Signs of the Times - May 2024

dealing with my

diagnosis a christian perspective on the world today

A thanks to the mums

In this issue May 2024 WHAT IN THE WORLD 04 THE MUM LOAD 06 A LEAF-CHANGING EXPERIENCE 12

HOW TO MEDIAPROOF YOUR KIDS

How to navigate the challenges of moderating your kids’ media PAGE 32

PSYCHEDELICS AND SECRET SOCIETIES: A CONVERSATION ABOUT DRUGS AND THE OCCULT 18 FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE: A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH 26 ASK PASTOR JESSE 40 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE RISE OF THE USELESS CLASS 42 HEALTH NEWS FOR EVERYBODY 48

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DEALING WITH MY DIAGNOSIS: I HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA 50 THREE TIMES THE WORLD NEARLY ENDED 56

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SUDOKU AND CROSSWORD PUZZLE 62

Whenever someone asks about my mum, the first words to leave my mouth are “she is amazing!”

I truly believe I hit the jackpot. I hope you can express similar sentiments about your own mother. But if not, I hope you can think of someone in your life who has been like a mother, whom you feel deeply grateful for.

A well-known Australian commercial for bread once highlighted the many roles mums take on. In the ad, an upbeat but slightly frazzled woman found herself being a counsellor when her children were upset, a doctor when they were hurt, a chef when they were hungry and a taxi driver when they needed to go somewhere. This juggling of roles is a reality that every mum takes on—often at the expense of her own goals, interests and even sanity (p 6).

As I kid, I used to wonder why children never got a designated day, but I realised (admittedly, well into adulthood) that what most mums got once a year— breakfast upon waking, fun activities, things they didn’t pay for—had been my everyday norm since the day I was born.

I’ve loved seeing my mum rediscover her joy for gardening and other creative things as my siblings and I have grown up. She has reignited passions that laid dormant for literally decades, and now spends much of her time outside, harvesting colourful produce and creating exciting new dishes to share with others.

This Mother’s Day, let’s take the opportunity to acknowledge and seek out all that our mums have sacrificed. Maybe we can help them reignite a dream or lost love, even if only for a day.

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EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Jarrod Stackelroth ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jesse Herford ASSISTANT EDITOR Zanita Fletcher 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, $A28/$NZ30; 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.

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Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton. All rights reserved worldwide.

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VOL 139 NO 4

ISSN 1038-9733

@SIGNSMAG

ZANITA FLETCHER Assistant Editor

COVER IMAGE: Kyle Head @kyleheadphotography

How to Love Your Mother

WHAT IN THE WORLD SURF’S UP, SAMOA SAMOA

Samoan villages Luatuanu’u and Faleatiu are popular destinations for travelling surfers, however only about 20 locals from these two villages surf, as many can’t swim or afford boards. Australian surfer Adam Kebash felt sad about this upon visiting and reached out to his community in Port Macquarie. He returned to the villages with boards, leg ropes and fins. “Everyone is stoked,” he said.

“They take turns, get two waves and pass to the other boys waiting on the rocks.” —ABC News

CONSPIRACY BELIEFS DON’T CHANGE MUCH WITH TIME AUSTRALIA

BAKERY SELLS ROMANCE BREAD JAPAN

A bakery in Japan used technology to create five flavours of bread that capture the essences of love.

Through artificial intelligence they analysed conversations from dating shows and lyrics from love songs.

They identified five key feelings of romance: first encounter, first date, jealousy, heartbreak and mutual love.

The bakery then transformed these feelings into various flavours of fluffy steamed bread. —CNN Travel 4

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CLINT PATTERSON, SINCERLY MEDIA—UNSPLASH, ERIC SEDDON, YAHYA BOUDI—PEXELS

It’s estimated that most people believe at least one conspiracy theory, but despite concerns about a “pandemic of misinformation”, the journey into (or out of) conspiracies seems to be a gradual slope for most. Researchers surveyed around 500 Australians and New Zealanders to determine whether people change their minds frequently or stick tenaciously to their beliefs, regardless of what evidence they come across. The studies found it takes a big event, crisis or change to someone’s life for them to consider something counter to what they already believed. —La Trobe University

VAPES FOR THE VULNERABLE NEW ZEALAND

Research shows that 88 per cent of vape stores are located within walking distance of a school and that vape store density is nearly seven times higher in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Public health experts say this alarming data reinforces the need for the Federal Government to push regulations to protect children and vulnerable people.

—Journal of Public Health

Ever heard of love languages? It’s the idea that people give and receive love in different ways. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, said, “We tend to speak our own love language, to express love to others in a language that would make us feel loved. But if it is not his or her primary love language, it will not mean to them what it would mean to us.” This Mother’s Day, try to express your love by speaking your mother’s language.

Acts of Service For these people, actions speak louder than words. Help your mum with some jobs, cook her a meal or buy her a voucher for ready-made meals or a cleaning service.

Words of Affirmation If your mum is a words person, find a way to express your appreciation, your favourite memories or what you love most about her. This could be through a letter, a phone call or face-to-face.

Quality Time If this is your mum’s love language, there’s nothing she wants more than your company. Go for a walk, sit down for a cuppa, take her out for the day or give her a call. The options are endless.

Gifts It’s not hard to buy someone a gift these days. This year, challenge yourself to purchase or make something personal to your mum’s interests or needs.

Physical Touch Giving your mother a tight hug on Mother’s Day is a good start, but if you want to go a step futher, offer a massage, a facial or an at-home spa experience.

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The mental load is a concept that has gained attention in the last little while. What if mental load had a baby?

MELODY TAN

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TARYN ELLIOT—PEXELS

The Mum Load

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eed to buy new school socks.

When do I have to cancel our car insurance by?

Make a booking for the after-school activity this week.

Are there enough vegetables for dinner tonight?

Remember to pack library bag on Tuesday night.

Check public access times for the ice-skating rink this weekend.

These were just some of the random thoughts running through my head this morning as I stepped into my office, ready to start a new work week.

As I looked at my work to-do list and calendar and as my work email inbox opened, the thoughts in my head got more cluttered as my work and personal life collided. So, just an ordinary week, really.

The term “mental load” became hugely popular in 2017 when French comic artist Emma illustrated about it on her website.1 Yes, it is a feminist term but before you roll your eyes, thinking, Oh great, another woke article by a woke woman angry at the patriarchy, please hear me out.

I am a feminist, but perhaps not in the way you think. I don’t believe men and women are the same, even though I believe they should be treated with equal respect. I don’t believe we need to put men down or that women should be the only ones in charge.

I love men and I believe they have much to contribute to the world.

I am married to a strong, kind and

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defining the mental load

Back to the mental load. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s a concept that can be as difficult to grasp as it is to explain. From personal experience, those who understand what the mental load is are often the same people who are already carrying it. Those who don’t have mental loads can struggle to even accept that it is a thing.

In her comic, Emma explains, “The mental load means always having to remember. It’s permanent and exhausting work. And it’s invisible.”

Or as Eve Rodsky, an organisational manager and author of the book Fair Play, tells CNN, it’s “the behind-thescenes stuff that keeps a home and family running smoothly, although it’s hardly noticed and is rarely valued”.2 The problem, many proponents of the mental load say, is that while people around the person with the mental load may offer to help, the onus is still on that person to 8

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designate jobs and keep track of everything. And it is that act of keeping track of everything that can become all-consuming.

Zachary Watson, a father and content creator from Massachusetts, puts it this way: “If your partner is often the one keeping track of all the things that need to get done, why can’t they get you more involved by just making a list? Now you’ve created another task for your partner to remember to do—and not one that often makes them feel like you two are a team.”

It’s why CEOs of major corporations get paid the big bucks. It’s up to them to keep track of everything and ensure everything runs smoothly.

They may not be writing lists for everybody, but just like a woman of a household, they are the ones who are in charge overall. So, women are like CEOs, except they don’t get paid and they already have another full-time job they need to show up for.

The reason why the mental load has been deemed a feminist term is because research, studies and statistics have shown women generally bear a bigger mental load.

“On average, females spent 4 hours and 31 minutes a day doing unpaid work activities. Males spent over an hour less on these activities. . . . Less than half of males (42 per cent) spent time on housework, compared to 70 per cent of females,” said Lisa Scanlon, director of Social Surveys and Statistic from the Australian Bureau of Statistics3 (ABS).

when mental load has a baby

In a typical heterosexual relationship, the woman is often the one keeping track of bills that need to be paid, birthday calls that need to be made, groceries that need to be bought, laundry that needs to be washed, holidays that need to be planned, service providers that need to be changed, and more. On top of performing her duties as a full-time paid employee.

Then, when a woman becomes a mum, she doesn’t just physically have a baby, it’s as if her mental load has one as well. At least, that’s how I felt.

Over the past few years, it’s started to dawn on me that while trying to manage my household and work 38 hours a week in an office, I’ve also managed to become a fulltime (unpaid) personal assistant to my son.

When I think about my son, my heart is filled with so much love it

The mental load means always having to remember may just explode. Similarly, when I think about all the logistics, administration and duties in my life—our lives—my head is filled with so much “aaargh!” it may just explode as well.

While I try to provide my son a certain level of independence and encourage in him a certain level of responsibility, the reality is that much of the organisation of his life still falls on an adult. He is seven years old, after all. He’s old enough to be responsible for his own homework, but still too young to make phone bookings for after-school MAY 2024 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

GUSTAVO FRING—PEXELS

loving man, and together we are raising a seven-year-old who we hope will grow up to be a strong, kind and loving man.

This is not a male-bashing article.

What I hope it will do is create more understanding, patience and cooperation between the genders.

This is not about laying blame.

This is simply recognising we are all different and finding ways we can support each other in our differences.

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taking ownership

About a year-and-a-half ago, I had what can only be described as a breakdown. I wasn’t completely incapacitated—but I came close.

I was gradually losing drive to do anything and failed to keep track of most things that needed to be done at home. One evening, my husband and son came home after school to find it in complete darkness and me on the bedroom floor sobbing uncontrollably. It was the kind of loud, gasp-for-air kind of ugly cry.

I had been in tears for an hour before they came home and I continued for probably another hour after they found me. I fell asleep eventually and didn’t see either of them until the next day.

I had reached tipping point but at that time, I didn’t recognise it and I certainly never saw it coming. The mental mum-load wasn’t the only thing that was happening in my life at that time, but it definitely played a part in my collapse.

I mention what happened not because I’m trying to highlight the sacrifice mums are making and the suffering they’re undergoing. I talk about my breakdown in the hopes 10

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that any woman reading this won’t have to go down the path that I did.

While proponents of the mental load often lay blame on male partners for not understanding or taking on their share of the mental load, I do wonder if part of the problem lies within ourselves. On my part at least, I now recognise I was taking on too much—voluntarily.

When I retreated from the world and all responsibilities less than two years ago, my family didn’t stop functioning. Healthy dinners appeared every evening. Groceries were bought. Lunchboxes and library bags were packed. Laundry was done. Turns out it wasn’t because my husband was incapable of doing household life admin, I simply hadn’t given him the opportunity to.

My husband and I had a good talk when I started making tentative steps to emerge out of my shell after my “episode”. It was a conversation that needed to happen a long time ago, and one I feel all couples need to have, hopefully without a mental breakdown as a precursor.

We talked about the stresses I had in my life. I told him about the mental load I felt I was carrying. He listened.

He asked questions. And he reminded me how he wanted to be an equal partner and that I didn’t need to feel like I had to do everything.

“Taking ownership of a task from start to finish is often more helpful than doing a part of every task,” Rodsky told CNN. “Owning includes not just responding to ‘how can I

help?’ but also the cognitive and emotional labour that each task requires—the forethought, the planning, the remembering when, where and how to get the job done—and without excessive oversight or input from the other partner.”

My husband needed to see and understand all the things I did to ensure the household ran smoothly.

At the same time, I needed to trust my husband was capable of doing those things, even if it may not happen when I would like it to. Just as making sure the car has enough fuel or when it gets serviced has never been on my mental load, there are other things I can easily relinquish too.

“System implementation takes some time, so don’t expect your partner to start owning your share of the workload overnight,” Rodsky pointed out. “Start by renegotiating one household or childcare task. Just one can totally change the game.”

These days, I’ve learned to take things a little slower. On my hus-

band’s part, he’s learned to take things a little faster. Everything else . . . if it doesn’t get done, either somebody will miss it enough to do it, or it can’t be important enough that it needed to be done.

Melody Tan is a freelance writer, content creator and editor. She is currently the project leader of Mums At The Table, a multimedia initiative aimed at supporting mums in their parenting journey, through education and community. She and her husband live in Sydney, Australia, with their sevenyear-old son.

1. <english.emmaclit.com/2017/05/20/you-shouldve-asked/> 2. <edition.cnn.com/2023/11/13/health/mental-load-sharingtasks-wellness/> 3. <abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/females-domore-unpaid-work-males-do-more-paid-work/>

FREEPIK.COM

activities or purchase school socks online (I’m not handing him my credit card details).

“Mothers spent an average of 3 hours and 34 minutes participating in childcare activities a day, while fathers spent 2 hours and 19 minutes,” Scanlon said in the same ABS report.

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a Leaf-Changing Experience KUNTAL BISWAS—PEXELS

We love to grow our health, wealth and wellbeing.

But what about our spirituality?

KYMBERLEY MCMURRAY

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watching something bloom in our care. Whether that be relational, professional, mental or even physical growth. Often, we focus so much on growing in these aspects of our lives that we forget about our spiritual growth. Yet when we focus on growing spiritually, many of those other aspects grow as well.

nursery rhymes

Imagine that this world is a nursery and that we are all plants. It is our relationship with others, our family, friends and co-workers, among other things, that makes us grow.

Each relationship begins as a seed and as you get to know each other, your relationship strengthens. Sometimes you even start to pick up each other’s quirks.

With the right care, you will find yourself growing with that person into beautiful plants.

This is exactly how a relationship with God works. The more we spend time with Him, the more we mirror His character and become like Him. I can imagine that as we become closer to God, He must also feel a sense of achievement as He sees us flourish under His care. Some of you may have

We all want to experience growth, to have the satisfaction of watching something bloom in our care

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just started (or have thought about starting) journeying with God and are like little seedlings almost ready to burst out of the ground. Others have been on that path with God for a little while and are beginning to bloom. It’s important to remember that it doesn’t matter where you are compared to others. Spiritual growth is a personal journey and will look different for each of us.

watering the ground

What does it mean to grow spiritually? I believe spiritual growth means to become more like Jesus.

When we plant a seed, we don’t just bury it in the ground and walk away, expecting it to grow by itself. We must take the time to water our seed so it can get the essential nutrients it needs to grow into a healthy plant.

When we take the time to learn more about Jesus through prayer and reading the Bible, we receive the nutrients we need to grow spiritually.

Growth starts with us recognising our need for change—not just a change of scenery but life transformation. For example, Jesus can enable us to see ourselves with new eyes. We might start to pick up on

YAROSLAV SHURAEV—PEXELS

I

have always admired people who know how to take care of plants.

I remember that as a young girl, my mum bought me a cactus after I begged her to buy me a plant of my own. There was something fascinating about the idea of growing something, putting time and energy into loving it, watering it and watching it flourish. How hard could it be?

I said to myself. After all, cacti were supposed to be the easiest plants to take care of.

Unfortunately, my hopes of keeping this cactus alive were soon shattered as I had left it on the windowsill for several months without watering it.

Unsurprisingly, it shrivelled up and died. I remember being sad, but my mum wasn’t shocked. I had, after all, neglected to water it, fertilise it or move it into the sun when needed. Now as I sit in my office, I have several beautiful (but fake) plants decorating my space.

While they look amazing on the outside, I know deep down that there is nothing that can replace the sense of achievement of having a real plant that is flourishing in your care.

We all want to experience growth, to have the satisfaction of

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fertilisation and sunlight to grow but I would like to suggest several key elements that we need in order to create the right environment for us to grow on our spiritual journey.

prayer (Colossians 4:2)

Just as our human relationships can’t survive without communication, neither can our relationship with God. Prayer is the best way to speak to God. When we focus on the good things that Jesus has done for us in answer to prayer, we will find ourselves able to trust Him with our decisions, knowing that He will take care of us.

meditating on the Bible (Psalm 119:105-107)

our relationship with both Him and them (Hebrews 10:24,25).

How do we know if we are growing in the right direction? God’s presence will manifest in our lives by the way we treat others with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). As we bloom, others will stop to look at us and when they see God’s beautiful character reflected in our leaves, they will have a better understanding of who He is and how He can work in their lives.

Growth in Jesus doesn’t end there.

God is the ultimate gardener and He is constantly working in our lives, pruning back the branches, cutting the dead leaves and shaping us to be more like Him. The more we strengthen our relationship with God, the closer we become in resembling His character.

Are you ready to grow? If you want to experience the transforming power of God in your life, I want to encourage you to take “a leaf of faith” and be open to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see” (John 1:39).

True growth is a gradual process

The Bible is the ultimate guide for us when navigating this life. Reading it and dwelling on what it says is a great way to learn the story of Jesus and gain a better understanding of who He is and how He wants to transform our life.

community (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Another important aspect of your spiritual journey is putting yourself in the right environment to grow. Jesus put His faith in action through service and ministry. We can strengthen our relationship with Jesus as we spend time with other people who believe in Him. This will strengthen

Kymberley McMurray is the communications officer for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia.

She writes from Melbourne.

If you’d like to ask any further questions, or connect with a local church, email info@signsofthetimes.org. au or visit <signsofthetimes.org.au/help>.

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NEG—UNSPLASH

parts of our behaviour, lifestyle or even thoughts that need changing for the better.

Jesus was the ultimate example of what it means to be a human—just as humans were originally designed to be. He lived a perfect life, despite facing the same challenges that we face and His life was lived in constant connection with God, His Father— showing us the importance of doing the same. This is why we must also look to God (1 Peter 2:21) to help us live as a new person, different to how we are used to.

During the winter, it is common for plants to shed their leaves. This means they spend less energy, conserve moisture and allow harsh winds to blow through their branches—putting less strain on the plant. The process of shedding leaves is beneficial and allows room for new leaves to grow. In the same way, when we seek God, we also start to shed our old habits, values and lifestyle to make room for a life that models His (John 15:5-8). True growth is a gradual process and as we accept our need for God, our lives may not change right away—but don’t be discouraged!

It’s important to focus on the fact that we are always in the process of spiritual growth and though at times we don’t get it right, God doesn’t stop loving us. All we need to do is admit our mistakes, and we will be forgiven (1 John 1:9). Even our missteps and shortcomings can become opportunities for growth. Plants need water,

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Jamie Lehn explored the world of LSD and DMT, which led him to the dark world of the occult and secret societies.

Jesse: Hey, Jamie. Thanks for speaking with us. Could you tell us a little bit about you?

Jamie: I work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the child protection agency called Adsafe. We investigate and oversee high-risk individuals who attend churches.

Before that, I was working in homelessness for about 15 years. My own personal history has given me a lot of insight into the work I do.

Jesse: That’s what we’re here to talk about. Where does this story begin for you?

Jamie: I was raised with Christianity and had a good connection with God when I was young. However, that all changed at the age of five or six when I was abused by a stranger.

As you can imagine, this incident led to a lot of confusion, anger and fear.

The abuse had nothing to do with the church, but it did disrupt my relationship with Jesus and the church.

A few years later, a friend of a friend showed me a magic trick.

I like magic tricks but this wasn’t something I’d seen before. He lit a cigarette lighter, put his hand in the flame and wasn’t burned. He said, “You can do it too.” So, I did, and my hand didn’t burn either. The next day I found a lighter and said to my brother, “Look at this!” I lit it, held it up to my finger—and burned myself.

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It didn’t make sense. Then, when I was about 12 or 13, I started getting interested in older music—The Beatles and other psychedelic music from the ’60s. It was like an invitation to another world I didn’t know anything about. I thought to myself, Maybe this is a way to escape my own pain.

Jesse: Did you have much of a concept of the Christian understanding of the spiritual world?

Jamie: I didn’t make the link between the spiritual world and the psychedelic world, probably because I was sheltered growing up. In organised religion, sometimes things can be very black and white—and that’s not to say that some things aren’t. But the crossover between spiritualism and the “spiritual world” is sometimes difficult to discern. It really broadened my understanding of those boundaries—not necessarily in a good way but I think most teenagers explore the world and question things.

When I was in high school, I became friends with a guy who was also into The Beatles, and he introduced me to punk music. There were a few times I got drunk, and it wasn’t very pleasant.

But what I really was looking for was a gateway to another world and I thought that hallucinogenic drugs was how I’d get there.

Jesse: Let’s talk then about the next layer to this, because it’s not just

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A CONVERSATION BETWEEN JESSE HERFORD AND JAMIE LEHN.

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was idealistic and free from dogma, organised religion, false ideas and all these other relics of the past. I “caught the vision”, so to speak, and that drove me deep into the scene.

It was all very exciting. I had some mystical-type experiences and that was really what linked me with the occult.

Soon after, I was introduced to a very famous 19th-century occultist— I’ll just call him “AC”. I read AC’s autobiography and to my surprise, inside was a drawing of a spirit or some other being he was in contact with. I was surprised because I’d seen this very same face in a dream.

Jesse: When you say “spirit”, what are we talking about?

Jamie: It looked like an alien. It’s hard to explain but that’s the best way I can describe it. As I read AC’s autobiography I started to think, This guy isn’t necessarily evil. I realised he was doing what I wanted to do—reject the established order and create a new world. But also, through his book, he introduced me

entering an interdimensional portal.

When I took it, I saw what I describe as “entities”. This is all much more well-researched now. Johns Hopkins University has done a lot of research on people’s experiences and they’ve actually tried to map this landscape.

Jesse: Are we talking about “alternate dimensions”?

Jamie: That’s what it seemed like.

It’s different to LSD. With LSD, it’s just visual distortions and it produces an effect that seems to carry a lot of meaning and a sense of being unified with the world, time and space. It can be ecstatic but also terrifying. DMT was different. All my experiences with DMT are akin to any other ordinary memory I’ve ever had. I’ve had the same experiences as other people have had at different times.

I’ve also shared experiences with other people who were also on DMT where we saw the same thing at the same time.

This is when I started to get deeper into the occult. One day an acquaintance told me her boyfriend used to be a high priest in a secret society and asked if I wanted to meet him. I went to one of their ceremonies and of course, I thought it was very interesting. As I kept talking to this girl, I realised that there was a connection between the world I had

GOASHAPE STUDIO—UNSPLASH

about drug usage. There’s another world you became involved with that people sometimes refer to as “the occult” or “secret societies”. Could you explain to us how someone enters this world?

Jamie: The word occult just means “hidden”. The music scene has many cultural links with it. Famous bands like Led Zeppelin have very publicly acknowledged their participation in the occult.

Fast-forward to the ’90s and the rave scene was really kicking off in Sydney. It wasn’t the kind of music I was into but it was a good way to get drugs. So, I started using LSD, ecstasy, speed, amphetamines and heroin. My parents were deeply worried, but I felt it was helping me forget my pain and it gave me a sense of belonging somewhere.

My personal experiences taking psychoactive substances were wild.

It was like entering a completely different world. It was antiestablishment, people brandishing smiley faces, all talking about love. It

to Qabalah, which is based on Jewish mysticism. I began to consider these spiritual practices as an anchor point when I was on LSD—a kind of map to find my way in these altered states.

Jesse: Speaking of which—what’s it like, being high?

Jamie: Heroin is good for masking pain. That’s what it’s made to do. It is made to mask physical pain, but it also masks emotional pain.

Amphetamines were another thing. With them you could stay up and go to a three-day festival and literally stay awake the entire time.

And so, it was good but after you’ve been awake for a few days you start to have sleep deprivation and some forms of drug-induced psychosis, which is not pleasant.

Amphetamines were very addictive. I used it for around 10 years, and I used ice— that is, methamphetamines.

But then I had psychedelics, which was not very good when combined with amphetamines. It made it very easy to become psychotic because your mind is racing faster than your body. I had a lot of LSD in the late ’90s and then a friend of mine, who was a psychedelic shaman, introduced me to DMT. DMT was different as it’s not a recreational drug. And frankly, taking it feels a bit like

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The world I was living in was saturated in the paranormal

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experienced when I was on DMT and the world this secret society was part of. By this point, I was pretty heavily involved in many cultic practices.

The world I lived in was saturated in the paranormal. This all culminated with an invitation to be initiated (into the secret society). I won’t talk much about it except to say it’s required to reject Jesus—and though I was happy to do everything else, for some reason I couldn’t do that last part.

That was where things really took a turn and I experienced years of spiritual harassment. It very much felt like “they” didn’t want to let go of me—that they had a sense of ownership over me and in a way, they did. They owned all the psychedelic experiences that had taken me away from God and had become part of my identity and character. They held over me the threat that without them, I would be nothing.

Jesse: So, you spent a few years after this point traumatised by the lingering presence of the darkness you’ve been describing. But the story doesn’t end there.

Jamie: That’s right. I got away from Sydney because I was trying to escape everything. Within a few years, I met another group of friends with links to the occult and drugs. I was still using drugs but I just couldn’t take that next step. I couldn’t explain why, I just couldn’t reject Jesus—even though I thought He’d rejected me. I didn’t have any peace in my life. To be honest, I was suicidal. One day, as I was

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contemplating hurting myself, out of nowhere, I felt a Presence in the room with me. It wasn’t audible but it said, “You don’t need to do this. I’ve already drawn my blood for you.”

Jesse: Wow. So, what happened after that?

Jamie: I was raised in a Seventhday Adventist home, and I had been taught to respect the Sabbath. That Friday evening, I was sitting out on my veranda smoking a cigarette, watching the sun go down. All of a sudden, “It’s Sabbath!” popped into my head. For whatever reason, I didn’t even finish my cigarette—I just put it out and went to bed. It was early but I hadn’t been sleeping well. In my mind’s eye, I knew there were angels guarding the door to my bedroom. I can’t explain it. I didn’t see it. I just knew it—and I had the best night’s sleep I’d had in a long time.

In the morning, I woke up and thought, I’d better go to church. There was a Seventh-day Adventist church around the corner, so I walked through the front door. I just wanted to be invisible, so I picked up a Bible and opened it. I didn’t know what I was looking for but everything I read spoke directly to what I had been going through. I don’t remember what else happened in that church service but I read this Bible for about an hour and it was like having a conversation with God. I looked back at my life and realised that because of everything I’d done, I was worthy of death. I came to terms with it and

You can avoid much of the suffering I went through if you focus your attention on God, rather than the darkness of this world

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expected God to strike me down on the spot. But then I read, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17).

Reading that changed everything I understood about God. I realised God wasn’t condemning me. I realised the dark forces I’d been hanging out with all these years were the ones condemning me, but that God wanted to rescue me. In that moment, I surrendered to God. It’s odd, because the moment I declared it, I felt the darkness left; it was like a breath of fresh air. A weight lifted off me for the first time in years and a peace that surpassed all my understanding came over me. I realised that this was exactly what I was looking for through drugs and the occult but couldn’t find.

Jesse: That’s incredible. I think it would be remiss of me before we go if I didn’t ask you to speak to two people. I think you’re probably the best resource that a lot of people are going to have on this. I first want you to talk to people—sceptics, secular humanists—who think all there is to life is this life, empirical research, data, matter, physics, all that sort of stuff.

What would you say to that person who might say, “Come on, Jamie, a spiritual world, poltergeists, ghosts, demons, alternate dimensions. How can you expect me to believe that this is real?”

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as someone who finds science interesting, then you should keep an open mind. There are some things that can’t be measured by science and when it comes to humanism you should really check the source material. Secular humanism is very much engaged in ideas that are based on some things that have their roots in the occult.

Jesse: To those people who are curious, who are searching much like you were when you were young, what would you say to that person?

Jamie: It’s very much real—but you don’t have to know about this stuff firsthand. Learn from me and my experience. Why weigh yourselves down with these things when God has already won? Don’t even go there. It’s a terrible place to be.

There’s a spiritual war going on right now and you can avoid much of the suffering I went through if you focus your attention on God, rather than the darkness of this world.

I’d say if you’re interested in the spiritual realm, start with a Bible.

Even if you’ve never read the Bible before, you’ll find out—as I did—that many of the things I was confused about at a young age are explained in perfect detail in the Bible.

This article is an

excerpt from the Signs Radio podcast. Listen to the full episode and more!

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Some lives change the world. Florence Nightingale is no exception.

Her compassion, cleanliness and care brought hope to the wounded and dying, ushering in the modern era of healthcare.

OLIVIA FAIRFAX

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he was assaulted by the rancid stench long before their party arrived at a long brick building,

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lined with tobacco-stained windows.

As they drew closer, they could hear the moans and wails of the

war-broken men within. Stepping over puddles of filth, they took care not to be hit by urine and faeces being carelessly evacuated out of the open windows. This was the Scutari Hospital in Constantinople, Turkey. Fortifying herself against what she was about to experience, Florence walked with purpose into the building.

She thought she had prepared for the worst, but nothing could have

prepared her for this. Bed after bed lined the walls, many soiled or dirty and others lacking even sheets and bedding to cover the lice-infested mattresses. Wounded men lay strewn across the building, filling hallways and corners as most of the beds were already occupied by the dying. Hacking coughs and splutters welcomed her to the ward, which—difficult as it seemed—looked worse than it smelled.

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Florence Nightingale: A force to be reckoned with

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Struck by the devastation around her, Florence immediately set out to find the administrator of the hospital, telling the women she had come with to start tending to the men’s needs.

How could their soldiers—their own fathers, husbands and sons—be consigned to endure such squalor and hellish conditions? It was an abomination, and it would not last any longer! Not if she could do anything about it.

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I am sure you have heard the name Florence Nightingale. Often associated with the qualities of selflessness and compassion, Florence has been depicted in art and literature as a sweet, gentle and angelic figure, nursing sick men back to health. But more than this, Florence Nightingale was a force to be reckoned with. She was a bold and courageous woman who defied societal pressures to live a life of great purpose. Her impact would forever change the field of health and medicine.

Florence Nightingale was a British nurse, statistician and social reformer, who is widely recognised as the foundational philosopher of modern nursing. She understood the capability of women to reach beyond what society had limited them to.

“Jesus Christ raised women above the condition of mere slaves, mere

ministers to the passions of the man, raised them by His sympathy, to be ministers of God,” she said. “He gave them moral activity. But the age, the world, humanity, must give them the means to exercise this moral activity, must give them intellectual cultivation, spheres of action.”

Florence could see all the potential that God had for women, if only society would allow them to be active agents of change in the world.

Living out her beliefs, Florence did what other women dared not accomplish. She elevated the standard of care provided in hospitals which significantly contributed to a reduction in mortality rates among patients.

Not only this, but her efforts to formalise nursing education and turn it into a respected profession led to a complete overhaul of societal norms, inspiring women of all social classes

WIKICOMMONS

She understood the capability of women to reach beyond what society had limited them to

to serve as nurses. Florence singlehandedly transformed healthcare as we know it, with her impact still being seen today.

But what set Florence apart was her irrepressible drive to do God’s work and relieve human suffering throughout her life. As she said, “To be a fellow worker with God is the highest aspiration of which we can conceive man capable.”

Born in 1820, young Florence showed great promise intellectually— excelling in mathematics, history, philosophy, literature and languages, learning to read and write in French, German, Italian, Greek and Latin at an early age. She did not enjoy the traditional female education of home management and preferred reading literature from great philosophers and engaging in serious discussions about politics with her father. Her father nurtured her talents and encouraged her pursuit of learning.

Florence’s wealthy family moved in elite social circles and often spent time at classy social engagements.

Florence, however, did not care for this life and “craved for some regular occupation, for something worth doing instead of frittering away time on useless trifles”. She poured her time into philanthropy by ministering to poor and sick individuals in the village. By the age of 16, Florence felt convicted that she had a strong calling from God to pursue nursing.

Unfortunately, nursing was considered disreputable—menial labour only suitable for lower-class women.

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treatment of the soldiers.

Upon reaching the hospital, Florence was startled to see patients laying in their own excrement on stretchers along the hallways. The hospital was seriously understaffed and under-resourced, with the most basic supplies—including bandages, soap and even water—being scarce.

The number of ill and wounded steadily increased—as did the number of rats and bugs infesting the hospital. To Florence, it was the “Kingdom of Hell” on earth.

However, Florence and her female nurses were not welcomed by the hospital staff, since they were women. It was not until five days later when a new shipment of wounded soldiers arrived and overwhelmed the facility that the women were allowed to get to work.

Florence quickly procured hundreds of scrubbing brushes and soap to clean the wards from floor to ceiling and set about organising the hospital to function appropriately. Her team organised for supplies, nutritious food, cleanliness and sanitation for the hospital. Under her watch, the mortality rate of the hospital dropped by two-thirds.

Florence spent every waking minute tending to the sick and wounded, carrying a lamp to continue her duties in the evening. She would sit beside patients and minister to them, one by one, intentionally and personally caring for them with endless compassion. She emphasised to all her nurses the importance of

looking after the soldiers’ psychological and emotional needs as well as their physical needs. She quickly became known as the “Lady with the Lamp” and the “Angel of Crimea” among patients for saving many from certain death.

After the war ended, Florence returned to Britain to a heroine’s welcome. Young women everywhere aspired to be like her. A radical shift in attitudes towards nursing spread throughout society, with numerous women from upper-class society enrolling in training classes for nursing, viewing it now as the most honourable vocation for a woman.

Not only did Florence Nightingale transform the standards of care in hospitals, but also the attitude of

society towards nursing, turning it into the noble profession it is recognised as today. All of this was possible because Florence simply and humbly lived out God’s calling on her life, desiring to live a life of purpose and impact, serving those around her to the best of her ability.

“If I could give you information of my life, it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by God in strange and unaccustomed paths to do in His service what He has done in her. And if I could tell you all, you would see how God has done all, and I nothing.”

—Florence Nightingale Olivia Fairfax is an eager student in all things psychology, theology and literature. She enjoys writing, learning and investing in people.

WIKICOMMONS

When she approached her parents about her desire to pursue nursing, they were shocked. Her mother was especially mortified, taking great pride in maintaining a prominent social standing among her peers.

Florence’s parents forbade her from pursuing nursing and encouraged her to instead marry a man of means. But Florence was strongwilled and refused to let anything stop her.

Determined to pursue her calling despite her parents’ objections, she enrolled as a nursing student at the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Fliedner in Kaiserwerth, Germany. Seeing that not even the promise of love and marriage could deter Florence (she turned down multiple proposals), her father allowed her to study.

But her life’s greatest challenge came in 1853 when the Crimean War broke out. The British were at war with Russia to gain control of the falling Ottoman Empire. Within the first year of conflict, more than 18,000 British soldiers were admitted to military hospitals. The soldiers faced serious neglect, insufficient medical attention in appallingly unsanitary and inhumane conditions in these hospitals, with disease accounting for the majority of the approximately 250,000 men lost on each side of the conflict. When news of the atrocious conditions reached Britain, Florence was asked to organise a group of female nurses to go to the Scutari Hospital for Wounded Soldiers and improve the care and

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HOW TO

Media-Proof Your Kids

ORBON ALIJA—GETTY IMAGES

Screens are all around us and it feels like we can’t ever escape— especially those of us who are parents. How can we help our kids navigate the treacherous world of media?

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significant blunders. So, what follows is a media parent’s guide for how to media-proof your kids.

My children were early adopters when it came to watching and interacting with the media. On the positive side, they had two media professionals watching alongside of them (my wife is a producer), talking to them about what they were seeing and training them—hopefully—to look behind the animations and special effects to find out what was really going on. On the other hand, they were interacting with a lot more material, a lot earlier than most. We confess to having done our fair share of letting the television “babysit” our kids as we worked. As a consequence of their father writing about new media trends, they also grew up with iPads, streaming services and computers. Add to that, they were amongst the earliest kids to get mobiles. Consequently, I know what a fellow parent means when they say, “There’s so much to keep track

of—how can I ever do it?” As adults, we barely understand how much we are taking in. How are we supposed to understand what our children are absorbing? And have you ever tried to limit the amount of time a teen spends interacting with the media?

They switch seamlessly from gaming consoles to computers to televisions to mobile phones, all in the same hour. Sometimes I think I am more familiar with the tops of their heads than I am with their faces.

Any attempt at protecting our kids from the adverse effects of the media must be twofold.

The first step is understanding what the media are doing. The second is knowing how to subvert their messaging. Let’s begin with the comprehension.

The first thing to realise about media is right there in the word: it’s a plural. There are multiple formats of communication, each of which has its own specific power. Take films for example. The power of a movie lies in the worldview that it presents. Every film has a worldview—no exceptions—because they are all written, produced and directed by people who have specific ways of seeing the world. I’m a Christian and I have a certain way of viewing the world. Last year I was in a South-East Asian country working

on a documentary on sex slavery.

When I sat down to write that script, I wasn’t writing a Christian script.

However, I couldn’t help my Christian viewpoint that all people are valuable because they are God’s creation from affecting the material I chose to include and the emphasis I gave to each. Other media producers react in similar ways when producing box office blockbusters.

Take Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom for example. The surface story concerns a villain called Black Manta who is trying to resurrect an ancient army of demons hell-bent on destroying the world. However, right at the heart of Aquaman’s struggle against these nefarious creatures is an environmental agenda. Black Manta is heating up the planet, causing extreme weather events by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere—which are conveniently coloured green, in case you miss the point. We might agree that this seems a very positive association between villains and environmental degradation. But to what extent does that lead us to consider developing countries as the “bad guys” because of their contribution to environmental problems? What if they are the victims of inequitable Western practices that forcibly shape

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y kids have an unnatural relationship with the media.

This has a lot to do with what I do for a living. Script writing and media reviewing have led me to attend a great many film premieres and I’ve often had one of my three boys tagging along. In fact, they’ve got so used to the experience that it’s led to some awkward moments. I vividly remember taking my 10-yearold to a movie during the holidays a few years back and he was visibly disappointed when we got to our seats. He wanted to know where the free popcorn and drinks were.

I had to explain to him, “Daddy had to buy these tickets. You might have noticed that the carpet we walked in on wasn’t red?” I share this story not to brag but to preface a confession. It does not matter how deeply involved you are in the media as a parent, you can still be daunted by the power modern entertainment has to shape your child’s outlook. You are also just as capable as any parent of making

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The power of a movie lies in the worldview that it presents

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global concentration spans, teaching children to evaluate what they are watching in seconds and swipe to more entertaining content. The same might be said for Instagram Stories or Reels. But it’s the videos we do watch that are cause for greater concern. Infamous “man’s man” Andrew Tate found himself banned from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube in 2022 for hate speech.

Yet reshares and memes based on his content continue to ensure his opinions are still widely disseminated. On a more whimsical note, TikTok’s “Angel Receptionist” aims to give viewers a comedic insight into what heaven is really like and how everyone (except racists) is welcome there. It might seem easy to dismiss, but commenters regularly praise the host for giving them hope about their departed parents or children.

Emotive? Yes. Powerful? Undeniably.

And then, of course, there is social media, arguably the greatest influencer of them all. The number of social media users worldwide has swelled to a record 4.9 billion people, and that figure is expected to grow to close to 5.8 billion by 2027. The average user now spreads their digital footprint across six to seven platforms a month, exposing themselves to a range of opinions that shape not just their worldview, but their self view. Social media have taught users how to evaluate their lives. The algorithms at Instagram are designed to suggest images to users according to their likes and dislikes,

as well as their viewing history. Now, 40 per cent of Instagram users are 22 years old or younger. In 2019, Instagram’s own research uncovered that the service was making body image issues worse for one in three teenage girls.

Furthermore, the platforms that are ostensibly about drawing us closer together are actually guilty of increasing a sense of isolation and separation.

A study conducted by the Cigna Loneliness Index discovered that 71 per cent of heavy social media users reported feelings of significant loneliness, a figure that is up 18 per cent from only a year ago. In fact, six per cent of American users and 13 per cent

of British users even pointed to the photo sharing app as a reason for wanting to end their own life. As a modern media professional, I firmly believe that following generations will view social media use as the cigarette of the 21st century. The statistics relating to the harm it causes are manifold; we are just coming to terms with them.

All of the above might sound a bit “Henny Penny”, encouraging the binning of computers before the sky falls in. But the same media tools that are currently doing significant damage within families can actually be used for purposes of positive education, political activism and social cohesion. However, in order

AQUAMAN MEDIA RELEASE

their economies? These messages gain even more power when they are promoted by interactive media products like electronic games.

Why were parent groups so upset by the release of Grand Theft Auto V in 2023? Because at some level we instinctively understand that, through active participation and repetition, games teach appropriate responses to certain situations. GTAV focuses on illegal activities rather than the more heroic quests players can carry out in other games. The series has glamourised depictions of gang warfare and criminality. However, the latest version built on past practices of roughing up prostitutes to get information by including hidden sexual minigames and graphic torture scenes that had to be played through for players to progress a mission. The content is distasteful, certainly, but my main concern is not that players are likely to start up crime syndicates in their local areas. Instead, it is the development of casual attitudes to legality and the low-level misogyny that are rehearsed every time the game boots up. “That’s alright,” you say, “I’d never allow my children to play a game like that.” But how are you going with online video?

Video traffic makes up 82 per cent of world-wide internet traffic. The chances are your child is contributing to that statistic. There are obvious social impacts. The popularity of YouTube Shorts (videos that run for no more than 60 seconds) is well on the way to reducing

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The number of social media users has swelled to a record 4.9 billion

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keeping computers in public spaces, or alternatively deciding that phones don’t belong at dinner. Which raises the truth that gates aren’t respected if you are consistently leaving them open for yourself. If you are gaming into the night or taking calls at the table you will find it hard to get any regard for the limitations you impose.

The third step to subverting the power of the media is filling the void you create. Don’t just deny—supply.

Provide alternatives to media content that work towards creating outcomes you can support. My wife and I regularly ask each other about things we see going on in our household, “Where will this end?” And if we don’t like the destination, we take steps to find a different one. Rather than encourage electronic introversion, we purchase games we can play together and schedule what nights we’ll be doing them on. We’ve made electronic pastimes contingent on more helpful activities. Half-an-hour of reading buys our boys one hour of electronic time. And we don’t demonise the media either—how could we? It literally pays our bills.

But we do make sure we share it together. You’d be surprised how engaged kids can be in picking a TV show they’re going to stream with you at a regular time each week.

The final step to diminishing the power of the media is disrupting the messages it transmits. The media is nowhere more powerful than in a vacuum. What do you really know

about the Napoleonic Wars that you didn’t learn from Napoleon? Your children will accept as gospel anything the media tells them for which they don’t have a pre-existing point of view. If you want them to value people, you have to teach them why they are valuable. If you want them to make morally different choices, you have to explain to them what your morals are. If you want them to know God, you have to introduce them to Him. The scale of information and opinion on offer is so vast that there has never been a more important time in history for families to adopt a regular “quiet time” when they can consider what they believe and, most importantly, Who they believe in.

Now you might think that this sort of regular spiritual conversation is beyond you, but I would argue that this is exactly the position of humility from which you should proceed.

Recognising that we are small in the face of such vast electronic forces should naturally throw us on to the resources of the One who is greater than them all. As Proverbs puts it, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” The entirety of the internet, streaming video and social media are small matters to Him. MART PRODUCTION—PEXELS

to achieve this, parents must learn in the second case to subvert their more damaging messages.

The first step to doing so is teaching yourself to detect those messages. Rather than simply consume alongside our kids, we should begin to ask ourselves questions about the entertainment we digest. I am a big supporter of easy to remember queries like, “What does this content tell me about life?”, “What does this tell me about human beings?” and “What does this tell me about God?” Getting into the habit of interrogating your media doesn’t have to be a solitary exercise, either. I have been in the habit of asking my kids similar questions in the 10 minutes it takes to drive home from a movie—“Who was the hero in that story?” and “What do you think it was all about?” It has become such a familiar conversation that now they ask me.

The second step is to assert your role as the gate-keeper in your own house. There is some truth in the cliché, “So long as you’re living under my roof . . .” as it reflects a parent’s enduring role to protect their child. To do so, you must be prepared to control content, the rate of exposure and the context of digestion. Controlling content might mean locking devices down so that only certain apps are accessible and downloading more requires parental permission. Regulating the rate of exposure might mean limiting PS5 time to the weekend. Defining the context of digestion might mean

Mark Hadley is a media and cultural critic who lives with his family in Sydney.

Please note that discussion of a media product in Signs of the Times does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation.

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As a pastor, there are questions I’ve encountered over and over again, sometimes about the Bible but usually about everyday life. If you’ve never had the opportunity to ask a pastor tough questions this is the right place. I’ll do my best to respond authentically and biblically!

How can I make sense of what’s happening in Israel and Gaza?

Arianne, Wyong Australia The last thing I’d want to do is oversimplify what is an incredibly complex situation. No-one really knows how it will all end—particularly because the conflict has been going on for decades at this point. Many people might expect me to pick a side.

Am I for Israel or am I for Gaza? When we’re talking about the lives of tens of thousands of people, we can’t treat it

as a sports game. Especially from a distance, it’s tempting to pick a side to “support” but when lives are being lost, this is not the right approach.

The truth is the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis are just as precious to God. That’s why I’m on the side of life. I hope and pray that a solution is found, that innocent civilians stop being killed and that peace talks can happen. Even then, how can we heal wounds that have been festering for centuries? I don’t have a good answer for that, and I don’t think there’s anyone alive who does.

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There are so many different faiths and interpretations of the Bible. How can you be sure that you believe the correct one? Russell, Pohangina NZ That’s a tricky question to answer.

If I were to be completely honest, I’d have to admit that even within my own denomination, there are some issues about which faithful followers of Jesus may disagree. I’m comforted by the fact, however, that Jesus never told His disciples that in order to follow Him, they’d need to believe correctly. Of course, there are some non-negotiables in the Christian faith.

The resurrection, being saved through grace alone, etc. If we “remain in Him” (John 15:4), allow ourselves to be shaped by God’s Spirit and faithfully follow Jesus as His apprentices, we have nothing to fear for the future.

I would be remiss, however, not to mention one of the greatest features of my denomination. Seventh-day Adventists have a wonderful belief called “present truth”. Though the term doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible, it’s a way the church has described how God reveals truth to certain people for a certain time. God’s revelation to Martin Luther of the truth that all we need to do to be saved is trust Jesus and His grace, rather than through the intervention of a priest or pope, is an example of present truth.

The early Seventh-day Adventist leader and author Ellen White received many such revelations, such as numerous teachings on health. A plant-based diet, abstaining from smoking and alcohol, as well as many

other health habits were revealed to her and other early Adventists.

Today, many of these health choices are embraced by billions thanks to advances in science—advances that didn’t exist back in the late 19th century.

Additionally, the present truth of the Sabbath is something early Adventists discovered at a time when no other Christians thought it important.

Today, Christians all over the world from a variety of faith traditions are rediscovering the power of the Sabbath. They’re finding out how vital it is to take a break in the midst of a busy world, focus on family, friends and faith solely for 24 hours a week, as well as all the other numerous benefits it gives. In many ways, early Seventhday Adventists were truly ahead of their time.

I’m excited that God hasn’t stopped speaking. I’m sure that my understanding in every area is not yet complete, because I know that as I grow and embrace God’s present truth, more will be revealed. The journey of faith isn’t about reaching a pinnacle. It’s about following the One who walks with you along the way.

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE

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Popular intellectual Yuval Noah Harari warns that the AI revolution will create a new class of people: those too useless to continue being functioning members of our society. But does this prophetic warning spell the future of our race, or is there a better way forward?

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RISE OF THE USELESS CLASS

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21st century we might witness the creation of a massive new unworking class: people devoid of any economic, political or even artistic value, who contribute nothing to the prosperity, power and glory of society. This ‘useless class’ will not merely be unemployed—it will be unemployable.”1 He says the most important question in 21st century economics may be: what should we do with all the superfluous people? For example, AI is currently capable of 425 quadrillion calculations per second. To put that into perspective, hypothetically, if a human could do just one calculation per second, you’d need 13 billion years plus to match the capacity of AI. Harari says, “Ninety-nine per cent of human qualities and abilities are simply redundant for the performance of most modern jobs.”

He contends that AI and robotics will replace doctors, accountants, drivers, teachers, landlords, wait staff, proofreaders, airline pilots, pharmacists, lawyers and more.

Let’s look at doctors as an example. One of the leading causes of death in the United States is physician error. Not only will doctors be replaced, especially surgeons, but Harari suggests that it will become illegal for a human being to perform surgery. If a margin of error exists that puts patients’ lives in danger when performed by a human being and very little (if any) margin of error when a machine does the same, every person given a choice would be stupid not to choose the machine.

The machine will not have a hand tremor, a bad day or a hangover.

Relationships are also under threat. Some years ago, Forbes magazine covered the very first robot brothel opening in Spain, driving tourism through the ceiling.

Soon you will be able to order a perfect companion online, perfectly suited for your tastes and far more intelligent than any human you could converse with. In Japan, at least three men have had public weddings to robots. You can now have an AI robot spouse, an AI robot friend or an AI robot pet, rendering human contact unnecessary.

Harari goes on, “In the 21st century, we might witness the creation of a massive new unworking class.”

That means, he says, we’re going to have to create something called a universal basic income. The government and an elite wealthy class are going to have to trickle down a bit

of money to the common folk to buy food and have shelter.

All of this raises a very important question: What is a human being?

Well, there are two radically divergent stories that make a claim to articulate human identity for us. The first story says that 13.8 billion years ago, there was a massive explosion called the Big Bang and everything in the universe is the result of the long chain that emerged from that one event. Reality is just material substance-matter. This worldview is called materialism. It states that we are just a series of chemical processes.

The second story says that human

What is the value of a human?

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n April, 2023, TikTok user ghostwriter977 released the song “Heart on my sleeve”—reaching 15 million views on TikTok. The song featured Drake and The Weeknd, two of the most lucrative money-makers in the music industry—except the two artists had not performed it. The song was AI-generated; their voices cloned. Eventually it was flagged for copyright and taken down by Universal Music Group (UMG).

There was no way for the average listener to distinguish between the artists they love and the artificial intelligence used to emulate them.

Suddenly, UMG was faced with the prospect that these two artists were essentially worthless.

AI is confronting everyone on the planet with an unprecedented identity crisis. Its ability to emulate the faces, voices and mannerisms that make us unique is causing all sorts of concerns and questions to emerge.

What is the value of a human? How do we quantify that value? Popular public intellectual and author Yuval Noah Harari, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, wrote the bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. He has shown up in many news magazines around the world with this idea that what we’re witnessing right now is because of AI. He refers to this problem as the rise of “the useless class of human beings”. According to Harari, as AI takes jobs that anybody might do, a large class of human beings will become increasingly useless. “In the

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technology we’ve created. We can’t help ourselves. With corporations run by board members looking for a financial bottom line that makes them and their shareholders wealthier this quarter than they were the previous quarter, there’s no way that self-control will win.

But there’s good news. “You know that it was not with perishable things, such as silver or gold, that you were redeemed [purchased] from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors.

You were actually purchased with the precious blood of Christ. A lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18). This is the apostle Peter talking, a close friend of Jesus and leader of the early Christian church. He says that Jesus came to purchase us, to save us from “an empty way of life” into a life that is very full. The emptiest way you could possibly exist is to estimate your value based on the economic bottom line that you can produce for the world economic system. You are worth far more than that. Here, in this passage of Scripture, Peter equates the value of your life and my life with the life of Jesus.

God looks at you and God estimates your value as equivalent to His own.

You are valuable, costly and rare.

It’s hard to imagine, because we know ourselves and sometimes we doubt our own significance. But from God’s standpoint, God looks at you, and you alone, as if there were not another human being in all the universe to love. Jesus did not die for

a mass of nameless consumers. Jesus died for you by name. He knows everything you’ve experienced. Every heartache, every pain, every joy. The God of the universe has estimated your value and loves you with a love that is so massive He was willing to die forever rather than to live without you.

French actress Anouk Aimee says, “Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death of a sparrow in the corner of a barn.”

AI cannot replace the giggle of a little girl with her friends. AI cannot replace the look of adventure in the eyes of a teenage boy. AI cannot replace the deep sense of security and trust in the sex that occurs between a husband and a wife. AI cannot replace the joy of creating a piece of art. AI cannot replace the empathy of a friend in a time of crisis. AI cannot replace the image of God’s love reflected in all our relational dynamics.

I invite you to embrace the biblical narrative that, unlike the materialistic worldview, can give you a deep sense of significance and meaning like nothing this world has to offer.

Ty Gibson is the director for Light Bearers and pastor of Storyline Adventist Church. He is a passionate communicator who teaches on a variety of topics, emphasising God’s unfailing love as the central theme of the Bible. Ty and his wife Sue have three adult children and two grandsons.

1. <ideas.ted.com/the-rise-ofthe-useless-class>

This article was taken from a talk that can be accessed here:

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PIXABAY—PEXELS

beings are creatures of tremendous dignity, beauty and potential, not merely for the work they do, but for their capacity to love like God loves.

In this story, human beings were made in the image of God. A human being, from God’s standpoint, has a value equal to the value of God’s own life, which is a tremendous thought to process.

In the first story, the Big Bang, Harari deduces: “Free will is a myth, inherited from Christian theology.

Humans have no natural rights, just as spiders, hyenas and chimpanzees have no natural rights.” He begins with free will because it is the mechanism in human psychology and spirituality that produces the capacity for love. And according to the materialistic worldview, love itself is an illusion. Everybody who claims to love is simply using love as a very sophisticated form of survival of the fittest. True altruism does not exist. Selflessness does not exist. The

capacity for novelty and creativity is nothing more than a chemical process. Harari claims, “As far as we can tell, from a purely scientific standpoint, human life has absolutely no meaning. Humans are the outcome of blind evolutionary processes that operate without goal or purpose.” His conclusion: “Any meaning that people ascribe to their lives, is just a delusion.” If you think that the feelings that exist between you and your child are of any significance, Harari wants you to understand they are of no significance whatsoever.

By reducing humans to mere production machines, popular science has concluded humans will be of lesser value than AI and robotics.

Harari warns that as a large class of human beings become increasingly useless, they become disposable and those with most power and economic strength will devise ways and means to reduce the surface population of the earth; to create systems that will remove large number of human beings as they themselves take refuge in multi-million-dollar bunkers and emerge to a utopian world they imagine they deserve.

According to American biologist, researcher, theorist and author EO Wilson, “The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Palaeolithic emotions, Medieval institutions and godlike technology.

It is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.” He is essentially saying our moral maturity is no match for the

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THE GUT-LUNG CONNECTION Recent studies suggest that the gut microbiome plays a pivotol role in the development of a chronic lung disease characterised by breathing difficulties (COPD). The studies saw improvements from nutritional interventions tailored to the microorganisms found in the gut. The gut hosts the most diverse microbiome in the body that can trigger or inhibit inflammation, including in the lung. —Centenary Institute PASTURE-RAISED CHICKENS

Health News for

everybody Australia spends over $A100 million on vitamin D supplements each year, yet still has high rates of deficiencies.

Ethnobotanist James Wong says that bathing mushrooms in sunlight exposes them to UV and increases their vitamin D by nearly eightfold. This is because fungi have a high concentration of ergosterol (pre-vitamin D), which is similar in structure and function to the type found in human skin. Putting five button mushrooms or one portobello in the sun for one hour can deliver 100 per cent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin D, the equivalent found in most supplements. —SBS Food

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CHRISTINE SIRACUSA, CARMEN ALARCON, IVAN DOSTAL, ROBINA WEERMEIJER—UNSPLASH

HEALTH HACK: TAN YOUR SHROOMS

When it comes to the welfare of chickens, pasture-raised eggs set the highest standard, indicating that the hens spend their days outside. But in most cases, they don’t get out.

“Cage-free” means they’re not in cages, but can still be kept indoors all day. An unlabelled carton means the hens likely live in communal cages the size of a microwave. Some grocery stores in the US are working with farmers who care for their hens’ wellbeing and making commitments to phase out caged eggs by 2025. Wholefoods says, “When chickens behave naturally, they naturally lay great eggs.” —National Geographic THE BENEFITS OF BEANS When thinking about legumes, many of us limit ourselves to baked beans and shrug at the health benefits. Ali Honour, chef of three decades, says legumes are an incredible plant protein, rich in fibre, cheap, nourishing and require less water to grow than most crops.

They’re super versatile and can be used for dips, patties, stews, breads, salads and even make a mean brownie base.

—European Food Council MAY 2024 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

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I HAVE

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After being diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 21, here’s how I’ve navigated my mental health journey and what I’ve found helpful along the way.

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will ever go away. Currently, I spend my days creating art, discovering new things that bring me joy, and finding new ways to be productive without inducing stress. My dog, Hachi, a true companion, stays by my side through it all.

Mental health challenges can affect anyone. They don’t discriminate. They don’t pick and choose who to target next. An estimated 44 per cent of the population has been affected by various mental health struggles in their life.1 And that number is only increasing.

Over these trying years, I’ve gained many invaluable insights into how to navigate the struggles that come alongside mental health. All of which I hope can be a blessing to others on their own journeys.

don’t be hard on yourself

In the midst of mental health challenges, it’s easy to fall into the trap of shame and self-criticism. But a crucial lesson I’ve learnt is to instead be kind to yourself. Understand that you’re battling something significant and it’s fine to have setbacks. Treat yourself with the same compassion and understanding that you’d offer a friend on a tough day. Most importantly, know that you’ve got this!

It may seem hard, but there’s help along the way, and you will be okay.

look after your physical health Mental health and physical health are deeply intertwined.

While it might seem like a small

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was 21 years old, living a great life, with people and a job I loved. Yet no-one could prepare me for the season I was about to face.

My physical health took a quick turn, landing me in hospital under close observation, with a plan for discharge the following day. As I lay there in my hospital bed, an unsettling storm of voices besieged my mind. My heart was racing and I felt paralysed by fear. This experience was new to me and I could not comprehend it. It wasn’t until the next day when my parents saw me that they realised something was wrong. This marked the beginning of the journey of what would ultimately be diagnosed as schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is usually made up of three main symptoms: hallucinations (auditory or visual), delusions, paranoia and extremely disordered thinking and behaviour. All of which impairs daily functioning and can be extremely disabling. I have experienced all of these.

As it is with most people prior to receiving a diagnosis, schizophrenia is never something I thought I would have to deal with. So, it came as a shock for my family and I when we found out what was going on. The doctors determined, after years of monitoring and observation, that one of my main triggers was stress.

This brought about my new reality. I no longer work due to the impact that stress has on my mental health. Most nights I lay in bed in fear and I’m not sure if that feeling

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find grounding resources Discovering what helps you find peace is an invaluable tool in your mental health toolkit. Whether it’s a calming music playlist, a guided meditation app or an insightful book—these resources can serve as anchors and sources of hope for when you’re really struggling. set up a support system You don’t have to walk this journey alone . . . and I would encourage you not to. Having support can make all the difference. Find trusted friends or family members to share what you’re experiencing with and who can provide a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on. Remember, there’s strength in unity and your loved ones can be a beacon of hope during your darkest moments. If you have no-one in your life who you trust, see if your

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doctor can connect you in with a community. Headspace.org.au is a great government-led resource in Australia that offers information, support and opportunities to connect with others. see a therapist or psychiatrist Seeking professional help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Regular sessions with a therapist or psychiatrist can provide you with the necessary tools to navigate the complexities of your diagnosis.

They can also offer guidance, prescribe medication when necessary and help you understand the intricacies of your emotions. learn about your triggers Understanding your mental landscape is essential for proactive self-care. Identify your early warning signs: subtle shifts in mood or behaviour that precede a crisis.

Recognise your triggers: situations or stressors that tend to exacerbate your mental health challenges.

Armed with this knowledge, you can take preemptive measures to safeguard your wellbeing and get support when needed.

By opening up about my own struggles with family and friends, both in-person and online, I’ve witnessed the profound impact our stories can have on others. They have the power to foster connection, break down stigma and remind us that we’re never truly alone in our ever-so-unpredictable journeys of life. So, as we navigate the complexities of mental health, let’s also remember the importance of reaching out and listening to one another. Together, we can create a network of support and understanding that will carry us through the toughest of times.

During my journey, I’ve come to appreciate that healing and recovery are not linear paths but rather intricate mosaics of progress and setbacks. It’s okay to have days when it all seems overwhelming, but it’s crucial to remember that these moments don’t define your entire journey. They are but small chapters in the larger narrative of your life. Every step forward, no matter how small, is a testament to your resilience. And let me remind you that you are more resilient than you might ever imagine. With

the right support and self-care, you can come out of even the darkest of seasons into the warmth of brighter days. So, be patient with yourself, embrace your uniqueness and trust that, in time, the clouds will part, revealing the light.

My journey still continues . . . but I’ve journeyed a long way since that day I first went to hospital and got diagnosed. While there may be no universal solution for mental health struggles, these lessons have been my keys in navigating and maintaining my wellbeing.

Wherever you’re at with yours, remember that you are not alone in this battle. Together, we can break the stigma surrounding mental health challenges and muster the strength to face whatever life throws our way.

Stefanie Power is a native of Australia’s Gold Coast.

She is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health while sharing the teachings of Jesus.

With a passion for mental wellbeing, her advocacy work fosters empathy and support for those facing challenges. Her faith serves as a guiding principle, emphasising the transformative power of love, kindness and compassion to create a better world.

1. <aihw.gov.au/mental-health/overview/prevalence-andimpact-of-mental-illness> If you or someone you love is struggling with their mental health, please reach out for help. You can call the Mental Health Access Line on ‘1300 MH CALL’ or access resources and help online with Beyond Blue, Lifeline, or Sane Australia.

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step, taking care of your physical wellbeing can have a profound impact on your mental state.

Regular exercise, a balanced diet and sufficient sleep can provide the stable foundation your mind needs to weather storms.

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THREE TIMES THE WORLD nearly ended Many doomsayers have “cried wolf” when it comes to the end of the world. Does that mean it’s not going to happen at all?

MIDJOURNEY

JESSE HERFORD

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more than a million people perished in the siege of Jerusalem, though based on more accurate estimates, modern historians believe that around a third of the Jewish population in Judea were killed during the war.2 What isn’t disputed is that around 100,000 Jews were captured and hauled back to Rome as slaves. Supposedly, Titus (Vespasian’s son) refused to accept a wreath of victory, claiming that he had “merely lent his arms to God, who had so manifested His wrath that it was not himself that had accomplished this exploit, but that he had merely lent his arms to God”.3 For the Jews living in and around Jerusalem, it was the end of the world, though not the kind they had hoped for.

Fast-forward more than 1000 years and another world religion had overtaken much of the known world: Islam. Spurred on by religious zeal, political scheming and end-time fever, European Christians eagerly embarked upon what would later be collectively referred to as “The Crusades”. Many of these were small affairs, led by kings or other nobles, whereas others were commissioned

by the pope himself. Pope Innocent III, for his part, oversaw two bloody crusades. Perhaps because of genuine concern, or because of waning support for costly military expeditions, he appealed to both apocalyptic imagery and xenophobic rhetoric to paint the rise of Islam in alarming detail. “A son of perdition has arisen, the false prophet Muhammed, who has seduced many men from the truth by worldly enticements and the pleasures of the flesh . . . we nevertheless put our trust in the Lord who has already given us a sign that good is to come, that the end of this beast is approaching, whose number, according to the Revelation of Saint John, will end in 666 years, of which already nearly 600 have passed.”4 Innocent III believed that in 1284, exactly 666 years (supposedly) after the rise of Islam, the world would end—unless the Christians retook

the Holy Land. In 1291, Acre, the last crusader-controlled fortress, fell to the Muslims. To everyone’s surprise, the world did not end as Innocent III had predicted. Many more crusades ensued in following decades, with much bloodshed and little reward for Muslims or Christians.

More recently (though still a long time ago), this very magazine involved itself in end-times predictions. In 1914, war broke out in Europe that soon embroiled the entire world—even faraway Australia and New Zealand. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia distributed more than 55,000 copies of a pamphlet titled Is it Armageddon?5 The pamphlet claimed, among other things, that though this war was not Armageddon, “we are indeed now living in the time of the end, there is abundant evidence”. Further, LA Smith, the author of the pamphlet,

MIDJOURNEY

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t’s AD 66. Following a rebellion in Judea, Roman general Vespasian was tasked by Emperor Nero to put down the revolt. What followed, however, was a cascade of political intrigue and death. Following a civil war, Nero committed suicide in AD 68 and Galba, the governor of Spain and leader of the anti-Nero faction, soon claimed the throne. Six months later, Galba was dead and Otho, Galba’s former ally, took his place.

Ninety-one days after that, after suffering military defeats, he committed suicide rather than surrender to another leader: this time Vitellius, governor of northern Germany.

Eventually Vitellius’ support waned and he also ended up dead, this time at the hands of a Roman mob.

Vespasian was declared emperor on December 21, AD 69, ending the socalled “Year of the Four Emperors”.

Though all these wars and rumours of wars would have been devastating for the common folk in the empire, the Jewish Essenes1 didn’t see them as significant; at least, not compared to what Vespasian was doing in their homeland. Allying with insurgent leader Simon bar Giora, the Essenes saw the rebellion as the beginning of the “Day of the Lord”— the end times—and that soon the Messiah would reveal Himself and destroy the Romans. However, this prophecy would never come to pass.

Region by region, Vespasian conquered, slaughtering as he went, with the worst being saved for Jerusalem.

Jewish historian Josephus claims that

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purported that, “The momentous events of this prophecy are now, according to the testimony of Scripture and of history, in the immediate future. The great European war now raging is a prelude to the ‘time of trouble such as never was,’ which is coming upon all countries because of the proximity of the end.”6 In other words, the Great War (as it would soon be called) was not the end of the world—but a prelude to it. The Australia/New Zealand edition of Signs of the Times ran two separate war issues in 1914 and 1915 respectively, selling more than 100,000 issues combined.7 The official Church tried to temper believers’ end-times fever, but this didn’t stop many from making bold predictions about the Ottoman Empire and its place in Bible prophecy, drawing especially from the books of Daniel and Revelation. As history unfolded, all these predictions were proven false and in turn, they were forgotten. In case you didn’t know, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is no stranger to end-times predictions. Our cultural ancestors were the Millerites who, 60

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in the mid-19th century, created an entire movement hinging on the exact date of the predicted return of Jesus. Safe to say, they were wrong.

So, what are we to make of this?

A quick internet search will reveal hundreds—if not thousands—of others who have made similar claims to those I’ve highlighted here. Even the apostle Paul encouraged unmarried believers to remain single, “for this present world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). Paul believed, as many did in the first century, that Jesus would return in his lifetime. It’s easy to be cynical with the hindsight of 2000 years—many a believer has been swept up in the excitement, only to be bitterly disappointed.

Inversely, many a sceptic has found another reason to mistrust the integrity of the Church and its claims.

Whether you’re a believer or a sceptic, the purpose of biblical apocalyptic literature is not, as theologian Ranko Stefanovic points out, “to satisfy a sheer curiosity about the future”.8 As my understanding has grown, I’ve learned to keep two seemingly opposing ideas in tension: (1) having an unshakable confidence in Jesus’ soon return and (2) a realisation that attempts on my part to predict the time and manner of His return are pointless. I believe Jesus is coming soon. When is soon? Whenever God decides.

Jesus Himself said, “No-one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the

Father knows” (Matthew 24:36, NLT).9 Not even Jesus knows the time of His return, so why would we have the audacity to think we could figure it out? Jesus never instructed His disciples to spend their days searching for signs of the end. Rather, He instructed them to love the unlovely, serve the poor and share the good news that God has now become king in the person of Jesus. That’s what it means to prepare for the end-times.

Whether you’re a follower of Jesus or not, the invitation is open to you. So, why don’t you join me? Let’s prepare together.

Jesse Herford is a pastor and associate editor for the Australia/New Zealand edition of Signs of the Times. He lives in Canberra, Australia with his wife, Carina, a newborn daughter and their miniature schnauzer, Banjo.

1. A Jewish sect known for piety, chastity and the absence of personal property.

2. David Moshe Herr, The History of Eretz Israel: The Roman Byzantine period: the Roman period from the conquest to the Ben Kozba War (63 BCE-135 CE).

Jerusalem, Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, 1984.

3. <web.archive.org/web/20160315005913/http:// www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_6_26. html#%A729> 4. John Victor Tolan, Saracens: Islam in Medieval European Imagination, Columbia University Press, 2022.

5. “Armageddon” derives from Mount Megiddo, where the last battle is predicted to take place according to Revelation 16:16. Its use in popular culture has made it simply shorthand for “the end of the world”.

6. <catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/1989756> 7. <encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=BAOC> 8. Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary on the Book of Revelation. Berrien Springs, MI, Andrews University Press, 2009.

9. Scriptures quoted from NLT are from the New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation, Inc. If you’d like to connect with a local church, or ask any further questions, email info@signsofthetimes. org.au or visit <signsofthetimes.org.au/help>.

MIDJOURNEY

Paul believed, as many did in the first century, that Jesus was going to return in his lifetime.

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CROSSWORD How closely have you been reading? Each keyword in this puzzle is also contained within this edition of Signs of the Times. Happy digging!

11/03/2024, 17:35

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Across 2. What God wants to do for all of us

Down 1. Escapist music from the 1960s

3. Typical cinema snack

5. Modern digestive content for the brain

4. 88% of stores selling these are located within walking distance of schools

6. The woman who transformed standards of care in hospitals

7. Western spiritualist occult practices based on Jewish mysticism

8. To have a real plant flourishing in your care is a real ______

9. In her comic, Emma uses this word to describe mental load

10. Environment which nourishes your spiritual growth

12. Mental health condition involving hallucinations

11. Psychological experience triggered by overwhelming stress

crossword clues DOWN 1. Escapist music from the 1960s 5. Modern digestive content for the brain 6. The woman who transformed standards of care in hospitals 8. To have a real plant flourishing in your care is a real ______ 10. Environment which nourishes your spiritual growth 11. Psychological experience triggered by overwhelming stress ACROSS 2. What God wants to do for us 3. Typical cinema snack 4. 88 per cent of stores selling these are located within walking distance of schools 7. Western spiritual occult practice based on Jewish mysticism 9. In her comic, Emma uses this word to describe her mental load 12. Mental health condition involving hallucinations 13. Consideration for the future 14. The idealistic pursuit of love characterised in movies 15. Content which is not verified to be correct 16. Fear of what AI will make workers

SUDOKU easy

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13. Consideration for the future 14. The idealistic pursuit of love characterised in movies 15. Content which is not verified to be correct

SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU MAY 2024 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU

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