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A recent report on the current state of British society recorded
the sobering and rather sad statistic that the UK is now the
least religious nation in the Western World. According to
a survey, only 40 per cent of Britons now believed there is
a God.
There was no breakdown for the regions, or for Scotland,
but I would guess that the figure of believers in God would
be much higher in Northern Ireland.
Nevertheless, the statistic for the UK is fairly shocking,
especially when one considers that 92 per cent of Americans
believe in the Almighty, and this is in the most powerful,
the most prosperous, and most capitalist nation on earth.
The dramatic decline in the number of British Christians,
the closing of so many churches, and the erosion of Christian
values and ethos is surely the greatest example of a nation
which has lost its way.
Crime, especially violent crime, has never been more rife,
the murder rate is at an all-time high, the prisons are bursting
at the seams, and yet there is no sign of a decline in criminal
activity.
The drug culture afflicts much of British urban life and
is spreading to quiet towns and villages, and alcohol consumption
is on a scale of what it was in the days of the notorious
gin palaces.
Hardly surprising given such an atmosphere that teenage pregnancies
are at record levels, marriage break-ups the same, and the
divorce rate the highest in the European Community.
More children are being brought up in single-parent relationships
in the UK than in any other country. This is not belittling
the excellent job done by single parents, but reliable evidence
has shown that children thrive best in a home where there
are two parents.
Materially, the scenario is different, as British people
have more money at their disposal than ever before, the unemployment
rate is low, and housing conditions are excellent.
Yet, the British are a troubled people in many ways, and
too many seek remedies in the form of alcohol and drugs, or
in forms of escapism like gambling.
The British Government, well aware of the consequences of
the disintegration of much of society, adopts the attitude
of throwing more money at the problem. It's solution to the
alcohol crisis is to provide more hours for consuming alcohol,
and to take steps to create casinos which will throw more
people into poverty.
Surely the real answer to Britain's problem is a return to
the spiritual and moral values which once made this nation
the envy of the rest of the world.
The Government does little or nothing to try and reverse
this decline. On the contrary, it makes things more difficult
for Sunday Schools, by opening shopping centres on Sundays,
and provides another counter-attraction to draw children away
from the schools which, for centuries, have provided millions
of British children with knowledge of the Bible and the gospels.
Northern Ireland remains the part of the UK with significantly
high church attendance figures, and its statistics for divorce
are lower than any other region.
The Orange Order must remain in the vanguard of those combating
the serious decline in moral standards in this nation.
Orangeism must give the lead in defending decency in all
areas of life, without compromise, as it is the organisation
which most Protestants look to when it comes to giving a lead.
The Order must not lower the requirements for membership,
and must stress to all applicants that churchgoing, setting
a Christian example, and seeking to educate children and friends
on the need to observe Sunday as a special day are essential.
These are indeed troubled times for the nation of which Northern
Ireland is a proud part, and the hope and prayer of every
loyal citizen must be that there will be a religious revival
on the scale of that sparked off by John and Charles Wesley
in the 18th century, and by the 1859 revival in Ulster.
Orangemen, like all concerned Christians, must do their utmost
to bring about such a revival, and the Orange Order must be
prepared to face up to the challenge of advancing the Christian
cause in a province under attack from secularism and materialism.
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