We live in an increasingly violent world, and the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk in the USA has brought that fact to everyone’s attention. For months our local news outlets in Northern Ireland have been highlighting the increasing number of murders and violent attacks in the province, especially directed against women. In 1966, Northern Ireland was voted “the safest place on earth”. What has gone wrong since? Our province is not alone in experiencing such a trend and in many other countries it is helping fuel the migration crisis in our land today.

Evils such as these rarely emerge overnight but instead reflect a cultural background which influences the way people think and subsequently act. Over the last 60 years we have seen an increasing rejection of Christian values and their replacement by non-Christian or secular values. A former Prime Minister David Cameron introduced the concept of “British Values” as a new value system for life, though he never clearly stated what they were. We have however seen their stamp on life and legislation in the UK with the prevalence of abortion for usually no other reason than social convenience and the current debate on Assisted Dying/Suicide. These things devalue significantly human life and encourage people to think about other people in the same way they think about their dog or cat. The theory of evolution (which every child has been taught in school for several generations) also robs people of their special dignity, historically understood from the Christian faith as being made in the image of God, and has the effect of devaluing human life. Evolution teaches that man is descended from a blob of protoplasm and each person’s existence is just the result of a series of accidents, each one purposeless in itself. The result is to remove that vital sense of self-worth so important for survival in difficult periods of life. In my own experience of working in inner city North Belfast it contributes to the temptation to commit suicide when people are experiencing difficult times.

Secular values are not neutral but exist in opposition to and seek to replace the Christian ethos which has benefited our land for hundreds of years. The sanctity of all human life is essential for the wellbeing of every society, as is the unit of the family. Freedom of speech in order to arrive at truth is another product of Christianity, as is democracy.

As society turns its back on Christian values, it is discarding the essential elements which make for a safe and happy community. Our current woes testify to the results of secularism and call us back to the beliefs and standards which have been so beneficial for centuries. Jesus Christ summarised the two most important principle of life as “Loving God with all your heart and soul and mind”, and “Loving your neighbour as yourself”. I pray that current events will act as a wake-up call for many nations as they see the fruits of secularism and are reminded of the power in the grace of God demonstrated in the life of Charlie Kirk’s widow, as she publicly expressed her desire and willingness to forgive the person who had killed her husband. She was just following in the footsteps of her Saviour, who as he suffered on the cross for our sins prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

What about you? Are your sins forgiven and are you ready to die without a moment’s notice? Through repentance and faith in what Christ has done for you on the cross you can receive the forgiveness of sins and be assured as the Apostle Paul put it: “absent from the body.. and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).  As each one of us comes to the end our life the only thing that really matters is that our sins are forgiven and we are looking forward to an eternal life of peace and joy with God in heaven. Secularism can never deliver that.

Robert C Beckett