not determined by a transcendent, or even traditional understanding of human dignity. That dignity would be formulated by the state.

That was the first step. An equally serious step in the redefinition of our humanity is the new Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill which has just been passed in Parliament.

The new law is being presented as an exercise in “civil justice”; protecting a minority from discrimination. That might be the declared intention but it will not be its consequence.

Advocates for the Bill and presumably most MPs now believe that sexual identity is fundamental to human nature. But that theory of fundamental sexual identity is so fragile it must be reinforced by the state. It is of no consequence that it would deny and abolish what we have thought to be human nature for thousands of years.

Most MPs have apparently accepted the claim that sexual identity overthrows the traditional structure of civil society. Marriage and family are no longer the embryo of identity. But on what grounds? The procedures and actions the Bill would make illegal no longer happen. No one is forced in New Zealand to deny their sexual identity or any other kind of identity for that matter.

The Bill undermines the authority and responsibility of the parent by politicising the privacy between client and professional medical or psychological practitioner. The privacy, between client and professional which rested on a transcendent understanding of human dignity will now, under the Bill, become a matter of state authority. The right to privacy, once protected by the old civil society understanding of marriage and family, is abolished.

Western civilisation, until the legalisation of same-sex marriage and now the politicisation of sexual identity and consequently human dignity, has always depended on a transcendent and universal understanding of what it means to be human. Every concept of freedom or dignity that we possess was a consequence of that belief in universal transcendence. In practice that meant that the state, like the individual, is responsible to a higher power.

Now, because The Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill insists that everyone must conform to its “theology” of human nature, it is reinforcing the contemporary experiment in creating a religion without God. That is, all human beings are self-creating. We have not been created by a supreme being. Everyone is  responsible only to self. We have a competing religion.

The new religion would protect itself by having the state punish those who disagree; those who refuse to use the ritualised politically correct language of personal identity and the sexual ideology that go along with it.

The new religion is not rooted in any sense of scientific or historical reality. It denies both of these because its supreme authority is emotional need. I feel, therefore I am. That is the new human being.

Few MPs seem to see the irony of this religious fantasy and the necessary consequence of increasing regulation and state power.

In spite of the ad nauseam propaganda, the fantasy is not sustained by the ideology of diversity and inclusion or a theory of tolerance. It exists to deify human sexual desire.

The Bill presently being passed by Parliament is a watershed moment. A significant victory of the new religion of self over the old religion of personal restraint, selflessness and sacrifice. Of Narcissus over Jesus.

We have a new morality. Politics inform religion. Character fades into the woodwork. Discipline, perseverance, patience and compassion and the sacrifice of love become meaningless. The new religion erodes human intimacy and trust.

The good person follows the political model of required thought and speech. Even Leonard Cohen's “there's a crack in everything that's how the light gets in” is anathema.

The new religion admits no cracks. Should it permit criticism it would be exposed as a house of cards that it is.”

Here is a voice that is speaking up. Here is an Elijah voice calling out, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” —      I Kings 18:21

But I pray we will not be as the end of the verse, “And the people answered him not a word.”
Friends, we cannot afford to be dormant and  silent in these times. We must make the best of each day we have. It is so refreshing someone is speaking up to counter the laws being passed that are contrary to the Bible principles this country has stood for, for many generations, and surely we as a church stands for.

It is realised that not all have a ministry such as Family First, Voices for Freedom, or the likes. Not all could travel to the protest gatherings to hand out literature and media, but we can all voice our protest when the opportunity arises in our sphere of influence.
Family First articles published with permission.