CHRIST'S COMING CHANGED HISTORY

by Eric D. Butler
Stripped of its tinsel and gross materialism, Christmas celebrates the arrival of One who made claims and preached ideas, which divided the concept of time. There is Before Christ (BC) and After Christ (AD). While Christian ideas took root and developed during the decline of the Roman Civilisation, a Civilisation that drew heavily upon the legacy of the Greek Civilisation, their incarnation produced a completely new Civilisation. The Christian revelation conferred a status upon the individual previously unknown. Every individual counted and was of value because he had been created in the image of God. Every individual who accepted Christ the Son could come to know the Father. The Christian revelation, which stressed that each individual could know true freedom by knowing that Truth which Christ said He represented, resulted in individuals realising that they could participate in the work of God. The individual was imperfect, but with the development of the Divine creative spark within each individual, he could heed Christ's appeal, "Be ye perfect".

As the individual sought to know God, love and to serve God, using his free will to do so, the result was an indelible impact on every aspect of his life, including art and culture, all of which was devoted to the greater glory of God. Having swept away the legalism and trifling effect of the written mass of regulations evolved by the Pharisees, Christ resolved the question of how free individuals could live together in harmony. He enunciated the unwritten Law of Love. Other individuals should be viewed not merely as animal creatures moved by hedonistic impulses, but as fellow children of the one loving Father. The stress was upon personal responsibility.

Acceptance of the Law of Love transformed societies and the behaviour of individuals. Concepts like honour, decency, fairness and chivalry grew under the influence of a culture resulting both directly and indirectly from the Christian value system. Up until the First World War, it was accepted that Christianity was part of the law of England, which explains the development of the English Common Law and a constitutional development which sought to ensure that power was so divided that every individual was assured of the maximum of freedom and security. The most striking feature of the retreat from a Christian oriented society has been the centralisation of power and the alienation of the individual from the natural law of life, a type of uprooting process which has resulted in the individual being herded into bigger masses. All masses are possessed of the very Devil. It is not surprising that as the retreat from Christian values grows, there is a flourishing of the cults of evil.

Anyone who doubts the transforming power of ideas might ponder on what has been taking place in recent months throughout the Soviet bloc. C.H. Douglas said that events would demonstrate the inability of militant atheism to eradicate over a thousand years of the influence of the Christian Church in Russia. Solzhenitsyn spoke movingly of the courage and deep faith of those who continued to keep alive the Christian Faith during the long dark years of Marxist oppression. Solzhenitsyn predicted that one day that reservoir of faith would burst the shackles of Communism. It is not without significance that large numbers of those leading protests throughout the Soviet bloc are marching under the Cross. The faith of the Christians who have suffered for so long behind the Iron Curtain is a challenge to those who still call themselves Christians in the West.

While the events shaking the Communist world are historic, the forces of the Anti-Christ are clearly planning to replace a brutal form of tyranny with a more subtle one. Grandiose "reconstruction" programmes seek to centralise power through a giant Common Market. "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul." The collapse of Communism does not mean that the cause of genuine Christian freedom is assured. However, the courage and the faith of those in open revolt against the naked Communist oppression does provide what may be the last opportunity of the West to start returning to its Christian roots as the first essential for that return to God.

Christmas is the time to recall the words of Christ, "I am the way." This is the message, which has been beckoning man for nearly two thousand years. This is the message which be held up for all to see in the critical days ahead. A Happy and Holy Christmas to all our readers and their families and relatives.

BRIEF COMMENTS

Conflict between the National and Liberal Parties in Queensland is one of the many manifestations of a lack of any sense of cohesive philosophy undergirding the two parties. The same applies Federally, which helps to explain why Prime Minister Hawke must be given every chance of being able to survive the coming Federal elections. Regeneration of the genuine conservative forces in Queensland requires that people like Sir Robert Sparkes of the National Party be removed from office.

The question of Soviet Jews is going to be one of growing importance, as the planned "reconstruction" of the Soviet bloc nations gets under way. When first forced to admit openly that the Soviet was in deep trouble, Gorbachev lost no time in meeting the demands of the Zionists that Soviet Jews should be allowed to emigrate freely. There was an initial rush to go to the USA. Few wanted to go to Israel. But the USA, presumably in agreement with the Zionists, has clamped down on Jewish emigration to the USA. There is a clear-cut policy to attempt to force Soviet Jews to emigrate to Israel if they want to leave the Soviet. But this has in turn increased friction between the two Jewish groups, the Sephardic and Ashkenazim. The Sephardic Jews are protesting about the threatened influx of Ashkenazim Jews from the Soviet and Europe. Israel is faced with growing internal problems, which are going to become worse.

Prime Minister Hawke is going as "green" as he can. After caving into the greenies over Kakadu, despite assurances to the contrary to B.H.P. and others, he now caves in again to the greenies over Jervis Bay as the new base for the Royal Australian Navy. There has been in preparation an "environmental impact statement" with respect to Jervis Bay, and although not completed (after four years work and the expenditure of $6 Million dollars) the Hawke Government has decided to ignore this work. The Weekend Australian (December 16-17) quoted from this report - "there is no substantial reason why the Navy should not (our emphasis) be shifted there (Jervis Bay) from Sydney". The Australian (December 18) editorialises - "Mr. Hawke's sudden announcement was not justified by a need for haste: the decision did not have to be taken for several years. The next election, of course, is much closer". (our emphasis) It was Senator Richardson who said that the green vote would decide the result of the next Federal election. Mr. Hawke and his colleagues will make every post a winner between now and the next Federal election to snare every green vote available. We suspect that in placating the greens, Mr. Hawke will be "feeding the crocodile": the greens won't be placated, but will want more and more.

The British Lion is having its tail twisted, yet again, over both the issues of Hong Kong and the Vietnamese boat people. There is no doubt that the Vietnamese are being held in very bad conditions in Hong Kong, not improved by the fact that the Chinese and the Vietnamese are something of "traditional" enemies. Also, we do not doubt that Beijing is putting at least some pressure on London to "get rid of the Vietnamese". Beijing takes over the administration of Hong Kong in 1996. If there is one lesson here, it is that, again, multicultural societies are a disaster.