Thursday 11 June, 2009

UK
Politics

By Dee Pfeiffer

When Christianity is no longer the light of the nation, a spiritual darkness closes in. The British Government have made it increasingly clear that religion should be confined to the home or church through the persecution of Christians demonstrating their faith outside these spheres. From the nurse admonished for offering prayer to a patient to the air hostess condemned for wearing a cross, there are now countless cases of hostility towards believers in the UK, many of which never make the media.

We are living in a nation that is antagonistic to the faith upon which it was founded. The Koran is now placed on a higher shelf than the Bible in many courtrooms and Sharia (Islamic) Law is already being implemented in some tribunals. Christianity is coming under increasing attack, both from a hostile government and, increasingly, from those of other faiths.

Meanwhile thousands are being made redundant every week, one in ten adults have to contribute to their parents’ upkeep and the average UK household debt is a massive £60,000 (£9,500 without taking mortgages into account).

Yet many politicians seem to care more about themselves than they do about their constituents. Indeed, if politicians spent less time worrying about their reputations and more on those they are called to serve, our country would be in a better state right now. Instead, we have a failing justice system, desperately overcrowded prisons, an increasingly crippled National Health Service, dumbed-down schools and universities, dreadful cases of violence, spiralling sexually transmitted infections, unchecked immigration, the highest taxation ever, surrender to the EU and much more.

MPs have claimed for everything from moat clearance to chandeliers, from horse manure to swimming pool repairs, from weekly security patrols to charity donations. Of course this is disgraceful, but many others also exploit loopholes if there for the taking. No-one questions why they existed in the first place.

Alan Duncan, MP for Melton and Rutland, said it is now the responsibility of all MPs to do their best to restore the trust of the public which has been so badly undermined. But that requires a whole new mindset.

It’s all too easy to look at a dilemma and seek to control rather than change it. But much of these problems stem from greed, corruption, immorality and selfishness. If our MPs had the time and inclination to study the Ten Commandments and the lessons laid out in the Bible, they could produce a manifesto that would change the nation. But instead the majority seek to remove God’s standards from society altogether, leaving broken families in their place.

Interestingly, Christian MPs like Anne Widdecombe seem to have been unaffected by the expenses scandal. Of course, believers aren’t immune from mistakes, but true disciples are a work in progress who will generally seek the best for others.

A national election will take place within the year and we need to ask crucial questions of candidates such as whether they will support married couples, stop the sexualisation of our youth, bring back proper sentences for serious crime and endeavour to create equality laws that are not at the expense of Christians.

In their Resources section, the Christian Institute’s excellent website makes it easy to ascertain which MPs are supporting Christian-based policies, so that even those uninformed in politics can quickly and easily find out how their MP is voting on crucial matters of Christian concern. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we say ‘your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’. It should be our concern, if not our duty, to create a type of heaven here on earth, which makes it crucial to vote for a candidate that will help achieve this.

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