GROWING UP IN THE WELFARE STATE

By the welfare state I mean the system of social security introduced in this country after the second world war. A major inducement held out to our people to fight to a victorious finish was the promise that the state would assume more responsibility for the welfare of all its citizens. It was hoped thus to eliminate poverty, untreated illness, unemployment, depression areas and other social evils. Much of what was promised has been fulfilled and the present extent of social security warrants our calling our nation today a welfare state.

Growing up in the welfare state has some advantages. No child need lack food, clothing or medical care. With average ability and a will to work a boy or girl may obtain at public expense a good education and training for almost any occupation he or she chooses to follow. “Jobs for all!” and “A high standard of living!” are policies to which each new government is committed, so that young people may reasonably expect to find employment with higher wages, shorter hours, better conditions and more security than in pre-war days. And when we remember the very different conditions in the depression years of the late ‘twenties and ‘thirties, we are glad of the improvement.

But so far only material advantages have been mentioned. The question now arises as to whether the new shape of society has brought an equal gain spiritually and morally. Are the young people of our country today more Christian than formerly? A rapid survey is all that is necessary to give an emphatic No! to the question. Our children and young people are less religious, less moral, less disciplined and worse principled than their predecessors for many generations. Annual reports by the churches show a great falling-off in church attendance, Sabbath schools and Bible classes. Moral declension appears in the huge increase in crime among juveniles and youths, in the spread of the drink habit and drug addiction, in vandalism, in swearing and foul language, in gambling and flagrant immodesty of dress and behaviour. Lack of discipline is evident in the widespread disregard of parental authority, in the difficulties from the same source in education and in innumerable symptoms of revolt against all lawful authority. The riotous behavior of gangs of youths and girls at seaside resorts and at entertainments featuring “pop groups” are instances of this lack of discipline erupting in a frightening manner.

And it is only too clear that today’s youth are largely guided by the urge to have a good time at all cost and to obtain as much of this world’s goods as possible with the minimum of effort. Their slogan is, “The world owes me a living,” and the concepts of duty, moral obligation, and worship and obedience as owed to God are largely missing. It is recognized that a considerable section of the country’s youth is not as yet fully affected by this trend, and some I would hope, are comparatively little affected, but the swing to irreligion and wrong behavior is so strong that all stand in danger.

It is clear, then, that the welfare state has not brought about any spiritual or moral improvement in the young. Can we go further and say that it has actually helped to produce this worsening behavior? Are there dangers inherent in the new social system that produce these bad effects? I will show that there are.

The first dangerous element in the welfare state is the emphasis which it lays on material good. Its aim is to rid us of every possible material evil, and it carries strong implications that happiness depends on this on the one hand and abundant material goods on the other. Behind the legitimate aim of rooting out such sources of misery as poverty and sickness and unemployment, lies the theory that man’s life consists in the abundance of things which he possesses. That as you know is exactly contrary to the Saviour’s words in Luke 12:15. Read there what Christ says and on to verse forty. This emphasis on material good is so strong that in setting up the welfare state no care was taken to conserve true morality, and religion was looked upon as an “optional extra.”

Social security began at a time when our country had reached a very low point spiritually. Decades of religious declension had resulted in the nation casting off even the appearance of worshipping, obeying and serving the Lord. The majority had given up churchgoing and become worldly in habit and absorbed in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure and ease. In this spirit the nation craved the social security which would make their pursuit easier. It was not in love and compassion for the needy that we sought the welfare state but for ourselves. Underlying the whole idea of the welfare state was, we repeat, the belief that this life is everything. Happiness here is heaven; misery and want constitute hell. This is still the emphasis, a sinful, false and unChristian influence, and you children and young people growing up cannot escape being affected by it except by God’s grace.

In the majority of homes children are growing up in an atmosphere of sheer worldliness. Conversation is empty of any reference to spiritual matters; personal and family religion are non-existent. Literature of every kind, radio and television all contribute to strengthen the worldly atmosphere. At school very often it is the same. Textbooks and lessons alike teach man’s evolution and deny the Scriptural truths of his origin, fall, ruin in sin and desperate need of a divine Saviour. Religious instruction is being driven out of school courses and few teachers have the heart or ability to teach it. Education is to help people to become good citizens and aid them to achieve a “fuller life.” The glory of God does not enter into it, and where children at school do encounter religion, it is usually formal, unscriptural and so void of substance and meaning that it affords no antidote to the prevailing materialistic atmosphere.

Those of you who are in secondary school will, I think, agree with what I have just said. Have any of you to confess that you have so far succumbed to this materialistic atmosphere as to be now ashamed of the teachings of your Church and ashamed, too, of those God-fearing people you know in it? I wish I could be confident that this is not true of any young people of our faith but I have good reason for feeling unhappy about some of our young people. Sabbath desecration and evasion of public worship are only two of the evidences that they have fallen into the spirit of the age.

The second way in which I see the welfare state having an adverse effect is in the sphere of morals. Today many hold the view that morality has its ground in social expediency. What is good for society should be the rule for the individual. Murder, theft and lying are wrong because they are “antisocial.” The same with breaches of the seventh commandment. We ought to keep “Sunday” as a non-working day because people need regular relaxation. Blasphemy is wrong because offensive to the large number of people who still believe in God. All this you can see is far removed from the Bible’s teaching that God is the Author of the moral law which He has imposed on all men as the law of their conduct. “Which shows the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.” (Romans 2:15).

The welfare state has given a boost to this false concept of morality, and it is easy to see why. Its concern with the material needs of society is none the worse for being matched by some sort of moral code, and what better than one also based on society! But what kind of morality emerges? It must be shaped by what is thought to be the common good. If then that be material good, many of the old ideas of morality can be forgotten. The good of many people would be served by running the ferries on Sabbath. By having only one service on Sabbath morning many people would be free to take their pleasure during the rest of the day. Affording better facilities for betting would assist multitudes to get rich quickly. You will recognize that the principle can have thousands of applications so I need not multiply examples. Here is a morality fully adapted to suit human nature in the mass, and what is more, it can be changed to suit the changing needs of society.

Do you, my young friends, recognize in this the morality of many of your companions? This false and wicked view of morality has a wide acceptance and you are in spiritual peril because of it. Because it is supposed to be based on the well-being of society (and remember that material well-being is meant), that part of the moral law which commands our duty towards God is disregarded, and the precepts of the second table covering our duty to our fellows are limited to include only what seems good in the eyes of an irreligious and sin-tolerant society. This bogus moral code eliminates God’s claims and makes general opinion the judge of how we should behave; the general opinion mark you, of sinful men. It serves also to diminish the gravity of sin and makes the salvation of Jesus Christ unnecessary to man’s case.

The third and last harmful feature of the welfare state to which I would refer just now is its power to blind your eyes to your greatest need, namely the salvation of your soul. We have seen that by its emphasis on material good it practically denies that there is any other kind which we should concern ourselves about. We have seen also that by its false representation of the nature of morality the welfare state makes light of both sin and the Gospel. It follows that under the welfare state religion is regarded as a non-essential part of life. Those who wish to retain it may do so, but those who do not are the more progressive, frank, honest and logical, and every bit as good as the pious sort.

Most of present-day religion does fit in with the welfare state philosophy. It calls the object of its worship “Almighty God” but denies that God did create all things as told in Genesis, or that He upholds all things too. It denies his sovereignty as Lawgiver, Savior and Judge. It denies his holiness and his justice and his self-revelation in the Scriptures. It leaves only a vaguely-defined deity of an exceptionally tolerant and benevolent character, who will be no less loving and merciful to men than they are to one another and will therefore not punish any eternally. One could go on quoting the ideas that men have of this supposed deity. Suffice to say he is not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The god that suits the philosophy of the welfare state is one made in man’s image and as worldly as the worship and service ignorantly rendered to him by all but a minority of the nation. Do not be taken in by this kind of religion. It is terribly offensive to the living God. It is incapable of securing you peace of conscience, or of satisfying your soul or purifying your heart in readiness for heaven.

It remains for me to indicate how you may become immune to these three dangerous features of the welfare state. Safety lies in embracing true religion by which I mean receiving Christ by faith as your Saviour from sin’s guilt, defilement and power. You need such a deliverance and only Christ can effect it so as to bring you near to a reconciled God and put peace in your conscience and joy in your heart. He can make you a new creature, able and willing to delight in and serve your Saviour. Pray that the Holy Spirit would enable you to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and as you truly desire this you will not go without an answer.

Once safe in Christ you have a duty, as you love Him, to keep his commandments. “For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3). You will learn increasingly that the moral law is holy, just and good, the perfect practical expression of love to God and man. What a miserable imitation the so-called social morality is! And by divine grace you will strive to conform as perfectly as possible to God’s holy law. No less a pattern than Christ’s perfect obedience is given you, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12). You will seek so to live that the world will have no evil thing to say of you. In every relationship of life you will endeavour to perform your duty heartily as unto the Lord and not to men.

Coming finally to the first-mentioned bad feature of the new form of society, let us remember that materialism is not a new thing. In an obvious sense all men since Adam have been materialists by nature. An undue attachment to material aims and needs has been the mark of Adam’s sinful sons and daughters. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: etc.” (1 Cor. 2:14). Only grace will cure us of this earthly bias and confront us with the world of enduring spiritual realities. The cure is not immediate but demands a steady pursuit of spiritual blessings above all others. The Saviour’s command must constantly be kept in mind, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33).

Dear young friends, my desire for you all is that by grace you would escape from the evil influences of the present system as they have been brought before you. Let us also pray that the Lord would again by the power of his Word and Spirit make our nation Christian. Then the welfare state will lose its power for evil and become an expression of Christian love and unity instead of what it now is, an effort on the part of sinful men to enjoy the pleasures of sin without its accompanying misery. That cannot be done as we are beginning to find out.

Scotland

Trouble and sorrow have a divine commission in the lives of those who love most. They bring to light the hidden forces of the soul.

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