Dear Good News Magazine Subscriber, Why would a journalist write a magazine article titled "Creation or Evolution: Which Is More Believable?" (as I did in the latest Good News)? If you resided in England (as I do), you'd realize that "in its deepseated hostility to religious faith, Europe is an exception to the modern world." Europe now makes up the most secular society perhaps in the recorded history of this world. In fact, this year the atheistic theory of evolution has been loudly trumpeted as never before. After all, this is the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of his Origin of Species. Even England's celebrated Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on radio and TV observed that "this year we're talking about evolution." Religion and belief in God have been on the run for well over 100 years in Europe. As London's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, asked tongue-in-cheek: "How can anyone still need religion if to explain the universe we have science; to control the universe we have technology; to negotiate power we have politics? If you're ill you go to a doctor, not a priest. If you feel guilty, you go to a psychotherapist… If you feel depressed, you take Prozac and not the book of Psalms. And if you seek salvation, you go to our new cathedrals, namely shopping centres, where you can buy happiness at extremely competitive prices" ("The Meaning-Seeking Animal," The Tablet, Nov. 14, 2009). However, not all Britons or even Europeans are disbelievers. Religious author Karen Armstrong has just published another book titled The Case for God. She is deeply concerned about the potential effects of militant atheism as promoted by leading British evolutionist Richard Dawkins and others. Jonathan Sacks observes with considerable insight: "History shows it is those cultures that respect religious faith that survive. Once they embrace hedonism, cynicism and relativism...they put their own future in doubt" (ibid.). Is our human experience much more than just handing on our genes to the generation that will follow, as Darwinism would have us believe? Many of us seek rational meaning to our lives. We ask the deep questions like: Who are we? Why are we here on planet earth? Are there any absolute standards that we should all live by? We cannot help but notice that our traditional family life has become very fragile, just in one generation. Many of us are very concerned to see that we no longer share basic moral values in our multicultural Western societies. We wonder why all these negative trends continue and increase. What is the root cause behind the accelerating decline of Western civilization? Much of what The Good News publishes addresses fundamental causes that explain the decay of society that we see everywhere. Three of our most important booklets give real, foundational answers to the questions posed by our secular world. They can help you and your family build a bulwark against these negative influences and find stability in God's absolute standards. Please take a moment now to check out these invaluable resources: Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe? Life's Ultimate Question: Does God Exist? and Is the Bible True? You can either download them from our Web site or request your free copies in print. 
John Ross Schroeder
Good News senior writer
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