World News and Trends: Polish Catholics press their values on the EU
What will come from the European Union accepting the Catholic moral values as their standard?
Most of the countries of the European Union are notorious for their secular way of life. Not even the late Pope John Paul II could persuade the EU to mention God in the European constitution. But since the inclusion of Poland and other Eastern European states into the EU, conditions may be changing somewhat.
Said Briton Michael Cashman, liberal European parliamentarian, "New groups have come in from Poland , the Czech Republic [and] Latvia and Catholicism is certainly becoming a very angry voice against what it sees as a very liberal EU." He complained: "We are fighting battles [on gay and women's rights] that we thought we had won years ago" (International Herald Tribune).
We should not underestimate Poland . Before World War II it had the largest GDP in Eastern Europe. Hitler's invasion of the Polish Republic caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany . Poland , with a population of 40 million people, is the largest and most influential of the 10 states that were inducted into the EU in 2004.
For one thing, Poland's "fast-growth, low-wage and low-tax system is perceived as a threat to the stodgier, high-employment economies of Germany and France." The new Polish government formed by the right-wing Law and Justice Party came from behind to thwart an expected victory by the liberals.
Maciej Giertych, one of 10 European Parliament members from the Law and Justice Party, stated: "We accept the teachings of the Catholic Church on all moral issues. If you want to know our opinions, read the opinions of the Catholic Church." In terms of mainstream religion, where might developments like these lead? To understand more, request or download our free booklet The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Source: International Herald Tribune.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 2006
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
