THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT

During the Easter weekend there were several reports of an increase in interest in religion, one commentator stating that this increase was the result of a growing desire by people to find a real meaning to their lives at a time when materialism had failed. Every Civilisation is an incarnation of an undergirding system of values. Once belief in those values is seriously eroded, Civilisation starts to die.
Western Civilisation was the legacy of both the Greek and Roman Civilisations. But it was also a new type of Civilisation, reflecting the Christian revelation concerning the nature of man, his relationship with God, and the relationship of the individual to his fellows, the State and his institutions.

The high-water mark of Christian Civilisation was reached by the end of last century. It was a partial incarnation of Christian values and held the exciting promise of greater glories to come. Not only constitutions, systems of law, and social institutions reflected the Christian view of man, but also so did manners, art and culture generally. There were, of course, still many dark aspects of that Civilisation, but these were in the main a failure to grasp the real significance of the Industrial Revolution, one which Christians should readily have grasped as yet another gift from God, one to be used to expand freedom on a scale never before experienced in human history.

The worst features of the Industrial Revolution have been highlighted in the literature of Charles Dickens and other writers. But little attention was directed towards considering why the economic system, governed by the financial system and its controllers, was not being directed towards freeing individuals. The result was a type of unbridled industrialism, with growth for growth's sake, becoming a new type of God.
The first of the growing disasters to convulse the twentieth century, the First World War of 1914-18, was basically a trade war, one that opened the door to the forces of the ever-present anti-Christ, one of these being Bolshevism.

The twentieth century has seen a progressive retreat from Christian Civilisation, the basic cause of the retreat highlighted by the failure to provide a Christian answer to what is called the "problem of unemployment". What is termed the Second Industrial Revolution, has demonstrated that modern technology has made it easily possible for a small part of a population to provide abundance for all. The choice before Mankind is now clear: A change in financial policies to supplement the wage system with a dividend system, starting with a voluntary reduction in the retiring age to for a start, say 55, or the imposition of a Communist type of society to keep everyone in "full employment", even if this results in the equivalent of digging holes to fill them up again, and the wasting not only of natural resources but also of human lives.
No true spiritual revival is possible which does not face this question.

The resurrection and regeneration of Christian Civilisation must start with individuals, the first step being the rejection of that Pharisaical abstraction which Christ condemned in the strongest of language.
(Those who wish to equip themselves to participate in the process of regenerating Civilisation are strongly recommended to obtain the booklet, "Leisure", consisting of three Seminar Papers: "The Physical Basis of Leisure", by John Fitzgerald; "Leisure in Christian Thought and Action", by David Purcell, and "The Fear of Leisure", by Eric D. Butler, who states that the fear of leisure denies the divine nature of man. "Leisure" is available from all League bookshops: $1 posted).

WHO'S GETTING THE AID?

Gradually the scandal of foreign aid is breaking through the propaganda curtain. The Adelaide Advertiser 28/3/83 reported: "Wheat and cereal being sent to drought stricken northern Ethiopia by Western nations is being diverted to the Ethiopian Army and also to the Soviet Union, it was claimed today. The Sunday Times says there is mounting evidence" that food is diverted to the Russians by the Ethiopian military regime, to help meet its huge arms bills. A senior Government official who defected to Britain revealed that grain shipped by EEC countries to the Red Sea port of Assab is regularly relabeled and loaded on to Soviet vessels bound for Russian ports ... The European Parliament is to hold an emergency meeting next week to review Ethiopian aid on the strength of these and other allegations."
The current leader in Ethiopia is the Marxist dictator Mangistu, one of the most barbarous leaders to emerge in Africa. His sordid brutality even outstrips that of Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe.

If the educational allocation for foreign students is included, Australia's foreign aid bill will exceed $1 billion this year nearly $300 for the average Australian family of four. With the news that the Hawke Government intends to resume aid to Vietnam - which has been receiving $3 million a day from the U.S.S.R. over recent months for the build up of the third largest army in the would, one can only wonder whether Mr. Hawke's gifts, on our behalf, to Vietnam, will end up in the Soviet Union in the same way as in Ethiopia.

So it's encouraging that the European Parliament is looking into the matter - despite the fact that the same issue of The Advertiser reported as follows: "The Common Market is nothing more than a sexual cattle market for some British-Euro MPs, according to a former research assistant... Beverley Howcraft, of Bradford .... "I quit because I was fed up with the whole sordid lifestyle", she says. "Everything from sex to champagne was available and I became sickened by it all". The high jinks, she says are at their highest when the Euro gravy train steams into Strasbourg for the weeklong session of the European Parliament. More than half the 3,000 parliamentary staff on the train from Luxembourg are young girls - secretaries, translators and interpreters. In Strasbourg they mix with 434 Euro-MP's, including 81 from Britain, a dozen of them women. "The usual thing is to meet in the members' bar of the Parliament - where, supposedly, only the MP's are allowed to drink - at 6 p.m. for an aperitif", says Miss Howcraft. "In fact, the bar is nothing but a pickup joint..."

COMMON FUND COMING

Pressure for the Common Fund, which Australia, Canada and New Zealand have already ratified, is mounting. The National Farmer (March 24, 1983) reports: "...The United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has announced an emergency plan to halt and reverse the commodity price slide.... This June it will put its commodity salvage plan before delegates in Belgrade. This plan calls on producing and consuming countries to negotiate a series of short-term commodity deals aimed at buying up surpluses to reverse sliding prices.
This, UNCTAD reckons, will boost export earnings of developing countries by some $20 billion over the next three years, adding to world economic recovery.

UNCTAD's plan relies on buffer stocks to eliminate surpluses for the time being by sticking them in temporary storage. The mountain would be sold off once markets climbed.... UNCTAD reckons it would cost about $9 billion to absorb excess stocks of key commodities.... Attractive though it may be, there are some major problems to be solved before UNCTAD can save the world…First is that funds needed to store commodities will not be easy to come by, nor cheap; even the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund would have hassles scraping up the ready cash ("He must be kidding!" Ed.)... Some observers think the solution would be a self financing commodity fund supported by trade levies…"
The article doesn't mention that this "Common Fund" policy has been discussed for years, and is an integral part of the New International Economic Order. It's safe to say that no part of this world government idea will be allowed to lapse for lack of cash.

ABOUT THE BOOKS WE SELL

From time to time we receive a criticism concerning some of the books made available. These books are made available, not because the League finds it necessary or desirable to endorse every statement or view expressed by an author, but to provide the reader with a wider perspective of the human drama. For example, we strongly recommend, and have sold large numbers of Gary Allen's "None Dare Call It Conspiracy", believing that it provides a valuable introduction to what might be called the Financier-Marxist conspiracy against Christian Civilisation. But for our own part, we reject some of the author's statements.

While we do not expect that Protestant Christians will find themselves in harmony with some of the views expressed by the late Rev. Father Fahey in his works, we make them available because we feel they present valuable material concerning traditional Christianity and the social order. Judaism and The Vatican, by the famous French Roman Catholic scholar, Leon de Poincins, is a most valuable work for every Christian, irrespective of background, concerned about the on going Pharisaical attack on Christianity.

A few of our readers found Douglas Reed's approach to "The Old Testament", in his blockbuster, "The Controversy of Zion", objectionable. This is understandable. We can only suggest they put the first few chapters aside and do not miss the rest of this amazing work by one of the greatest journalists and writers of this century. It is interesting that the Zionists pretend that "The Controversy of Zion" does not exist. No scholar has come forward to refute Reed. The League does not run a health service, but it does make available books for those interested in treating their bodies as the Temple of God. The League's viewpoints are expressed in its journals and books published by the League.

The Australian Recognises State Rights

In its Editorial of March 28th, headed - "States Rights Carry a Price to Pay" - our national newspaper stand up quite well to the issue of State Rights. The Editorial was prompted by the announcement by the Federal Minister for Resources & Energy, Senator Walsh, of the Commonwealth's intention to impose a resources tax on mining and oil industries. This issue would require the surrender by the States of taxation rights over natural resources.

After some comments on economic implications, The Australian comments: "The temptation to extend the powers of the Commonwealth is obvious. Some of the States have imposed unacceptable burdens on the mining industry. Efficient management of natural resources is more likely if they are administered by a national authority. But efficiency is not everything, nor is it the only issue, which should concern us.
"Australia has a small population scattered throughout a huge area. The greater the concentration of power in Canberra, the weaker is the voice of the ordinary citizen. A Federal constitution is itself an acknowledgement there are differences between the component States. These differences presuppose some States are richer than others and their citizens are able to do things, which cannot be done in other parts of the Federation.
"If all of the nation's citizens were to live in precisely the same circumstances and subject to identical laws, there would be no point in separate States able to elect their own parliaments and to follow different policies. This may at times mean a loss of efficiency but the alternative could be the loss of a citizen's ability to take part in managing his own community.
Nothing worthwhile can be obtained without paying a price for it. A Federal system implies that democracy sometimes has to be bought with what appears to be a reduction in consistency. This sometimes may benefit the citizens of one State at the expense of the citizens of another State.
"Senator Walsh's proposals would not have purely economic consequences. They follow an accelerating tendency to take decision making from the grass roots and transfer it to Canberra. It is to be hoped that in the coming debate Australians will not lose sight of this fundamental issue."

A Mentone actionist (Vic.) has brought to our attention an article in the Ballarat Courier (Vic.), which reports on Ms. Lyn Ryan, and her comments at an International Women's Day rally, in Darwin. Ms. Ryan is the adviser of Women's Affairs to the Northern Territory Government. Ms. Ryan attacked the United Nations Treaty for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. The Fraser Coalition government had signed the Convention but it had yet to be ratified… She said:
"At issue is whether the family, husband, wife, and their children, will remain the basic union of stable society Will mothers have freedom of choice to remain at home and care for their families? Or will the current restructuring of our society succeed in having men and women perform identical roles, with the State providing services normally provided by the family.
"Ratification would legally oblige Australia to require mothers to have the same financial responsibility as fathers in supporting families, in combat roles, and the armed forces, and in working in all areas of industry. It would require Australian taxpayers to fund networks of child care centres."

Ms. Ryan quoted Lenin on the emancipation of women and called for condemnation of ... "well organised international forces seeking to restructure our society to eliminate normal family life". She also said that she equated feminism with socialism.