Is Society Toxic to Children?

“Modern life is killing children with the number of youngsters diagnosed with cancer rising 40 per cent in the past 16 years because of air pollution, pesticides, poor diets and radiation, scientists have warned” (New Zealand Herald, September 4, 2016). According to a lead researcher, “air pollution was by far the biggest culprit, accounting for around 40 per cent of the rise, but other elements of modern lifestyles are also to blame. Among these are obesity, pesticides and solvents inhaled during pregnancy, circadian rhythm disruption through too much bright light at night, radiation from x-rays and CT scans, smoking during and after pregnancy, magnetic fields from power lines, gadgets in homes, and potentially, radiation from mobile phones” (ibid.).

The Bible states, “the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God… because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:19-21), and our children are certainly suffering under the corruption of our modern society! Yet, a time is coming when the societies of the world will totally change. There will be no more cancer and people “will not say, ‘I am sick’” (Isaiah 33:24). There will be no more tears and no more death (Isaiah 25:8). This will be a time of joy when children are no longer sick but joyfully play in the streets (Zechariah 8:5). For more about this wonderful time, read The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?