| In Brief:
Speech-The Decline of Christianity - August 1996.
(Posted to Website 24/6/2002)
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I thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak on this occasion. I have chosen as my speech topic "The Decline of Christianity - Increasing Permissive Decadence."
To introduce myself, let me say that God brought me out of spiritual darkness and into His marvellous light about 40 years ago. I was a lost sheep and He came and found me. Blind but He made me see.
My favourite subject at school was British History, where I was most interested in Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights, and the influence of Christianity in human affairs. When God was ready to convert me from atheism, He turned my interest in my British heritage to an interest in Biblical History and God's amazing fulfilment of prophecy,and then to an interest in my rich inheritance in heaven.
He convinced me that Jesus Christ is alive and in control; that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. As the Bible says, no man comes to the Father but by Christ. His is the ONLY Name given under heaven whereby we must be saved - from sin in ourselves and from the permissive decadence in our modern society.
There is no other WAY for us to walk; no other TRUTH to make us free; and certainly no other more abundant LIFE to be lived than the life without end that Christ gives to those whom He has chosen to live with Him in the new Heaven and the renewed earth, wherein dwells righteousness. We cannot boast of anything, but Christ, for it was all of Him and through Him.
For 40 years, I have been a keen Bible student. In all those years I have found nothing in the Word of God that could possibly cast doubt on its claim to be inspired by God. It is authentic.
It is the only reliable way to know Christ as the source of true learning, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. By searching the Bible you will find Jesus Christ to be the answer to every problem - and you will gain instruction in right and successful ways of living, and also of governing the country and preventing permissive decadence. Truly the Bible is worth reading and worth believing.
I therefore say on the authority of Christ that the Bible is true no matter what people say about it. Heaven and hell are not optional extras - they are realities, even if no one believes in them, but the Gospel is the good news that Christ died for lost sinners.
God's Word teaches that there is a Divine Law upon the individual soul where Christ reigns. It is Christ's law of love, fulfilling the Ten Commandments. There is also Sovereign Law, appointed by God for external conduct, where Her Majesty's government reigns. That law has the Ten Commandments as its standard.
Despite what so many people falsely claim, Australia does have a current operative Bill of Rights which operates in our favour for just so long as we remain a Christian Constitutional Monarchy. It is upheld for us by our Queen by her Coronation Oath, by God's Laws, and by the various Oaths of Office.
This Bill of Rights is entrenched in the Commonwealth Constitution, and this is confirmed by the Imperial Acts Application Acts of each State, by numerous Court cases, and now this month it has been confirmed in writing by the Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Hon. Denver Beanland, after he received legal advice on the matter. Several other Attorneys-General have also provided similar letters of confirmation.
It is the centuries-old traditional Coronation Oath, together with the Commonwealth Constitution, that makes Australia a Christian nation, and a free country. It has nothing to do with church attendance, but everything to do with living in a society with Biblical spiritual foundations.
Originally these laws were to prevent the Royals from becoming dictators. Now they operate in Australia to prevent Prime Ministers or governments from becoming dictatorial and wielding too much power over us.
Republicans or those with ambitions of ultimate control on a grand scale, do not like our Bill of Rights because it is there to keep the powers of our rulers in check so we can retain true freedom.
No wonder Centralists in the Canberra want to do away with our Constitutional Monarchy which was designed to save us from oppressive dictatorship. It even proves that there is no supremacy of parliament allowed in Australia, because God is supreme, and the Queen must uphold God's laws over man-made laws, by her power of veto if need be.
God tells us to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20.27) and to publish and not conceal anything (Jer.50.2).
Therefore I have campaigned for 26 years for God's Laws to be taken seriously in our modern society, especially in our schools, parliaments, and courts, and for our Christian rights to be upheld.
However the outcome depends on God, not on me, for He has prophesied the decline of Christian influence through a special famine that He will bring upon us.
For Bible believers these are very exciting times in which to be living, because we are seeing so many prophecies coming to pass before our eyes. Some were prophesied in the Old Testament, some in the New.
I will read you one that is currently being fulfilled. It is recorded in the Old Testament in the book of Amos, chapter 8, verse 11. God gave it to me through a radio programme last week because it fits so well into this talk. I quote from the King James version:
The important thing to notice in that text is that it is the Almighty Sovereign God who brings about this lack of hearing of His Words, and God Himself who decrees that His Words will not be available to certain people. He is causing this to happen right here in Australia, in this land of plenty - we have plenty to eat and drink, and plenty of churches and Bibles, but we are hearing less and less of God's Truth - the words that give eternal life to all who believe.
Apart from the compulsory prayer that is said to open Parliament each day, God and His Laws are rarely mentioned or taken into account by our Parliamentarians, except in the case of Rev.Fred Nile in New South Wales , and now Mrs.Liz Cunningham in Queensland.
Despite the fact that a requirement for Bible readings in the classroom has been entrenched in the Education Act for 86 years - put there by referendum in 1910 - the Goss government changed the wording of the Act without a vote on it, nor any regard to my own and many other protests and requests for another referendum.
Today, as God predicted, there is a famine, a widespread scarcity of God's Word, in schools, or on radio or TV, as used to be the case, or written in newspaper columns or magazines.
The hearing of the Word of Truth is also decreasing in those churches where congregations are losing members, because God is fulfilling His prophecy to send a famine. So many young people are starving spiritually, because of the shortcomings of the older generation.
Australia was a country greatly blessed by God and the hearing of His Word, but we have now become a nation where the influence of Christianity in public life has almost disappeared. This is a punishment being brought on us by God, because so many church and political leaders are wolves in sheep's clothing. They no longer teach, believe or uphold the basic Biblical teachings - i.e.
This was a treasure worth guarding, but Australians have angered God by failing to guard what was entrusted to them. That is why Australia is in so much trouble as we near the 21st century.
I will now document various research findings from experts in their fields:
Arnold Toynbee, for years Research Professor in International History at the London University, and Director of Studies at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, wrote in Study of History that nearly all nations have perished from internal moral decadence. He emphasized, "There is right and there is wrong."
Professor E.Blaiklock, a famous classical historian, confirmed that
Professor Blaiklock warned that this is the beginning of the end, unless there are sufficient intelligent, courageous leaders, or people become frightened enough, or there is a great revival of faith, to cause the country to return to its original greatness and high ideals.
Dr. J.D.Unwin, Cambridge University, in his book Sex and Culture, stated that all civilizations which have arisen have been monogamous and ruled by men. They remained strong so long as this way of life was maintained but when they departed from this standard they finally disappeared. Dr.Unwin said that all history showed there is no exception to this. (which means no feminist or homosexual society has ever survived or gone on to greatness, so what are these minority groups trying to do to us?).
He concluded his book by stating how strange it is that each civilization in turn, with all this evidence before them, still proceeded to go the same way, by breaking down the standard that is basic to their existence and continued survival. Australia is also following suit.
Professor P.Sorokin, Harvard University, is quoted in support of the fact that all societies which have attempted to live without a civic code based on a specific religious belief, have disintigrated. In order to survive a country must stay monocultural. It can be multi-racial, but to try to organize a country under conflicting cultural standards is a death wish. Australia will prosper again only if we return to our roots - the Christian monoculture.
Despite many warnings, the West seems determined to self-destruct, and I include specifically a little about England, America and Australia:
Dr. Graham Leonard, the Bishop of London, (in a lecture he delivered in Missouri, USA, in September 1987) said that the West is in crisis because "it has rejected the one essential belief" that it held for centuries -
The Bishop went on to say that real freedom is lost when absolute authority is given to what people say are self-evident truths, but which, in fact, are only contemporary fashions.
People think that principles and values are "no more than statements about the likes and dislikes, desires and aversions, of those who hold them." Thinking this way leads to violence because it has no standard of right and wrong to use as an unbiassed method of judging.
So if you are wondering why some societies are displaying a culture of violence, don't point to guns - point to the declining influence of Chrstianity in the world and the rejection of Christ as King of kings.
Lord Devlin, famous law lord of the House of Lords, and distinguished Judge in England, wrote in his book The Enforcement of Morals as follows:-
Rev.Dr. Michael Green, adviser in Evangelism to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, is reported in 'The Times' 30/11/93, as saying:
When I was young I began collecting things, the older and more antique, the better. Now one of my daughters has taken up my collecting hobby.
In my collection I have what is branded as 'The World's Smallest Dictionary'. It is contained in a small metal case with a hinged front cover that has a magnifying glass built into it, for the print is too small to read. It measures probably about an inch by half an inch and a little over a quarter of an inch thick. It is a Webster's Dictionary and was produced as an advertisement for a brand of printing ink.
I have read that when Noah Webster published the first American Dictionary in 1828, he used Bible verses as definitions. In his day there was no false wall dividing private faith and public service. He was an author, teacher, and preacher who founded a college and also served in Congress.
Mr.Webster understood what too many today have forgotten or never known: i.e. the importance of Christian faith to public institutions in a democratic country.
Yet in recent times in America, there has been controversy and debate over the role of religion in public life and the role that Christians should play in politics. Much of what I will be saying about Australia has also been written about America. However, it is encouraging to read in an American magazine I received recently, that the writer is forecasting that America's 1996 election may be decided by the religious vote.
In Australia it is acknowledged that our culture is in crisis. It also came into crisis because of the decline of the influence of Christianity in government, in education and in public life. The nation to its peril has turned its back on God, Christ is the only answer to society's problems, and only His way will work in the long term. His side is the winning side.
Here is a list of Australia's problems caused by turning from God:-
One of the good things about being in my age group is that we have the advantage of knowing where we've been as well as where we are going. We lived over half a lifetime under a system that allowed for the relevance, compassion, and benevolent love of God, and now we are retired under the modern welfare system that is based on the false expectation of government meeting every need and providing every solution to our problems.
It is not a workable system, and it is judged by renowned sociologists as helping to cause the destruction of every civilization that remained too long entangled in its unethical philosophy. Already our welfare state is being regularly measured by the depth of its failures, brought about by the cycle of stealing from Peter to pay, not only Paul, but also the army of bureaucrats who make it their career to operate a system that the family and the church used to do freely for love of Christ. It has been said that we now live better, but we no longer live nobly.
Those of us who have wisdom derived from the past, know that IF the lessons of history are not well and truly learnt, the terrible events of history will be repeated.
Biblical absolutes are the values that keep civilization together. Christian values such as "Worship God and serve Him only," "Do not commit adultery," "Do not steal," "Do not shed innocent blood," "Flee fornication," "Keep away from every appearance of evil," "Work no ill to your neighbour," "Love one another as Christ loves you," and there are many more - these are the values worth defending, for they are the values with eternal significance and they are above any questions of race, gender, class and power.
God is love and He produces love in the human heart. There is no other way to produce true love. "Love is the fulfilling of the law," "Love is patient, kind, unselfish, does not envy and is not easily provoked." With God's love we can love those we do not even like. It is the "agape" love as described by Paul in 1 Cor. chapter 13.
Political correctness is the great enemy of Christian values for it does not legislate tolerance, it only organizes hatred.
Political correctness tells us that truth depends on our point of view. Therefore one person's 'truth' is as unreliable as every other person's 'truth. Christ is Truth and there is no other valid point of view.
Honour and virtue are becoming increasingly rare. Cheating, lying, sex outisde marriage and violence are more acceptable, almost a way of life.
Society is failing to teach right and wrong as found in the Biblical absolutes. We are suffering from moral poverty, which puts us in a worse position than financial poverty. I grew up through the Great Depression, but moral poverty was not evident as a problem then as it is today.'
We live an amazing contradiction, being cynical and gullible at the one time. We are sceptical about many things that we should believe - such as the infallibility of God's Word. We blindly accept many things that we should question, such as the so-called 'supremacy of Parliament'.
We distrust politicians, journalists, and TV and film-makers, because we know that they have often deceived us, but strangely, we look to these very people as our primary sources of information and as our interpreters of reality.
But we trust our fellow citizens (parents, workers, businessmen, etc) less and less This weakens our communities, our economy and our civil society, including families. Goodwill, ethical norms and expectations are diminishing. We can already see the beginning of a type of enforced cooperation with others, under a system of regulation by legislation.
Thankfully, in all this confusion, the child of God is not dependent on the fluctuating opinions of men for his belief in the Scriptures. His faith is wrought in him inwardly by the Holy Spirit.
There is an explosion of laws and regulations. The State dictates how we are to educate our children, earn our living, guard our health, care for our communities, and even how to worship God. We look to the government to provide a range of services that would be better left to the private sector, responsibilities that we once proudly undertook for ourselves.
This shows a growing lack of confidence in ourselves. We say that problems are too big and complex for us to handle, so the state must intervene. This is a move from Christian principles to socialism.
The breakdown of the family, rather than poverty, race or any other factor, is now being almost universally cited as the real root cause of rising rates of drug abuse, teen suicide, abortion, academic failure, welfare dependency, and violent crime.
However, as I have been pointing out for 26 years, it was the humanist school curricula since World War II that ousted the Christian philosophy in State education and had the most damaging effect on families and society.
This preceded the breakdown of the family and actually undermined parental authority and Christian absolutes so severely as to be the real cause behind the root cause.
My husband and I had seven children going to school over a period of 41 years, and we carefully monitored the decline of Christian influence in State schools. We did not like what we saw and heard.
We transferred our youngest son to a Christian school and then I later set up my own private school (with 50 students over five years) specifically so that they could avoid the anti-family anti-Christian values being promoted in High Schools in the 70s and 80s.
I also campaigned for the Christian philosophy of Education, and for parents rights to homeschool as God expects.
We are losing the ability to transcend our own immediate concerns to understand other human beings and their circumstances. Some of us are becoming remote from a victim's suffering or misfortune as though having no sense of their pain, whereas we should be like the Good Samaritan who devoted himself to the man injured by robbers.
Millions of people still attend church and profess to believe in God, the Creator of the universe, but their faith may not extend to practical living based on Biblical absolutes, with Christ being the guiding force in everything.
The Bible tells us of Christ's dislike for lukewarm followers, for it means that many people who say they believe don't take God seriously enough to stand up and be counted as on Christ's side - but Christ's side is the winning side, the only side worth being on!
God has personal involvement with individuals whom He chooses. He also has corporate involvement with nations as He chooses. Individuals are saved on the basis of Christ's dealings with them, but those who live in countries that lack real involvement with God (the Bible calls them 'goat nations') will suffer from the famine of the hearing of the Word.
That was the position the aborigines were in before God sent them the Gospel via the early missionaries, thus overcoming their famine of God's Word, and enabling many of them to be saved from hell. What God did for them, He also does for others
In terms of census percentages Christians are still the largest group in Australia, but in terms of God's stated claim to the tithe, i.e. only one-tenth, I believe loss of faith in a country shows that God is in control over who will be allowed to be counted as God's people. The Bible teaches that salvation is all of the Lord - He does the choosing.
One thing is certain, however, when God's number is reached and that last individual is converted, then the day of the Lord shall come as God prophecied in 2 Peter 3.10, with great noise, extreme brightness, a melting of the elements and the burning up of the heavens and the present earth. Christ will provide us with a new heavens and a new earth in which to live, where there is no more sin or death.
However, before this can happen, the Bible says that there must a falling away from the faith first (2 Thess.2, 2&3).
Details of this are also prophesied in 2 Timothy 3.1-8, 12&13, where we are told to expect, and not be surprised at, the perilous times that will come, with many types of sinful behaviour, including coveting, blaspheming, being disobedient to parents, unthankful, without natural affection, despisers of those who are good, and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
The fact that these things are all happening, including the decline in the influence of Christianity, is proof that God is at work in human affairs. He is the One who causes prophecies to be fulfilled.
Most people want a nation of safe streets, but are not agreed on how to achieve this ideal. The answer will be found only by those who are prepared to learn the details of our Constitutional Monarchy in the context of our English history and inherited Liberty Laws, and then accept the supremacy of God's Laws over man's feeble attempts at lawmaking without even considering His absolute standards.
Our rulers must realise that it is totally unlawful for them to breach the citizens' rights under the Bill of Rights and Magna Carta in order to disarm Australia and make us totally defenceless. They are exploiting a tragic massacre so as to obey their masters in the United Nations who called for our "general and complete disarmament" in 1983, under the terms of The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. " Total Disarmament means total loss of safety for every Australian. It is too horrible to contemplate.
When it came time for God to fulfil the 300-odd ancient prophecies about Christ made during the 4,000 years covered by the Old Testament, God prepared a body for His Son so that He could enter into this world's affairs as the God/Man.
As a man He lived, died, and rose again from the dead. Finally in the sight of His friends, a cloud took him back into heaven, where He now reigns in His glorious resurrection body, as the victorious King with absolute dominion and authority, over every country and over ownership of land. As King of kings, He owns everything.
Under God, the land has its lords and heirs, its owners, in rightful delegated dominion, and God, in His mercy, and by His everlasting Law-Word, protects our personal rights - such as right to life, to faith in God, to family, to good reputation, to self-defence, to property ownership, etc.
Sir Edward Coke, Chief Justice of England who died in 1634, believed this so strongly that he made this notable statement:
He also said:
In 1814 Thomas Jefferson wrote on Coke's Institutes:
In 1688, 50-odd years after the death of Sir Edward Coke, our God-given rights were carefully written down as a Bill of Rights by a committee chaired by Baron John Somers.
A Coronation Oath was also prepared by the church at the same time, so that no king or queen from then on could be crowned without first acknowledging Christ as King over all earthly kings and swearing to uphold and defend the Christian faith and the laws of God.
All earthly rulers, whether they believe in God or not, are accountable to Christ as King, and to encourage the extension of His Church. Those that will not are called by Christ "goat nations".
In obedience to almost 300 years of this valuable tradition, our Queen Elizabeth II also swore this required oath and signed it in 1953. She (like all other monarchs before her) promised before God and her people never to allow either the Bill of Rights nor Magna Carta to be diminished or denied by anyone.
Our State and Federal Governments also did this when they worded their Constitutions, their Oaths of Allegiance, Oaths of Office and the Opening Parliamentary Prayers that incorporate these ideals and acknowledge that Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords.
The task for God's people now is to reverse the decline in Christianity as an influence on society. To do this they must apply the victory and authority that Christ has won to every area of life, including government, education, the media, etc.
There is only one answer to Australia's troubles - the answer that provides for strong families, schools that work, marriages that last, smaller government, lower taxes, and rights that are derived from God, not the state. It is this: Stop saying "We will not have this man to rule over us," and start restoring Christ's role as King of kings in this country that belongs to Him.
God's ideal is for children to be nurtured by capable God-fearing parents who have made a lifelong commitment to each other within the Biblical institution of marriage. This gives them stability and consistency in their lives, and the many moral and practical lessons that are better taught in the context of daily family life than anywhere else. Above all they need the lifelong love that God provides through stable God-fearing parents.
Australia achieved happiness and contentment because earlier generations honoured God, and respected 'people of faith' in public life. Nowadays those like myself who want to continue promoting the system that never fails are for some strange reason labelled fanatics and extremist fundamentalists. I remember not so long ago that the Christian way of life was the norm in Australian society.
There is a way back to real lasting contentment, joy and happiness. But it will come only as a result of a revival of Biblical absolutes in lawmaking. From Parliament laws will flow out to restore education, which in turn will restore the family unit, marriage commitment, daily living, the work-place, the media, and entertainment.
Social collapse began with 30 years of detrimental education; Social restoratiion will need to start with Parliament because laws are the means of educating the population generally. Faulty education led to faulty laws and the destruction of values, but it will take godly government and godly laws to re-educate an entire generation such as yours, that has already suffered the loss of true absolutes and effective time-honoured values.
We have many reasons to count our blessings and to expect a bright future for Australia. There are probably millions of people who, for the most part, do defend our values, do tell the truth, do live honourably and virtuously, do live up to high moral standards, do exhibit trust, independence and empathy, who do build strong families, and who courageously witness to their faith.
For over 200 years we have found ways of overcoming adversity and succeeding against all odds. Though they may sometimes be threatened, our best qualities do have a way of resurfacing when we need them most.
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson produced the Declaration of Independence which is really a list of indictments against King George III and the British government. That list and my 1996 list of complaints against our recent governments can both be expressed using the same words:
The Declaration of Independence was to prove to the world that the American colonists were not rebelling - they were fighting to preserve their rights. And so are Christians in Australia 220 years later!
I will conclude with an abbreviated list of the Rights that our Commonwealth Constitution guarantees:-
The Commonwealth Constitution forbids the appointment of senators or representatives who take a fee or benefit from another, or who is influenced by groups other than his electorate, or who gives allegiance or adherence to a foreign power.
We will progressively lose these rights the further we move away from Christian principles. The decline of Christianity is being followed by the decline in individual rights and freedoms and an increase in permissiveness in modern society.
We need to recognize that our laws and rights have their origins from God, and our lawmakers have to legislate under the dominion of Christ.
Our legislators in turning to human wisdom have brought about a famine of hearing the Word of Truth, and for this Australia - each one of us - is suffering.
The symptoms of the resulting crisis are well-known to us all. As surely as day follows night, history will repeat itself.
Christ is the only answer. We need to turn back to living under His rule in everything. We will then know the liberty that was enjoyed by our forefathers.
I will end my speech by quoting the words of a leading NON-CHRISTIAN French philosopher, Albert Camus, who lived from 1913 to 1960, and was a Nobel prize-winner in 1957:
Before I go I will show you some overheads of various documents, as under:-
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"61. The Executive Power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Queen and is exercisable by the Governor-General as the Queen's representative, and extends to the execution and maintenance of this Constitution, and of the laws of the Commonwealth." "62. There shall be a Federal Executive Council to advise the Governor-General in the government of the Commonwealth, and the members of the Council shall be chosen and summoned by the Governor-General and sworn as Executive Councillors, and shall hold office during his pleasure." "63. The provisions of this Constitution referring to the Governor-General in Council shall be construed as referring to the Governor-General acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council." "64. The Governor-General may appoint officers to administer such departments of State of the Commonwealth as the Governor-General in Council may establish. Such officers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor-General. They shall be members of the Federal Executive Council, and shall be the Queen's Ministers of State for the Commonwealth." |
Restraints on Rulers According to Constitution: These apply throughout Australia, because both the Preamble and Secs.61 and 118 guarantee that all Australian citizens enjoy the protection of England's Biblical laws. These laws operate currently for our benefit because we inherited them by virtue of the Constitution, the Queen's Coronation Oath and the various Oaths of Allegiance, as well as the States' Imperial Acts Application Acts which name Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights as operative State laws forever.
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"119. The Commonwealth shall protect every State against invasion and, on the application of the Executive Government of the State, against domestic violence." |
Please note that application for help from the Commonwealth must come from the States and NOT be imposed on them, as the Prime Minister had just done in the State Gun Laws.
Restraints on Rulers According to God's Word: These apply to all nations, because Jesus Christ is King over all kings and rulers. All are accountable if they override His laws, for they are the set standard, whether or not they accept them. Federal Parliament prays each day that "God's will (not man's) be done on earth (in every nation -i.e. in our case, specifically Australia)."
State Rights are protected by Constitution Section 51 which causes Legislative Powers of the Commonwealth to be limited.
Section 118 forces the Commonwealth to recognize State Laws.
The Minister for Education in his reply included the following: "Neither this Government nor previous Labor Governments under various Ministers have ever told school communities whom they can invite into their schools to speak to their students on particular matters. This is not a Government that wishes to censor school communities in that way."
You may click on this Link to read the actual entry in the relevant Parliamentary Hansard in .PDF format (needs Acrobat to view) - When loaded press the 'binocular button' and search for 'Rona' or scroll down 18 pages to Page 1804 'Questions Without Notice' for 24 Jul 1996 and the heading 'Mrs R. Joyner; Speakers in Schools'.