The question can be simply put. Should we believe in a supreme and all-powerful Being who is the essence of goodness — a God who is so interested and concerned for His creatures that He sent His Son to be the saviour of mankind; or should we place our trust in a supernatural power of wickedness and darkness — the basis of occult beliefs? Only one other possibility has ever been considered, and that has been a belief that man can determine his own destiny and solve the world’s problems. Despite the great strides made by mankind in the technical world — or perhaps because of them — man’s inability to solve the one problem that afflicts every human being has caused him to search elsewhere for answers. Man’s great problem is his certain destiny. The great advances made in the last century-and-a-half have shown that it is not just death that needs removing from the earth; the effects of mortality are equally serious. People are now living much longer than they used to. Yet who really wants to live an extra five or ten years if they bring no improved quality of life?
In years gone by religion would have given mankind the opportunity to discover satisfactory answers to this universal problem. But society today has relegated religion to a very low position. Religion is the butt of comedian’s jokes, and religious leaders rarely comment on anything other than sociological issues. This situation has occurred for a number of reasons. Primarily it has come about because the authority of God’s revelation of Himself and Hid purpose has been forsaken. Men have failed to denounce as “sin” behaviour which is contrary to His law. Self-indulgent thought has been elevated by the producers and consumers of technology, and religious principles are scorned. Unthinkingly, Karl Marx’s comment about religion has been widely accepted; he called it “the opium of the people”.
If religion has become a no-go area for many people, …