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The Commentary

Never mind the evidence!

I think it was the evangelist of a previous generation, David Watson, who told of presenting the case for Christ at a university to find a student responding aggressively: ‘I know what I believe. Don’t confuse me with the facts!’

But that same attitude is becoming increasingly commonplace in our public life. At the beginning of March, Prime Minister in waiting, Gordon Brown, again ruled out tax breaks to encourage marriage. Earlier the Education Secretary Alan Johnson gave a speech in which he was reported as ‘attacking marriage’, saying that children can be brought up just as effectively by single mothers. Now, whereas individual cases might happily buck the trend, the clear evidence of all the research is that ‘children of two-parent families just do a lot better on every measurement than those from single parent or step-families’ (Robert Whelan, Civitas).

Then again, back in January, the British Medical Journal published a fine editorial by Dr. Trevor Stammers which explained that, despite increasing provision for sex education, teenage sexual health in the UK is in overall decline, with increasing rates of abortions and sexually-transmitted diseases in under 18s. He explained that research showed that encouraging youngsters to delay first intercourse is a key to improving the situation. However, guess what? The Govern-ment continues to tell us that the answer lies in earlier sex education and the promotion of ‘safe sex’, (BMJ, January 20 2007, vol.334). According to some GP friends, a similar ignoring of medical implications of homosexual acts relates to the introduction of SORs this month.

Ostrich-like

But this kind of ostrich-like behaviour is not limited to PC politicians. It spills over to scientists and movie-makers too. The closed mind of the arch-atheist Professor Richard Dawkins is now on show for all to see in his recent book The God Delusion. Intent on making his readers believe ‘religion is bad for you’, among many other things he simply ignores the growing number of evidence-based studies which show the exact opposite (see, for example, the book Affluenza by Oliver James.) Or again, take the exaggerated claims of James Cameron, who directed the film Titanic, for an ancient ossuary found by his researchers far from Jerusalem inscribed with the names of ‘Jesus’ and ‘Mariamene’. He speculates that this must be the casket of Jesus Christ and therefore the resurrection and biblical Christianity is untrue. The fact that the names on the coffins are the most common names found among the Jews in the first century and, for example, there are at least two other people with the name Jesus referred to in the NT itself is beside the point (Acts 8.6, Colossians 4.11).

Light of Easter

What does this ‘never mind the evidence’ approach say to us? First, it seems to say, that whether they are aware of it or not, there is an agenda which is driving people. The Bible calls it ‘the spirit of this world’. The fact that this agenda is so far from balanced and neutral, but is increasingly specifically anti-Christian, indicates not only the character of this spirit, but interestingly confirms what the Bible teaches concerning the identity of the true church as those who must suffer for Jesus’s sake (Mark 8.34-38). But, secondly, we must remember that to ignore the facts is to pit oneself against reality. It indicates that secularism faces a ‘no-win situation’.

So, be encouraged, Christian. It strongly suggests what we already know to be true in the light of Easter. Christ has won the battle and ultimately must be victorious.

John Benton