News and Prophecy Staff

What would happen if nations of the globe stopped fighting wars? How would this change the world, economies, and societies? Most people on earth long for a time when there will be no more war, but will that ever happen? The biblical prophet Isaiah wrote about such a future: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). According to the Bible, a time of no more war will eventually come.

In recent decades, school curricula have been deliberately changed to be more girl friendly. These major efforts have aimed at narrowing the supposed “pay gap” between men and women. Scholarships have been established to boost female university participation. Women’s health is often prioritized in policymaking. Some governments, like that of Great Britain, even have a “Minister for Women.” Yet, one of the big casualties of this one-sided effort is that boys and men are failing abysmally.

In a recent opinion piece for The Telegraph, author Tim Stanley asked a probing question: “But what happens to a society, many of whose laws are based upon the Ten Commandments, when the vast majority of citizens no longer believe in the teachings of Moses or St Paul?” (March 31, 2024).

Declining birth rates in developed nations are bringing drastic changes. Fewer children results in a smaller working class and less tax support for a proportionately larger aging population, driving the need for immigration to fill jobs.

Many people believe that you are lucky if you are happy, or that those who claim to be happy are not being honest. But are those conclusions true? The University of Bristol in England has offered a course entitled “Science of Happiness” since 2018 (Studyfinds.org, March 12, 2024). The course reviews the latest research on happiness and encourages students to put this research into practice in their lives. Recently, researchers published a study of students taking the class.