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October/November 2002

The World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Earth Charter, invoking the goddess Gaia, Mother Earth.

Dear Friends,

As the world is preparing for Advent and Christmas many Christians are possibly not aware that the message of God's redemption and the ethics of our Lord Jesus Christ are being outlawed on a world scale. Whilst missionaries are "going into all the world", Bible distributors "sow the Word", and churches are being planted, another religion is establishing itself by stealth in the legislative, executive and judicial institutions of mankind. A militant one-world socialism (Humanism) promoted by the United Nations Organisation is determining much of international law. The recent World Summit on Sustainable Development which was held in Johannesburg from 26 August to 4 September, 2002, clearly illustrates the religious thrust of the UN.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) featured in its logo a dove which carries on its wings a twig that covers the world. Though the UN is hostile to Christianity it widely uses Christian symbols. For instance, part of the WSSD was the parading of an "Ark of Hope," which contains a copy of the "Earth Charter," supposedly the hope of the future for this planet. This Charter was adopted in 1992 at the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. As at Rio, the Johannesburg WSSD was opened with "The Great Invocation", a New Age Prayer formulated by Alice Bailey (a theosophist) whose Eastern occult philosophies are profoundly influencing the UN. In 1920 Ms Bailey founded the "Lucifer Trust", later changed to "Lucis Trust", which a.o.t. sponsors the prayer room at the UN headquarters in New York. Her "Great Invocation" is an appeal to occult powers, but is presented as "the Christ's own mantram." 1) One of the verses reads: "From the point of Love within the Heart of God, let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to Earth." An asterisk explains that the "World Teacher" may be called "the Christ, the Lord Maitreya, the Imam Mahdi and the Messiah." Indeed, the invocationists claims that "the signs of the Christ's approach can be seen in the recent and ongoing 'Cycle of Conferences'… held under the auspices of the United Nations." 2)

Christian Symbols for unchristian purposes
The Dove, the Ark, and the Return of Christ are all used in an anti-Christian sense, and the Christian world is fooled by them. In Biblical terms the Dove signifies the Holy Spirit, God's creative Spirit of Comfort and Truth. The Ark of the Covenant contained the two tablets of stone, the Ten Commandments, and was mostly kept in the Holy of Holies of Tabernacle or Temple. It symbolises God's presence, law and grace for His chosen people. "There I will meet with you," said the LORD, "I will speak with you of all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel." (Exodus 25:22) Even today the Ark reminds us that the Lord wants His Word to be written "with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of the human heart." (2 Cor. 3:3) - As to Christ, whose name the 'Great Invocation' takes in vain, He is "the Son of the living God," whose return will be the culmination of all history, bring the Judgment, and establish God's glorious rule in a new heaven and a new earth.

Gaia, Mother Earth, the world goddess
While fooling Christians with the false use of their most sacred symbols, the real god of the "Earth Charter" is Gaia, "Mother Earth". Helene Bos of "Serving the Nations", Holland, writes: "The charter now only mentions 'Earth'. But during the times of preparation the promoters frequently spoke about 'Mother Earth'… Earth is believed, by them, to be a living entity with her own personality, with desires, emotions, and outbursts of anger." 3) - If we look back at the so-called "Parliament of the World's Religions" which met in Cape Town in December 1999, they, too, called on mankind to 'revere' and 'cherish' the earth. "Earth is not just our home," said Dr Gerald O Barney, "We are Earth… We humans are an important part of the consciousness of Earth… We have become co-creators with the Divine Earth-future… Every person must learn to think like Earth, to act like Earth, to be Earth." 4)

There is, then, a worldwide double-sided attack on Christianity and Christendom - firstly, the fraudulent use of our religion and secondly, the deliberate imposition of paganism. According to the UN, Christianity is not a sustainable religion. Only those religions are sustainable which will incorporate the veneration of "Mother Earth." However, the Scriptures tell us: "Ever since the creation of the world his [God's] invisible nature, namely his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles… They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Romans 1:20-25) The earth is part of creation, just as the moon and stars are creations. But God is the CREATOR. Earth-worship (and horoscoping) is idolatry which carries with it "the wrath of God from heaven against all ungodliness." (Rom. 1:18)

The Earth Charter
The Earth Charter is basically a religious document, firmly standing on on the theory of evolution. It reads: "Fundamental changes are needed in our values, institutions and ways of living… We urgently need a shared vision of basic values to provide an ethical foundation for the emerging world community. Therefore, together in hope we affirm…" and "must commit ourselves to adopt and promote the values and objectives of the Charter."- Again we are reminded of the Parliament of the World's Religions which, in Cape Town, December 1999, also laid down principles for a "global ethic". They falsely claimed that these principles, coming from the second tablet of the Ten Command-ments, embodied Christian concerns, but in their incompleteness they do the very opposite. - The Earth Charter lists four seemingly reasonable "principles": "Respect and care for the community of life, Ecological integrity, Social and economic justice and Democracy, nonviolence, and peace."

Since the Charter's inception in 1992 the UN has diligently pursued the cause of "sustainability", i.e. the question: How many people can the earth sustain until resources run out? How can we "create a better world for all?" - Cutting through all the UN-speak the word "sustainability" signifies the promotion of
a. A controlled economy. Hence the debates on trade, debt, finances etc. at the summit.
b. A controlled flow of resources, related to production and consumption.
c. Social equity and equality, encompassing homosexual rights, empowerment of women, children's rights, removal of parental powers, sexual licence, abortion facilities etc.
All these different facets of the concept of "sustainability" are to be understood in a Marxist/socialist way.

With respect to point b) the UN claims that the earth can carry no more than 1 billion (or even less) people. At present there are supposedly 6 billion. Hence the UN has instituted 'population control programmes'. These are linked to development aid, i.e. no abortion, no money. Of the $17 billion given to Development Aid, $15 billion go into preventing births and providing abortions. 5) In South Africa, 82 cents of every R1 grant received for "sustainable development" goes to LoveLife and other sex/AIDS-education and "reproductive health" promoters. 6) War, famine, and disease are sometimes seen as allies to population control. - However, is the world really so short of supplies that humanity must be culled and resources rationed? According to Robert L Sassone "the total amount of each resource is sufficient to satisfy human needs for many millions of years, although we can only produce a tiny fraction economically with today's technology." When scientists speak about "reserves they mean that part of the resources that are the least costly to remove and that usually are removed next. Reserves comprise in all cases less than one-millionth of the total amount of the mineral resource (such as petroleum or iron) that is known to exist." 7)

Why then all the scary scenarios of overpopulation, overheating, over-eating, over-exploitation, when there is plenty of space, plenty of air, plenty of food and plenty of resources? To present its causes, the UN uses about 1000 authors who sometimes use questionable statistics. Their research is submitted to the c. 5000 UN conferences per year which are attended not only by UN staff and national delegates but also by representatives of 2000 non-governmental organiza-tions (NGOs) some of them set up by the UN itself. The NGOs lobby the delegates of the different nations. Every World Conference issues a Programme of Action. If ratified by a government, this becomes "law" to that nation, for according to UN rules international law supersedes national law. Over the past 20 years the UN Programmes of Action have formed a vast body of international laws. An International Criminal Court has been established and may, one day, enforce these laws. - South Africa, too, has adopted many laws coming from the United Nations. Many seem to promote Socialism/Communism, a philosophy of death. "All who hate God love death." says Prov. 8:36. In the 20th century Socialism/Communism caused the deaths of 150 million people. In the 21st century 'sustainable development' claims the lifeblood of 50 million unborn children per year. And still, the UN wants to increase abortion facilities worldwide. Indeed, "Mother Earth" is an immoral and bloodthirsty idol, insatiably demanding human sacrifices.

However, the UN world conferences have also attracted many Christians who earnestly offer up much prayer and intercession, so much so that some of the world-plans have stalled. God is on the throne, and He honours the petitions of valiant prayer warriors. He decrees that the "wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age is doomed to pass away." (1 Cor. 2:6) - When "the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain… He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision." (Ps. 2) - Christians must "watch and pray!" Let us not sleep when Christ's cause is at stake. Let us contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3) Let the coming Advent and Christmas season remind us of how much God loved the world, (John 3:16) and how much we must love Him, too. Let us bravely fight the good fight of faith. (1 Tim. 6:12) He will give the victory!

May God bless you richly,
D. Scarborough.

Footnotes:
1. The Great Invocation: A Mantram for the New Age and for all Humanity, Internet. 2. Understanding the Great Invocation, Internet.
3. Helene Bos, World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002, Final Report, September 2002.
(hbos@servingthenations.org; www.servingthenations.org)
4. Gerald O Barney, Threshold 2000, Critical Issues and Spiritual Values for a Global Age, ref. Gospel Defence League letter of Nov/Dec. 1999.
5. Helene Bos, Cape Town, 19.11.2002.. 6. Cheryllyn Dudly, M.P., ACDP Women of Destiny, October 2000. Cape Town.
7. Robert L. Sassone, Handbook on Population, sixth edition, ISBN: 1-890712-08-6.