Defeated yet still Uncomprehending

There is no neutrality in law and practice. What is proscribed is just as reflective of a religious stance as what is prescribed. Forbidding prayer is no more neutral than practicing prayer. Both reflect a certain values orientation or religion. However, the secularist will certainly not admit, “I want my secular, materialistic, atheistic religion to prevail over yours. Therefore, I will disingenuously argue in favor of keeping the public sphere ‘neural’ or ‘fair,’ even though we all know that neutrality is a pure fiction.” However, now in the UK, the secularists can argue that prayer is merely “illegal”:

• A number of councils have decided not to resume their longstanding practice of opening meetings with prayer after secular campaigners attacked the historic tradition, arguing that prayers had “no place” in a secular environment. The Sunday Telegraph has found that at least 40 councils have decided to either stop or "water down" prayer sessions held at the start of business after the High Court controversially backed the complaints of secularists that the ancient custom was “illegal”.

Surprisingly, no one is arguing that secularism is also a religion – an imperialistic, monopolistic religion at that. They intend to control the entire public sphere, banishing any mention of God or even whispers of a prayer. They already control the schools where their non-evidentially based religion of Naturalism is enthroned. Consequently, only naturalistic causation can be mentioned. Any mention of intelligent causation is now verboten!

What can be done? Apart from crying out against this hypocrisy – this injustice – we must pray in earnest. Our God has always been our help and our protection, and He purposely allows us to fall under weights we cannot possibly bear – and we see no way of escape – so that we will remember that He is our only hope.

Along with prayer, we have to also confess our sins, our utter need and brokenness. This has always been the road to revival and deliverance. This was the way that the wise King Solomon had prayed as he dedicated the Temple:

• "When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and confess your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their fathers.” (1 Kings 8:33-34)

The secularists boast that we have lost the culture war, and they are correct. In addition to this, according to one reliable estimate, about 140,000 Christians are martyred yearly, and there is no one to speak up for them – no nation, no media, no notable universities, no multi-national corporation. They die wondering why the “Christian” West has failed to speak up for them, not knowing that we have lost our influence. Let us therefore pray for our Lord’s mercy and humble ourselves before Him!