Social Concerns Archives - Page 4 of 45

February 26, 2024February 26, 2024

Social Isolation Affects the Heart

We have mentioned before the role the Church has in fighting loneliness, including anxiety, depression, dementia, and thoughts of suicide. Now, heart specialists and the United States Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, have expanded the negative role of loneliness. Murthy says that “feeling disconnected from friends and family has the same impact as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, the physical effects of loneliness include a 29% higher risk of heart disease, a 32% higher risk of stroke, a 50% increased risk of developing dementia, and a 60% increase in premature death. The bottom line is that social isolation affects the heart.

The importance of being actively involved with people, such as in a church congregation, cannot be over-emphasized. “Going to church” for an hour once a week does not help much in dealing with this issue. The Church described in Acts 2:41-47 was a group of believers who met together daily. Not only were they together sharing meals and times of worship, but they addressed each other’s needs. Church leaders today must understand that being active in a church cannot happen if the church is not active. I had a brother who was an atheist and retreated from family and all social contact. Alcoholics Anonymous was his only tool to fight social isolation, and his participation in that program was very sporadic. He died prematurely of heart failure.

Hebrews 10:24-25 gives a formula for avoiding social isolation. “Let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another with a view to arousing one another to brotherly love and right conduct; not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together as some do, but encouraging one another…” Church attendance is declining worldwide, and much of that is because people see no value in what the Church is doing. Saving souls is important, but contributing to each other’s well-being must not be neglected because social isolation affects the heart.

Reference: “Loneliness and Social Isolation Are Hidden Threats to the Heart” in the Cleveland Clinic Heart Advisor for February 2024 (Volume 24B).

February 22, 2024February 19, 2024

The Transgender Issue in Women’s Sports

The transgender issue in women’s sports grows nearly every day. As we have mentioned previously, biological males have an advantage when they claim to be females and participate in women’s sports. Here are some examples of this issue in women’s sports:

Lia Thomas is a six-foot-four-inch biological male who ranked in the 400s in the men’s swimming division but is now a top-ranked swimmer in the women’s division.

Valentina Petrillo is a biological male who identifies as transgender and won the women’s 400-meter bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris in July of 2023.

Austin Kippips is a biological male who finished five minutes ahead of all female competitors to win the Belgian Waffle Ride, a 131-mile cycling event in North Carolina, in June of 2023.

Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood ranked first and second in Connecticut in the girls’ 55-meter dash. Previously, they had ranked 120th and 195th in the male category.

In addition to the locker room and restroom problems, coed dormitory issues in private colleges, and now women’s sports issues, the pressure on legislators to do something is growing. However, this issue continues without any action for fear of the political consequences.

We need to keep in mind the growing transgender issue in women’s sports when we vote for politicians. God designed our bodies, and when we make changes to what God created, we invite pain and suffering for everyone.

Reference: Family Research Council

February 21, 2024February 19, 2024

Extending Life Without Quality of Life

One of the challenges produced by the progress in medicine is the question of the role of doctors when a patient nears the time of death. In the old days, doctors had a code that said they would “do no harm,” which resulted in extending life without quality of life.

I had a personal experience with this issue when my disabled son Timothy was in the hospital after contracting COVID from a care worker. Doctors told me that Tim would never recover, but they had to give him a standard COVID treatment. Tim did survive but was not allowed to have any contact with family. He could not talk, was blind, could not stand or sit up, and could not feed himself. Eventually he was placed in a nursing home where I was allowed to visit him, and I did weekly. Although he could hear me, he was unable to respond. I read to him, tried to feed him, and ensured his stuffed animals were around him. After more than a year in the nursing home, he died.

The question in a case like Timothy’s becomes whether a doctor should be allowed to assist in dying when the apparent result was extending life without quality of life. Laws in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Canada allow doctors to administer euthanasia. The next step in these countries is to allow physicians to provide medical assistance in dying for the mentally ill. Canada has delayed the implementation of that option for physicians until 2027 to allow doctors and facilities time to adjust to this new law. Peter Singer, the DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, has advocated for euthanasia for virtually any cause.

For Christians, the issue is especially relevant. The New Testament in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says that God’s Spirit lives in our bodies and that the body is sacred for that reason. I Corinthians 6:15-17 uses that view to explain why prostitution is a sin. As modern medical science has advanced to the point of extending human life, it has also found ways to eliminate pain, but my son never showed evidence of suffering from pain. The problem remains of extending life without quality of life.

Euthanasia involves the same issues as abortion. Singer would empty prisons, nursing homes, and mental facilities by applying euthanasia to the people there. The fact is that much of the money spent on medical treatment is spent during the last year of life. Think of the savings if we were to eliminate everyone deemed to be within a year of dying. Do we really want to live in a culture that uses death as a means of removing a person who is inconvenient or difficult to sustain? But isn’t that what abortion is all about?

— John N. Clayton 2024

Reference: “Canada again delays assisted dying for the mentally ill” on BBC News for February 1, 2024.

February 19, 2024February 18, 2024

Warnings from the Past by George Washington

Today is President’s Day in the United States, and it seems appropriate to think about some warnings from the past by our first president. On September 19, 1796, George Washington spoke to the young United States about the dangers the future could bring. It was his farewell address as president, and he said many prescient things as if he could see into the country’s future. He was not a prophet who could see the future, but he was a student of the past and knew the history of other nations.

Washington warned against minor factions bending the laws to put their needs above the needs of others. He warned about the dangers of excessive partisanship, making dangerous foreign alliances, going into debt, and engaging in unnecessary wars. He said the country must follow the Constitution, which creates checks and balances between the government’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches. He saw the dangers of allowing a consolidation of power into one branch or person because of selfish human nature. He did not want to be a king, and he did not want the nation to be under a human king.

Of George Washington’s many warnings from the past, there is none more important than his warning about the need for religion and morality to preserve the country. Here is a portion of what Washington had to say about that:

“Of all the dispostions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensible supports. … Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. … reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

Thus, Washington said that morality is essential for preserving the nation and that morality cannot be maintained without religion. He also noted that “institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge” are of primary importance. The message of the Does God Exist? ministry is that scientific knowledge is compatible with faith in God. More than that, knowledge of the teachings of Jesus Christ and a faith commitment to follow Him leads to morality. Washington’s warnings from the past call for the strengthening of knowledge and religious faith. Today, the United States needs more leaders who share Washington’s wisdom.

Reference: Wikipedia.org – We have also quoted other founders of the United States on religious faith HERE, HERE, and HERE.

February 14, 2024February 13, 2024

Ministering to the Needy and Homeless

Across the United States, church officials are threatened with prison time for helping homeless people. Churches in Bryan, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Tempe, Arizona; Houston, Texas; Santa Ana, California; Brookings, Oregon; and Pottstown, Pennsylvania, have been threatened with legal action by city authorities for ministering to the needy and homeless.

The problem in these cities is that zoning laws and codes prohibit churches from serving food or providing shelter for people who are in need. When churches violate those rules, the police are required to shut down the services. In the cases cited, the cities offer no alternatives for churches ministering to the needy and homeless.

Jesus made it clear that His followers should meet the needs of those without life’s essentials. He said in Matthew 25:31-40 that His followers should provide people in need with food, water, clothing, medical help, and shelter for the homeless. He expects His followers to provide counseling and support for those in prison.

Eric Tars, the legal director at the National Homelessness Law Center, said, “You’re very much damned if you do, damned if you don’t.… Officials would have thrown the innkeeper in jail for offering his manger to Joseph and Mary because it wasn’t zoned for residency and didn’t meet the fire code.”

This situation is only going to get worse as migrants are bused into cities and left to fend for themselves. The secular world is not going to help them, and, as is always the case, it will be up to churches to find a way to address their needs. There are creative ways to address the problem, but any help will involve cost. The bottom line is whether churches want to do what Jesus taught His followers by ministering to the needy and homeless.

Reference: “Could helping the homeless get you criminal charges? More churches getting in trouble” by Claire Thronton on USA Today

January 12, 2024January 10, 2024

The History of Scams

How old are scams, and how have they affected their victims? Some older folks believe that we live in a unique age of scams, but the truth is they have existed throughout human history. The history of scams began when Eve was scammed by the serpent. The Bible describes the consequences of many cases in which someone was lied to, scammed, or misled.

Scams offer to make the victims more intelligent or attractive or benefit them financially. The line the serpent gave to Eve was, “In the day that you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you shall be like gods.” The Bible says, “The woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (Genesis 3:4-6). The history of scams shows the same approach used up until modern times.

In the 1860s, the vibrating exercise belt was advertised as a way to shake away fat and tone muscles (it does neither). In the 1920s and for several decades after, the Charles Atlas fitness regimen urged people to drink up to five quarts of milk a day to be fit. Today, there are many claims of ointments, devices, and programs designed to improve people’s looks or offset typical afflictions of old age. Today’s scams have popular names attached to them and make ridiculous claims of what they will do.

The tragedy of modern scams is that people spend money trying to look better when they could use that money to feed hungry people or relieve pain and suffering in the world. If their belief system is “survival of the fittest,” they might even lose their life savings trying to be “fit.” Falling for a scam is an exercise in futility that wastes time, money, and energy while producing disappointment, anger, and frustration.

God calls us to be more concerned with our inner beauty than our exterior beauty. Each stage of life is an experience, and we can enjoy the journey from birth to death if we rely on God’s plan for our lives. Just as Satan scammed Eve in the Garden of Eden, he is after each of us today. We must learn from the history of scams and avoid the forbidden fruit the scammers offer. We can use our time and money to obey God’s teaching to make this world a better place.

January 3, 2024January 2, 2024

Gender Reassignment Liability Laws

Gender reassignment liability laws are a significant challenge facing doctors. Those laws allow people who have been given gender-modification drugs or surgery as minors to sue for injuries many years later. In Mississippi, the statute of limitations is 30 years. The problem with transgender medical care is that the long-term effects of medication are unknown, and surgical actions are irreversible.

Feeling that you have the mind of a female in the body of a male (or vice-versa) creates all kinds of difficulties. There is a massive need for scientific investigation of the causes of trans behavior and alternatives that avoid medical intervention. The Bible says God created male and female (Genesis 1:27), and our bodies are not designed for gender changes.

It is a scientific fact that male and female bodies are not identical. We are not just talking about genitalia but also size, muscle distribution, strength, and respiratory capacity. The list of lawsuits from female athletes claiming that trans athletes have an unfair advantage over them is vast and growing. In one case, a girl was hospitalized when she was hit in the face by a volleyball spiked by a trans girl on an opposing team. The injured girl said she was used to spikes from girls on opposing teams, but the male body of the trans girl was beyond what she had seen before.

This whole situation is a mess. Before we saturate young people with drugs and surgery, we need to discover their real needs and address those issues. Years from now, gender reassignment liability laws may become a huge issue for medical personnel.

January 2, 2024January 1, 2024

Loneliness Crisis Is Deadly

A recent USA Today article gathered data from the University of Michigan and Harvard University, showing that loneliness has increased dramatically in the United States. According to the article, 61% of adults ages 18 to 25 feel profound loneliness. Harvard professor Jeremy Nobel has established an initiative called “Project Unlonely” to address this loneliness crisis.

Professor Nobel classifies three types of loneliness:
(1) Psychological loneliness – not having anyone to trust or confide in
(2) Societal loneliness – feeling systemically excluded because of such things as gender, race, or disability
(3) Spiritual loneliness – feeling disconnected from oneself.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory report says that loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 26%, equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The American Heart Association says that feeling lonely increases a person’s risk of heart disease by 29% and stroke by 32%, indicating that the loneliness crisis is deadly.

The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says that the solution to loneliness is to take 15 minutes a day to reach out to someone you care about or look for ways to serve others. He says that when we are with someone else, we must give them our full attention and put away our devices. He further states that schools, companies, and healthcare facilities must adopt strategies to reduce loneliness.

Nowhere in the USA Today article is the Church mentioned. The fact is that the teachings of Christ offer a real solution to loneliness. Read Acts 2:41-47, and you will see an excellent cure for loneliness. Read Matthew 25:31-40 and see what Jesus considers essential in how we live our lives. Christians can avoid the loneliness crisis by becoming active in building relationships and serving others.

Having a relationship with Christ gives us an understanding of our purpose for existing. Loneliness results from a world dominated by “survival of the fittest” and “looking after # 1.” The loneliness crisis in America has become an epidemic and is just part of the collateral damage that comes from rejecting God.

Reference: “Americans are lonely, and it’s killing them” by Adrianna Rodriques in USA Today 12/27/23

December 14, 2023December 12, 2023

What the Future Holds

Many people question what the future holds for America, and they are answering that question in various ways. Surveys in 2023 report that 39% of millennials and 40% of Gen Zers have spent money on “prepping.” These surveys show that 30% of all Americans are taking steps toward emergency preparedness.

Election anger is one of the reasons cited for fear of destruction characterized by widespread looting. Retired Air Force Col. Drew Miller has established “Fortitude Ranch” with seven compounds around the country equipped with weapons and food storage to withstand societal collapse.

Obviously, we have no way of knowing what the future holds. But Christianity is not vulnerable no matter what happens. Christians were present when the Roman Empire collapsed, and Christianity grew during that period. Other countries have collapsed, but the Christians who lived there continued and sometimes did well.

In Matthew 24:6-7 Jesus said, “You shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see to it that you are not troubled: for all these things shall come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in various places.” He went on to say that even His followers would be affected by all of this, but they would be saved in the end.

I hope that the followers of Christ in America are numerous enough and convicted enough to save what the politicians might destroy. Even if not, we are in a greater kingdom than any on Earth now or in the past. Our preparation for what the future holds should be to continue to do what Jesus called us to do in helping others and providing whatever we can for those in need. We must not become part of the problem.

Reference: USA Today

December 11, 2023December 10, 2023

Pain and Suffering Do Not Disprove God

Despite statements by atheists and skeptics, pain and suffering do not disprove God. Skeptics question how a person can believe in God when there is so much pain and suffering in the world. Several atheists have said that this is the best argument against the existence of God. This challenge is very weak, but many people use it as a tool to support their rejection of God. However, they are overlooking several vital facts:

1-Atheism offers no real alternative to the question of pain and suffering. If you have no purpose in existing, how do you deal with pain and suffering? All atheism can suggest is when pain is too severe, kill yourself. The massive increase in suicides, especially in older people, is because they see no purpose in their existence. Those of us who believe in God know that evil and good do exist, and we are part of the war between them. Chapters 1 and 2 of Job make that clear.

2-Pain and suffering do not disprove God because they are caused mainly by humans who reject God’s plan for life. War, murder, abuse, most diseases, and all socially caused pain are produced by humans. Do we really expect God to straighten out every mess we create? Blaming God for most of the pain in the world cannot be justified.

3-Atheism does nothing to relieve the pain in the world. Atheism calls for no sacrifice to battle pain and suffering because of its dogma of “survival of the fittest” and believing that humans are just animals. Ask yourself how many atheist organizations around the world are fighting disease, social problems, and the results of war and crime. Atheist groups don’t build hospitals and schools or operate shelters and offer food, water, and clothing to those in need. Read Matthew 25:34-40 and see what Jesus calls His followers to be and do.

4-Atheists and skeptics see nothing positive in pain and suffering. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul talks about his “thorn in the flesh” and its benefits to him. He says, “My strength is made complete in weakness” and “I am content in infirmities, ill-treatment, for when I am weak, I am strong.”

I have had a lot of pain in my life, including the death of a child and a wife and personal abuse from a wide range of sources. All of this has reinforced my life’s purpose and direction. I have seen the promise of God working in my life. “No trial will come your way but that which all mankind endures. But you can trust God not to allow you to suffer beyond your powers of endurance, but when you are tested, He will make a way out so that you will be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Pain and suffering do not disprove God. Nobody likes pain of any kind, but rejecting God because of it is allowing a false message to destroy our purpose for existing.