Stornoway Gazette Letters

Sir, – In his letter last week, it is evident that Iain Campbell of the Western Isles Secular Society (WISS) was trying to hoodwink us with his rhetoric about secularism, while attempting – very subtly – to explain what it means.

While he told us that humanism and secularism were like ‘comparing apples to oranges’, he didn’t tell us they were both side-by-side in the same basket, and one that is full of holes at that. Who is he trying to fool?

Let us again set the record straight here.

Just like humanism, secularism essentially says that man does not need God.

Yes, it says precisely what the committee said, that drafted the proposed constitution for the EU when it was challenged about the lack of reference to God in its documents. A French member of the committee explained: “We don’t like God”, while another member of the drafting convention argued: “The only banner that we have is secularism!”

Having sown the wind then, they now – in 2017 – reap the whirlwind.

Their lifeless and hopeless worldly banner has, tragically, brought with it a reign of terror, and a river of blood, across the streets of Europe, and to our streets as well.

God will not be mocked

It is alone the ‘banner of truth’ that brings blessing, hope and spiritual freedom, to a nation when we come, by faith, to embrace it: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The reality is, whether the mouthpiece of WISS likes it or not, that secularism is a system of doctrines and practices that disregards or rejects any form of religious faith and worship.

Its primary objective, at the end of the day, is the total elimination of all religious elements from society.

Secularism, which incidentally is also known as secular humanism, teaches that there are no objective or absolute truths defining right and wrong.

So, in essence, to secularize something is to make it worldly and unspiritual.

Its intent is to deprive something of its religious character, its spiritual influence and significance.

In other words, discard and abolish it – out of the state, out of the school and out of society!

Mr Campbell would have us believe that so-called secularism ‘simply works to ensure that religion does not interfere in the affairs of state, and vice-versa’

The hidden agenda of secular societies is deeper than this, and he very well knows it.

In one word, it is a godless one.

Yes, they might claim to be sympathetic and tolerant of religious diversity, but certainly not the one that is rooted in absolute truth: and that’s exactly what Biblical Christianity is – absolute truth.

Yes, they have – as he brazenly claims – a ‘desire to be governed equally and fairly’, but not a desire to be governed by the law of God or the teaching of His unchanging, unadulterated perfect Word!

Someone rightly said about secularism that it is ‘an insane form of thinking that invades the human mind, convincing it of its own superiority over God and His Word!’

It is interesting that Mr Campbell exhorts me to embrace the whole law of God which, as the Bible reminds us, is fulfilled in ‘one word’ namely: ‘love thy neighbour’.

Can I assure him that while I seek, with my many flaws and failings, by God’s grace to do so – it is never at the expense of Biblical truth.

Can I respectfully remind him that ‘love thy neighbour’ equally means ‘love the unborn baby and open your mouth for them’ (Proverbs 31:8).

It is clearly evident that this is not what the majority of members, in secular societies, embrace,. Rather it is the opposite – they support abortion.

It is therefore hypocrisy on his part to be preaching what, I suspect, he and secularist members at WISS, don’t practice.

Our sincere, and earnest prayer, is that God will – not condemn them – but mercifully redeem them all from the hypnotic, and sinful, satanic spell of both humanism and secularism. – Yours, etc.,

Mr Donald J Morrison

Inverness

Of Sabbath days and Sundays

Sir, – I kind of regard the LDOS’s write-up in last week’s Gazette as a reply to my letter of April 6 which said the apostles did not change the Sabbath day.

Here’s what they said: “Our love for and observance of the Sabbath day, or the Lord’s day, is forever changed and we remember that every Sunday is the Lord’s day.”

Sorry, but the Sabbath day (the definite article), however, happens to be the seventh day, in the Bible.

Sunday Sabbath and Lord’s day are not Bible terms.

In commemoration of the fact that Christ defeated sin and death and came forth from the grave on this day, our Sunday, as being the new Sabbath, it has no apostolic authority to impose on the people or, as being New Testament teaching.

It is true, as church history developed more and more, that Sabbath laws were applied to Sunday. Something we don’t see the Bible do is practice transference theology like reformed theology churches do.

Today, people use the term Christian Sabbath or Lord’s day as though this was proper Bible terminology, which it is not.

In a sense it can be regarded as Lord’s day, as the resurrected Jesus was active in it, but that does not mean a new Sabbath day can be imposed on everyone and public life grind to a halt.

The apostles who lived and experienced the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, didn’t change the Sabbath day, from Saturday to Sunday, to commemorate the resurrection day.

The resurrection day is commemorated in every gospel witness, whatever day that may be and if not it is not the gospel.

We are however commanded by Jesus to remember and observe the Lord’s supper, but we are not commanded to observe the Lord’s breakfast, Sunday, John 21:verse 12.

At the church I attend here in Inverness, the remembrance of his death (Jesus’s) and resurrection, is held every Sunday, and appropriate Bible readings are given, plus bread and wine, but that does not mean they regard Sunday as the new Sabbath day, but a day we can worship on.

I don’t need to be continuously reminded every Sunday about these things.

How can I forget, and so let the communion pass me by?

Otherwise it can be a repetitive ritual, like Sabbath observance.

– Yours, etc.,

Donald Murray

Inverness

Letter was misleading

Sir, – I’d like to make a few points in response to last week’s letter from the Western Isles Secular Society.

Your correspondent from that society would have us believe that they are a happy band of brothers, with representatives from all walks of life and sections of the community, and not at all to be confused with humanists or other atheists and God-haters.

They are merely concerned for the separation of Church and State.

Based on this, one might be forgiven for assuming that WISS will be ardent admirers of the Disruption fathers of the Free Church, who in 1843 resisted the tyranny of an overweening state and separated from the established church.

But it would appear not – or if they are, I could find no reference in their presence on social media, their letters to local media, or in the atheistic lectures delivered by their members in our local educational establishments.

A book your WISS correspondent may be unfamiliar with states: “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

WISS’s presence on social media contains, by coincidence, numerous links to the Humanist Society, and to the “Western Isles Non-Believers Organisation”.

It alsdo contains links to articles about euthanasia.

It describes ministers as “debauched” for opposing Sunday opening of the Sports Centre.

It encourages support for “our” (sic) council nominees, by means of a “closed Progressive shared-space for representatives and their supporting networks to aid with organisation, planning, communication, getting the vote out.”

In the interests of transparency, the named nominees will no doubt have listed membership of WISS in their election literature.

Most of this is freely available to anyone with access to the internet, so it is surprising that the WISS rep sought, in your columns, to mislead about the society’s true nature.

Given the above, it is not surprising that your correspondent D J Morrison thought it unlikely that Christians would support this society.

– Yours, etc.,

Mark Macdonald

Isle of Lewis