Signs of the Times - June 2021 by Adventist Media

KEEP YOUR eye ON THE BALL THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRIVILEGE

DOES PRAYER WORK?

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY

IN THIS ISSUE

JUNE 2021

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL

The big-money world of elite

soccer PAGE 32

CURRENT

4 6

WHAT IN THE WORLD THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRIVILEGE A humble reminder about our blessings

WELLBEING

12 ALTERNATIVE VS

CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE: IS THERE A REAL CHOICE? Does the natural solution hold the answers? 22 BETTER HEALTH FOR EVERY BODY Health news that makes a difference 60 ARE YOU DEVELOPING A FOOD ALLERGY? FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

FAITH

18 EARTH'S CARETAKERS

Covid-19 and restoring the earth 38 THE MOST SPECTACULAR EVENT OF ALL TIME 44 GROWING UP WITH FAITH: CHILD ABUSE OR PRECIOUS GIFT? The difference between passing on faith and deceitful indoctrination

BIG QUESTIONS

24 DOES PRAYER WORK?

And why it's good news when prayers go unanswered

/SIGNSMAG

SCIENCE & TECH

50 THE CUTTING EDGE Engineering, science

and technology news

PROFILE

52 FROM TRAGEDY TO

TRIUMPH The inspiring life of Irene Gleeson

FUN

62 CROSSWORD AND

SUDOKU Have you been paying attention?

READY FOR KICK-OFF My first live soccer experience came in 2002 when my dad took my brother and I to the Festival Cup. The tournament was hosted at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium, and featured Under-20s teams from some of Europe's biggest clubs—Juventus, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Rangers were all present. Interestingly, so was a young Australian squad—the Australs—who managed to reach the final and only lost to Rangers on penalties. While Australia won't be participating in this month's Copa America soccer tournament—along with Euro 2020, the competitions will be a hot topic of conversation amongst migrant communities and soccer fans in Australia and New Zealand. In this month's Signs' magazine, we put a number of prominent topics under the microscope. We look at the business side of soccer, and assess whether there's a team that we can all support (p32). We also critically assess the pros and cons of alternative and conventional medicine (p12), and ask the question whether raising a child with faith is unethical (p44). Nathan Brown also seeks to tackle the tricky question "Does prayer work?" in his Big Question piece (p24). We also feature Mark Delaney's personal reflection on the concept of privilege, which features stories from his travels around the world—including years spent living in Indian slums (p6). I hope you'll find comfort in some of the articles we're sharing this month. As you rug up and read the magazine, please spare a thought for myself and many others who will be spending early mornings barracking for their team on TV.

Daniel

DANIEL KUBEREK Assistant Editor

VOL 136 NO 6 ISSN 1038-9733 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Jarrod Stackelroth ASSISTANT EDITOR Daniel Kuberek COPYEDITOR Tracey Bridcutt GRAPHIC DESIGN Theodora Pau'u Talia Valderrama PHONE +61 2 9847 2222 EMAIL info@signsofthetimes.org.au WEBSITE signsofthetimes.org.au ADDRESS Adventist Media PO Box 1115, Wahroonga New South Wales 2076 SUBSCRIPTIONS Kelli Geelan PHONE +61 3 5965 6300 Australia/New Zealand, $A26; South Pacific countries, $A41; Other countries $A51 Published since 1886, Signs of the Times is printed 11 times a year by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is registered as a periodical. Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD) Limited ABN 59 093 117 689 NOTE The inclusion of a person or their image within does not imply their endorsement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its beliefs. Unless otherwise stated, Bible verses are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton. All rights reserved worldwide. COVER PHOTO: Matthias Hangst—Getty Images

JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

R RENT

WHAT IN THE WORLD THE DEGREE OF UNEMPLOYMENT A 30-year Australian government plan to increase university graduate numbers has succeeded, albeit at a cost. New studies show that one in four graduates can expect to be unemployed in the months after completing their degree. A 2019 graduate outcome survey by QILT found 27.4 per cent of graduates were still unemployed or employed in an unrelated field in the four months following their degree completion. A review in 2008 predicted the supply of graduates would exceed the demand in the workplace by 2010.—The Conversation

PAID LEAVE AFTER MISCARRIAGE NEW ZEALAND

Couples who suffer miscarriages will be given three days' paid leave. The new legislation, which makes New Zealand one of the world's first countries to provide this level of cover, will now cover miscarriages at any point in the pregnancy—not just stillbirth miscarriages after 20 weeks. The legislation doesn't include pregnancy terminations.—The Strait Times 4

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JANE CARMON—UNSPLASH, GUS MORETTA—UNSPLASH, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, ROSEBOX—UNSPLASH

AUSTRALIA

THE WORLD GAME Association Football is the most popular sport in the world with 4 billion fans. —World Atlas

SATAN SHOES WORLD

Prominent rapper Lil Nas X has been widely criticised for launching a shoeline named "Satan Shoes". The shoes have a pentagram hanging above the laces, contain a drop of human blood and feature the inscription "Luke 10:18" on the side. Only 666 pairs are being produced, and while they resemble a Nike Air Max 97 shoe, the company has denied any involvement.—BBC News

Women's soccer is one of Australia's fastest growing sports with 1.95 million active participants in 2019. —FFA Media

Brazilian star Neymar is the most expensive player of all time, transferring from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain for $A401 million. —Statista

Liverpool star goalkeeper and devout Christian Alisson Becker performed more baptisms than the number of goals he conceded in the first few games of 2020. —The Sun

CHRISTIANS RESPOND TO COVID-19 WORLD

Evangelical Christian charity World Vision has reached 59 million people worldwide with its response to Covid-19, according to new findings. 124,000 faith leaders and 1300 churches in the United States were involved in the project, which included donating 3 million boxes of fresh food through the United States government's "Farmers to Families" initiative.—Christian Headlines

R RENT

HADYNYAH—GETTY IMAGES

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THE RESPONSIBILITY OF

e g e l i v i r P

When the going gets tough, sometimes what’s needed is a simple reminder about how blessed we really are . . . BY MARK DELANEY

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inherited privilege

Much of my privilege is inherited in the sense that it is not due to any effort of mine whatsoever. The nature of my inherited privilege first dawned on me during a school trip when I lived temporarily with another family. That family was a broken one. I realised my stable home with loving parents was not everyone’s experience. Nothing I’d done merited such an upbringing, and nothing my hosts had done deserved their tougher life—it is just how it was. 8

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Related to having a stable family is the privilege of opportunity—the chance to try new things and in so doing, acquire new skills. Learning to swim and to play a musical instrument were opportunities that I thought every child had. Only later in India did I find that most children in the world actually can’t swim or read music, let alone travel, skateboard or surf. As a 19-year-old, I spent a year in Denmark as an exchange student. That privilege allowed me to see that other cultures, in some ways, are better than our own. Denmark also showed me that having English as my mother tongue was an undeserved privilege. I hadn’t realised how illogical English grammar and spelling was until I watched others trying to learn it. Why, they would question me, was the plural of “house” “houses”, while the plural of “mouse” was “mice”. I had no idea, I just knew it was! After Denmark, I returned to Australia to study at university. Here I was confronted with even more privilege—a free, high-quality, tertiary education! I’d already met a number of Americans who were about to incur huge debts at college—sums which would need to be repaid over decades. Even with HECS in Australia, I could continue my studies and not need to repay

PEOPLEIMAGES—GETTY IMAGES

n my early 20s, I spent a few months in India. I remember meeting a man outside his home—a 4ft-high wood and plastic shack. In my limited Hindi, I learnt that his wife had just given birth to their child right there in that hut with no medical care whatsoever. In that moment I realised that the world was not a fair place. Just by being born in Australia, I was guaranteed free medical care, whereas this man and his wife lived with constant vulnerability. He had not deserved his lot in life, just as I had not earned mine. It’s just how the world is. Growing up, I thought I was “normal”. I didn’t feel particularly better or worse off than others around me. However, as I've journeyed further along the road of my 54 years of life, the more I’ve realised just how privileged I am. That realisation should, I suggest, give rise to a sense of responsibility to use our privilege to assist others.

“

The privilege I experienced had nothing to do with what I'd done right

anything until my salary reached (in global terms) a very healthy level. During my later university years, I also heard stories from refugees in Australia who had fled war and persecution, which made me realise how fortunate I am to enjoy peace and freedom. Again, the privilege I experienced had nothing to do with what I’d done right, or anything my refugee friends had done wrong—it just was the way it was. Later, my wife Cathy and I moved to India. Our years there have shown us even more clearly just how privileged we are on a global scale. One obvious aspect is wages. Working in Australia, we were able to save thousands of dollars for our travels. In India, we met people who would work all day for $2—barely enough to put food on the table, let alone save up for travel! Again, my being able to work for $20-$30 an hour was not due to my ability, it was

simply because I lived in Australia. Another significant aspect of my privilege in India (that Cathy couldn’t experience) was that of being male. India is a very patriarchal society in which most women have many major life decisions—education, marriage, children—made for them by males. In Australia, the difference isn’t as stark, but as a male, I’m sure I’m still blind to much of the privilege that comes from being a man. There are many other inherited privileges I’ve experienced in my life that I haven’t described here: being white; a lack of significant physical or emotional disabilities; having a network of wise mentors; and being part of the ethnic/cultural majority.

generated privilege

Other aspects of my privilege have derived in part from my working hard in life. In some ways we could JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

say therefore, that those areas of privilege I do deserve. However, I hasten to add that these aspects were only possible because of the many inherited privileges that were completely undeserved. I therefore call these generated privileges, as they are generated from my inherited privilege. The privilege of a university degree, for example, required considerable effort, but that was made all the easier by my stable family, adequate nutrition and functioning education system. In recent years, I’ve also co-authored a book. Together with our work in India, the book has led to the privilege of some media attention and notoriety. Writing the book took two years of hard work, but it was only possible because of the privilege of my education, the opportunities gifted to me in my life, and my network of caring and courageous mentors. I am therefore somewhat critical of those who claim that if people would just work hard, they should be able to get ahead. My experience is that plenty of people work incredibly hard, but their lack of privilege means they will never get ahead. Many who promote this self-help attitude to life are often blind to the privilege on which their success is built. Jesus urges us to “take the log out of your own eye” (Matthew 7:5) before judging others. I would suggest that for some of us, this requires seeing our own privilege more clearly 10

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

before judging others as lazy.

from privilege to responsibility

Australia has had a proud history of helping the underdog. In recent decades however, it seems to me that as an Australian I've observed that we have become more selfish. We’re now increasingly told by friends, family and the media “you deserve it! Enjoy yourself!” To a great extent we’ve become “entitled”. However, for me, the realisation of my privilege challenges that entitlement. Now I know I don’t actually deserve most of what I have, and many others in the world who have worked just as hard (or harder than me) have far less to show for it. Common fairness suggests, therefore, that we use our unearned privilege to assist those who are “underprivileged”. People of faith have even more reason to use our privilege to help others. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked,” said Jesus (Luke 12:48). Taking the concrete steps to use our privilege to assist others who are less privileged is, of course, where the rubber really hits our well-paved and privileged road! All the best on the journey. Mark Delaney is a lawyer by training. He and his family lived and worked with the poor in India for more than 20 years. Since returning to Australia in 2019, he has worked part-time for the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change.

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ALTERNATIVE VS CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE: IS THERE A REAL CHOICE?

Natural remedies are seemingly filling the gaps where modern medicine holds no solution for medical conditions. This approach, however, requires extra caution . . . BY SUVI MAHONEN

JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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aturopathy is a topic that generates polarising opinions. And every so often a naturopath will make headlines for all the wrong reasons. This was the case in Sydney in 2018 when naturopath Marilyn Bodnar was sentenced to 14 months jail after a baby with eczema under her care almost died of starvation. According to the ABC, Bodnar had advised the baby’s mother, who was exclusively breastfeeding, to go on a raw food diet to rid her body of toxins. When the baby became seriously ill with fever, instead of advising the mother to seek urgent medical attention, Bodnar told the mother to go on a fast and to give the child goat’s milk, which he repeatedly threw up. Bodnar’s case is not an isolated incident. Babies have died from bacterial meningitis after naturopaths have treated them with echinacea, and teenagers have died from only taking herbs for their asthma. In sentencing Bodnar, Downing Centre District Court Judge Peter Berman said, “Well-intentioned but seriously misguided advice is . . . capable of causing great harm and even death.” Naturopathy is defined as a system of alternative medicine based on the theory that disease can be successfully treated or prevented without the use of drugs. Former naturopath, and author of the blog Naturopathic Diaries, Britt Hermes, says a danger of naturopathy is that during their training, naturopaths are “tricked” into thinking that they are competent primary care practitioners. “As long as the naturopathic profession continues to assert that naturopaths are

trained ‘just like medical doctors’ we are going to have issues,” she writes. In 2019 the Australian Federal Government banned private health insurers from offering a rebate for naturopathy consultations, using the justification that the modality was deemed to be lacking in adequate scientific evidence. This move was welcomed by Professor Alastair MacLennan, who is a founding member of the Friends of Science in Medicine. He is a passionate advocate for the need for evidence-based medicine. “Alternative medicine just means medicine that has not been proven. If it was proven, it would be considered genuine, conventional medicine,” MacLennan says. “Almost all alternative medicines, or practices like acupuncture or chiropractic or naturopathy, rely on something magical that they are doing. But it doesn’t work.” While some alternative therapies may seem to work initially, this temporary improvement may often be due to the well-known phenomenon of the “placebo effect”. “There are four main harms of so-called ‘harmless’ therapies,” says Professor MacLennan, who was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2011. “One is, they delay you trying to find effective therapy. Two, they are often very expensive. The third is that some of them have side effects. And finally, there is the disillusionment that leads to depression that occurs when a placebo

wears off and hasn’t done what you’d hoped it would do.” Despite the largely unproven and unregulated nature of alternative therapies, millions of people are still drawn to them. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners estimates that two-thirds of Australians have used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) at some stage, spending more than $A4 billion annually on treatments that have little or no clinical evidence to back them up. At the same time it’s hard to argue that the traditional medical system is without fault. Funding shortages, long hours, bureaucracy and clinician burnout mean the cliché of the uncaring doctor shoving a prescription at a patient, without properly listening to their concerns, can often be true. And almost all alternative practitioners have many cases of patients who have come to them as a last resort after the traditional medical system has failed them. Claire Dunkley is a nurse consultant who specialises in amino neuro frequency therapy—an alternative treatment using frequency-emitting discs that claims to reduce pain and inflammation in the body by modulating the nervous system. She believes that society’s health issues are negatively influenced by the overwhelming focus on pharmaceutical or surgical options, rather than identifying and treating the root cause of the health issue. “Traditional medicine has its place JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

an alternative practitioner for that.” Nicky Wood, a naturopath based in New South Wales with more than 25 years’ experience, adamantly disagrees. She says naturopathy can play an integral role in supporting someone’s health and wellness goals. “One of the first things I do when I’m seeing a patient is to remind them that I’m not there to diagnose conditions,” Wood said. “I often say to my patients, ‘I’m a wellness concierge’.” The most common ailments Wood’s patients are suffering from include digestive conditions, dermatological conditions, chronic fatigue and chronic pain. She believes botanical medicine is a value-added way to treat ailments. “We’re able to support general nutrition at a trace minerals and vitamins level,” she said. “It’s a multi-faceted approach.” Suzanne Wadsworth, 49, has been seeing Wood for the past six months to help manage her chronic lymphatic leukaemia. She claims that the dietary and lifestyle modifications, and the natural supplements that Wood has advised, have helped her to avoid commencing chemotherapy. “I’m on a modified keto diet made up of leafy greens, vegetables, healthy fats, eggs and seafood and have removed stresses to my body by increasing meditation, rest, and swapping high intensity exercise with yoga, walking and swimming,” says Wadsworth, who lives in Queensland. “I also take a lot of supplements including Immunogenics, herbal

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in acute, traumatic events, but when it comes to chronic disease management, you can’t expect people to get better with only pharmaceuticals,” she says. “The difference between what we [alternative therapists] do, is that we believe that no one person is the same, that no one person has the same ailment for the same reason.” Dunkley would like to see conventional and alternative medicine practitioners working together more to offer the patient a more holistic health approach. However, many conventional medical practitioners would argue that they already work closely with a range of allied health care professionals including physiotherapists, dietitians and psychologists. “When you’re dealing with chronic diseases, you need to have a multidisciplinary team working in a holistic way to co-ordinate patient care,” says Victorian-based general practitioner, and founder of Pop Up GP, Dr Deepak Gaur. “I used to do a lot of work in chronic fatigue syndrome and you’ve got to look at the patient as an individual to understand the condition.” Acute illnesses and trauma are one thing. But is there a role for the alternative practitioner who may be able to offer more time and empathy for people with chronic conditions? MacLennan believes the answer is no. “I’ve absolutely nothing against massage, relaxation and good advice about diet and exercise. That’s all common sense. But you don’t need

tonic, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Gtox, EnergX, NAC and Adaptan.” Wadsworth credits Wood with helping her deal with emotional triggers that otherwise might send her on an alcohol or food binge. “I feel like naturopathy addresses my wellness overall and I am learning how to manage my chronic condition,” Wadsworth says. “If the medical system recommends that I have chemo, and I cannot reverse my test results with diet and lifestyle alone, then I will have chemo. But if I can avoid chemo with my own lifestyle choices, I will be very happy.” It is estimated that up to onequarter of prescription medicines are made from ingredients found in rainforests. And when it comes to a toss-up between a conventional prescription medicine, and a herbal remedy, a doctor speaking to me offthe-record recently said: “Alternative medicine is the medicine that is left over from conventional medicine, because it doesn’t work.” There is perhaps some truth to that. But it still begs the question: How does a substance, or a treatment for that matter, become a conventional medicine?

“As soon as you set up a carefully controlled experiment, then you can assess some intervention or some herb as either effective or not effective,” says medical scientist Professor Jonathan Stone, former executive director of the Bosch Institute, Australia’s leading medical research institute. “And if it passes the effectiveness test, it becomes part of the world of science.” It’s common sense to maximise our health through exercise, avoiding smoking, drinking and illicit drugs, maintaining a healthy body weight and eating well. But it’s equally important to exercise due diligence when it comes to treatments for your body, whether they be pharmaceutical, “off-label”, surgical or lifestyle modifications. If a proposed treatment has minimal evidence behind it, maintain a healthy scepticism. After all, if something sounds too good to be true, there’s usually a reason why. Suvi Mahonen is a writer and former News Corp journalist based in Surfers Paradise, Queensland. To watch the extended interviews with Professor Alistair MacLennan, Dr Deepak Gaur, Professor Jonathan Stone and naturopath Nicky Wood, head to: Suvi’sJournalism YouTube.

FA IT H

EARTH'S

NASTCO—GETTY IMAGES

Caretakers 18

How a pandemic-ridden world showed a glimpse of the earth’s original state. BY LYNDELLE PETERSON

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t the beginning of 2020 the coronavirus was a bit of an enigma. There was a lot of uncertainty about the severity of the virus and attitudes about its impact were mixed. By the middle of 2020 many people were forced to come to terms with a new way of living as Covid-19’s true severity was revealed and the reality of living through a pandemic set in. Covid-19 took billions of people off the streets, out of lengthy commutes, and countless international air routes became irrelevant. As nations, economies and life as we knew it ground to a halt, those across social media looked at the positive side of this worldwide slowdown of everyday life. This ease of pace was having some very welcome side effects! Take leatherback sea turtles for example. The Guardian reported that Thailand saw the largest number of nests in more than two decades—attributed to the collapse in tourist numbers that has freed up the beaches for wildlife. According to NASA and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) pollution monitoring satellites, there have been significant decreases in nitrogen dioxide over China. Nitrogen dioxide is a noxious gas emitted by cars, power plants and industrial facilities. Experts say the drop in pollution is attributed in part to the economic slowdown caused

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

by the pandemic. Similar reductions were also seen in Italy and parts of Europe as national shutdowns were implemented. Residents of Los Angeles were flooding social media with images of a smog-free city, while in Italy, Twitter users uploaded videos of jellyfish and other marine life visible in the canals of Venice due to a reduction in boat traffic through the city. All these people staying at home had seemingly eased the collective burden off the shoulders of our global environment. I don’t know about you but hearing these stories inspires in me a great sense of hope and relief. There’s a book I’ve been reading with my three-year-old that she picked out from our local library. It’s called Glacier on the Move. The colourful and exciting pages take you through the story of the way that glaciers are formed and charge forward then retreat in the different seasons. It’s one of her favourite books but every time I read it, I can’t help but think of the untold side of the story, the reality that some glaciers are becoming an endangered species themselves. It feels kind of strange that it would elicit such an emotional response! Why do we care so much

and ensure that it thrives. Everything we do and every interaction we have should be framed by the question, Is this in the best interests of the earth that we’ve been entrusted with? It’s not so much environmental awareness and earth care because it’s the right thing to do, but an expression of our love for God and His creation. This concept actually has a name: stewardship. Stewardship, simply put, is an ethic that embodies the responsible management of resources. As Christians, we believe that all the world’s resources originated from God, therefore we have a responsibility to carefully manage them. This also applies to us as individuals—our unique personality, our defining characteristics, our passions, our aspirations, our goals and our dreams. If God is the originator of all, then all belongs to Him and we are simply taking care of it for a time. While Covid-19 pushed the “pause” button on many aspects of our lives, it also reaped unexpected benefits for the environment. Let’s hope that it will jolt us into recognising that we are not owners of this world, but rather caretakers and stewards who are entrusted to do what we can to nurture, serve and care for it. Lyndelle Peterson is an Adventist pastor and church leader in Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her young and growing family. TIM ALLEN—GETTY IMAGES

about our world? Some like to think that we are a selfish species—in some ways the environmental effects of the global lockdowns are a good case study of humanity’s selfish desire to take and not give back. I like to think that at the heart of humanity we have a yearning to see our world thrive. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, gives us a beautiful insight into the origins of our world. We see God lovingly creating the sun, stars and moon, the plants, trees, birdlife and animals. The whole process reaches its climax with the creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. The Bible tells us that God gave Adam and Eve “dominion” over His newly created earth. Dominion in the English language generally has some negative connotations—we tend to think of it meaning “to dominate” or “to exploit”. But in the original Hebrew language this whole phrase takes on a much deeper meaning—it refers less to the way humanity interacts with the earth and more to the role of humanity. Therefore, we can see that humans were given the job of caring for the world—for the sake of the flora and fauna, not for the sake of humanity. We do not own the world but we are charged to manage it

JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

ELL B EING

BETTER HEALTH for every body WITH

DR SIMONE KOOKE

PLANT BASED DIET HEALS CHRONIC ULCERS

MENOPAUSE AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Going through menopause can be a traumatic time, with most women experiencing some weight gain. Researchers in the US have found that women who gained more weight around the midsection were more likely to develop narrowing of the carotid arteries to the brain. By keeping weight gain under control and recording this with waist circumference measurements, carotid artery narrowing was minimised.—Journal of North American Menopause Society 22

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OVERACTIVE BLADDER

Japanese reseachers found that a 25% reduction in salt intake equated to one less wake up at night, with some people finding their bladders were no longer considered overactive. With this being a no-cost, easy to implement change, a better nights sleep is on its way.—Nature.com

I-YUANMI, NADINE PRIMEAU, TIM MOSSHOLDER, DANILO ALVESD, THOMAS MILLOT—UNSPLASH ANILO ALVESD, —PEXELS

Plant based diets are becoming more accepted, and the observed benefits are growing as well. A New Zealand woman who had suffered with chronic leg ulcers for 12 years found that when she strictly adhered to a plant-based, low-fat diet, her ulcers healed. When she had a break from this, her ulcers returned with a severity related to how far she deviated from her diet.—BMJ Journals

5 STAR FRUIT JUICE

If you thought a glass of orange juice had a five-star health rating, you’d be wrong. Australia and New Zealand have implemented changes to the beverages rating system to reflect sugar content, rather than the source ingredients. With a glass of OJ coming in at 21g of sugar (the recommended daily intake is 25g), a more accurate reflection of the nutritional value of these foods is welcome.—AusDoc

WORRYING BITE? There are many things that can harm you in Australia, but the “things that buzz” are the most likely to cause serious illness. More people attended hospital after a bee, wasp or hornet sting than any other category of creature. Spiders and snakes also featured highly on the dangerous list, albeit in smaller numbers. With allergic reactions to these stings becoming increasingly common, it is best to err on the side of caution if you find yourself on the wrong side of an angry bee.—AIHW

PHYSIO IN YOUR POCKET?

UK researchers have found that providing knee arthritis patients with a digital exercise program in the form of a smartphone app can significantly reduce their pain levels and improve overall function. By providing tailored, condition appropriate exercises, reminders to complete these and the ability to chat to a physiotherapy—engagement with exercise programs increased, resulting in better health outcomes.—JAMA Network

Dr Simone Kooke is a Sydney general practitioner and mum of two who loves to help her patients and family make simple, practical lifestyle improvements that will increase their longevity and quality of life. JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

BIG

E S TI O N S

Does Prayer

WORK?

“Thoughts and prayers” are often sent out without considering how the second part really works. Turns out that most people don’t understand prayer—and that might be the whole point.

TUTYE—GETTY IMAGES

BY NATHAN BROWN

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

want an Puzzled by a "big picture" question and zine answer? In 2021, Signs of the Times maga most will be sharing fresh perspectives on life’s each rs autho new with , eries myst s ntiou conte present a month examining objective evidence to case for Christianity.

JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

at which I pray each day. I also pray s a book editor who works in a for friends, family members and Christian publishing house, I know prayer works from a sales neighbours when I hear of a specific need they have. I pray regularly with perspective. Books on the topic of colleagues for the work that we do prayer are consistently among our and the people we work with. I often best sellers. It seems that many of spend significant time praying while our customers and readers—mostly walking the dog. And prayer is one of people of faith, but including people my usual responses when confronting who are interested but uncertain about faith—are keen to be reassured a life decision, question or chalthat prayer works and to find out lenge—whenever these arise. how best to do it to ensure that it So I don’t know how it works— does work for but I believe them. prayer matters As a writer and often who has spent makes a a lot of time difference. and words exploring asprayer is It's about reaching out pects of faith human and faithful to, connecting with and living, I have A quick even aligning ourselves not been survey tempted to of world with some kind of write one of religions higher energy, power or those books. will show I struggle to that most of personality know what them teach to say about and practise prayer and I some form of am uncomfortable with glib answers prayer. It might be one of the most to the questions of prayer and obvious qualifiers of a philosophy supposed formulae for how to pray or religious worldview. While taking “successfully”. I’ve been uncertain many different forms, practices about how to talk about the mysof prayer are not restricted to the leaders, the ordained or the mystics. teries of prayer and hesitant to poke Although there are elaborate rituals the bruises of many who have tried attached to some forms of prayer, to pray but feel their prayers have most praying is accessible to and remained tragically unanswered. practised by even the most fringe Yet, as a believer, I pray. I have regular times and occasions adherents. In many cases, the habits

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of prayer or blessing are often looked down on as final desperate measures by those who lack faith; if only as a kind of superstition. Given the breadth and variety of its practise, it is tempting to suggest that prayer is more a human thing than solely a religious undertaking. In contrast with many of our first thoughts about prayer as primarily seeking divine intervention or blessing for ourselves, in many of these traditions, prayer is more. It’s about reaching out to, connecting with and even aligning ourselves with some kind of higher energy, power or personality. In this way, prayer should be one of the key spiritual practices for shifting our focus away from ourselves. We recognise that we are not situated at the centre of the story or the heart of the universe. But we suspect and begin to trust that the heart of the universe is somehow interested in us or available to us. This understanding of prayer is that we either trust or desperately hope (sometimes both) that there is something more to the arrangement and meaning of our lives than merely what we can see and feel around us. Faced with the realities of life and death, we take mostly tentative steps to engage with and even submit to something or Someone larger than us. Prayer offers a bigger perspective and invites us out of the urgent and the ordinary to the eternal yearnings that seem to be planted somehow within us (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). This impulse transcends our humanity

but also seems to be essentially and ubiquitously human.

Jesus told us to pray

In the Christian faith, prayer holds an important place for one dominant reason: Jesus said so. While prayer is practised, often assumed and sometimes discussed across the breadth of the Bible, prayer is a significant and recurring theme in the life and teaching of Jesus, as recorded by His first followers. There are stories of Jesus taking regular time to pray, often getting up early in the morning or even praying through the night. There were also times of distress and grief in which He appealed for God’s intervention, with varying “success”. Believed to be God in His own right by His followers, it is notable that He nonetheless prioritised prayer as a life practice and as key to maintaining His connection to His divine Father. And He taught His followers about the importance and role of prayer, even offering a model prayer that is still used today in most Christian traditions. Recorded as part of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord’s Prayer is a masterpiece that balances the transcendent with the personal and the practical, inviting the reality of God’s kingdom into our world and our lives. We are tempted to assume that Jesus offered the assurance of God’s always-positive response: “Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. . . [I]f you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:7,11). But Jesus’ own experience of earnest prayer in the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion seemed to culminate in one of His final anguished prayers—“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46)—as His tortured death loomed close. For all the importance of prayer, even for Jesus Himself, it did not guarantee a life free of pain, loss or grief. Answering the question of whether prayer works depends significantly on how we are looking for it to work. I have been to too many “unnecessary” funerals to be able to accept that prayer guarantees the smoothness or safety of our lives. Supposing that God has power to intervene can render such tragedies somehow more tragic. On the other hand, while I am alert to confirmation bias, coincidence and even wishful thinking when it comes to stories of miraculous answers to prayer, I know people who have had unlikely experiences that correspond closely to the ways and outcomes for which they had been praying. Anyone who tries to sell you a formula for prayer as a never-failing key to blessing, prosperity and wellbeing is simply trying to sell you something. As certain as Jesus was about the importance and effectiveness of prayer, He was critical of those who 28

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so does prayer work?

“think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again” (Matthew 7:7). “Successful” prayer is not about getting the phrasing right, praying hard enough or offering the right sacrifice, either literally or metaphorically. The trajectory of the Bible moves us away from this kind of pagan transactionalism.

the good news about unanswered prayer While this might sound disappointing at first, this is good news, because it speaks of the kind of God we are invited to pray to. A formula that provides automatic answers to prayer with the correct formula, phrasing, incantation or donation would connect us with a Power that might be little more than a cosmic vending machine. And that offers only a shallow and intermittent exchange. In his book on prayer—Letters to Malcolm—C S Lewis points us in this direction by reminding us that prayer for specific answers or intervention are best understood as requests: “The essence of request, as distinct from compulsion, is that it may or may not be granted.” This is a helpful reminder that still leaves us with troubling and unanswerable questions about why some requests seem to be granted readily and abundantly, while others seem to be cruelly ignored. But perhaps it also alerts us to a larger invitation found in the

teaching and example of Jesus in relation to prayer. Demands—or vending-machine transactions—are justifiably judged on the outcome of that specific order at that specific time; the answer is either delivered or not. But a request suggests a larger context and an ongoing relationship. This is the good news about unanswered prayer: a relationship is built on more than a single transaction or request. In His model prayer, Jesus pointed to God as “our Father”, offering the best possible understanding of a parental relationship with One who “knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” (Matthew 7:8). The overwhelming emphasis of Jesus’ teaching and practice of prayer was that God is keenly interested in us—think, counting the hairs on your head (see Matthew 10:30) as an extreme example—and is working out His plan to restore us and our world. Even in the depth of His suffering, as He voiced His feelings of abandonment by God, He somehow still entrusted Himself to God (see Luke 23:46). Prayer—and the One to whom it is addressed—is not best judged as an unreliable vending machine whose mechanism is faulty and only sporadically delivers what it promises. Instead, prayer is the practice of conversation with a great and good God, who does not always intervene because He values freedom, even at sometimes terrible cost to Himself, to our world, and to us and those we love. The invitation JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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The more important task is to invest time in thinking and learning about what we pray to

who we pray to

This doesn’t answer all my questions about prayer, how it works and why it doesn’t. I don’t expect it to answer yours either. I might not be able to write that best-selling book about prayer, but I do continue to pray. When we understand prayer as a human phenomenon—something we all do sometimes, somehow, even if almost unconsciously—the more important task is to invest time in thinking and learning about what we pray to, and seeking the best recipient for these expressions of our human fears, requests, aspirations and desires. Jesus introduced us to a Father who so wants to connect with us—He is the God who opened the 30

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conversation and genuinely invites us to communicate and align our lives with who He created us to be. Somehow prayer is one of the most practical ways that we can live our lives with a growing appreciation of His presence with us, even amid tragedies, disappointments and seemingly unanswered prayers. Maybe you have a prayer request or question of your own? Connect with us at Signsofthetimes.org.au/help. Nathan Brown is a book editor for Signs Publishing in Warburton, Victoria.

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to pray is an invitation to trust our lives to His bigger plan, purpose and goodness.

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KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL

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Soccer is dominated by big money clubs that seem impossible to beat. However, every now and again an underdog team comes through and surpasses all odds. Which team would you support? BY DANIEL KUBEREK

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occer is uniquely placed as one of the world’s oldest sports and manages to inspire fans in almost every country. Even in Australia and New Zealand, where sports like rugby, cricket and AFL see a larger turnout of screaming fans donning their club’s colours, soccer still manages to evoke passion in a committed fanbase. You’d be hard pressed to go to any corner of the globe where names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Beckham are not recognised. Known as much for their footwork wizardry on the pitch as how they market and advertise cologne, apparel and even underwear, they exemplify how soccer truly is the world game. When I was in primary school, there was always an exciting buzz when an underdog team managed to overcome all odds and face the giants of world soccer. Many Australians remember when the country surpassed expectations and managed to face eventual world champions Italy in the knockout phase of the 2006 World Cup. They’ll then proceed to kindly remind you how Australia was robbed when Fabio Grosso definitely dived over Lucas Neill’s tackle in the penalty box. Likewise, many New Zealanders will tell you they were undefeated at the 2010 World Cup; a feat that not even eventual world champions Spain achieved during that tournament—but they’ll fail to mention this was a result of three draws. They

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may also tell you how Kiwi semi-professional side Auckland City, with a roster of players that were working day jobs, was one game away from facing Real Madrid at the 2014 Club World Cup final—and then managed to defeat Mexican powerhouse club Cruz Azul to secure third place at the tournament. Every sport fan has also heard of Leicester City overcoming 5000-to-1 odds to win the English Premier League title in 2015/16. Or locally, soccer fans in Australia witnessed Adelaide United become the only professional sport team in the country to rise from the bottom of the table in round eight to win the championship at the end of the season. The truth, however, is that all those moments are rare.

when money is involved

Along with the mass appeal of soccer comes a darker side: the business aspect of the sport. Indeed, soccer is dominated by money and rarely do underdog clubs, often on

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Along with the mass appeal of soccer comes a darker side: the business side of the sport

This allows them to continue buying the world’s best players for its clubs and extending the roll of success. A club like Real Madrid is known as being the most successful team in Europe’s most elite competition, the Champions League, where the best teams from Europe’s domestic leagues face off against each other. Madrid’s run of four Champions League titles in five years between 2013 and 2018 in that competition highlighted its reliance on Galactico’s; a Spanish term used to refer to world-class players who carry an exorbitant salary, such as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo or more recently Eden Hazard. Europe’s regional competition, Euro 2020, or South America’s Copa America, provide respite from the heavily business-centred club soccer world, and they serve as a reminder of what the sport can look like when the playing field is more even. As international teams, they can’t simply buy players, but need to nurture and develop homegrown talent, hoping they flourish in some of the world’s

WIK COMMONS

smaller budgets, win trophies in some of the world’s biggest leagues. The two richest clubs in the world, Barcelona and Real Madrid— who according to Forbes had a combined value of $A10 billion in May 2019—have won the Spanish League (La Liga) for 15 out of the last 17 seasons. In Germany, Bayern Munich, worth $A1.92 billion, has won the league for eight consecutive seasons with no sign of slowing down. Likewise, Juventus has won for nine seasons in a row in Italy, and Paris Saint-Germain has won seven out of the last eight French league titles. Massive investment into securing the best players for a club breeds success, yielding dividends in the form of prize money and allowing for further investment. As a result, foreign investment is ruling the sport. Corporations like City Football Group, worth $A6.27 billion, has Abu Dhabi United Group as a majority shareholder and owns a portfolio of clubs including Manchester City.

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biggest leagues. This is why after years of developing local players, teams like France, Belgium, Netherlands and England head into Euro 2020 as hot favourites. Similarly, Copa America will likely see Brazil, Argentina and Colombia do battle for the title. In this respect, you can’t buy allegiance in international soccer as you can in club soccer.

victory before full-time

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All the national pride that comes whenever countries line up together on the pitch, pales in comparison to the level of allegiance that many pledge to the Creator of the universe. Much like how soccer teams take on the opposition in order to win the continual support of their fans, God does battle with the enemy Satan to secure the hearts of every person on the planet. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your

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soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,” He says (Luke 10:27). Supporting Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain can be done with some level of confidence. These billion-dollar clubs have an impressive track record in securing trophies. To support God, however, is to support a side that has already won. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

the choice

Sounds like an easy team to support, right? There’s no reason why everyone on earth shouldn’t simply jump on the bandwagon. The problem is, while God’s side has already won, the Bible never promised that a life with Jesus would be a simple and

easy run until the final whistle. There are many who have and will “believe it for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away” (Luke 8:13). But those who stay committed to God’s cause—those who don’t leave the “stadium” when it seems like God’s team might not win—they are the ones the Bible describes as having “fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7,8). God’s victory will be the ultimate underdog story, far greater than Leicester City or Adelaide United, with only the most committed followers sticking with Him all the way until the end. While I look forward to all the (extremely) early morning soccer

broadcasts from the other side of the world this winter, I have the assurance that all the stress and anxiety of my team winning or losing is nothing compared to a promised future in heaven with God. I hope you choose His team too. Try Jesus is an acclaimed resource where you can learn about God— and it can be sent to you free. Just send an email to discovery@hopechannel.com with "Try Jesus" along with your postal address, or call 1300 300 389. Let’s get the ball rolling. Daniel Kuberek is assistant editor for Signs of the Times magazine. Unfortunately, his personal soccer career yielded zero trophies, a dislocated finger and a wounded ego.

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FA IT H

r a l u c a ectOF spEVENT THE MOST

ALL TIME

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Jesus’ return will be an unprecedented, but also personal event as He returns to restore earth and those who have chosen Him.

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BY ERIC WEBSTER

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his beautiful world is fractured and torn. Covid-19 has left its morbid footprints across the face of the globe. More than 200 countries and territories have been affected by this devastating pandemic. Fortunately, due to firm measures of control, Australia and New Zealand have escaped the worst results. Nature has also joined in the attack. The Australian bushfires of summer 2019–2020 were particularly devastating. Millions of acres were burnt to ashes, thousands of buildings and homes were burnt to the ground, and the lives of firefighters and other citizens were snuffed out. Then came the floods. On the other side of the globe, America has also experienced massive and extensive fire hazards across the western states. Added to these is the ongoing threat of societal unrest, racial tension, climate change and international conflict. Many people are

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deeply concerned about the future of our life on this planet. I have good news for you today. There is Someone, by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, who has a plan and the power to deliver this planet from pain, death and chaos. Millions of people down through the ages have met this Man in the pages of the Bible and found Him to be the Prince of peace.

who is this man, Jesus?

If you have not met Him, you will find Him in the four gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here is a Man who was born 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth of Galilee and spent only three-and-a-half years in public work. During this brief period, He drew the crowds through His teaching, preaching and healing ministry. Multitudes were healed of all kinds of diseases and some were

even raised from the dead. He had 12 close followers called disciples. He claimed to be the Son of God (see Matthew 16:16,17) and even to be one with God (see John 10:30). Furthermore, He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Towards the end of His ministry, when one of these disciples asked Him to show them the Father (God), He said to him, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Just before His death through crucifixion, Jesus gave a comforting promise to His sorrowing disciples that He would return and take them to be with Him in His Father’s kingdom: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1–3).

how will He return?

Forty days after Christ’s death and subsequent resurrection, He departed to His Father. Luke writes, “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven” (Luke 24:50,51).

This was a startling experience for the disciples. “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10,11). These encouraging words indicate that the same Jesus who ate with the disciples and whom they could touch and feel and worship will return. And His return will not be in secret. Jesus very clearly told His followers that it would be public and visible to all. He said, “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). We all know that lightning penetrates the darkness and likewise, the return of Jesus will be highly visible to all. The apostle John wrote, “‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’” (Revelation 1:7). Jesus said He would return in glory, unlike His first coming as a babe, accompanied by all the heavenly angels (see Matthew 25:31). What a dazzling sight beyond all imagination. Even the deaf will hear the mighty sounding of His coming (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16).

why does He return?

Jesus Christ will return to the world to bring final complete restoJUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

ration to this broken and shattered world. What a glorious day that will be when even the dead will be returned to life. The apostle Paul writes, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the

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The same Jesus who ate with the disciples . . . will return air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17). Using the illustration of the seed, Paul writes concerning the new bodies we will all be given when Christ returns: “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42–44). 42

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will you be ready to meet Him?

There are two graves in South Africa where my father and mother are resting. I am looking forward to that soon-coming day when I will once again have the privilege of seeing my beloved parents in their newly transformed and glorified bodies. I do not want to miss that reunion with my loved ones and the Lord Jesus. Jesus counselled His followers to be ready for His return. He said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:42,44). Here are some simple steps we can take to be ready to meet the Lord when He returns: • Believe in Jesus (John 3:16) • Receive Jesus and become His son or daughter (John 1:12) • Maintain a relationship with Jesus through prayer (John 15:4,5) • Accept Jesus into your life (John 17:3) • Love and trust Jesus and so be ready for His return (2 Timothy 4:8) I encourage you each day to “stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Dr Eric Webster served as the manager and editor of the South African Signs of the Times for 22 years. He also previously worked as a pastor, church president and theology lecturer.

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GROWING UP WITH

Faith: CHILD ABUSE OR PRECIOUS GIFT? While Richard Dawkins equates teaching children religious beliefs with child abuse, there are positive benefits for children who are taught faith practices. BY KAREN COLLUM 44

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t the Chipping Norton Literary And in this case, the research is quite clear: it depends. Festival in Britain in 2013, world-renowned atheist and evolutionary scientist Professor Rich- what the research says ard Dawkins declared that raising If you spend a few moments children with a faith-based identity googling pros and cons of children was “child abuse”. Dawkins is not being raised to believe in God, you’ll alone in his beliefs. As a Christian find—not surprisingly—evidence parent, I’ve been on the receiving end to support both perspectives. But of criticism from family and friends there are a number of peer-reviewed about our kids going to church, pray- psychological studies that can give us a snapshot of what’s so good about ing and being taught from the Bible. raising children One went so far to believe in as to say I was God and what brainwashing my are the potential children while problems. Let’s she was letting start with the bad her children news. choose what Faith without faith they had, substance means a if any. destructive faith The dilemma Not all faith parent is more likely for parents with is helpful or to perpetrate abuse deep personal healthy. Just faith is that they because someone on their children wish to pass on professes faith their experience in God does not of the power of automatically God in their lives and teach their correlate with kind, loving, compaschildren the same practices and sionate attitudes or behaviour that beliefs that have led them to their will result in positive outcomes for meaningful relationship with God. their children. At best, the result The Bible, the collection of holy is dysfunction; at worst, religion Christian literature, instructs parents becomes inextricably linked to child to “train up your child in the way he abuse. should go” (Proverbs 22:6). So how A brief glance at the findings from do we reconcile Dawkins’ statement the Australian Royal Commission with our desire to pass on our faith to into Institutional Responses to Child our children? Sexual Abuse is enough to make one When faced with a dilemma, it’s weep for the loss of innocence and always helpful to look at the research. damage caused by so-called men

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and women of God. But outside the abhorrent and obvious abuses against children, what are some of the other concerns around raising children in faith? 1. FAITH WITHOUT SUBSTANCE

Extrinsic religiosity–that is, religion that is lived outwardly for the purpose of image enhancement as opposed to being an inward, true expression of faith—has been found to be correlated with child abuse. Shallow faith or faith without substance means a parent is more likely to perpetrate abuse on their children. A 2005 study published in the Journal of Psychology and Theology found that it wasn’t the presence of religion itself that correlated with child abuse but the presence of superficial, extrinsic religion. 2. THE UNATTAINABLE GOAL OF

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PERFECTION

A 2010 study conducted in Australia found another particular area of concern for religious families: religious dysfunctional perfectionism (RDP). RDP occurs when religious expectations and standards are so high that they are impossible to meet. Therefore a person experiences self-loathing and unhealthy shame that inhibits their emotional and mental wellbeing. According to the Journal of Psychology and Theology, parents with rigid, controlling parenting styles who model religious dysfunctional perfectionism tend to

pass on that dysfunctional perfectionism to their children. 3. RIGID THINKING

The Psychological Research journal reported in 2019 that non-religious students demonstrated higher levels of flexibility in their thinking than those students from religious upbringings. The researchers suggested that the adherence to rules and regulations associated with religion had a negative impact on a child’s capacity to be flexible in their thinking. However, researchers noted that the same rigidity of thinking may also be demonstrated through other strong ideologies such as political affiliation as well. JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

There’s loads of research going back decades that talks about the emotional, social, psychological and, of course, spiritual benefits for children being raised in faith-filled homes, but here are a few interesting points. 1. REDUCTION IN RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOUR

An article published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2018 found that adolescents who participate in weekly religious services or made prayer a part of their lives had greater life satisfaction in their 20s, a more positive mood, participated in less drug-related behaviour and had fewer sexual partners over their lifetime. The overall impact of church attendance and faith-based activities was profoundly positive. Another study in Child Abuse and Neglect from 2008 found that religiosity appeared to improve the psychological wellbeing of children, especially those who had experienced maltreatment. Researchers mentioned that the “inner strength” that comes from religious activities and experiences acts as a buffer against the stressors of life. 2. GO TO CHURCH, LIVE A HAPPIER LIFE

A 2013 American study by Psychology of Religion and Spirituality found that the greater the attendance of adolescents at organised religious events, the greater their life 48

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satisfaction. At a stage in life when depression and anxiety begin to rise, keeping our teenagers engaged in church-based activities appears to protect them from engaging in negative behaviours as well as increasing their overall happiness. 3. BETTER SCHOOL GRADES

In addition, academic performance in the final years of high school was found to be higher with those students who identified themselves as religious than those who did not. One explanation for this 2020 study in Applied Economics is that social networks developed when children are raised in a faith community are drivers for academic success.

where to from here?

Knowing some of the potential pitfalls of raising children in faith means that parents can actively prevent those things from occurring, while understanding the benefits can help us nurture our children into adolescence and beyond. Based on the research, here are five suggestions for raising healthy, faith-filled kids: 1. INVEST IN YOUR OWN FAITH

Shallow faith that is all show and no substance can be downright destructive to our kids. We have a responsibility to grow our own faith to such a place where it’s deep and meaningful and authentic. Get your own spiritual life on track and you’ll have more chance of passing on a healthy faith to your kids.

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benefits of faith

2. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS

Consider other points of view, wrestle with the intersection of faith, science and culture and be willing to walk with your children through their questions too. Rigidity of thinking might be an easy option in the moment—the classic “Because I said so”—but it could very well backfire further down the track when the messiness and complexity of life hits our children full force. 3. TAKE YOUR KIDS TO CHURCH AND YOUTH GROUP AND BIBLE STUDY

Go on social outings with your church family. If you don’t have a church family, find one! The more positive social connections you can make for you and your kids, the better.

a relationship with them, even if they decide their beliefs don’t exactly line up with yours. Remember, God loves your kids even more than you do. Trust that He’s got them in the palm of His hand. Jesus had a special place in His heart for children. One of the most precious gifts we can give our kids is to pass on a healthy, functional faith. By being intentional in the way in which we raise our children, being willing to engage in self-examination of our own faith, maintaining positive relationships with our children and honouring their individual faith journeys, religious families can confidently face any criticism from family and friends. Even Richard Dawkins himself. Karen Collum is an Australian children's author, chaplain and theology student. She lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

4. PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN

Do whatever you can to maintain

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IE N

CE/ TE

OF THE OCEAN WHALE SURVEYING Sound waves from fin whale calls are helping scientists map the bottom of the ocean. The species makes some of the loudest sea animal noises, which have been found to even penetrate the earth's crust. Scientists have been tracking how the seismic calls bounce off the seafloor. —Science News

DEEP DIVING ROBOT Scientists have devised a "soft body" robot that can explore the ocean to depths of nearly 11,000 metres. Inspired by the form of a deep-sea snailfish, the autonomous robot features soft fins and body to navigate deep waters while withstanding extreme water pressure.—Science News

POST PANDEMIC

TECH BUSINESS 50

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • MARCH 2021

BOATS > PLANES? A new study has found "bottom trawling"—a fishing technique where nets are dragged along the seabed, releases 1 gigaton of carbon each year—as much as the entire aviation industry. The element comes out from seabed sediment, and has been linked to increased ocean acidification.—The Guardian

ZOOM WINS BIG Zoom has unsuprisingly published large profits, after being utilised as the videoconferencing service of choice for millions of users during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company's profits increased 3200 per cent over the 2019 figure, yielding $A874 million in profits.—CBS News

US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE—FLICKR, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE—FLICKR, TO SAVE A LIFE, PIQSELS, LYNCCONF GAMES—FLICKR

THE DEPTHS

DO YOU SEE IT ON MY FACE? PREDICTING POLITICAL PREFERENCES A study by researchers from Stanford University has found only one Facebook photo is necessary to accurately predict a person's political preference. The algorithm has a success rate of 72 per cent—higher than personality type or human judgement tests. A similar test trying to predict other's political preferences based on their appearance was only 55 per cent accurate. A person's ethnicity, age, gender, as well as clothing and pose all factor into the algorith.—Psy Post RECOGNITION PAST THE MASK Facial recognition technology in use at Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida will soon be able to accurately recognise people even if they're wearing a mask. The technology is still under testing, which helps with entry and re-entry into the park. "Face Pass" is already a feature at numerous theme parks, including Yas Island, Ferrari World and Warner Bros World. The Disney technology still requires visitors to remove sunglasses and hats.—PYMNTS PARKINSON'S DISEASE A new groundbreaking face detection method may help with early detection of Parkinson's disease. Okayama University researchers found a link between Parkinson's motor symptoms, including stiffness, memory problems and fatigue, and their facial features. While the technology still requires more testing, researchers said "Parkinson's disease patients looked older and expressionless using publicly available AI face recognition software."—Biospectrum Asia

AIRBNB LOSES OUT The home-sharing app reported a loss of more than $AU5 billion during Q4 2020 following the global pandemic. Company executives attributed the results to travel restrictions and slow rollout of the vaccine.—ABC News

WORKING FROM HOME Technology essential to working in home environments was also significantly boosted by the pandemic. Demand for Chromebook laptops doubled to 30.7 million units sold in 2020, while tablets produced by Lenovo, Samsung and Apple were all reported to have increased in demand.—Engadget MARCH 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

From Tragedy to

TRIUMPH THE INSPIRING LIFE OF IRENE

GLEESON

BY TRACEY BRIDCUTT JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

hen many people reach middle age they start to think about winding their life back a notch to spend time with their children and grandchildren. Irene Gleeson did the opposite. This gutsy grandmother sold her beachside home and possessions, farewelled her family and relocated to one of the most dangerous places on earth. I had the privilege of meeting Irene more than a decade ago. At the time she was in the midst of having treatment for multiple skin cancers. Living in Africa for many years had taken its toll on her fair complexion. But Irene was no stranger to challenges, and she took this latest one in her stride. This was no time for self-pity; her thoughts were on her life-changing work helping orphaned and destitute children in northern Uganda. Even though I only spent a short time with Irene, her story made a lasting impression. She spoke with such passion about her work in Africa I could not help but be incredibly moved. Small in stature but with the biggest of hearts, what Irene achieved in the face of insurmountable odds was extraordinary.

struggled with mental health issues and was married twice. Irene’s first stepfather was an alcoholic and a womaniser. Her second stepfather sexually abused her. Irene’s mother passed away when she was just 15 years old, leaving her to care for her seven siblings. After her mother’s death Irene was then faced with the vile plans of her stepfather who wanted to take her as his new wife. Terrified, she moved out of the family home to a nearby girls’ hostel. During this time she met Brian, who would soon become her husband. By the time she was 21 she was married with three children. Not surprisingly, the trauma that Irene suffered as a child left her deeply troubled and unsettled. She began a desperate search for truth, including exploring Buddhism and transcendental meditation, but she didn’t find the answers she was looking for.

fighting the odds

Irene spiralled into depression. Her marriage fell apart and her only therapy was to take long walks on the beach. It was during one of these twilight walks that she glanced up at a brightly lit surf club where a church service was being held. She took a closer look but did not go inside. A

Indeed the odds were stacked against Irene from the very beginning. Her childhood was filled with tragedy and heartbreak.1 Irene’s father, an American sailor, took off as soon as he found out that Irene’s mother was pregnant. Her mother 54

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dark days

life in Uganda

A few years later Irene’s life took another extraordinary twist. After hearing about orphans in Uganda needing help, she sold her home and all her possessions, left behind her comfortable life and family, and at the age of 47 headed for one of the most dangerous places in the world. Kitgum, about 50 kilometres from the Sudanese border, was the toughest, most neglected and isolated part of Uganda, having been ravaged by civil war for decades. It had also been heavily impacted by the HIV/ AIDS virus. Many children had been orphaned or kidnapped and forced to become sex slaves or child soldiers.

Arriving in Kitgum in 1991, Irene immediately discovered the hardships of living in the region. There was no electricity or running water and food was scarce. But she immediately set to work bringing love and hope to the orphaned and destitute children, who affectionately called her “Mama Irene”. Under the shade of a mango tree, she began teaching them how to sing, eventually adding reading and writing to her lessons. She taught the children English by writing in the dust on the ground. Over time Irene was given land by the local council to build an orphanage, but she faced some extreme challenges, including being the target of rebel attacks where men broke into her caravan, wielding rifles and bayonets, and threatened her life. Each time she would claim God’s protection and was delivered from what appeared to be certain death. Irene’s body also did not cope well with the oppressive heat and harsh physical conditions. She experienced JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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few weeks later she worked up the courage to enter the church, which was now meeting in a converted warehouse nearby. Immediately she felt an incredible sense of peace. Years of pain and turmoil were instantly lifted from her shoulders. At that moment she gave her heart to Jesus and became a Christian.

leg ulcers, malaria, typhoid and dysentery. She dearly missed her children and grandchildren back in Australia and struggled with the isolation. But despite her own pain and discomfort, she never gave up. She earnestly believed that this was God’s destiny for her.

leaving a legacy

Irene spent 22 years in Kitgum and during this time she helped more than 20,000 traumatised children receive free education, food and medical care. Her remarkable legacy includes five primary schools catering for more than 8000 children daily; a 60-bed HIV hospice; water, sanitation and hygiene programs; and a vocational college providing training in carpentry, building and other skills. In 2009, Irene’s extraordinary work was recognised by the Australian government when she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia. She was also recognised by the government of Uganda. Dubbed Australia’s Mother Teresa, Irene still had many plans for the work in Kitgum when she sadly lost her year-long battle with cancer in 2013. Her memorial service in Uganda was attended by 10,000 people. Among those who sent tributes was the then Australian foreign minister Bob Carr. He wrote: “Her life chartered an inspirational path from Sydney to Kitgum. Mama Irene demonstrates the difference that one dedicated and courageous human 56

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

being can make in the lives of many others. She leaves an enduring and remarkable legacy, not only helping thousands of children who attended the schools she established, but their families and wider communities.”2

her vision lives on

Towards the end of her life, Irene affirmed that it was her relationship with God that kept her going through the hard times. “Would I do it all again? Definitely yes,” she said. “The sacrifices have been worth it. The best thing is my walk with the Lord is very close . . . That’s what I have learnt. If you want to be close to Jesus, you want to be in His presence all the time, well go where the least of His brothers are and get in amongst them and you’ll be walking hand in hand with Him. That’s been the best thing of my life.”3 While Irene is dearly missed, the good news is that this is not the end of the story as her vision lives on. Some of the orphans she raised and mentored are now leading the work in Kitgum with the support of the Irene Gleeson Foundation. 1. Details of Irene’s life story were sourced from Heart of a Lioness by Irene Glesson with Nicole Partridge. 2014. Authentic Publishers. 2. Gridneff, I. 2013. Sydney Morning Herald. https:// www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/australias-irene-mama-gleeson-68-farewelled-by-thousands-in-uganda20130727-2qqq6.html 3. Irene Gleeson Foundation. 2017. IGF Profile. https:// vimeo.com/77948128 Tracey Bridcutt is head of news and editorial at Adventist Media. She met Irene while working as a senior journalist for Newslocal, a subsidiary of News Corporation.

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Dear Readers, How are you enjoying your journey so far? I hope you’re finding value and interest in the selection of stories we have presented here. At Signs we care about our readers and we understand life can be a struggle, especially during these uncertain times. If you’ve related to some of the articles in this issue and you’d like to learn more, we'd love to connect. Maybe you've struggled with unanswered prayers; you feel called to make a positive difference in life; or you would like to know more about Jesus' promised return. If you have questions about anything you’ve read in this magazine, would like to connect with a local church community or be put in contact with a pastor in your area, scan our QR code and fill out your details or you can email us at info@signsofthetimes.org.au.

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Editor

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ELL B EING

ARE YOU DEVELOPING A FOOD ALLERGY? Catching the cause of bad reactions to food early is important for your immune system.

SO WHAT IS AN ALLERGY? An allergy occurs when your immune system overreacts to a normally harmless substance, like food, pollen or dust mites and determines that the substance is a threat. This then causes a reaction in your body—usually in the form of hives, swelling or breathing symptoms. CAN YOU DEVELOP AN ALLERGY AS AN ADULT? Yes you can. As you age, some 60

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

researchers suggest that your immune system may weaken naturally, which may be why you’re suddenly struggling with that creamy milkshake or feeling itchy after some grilled fish. Certain events (like pregnancy or illness) can also compromise your immune system, which may trigger a new reaction. INTOLERANCE OR ALLERGY? If your symptoms mainly involve the digestive system (like stomach pain, bloating and gas) a few hours after eating certain foods, this is likely an intolerance. Like your immune system, your digestive system can be affected as you age which may see you develop an intolerance later in life. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AN ALLERGY? Unlike an intolerance, an allergy can be serious. Your symptoms would mainly

ZINKEVYCH—GETTY IMAGES

ou can develop an allergy at any age, to any food, despite having eaten that food without any prior symptoms. While allergies are most common among children (affecting 10 per cent of Aussie and Kiwi infants and only two to four per cent of Aussie and Kiwi adults), a study of 40,000 US adults found almost half of those living with allergies developed them after the age of 18.

KID'S BREAKFAST TIPS GLUTEN INTOLERANCE Gluten is a protein found in wheat, wheat varieties like spelt or farro, and is also found in rye, triticale, oats and barley. Unlike coeliac disease, gluten intolerance is often self-diagnosed as there are no tests to determine gluten sensitivity. NUTS Peanuts and tree nuts are among the most common allergies in adults, along with fish and shellfish. The most common triggers of food allergic reactions in childhood are peanuts, tree nuts, milk and egg.

LACTOSE

involve an immune system response after eating or coming into contact with an allergen. Symptoms will appear quickly—usually within 20 minutes to 2 hours. They may start off mild, but progress rapidly. The most dangerous reactions (anaphylaxis) involve the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and are extremely serious.

INTOLERANCE Everyone is born with the enzyme lactase, which helps your body digest the lactose in foods. As you get older and your lactase production declines, you may find yourself suddenly struggling with high lactose dairy products like milk, and experience mild to severe symptoms like bloating, wind and diarrhoea if you have too much.

Article courtesy of Sanitarium Health Food Company. Visit sanitarium.com. au or sanitarium.co.nz and subscribe to Wholicious living for more great health and nutrition info each month. JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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CROSSWORD

RITAE—PIXABAY

Hint: 8 Down

EDUCATION.COM

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • JUNE 2021

CROSSWORD CLUES

ACROSS 2 2019-20 Italian soccer league winners 4 Country at centre of Indochinese peninsula 5 Plant also called a "cone flower" 7 When a system is predominantly controlled by men 9 Reporting on current events 12 Town 50km north of Uganda's capital Kampala 13 Intestinal inflammation usually in the colon DOWN 1 Post-high school education 3 The study of diseases in populations 6 Soccer player who has won 31 major trophies 8 Greek word meaning "to send off" 10 A magic spell or charm 11 When something is not yet locked in 12 Diet high in fats and low in carbohydrates

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HARD

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How closely have you been 4 8 5 reading? Each keyword in this 2 6 3 puzzle is also contained within this edition of Signs of the Times. 1 2 5 Happy digging!

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Signs of the Times - June 2021

Articles inside

EARTH'S CARETAKERS

GROWING UP WITH FAITH: CHILD ABUSE OR PRECIOUS GIFT?

WHAT IN THE WORLD