From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Some Christian leaders say that our world has "gone mad". I believe it is more accurate to say that the world under the sway of Satan is simply demonstrating the madness that has always existed in the unregenerated human heart. That madness is growing toward the day of the final outpouring of God's wrath on sinful man, and the complete renovation of the present universe by fire. In Romans chapter one, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul describes the nature of the human mind apart from God in all ages:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32)

The Spiritual Madness In Our Time

In our time the madness is simply manifesting itself in different ways, but the essential nature of humanity's rebellion against its Creator is unchanged. In the 21st century abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, sodomy, and the rebellious denial of God-ordained human sexuality have become legal "rights." Animals now have legally protected "rights" akin to human rights in growing numbers of jurisdictions. Some sodomy advocates have made it clear that one of their next crusades, after legalizing same-sex "marriage" and so-called LGBTQ "rights", will be to legalize "domestic partnerships" between humans and animals - in other words, the legalization of bestiality.

Into our world gone mad has stepped another venomous movement stemming from the New Atheism - the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT). It is the most radical of all environmentalist movements. Its motto is, "May We Live Long and Die Out."

Utter Madness

The cute little cartoon graphic at right is from one of the websites of the movement. Here is how they describe themselves and their purpose:

VHEMT (pronounced vehement) is a movement not an organization. It's a movement advanced by people who care about life on planet Earth. We're not just a bunch of misanthropes and anti-social, Malthusian misfits, taking morbid delight whenever disaster strikes humans. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Voluntary human extinction is the humanitarian alternative to human disasters.

We do not carry on about how the human race has shown itself to be a greedy, amoral parasite on the once-healthy face of this planet. That type of negativity offers no solution to the inexorable horrors which human activity is causing.

Rather, The Movement presents an encouraging alternative to the callous exploitation and wholesale destruction of Earth's ecology.

As VHEMT Volunteers know, the hopeful alternative to the extinction of millions of species of plants and animals is the voluntary extinction of one species: Homo sapiens... us.

Each time another one of us decides to not add another one of us to the burgeoning billions already squatting on this ravaged planet, another ray of hope shines through the gloom.

When every human chooses to stop breeding, Earth's biosphere will be allowed to return to its former glory, and all remaining creatures will be free to live, die, evolve (if they believe in evolution), and will perhaps pass away, as so many of Nature's "experiments" have done throughout the eons.

It's going to take all of us going.[1]

The "Green" Thing to Do

At another point on their website, they blame Christians' adherence to God's command to "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:26) for the "problem" of man's continuing to exist.[2] Increasingly, radical environmentalists driven by this kind of warped, ungodly thinking are saying that having no children is the "green" thing to do.

In an April 2021 article in the British edition of Vogue magazine, a female writer made the case that it is "pure environmental vandalism" for human beings to have children. She cited a range of alleged statistics about the condition of the earth (all demonstrably false) as reasons why human beings should voluntarily move toward self-extinction.[3]

The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement epitomizes the description of man in willful unbelief, as described in Romans chapter one.

How Did the World Get Into Its Present Condition?

Christians can agree with these people on one statement: There is extremely bad news about the human race. But the bad news is not what they think it is, and the solution is not what they think it is. Man making himself extinct will not restore the planet to its former glory. And in God's eternal plan, it is not going to happen!

We see the evidence of the bad news about mankind and the created order everywhere we look, in disease, natural disasters, hatred, wars, and death. Since the Bible is the Word of God, it is an accurate historical record of mankind and the universe from the beginning. So we can read the early chapters of the Bible to understand how mankind began. And before we read very far at all, we find that the human race was not always in its present condition. It was once perfect. But something happened - something that changed everything.

The early chapters of the Bible also introduce us to good news from God - the best possible news. That good news is the answer to the bad news about mankind. The Bible tells us that every human being is not merely seriously ill, but is already dead - born dead. Every human being comes into the world spiritually dead, and is therefore moving toward inevitable physical death as well. But there is a cure, and it is only found in one place, the Bible, and in only one Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells us that God created a perfect universe. He made the first man, Adam, and placed him in the perfect creation along with his wife, Eve. There was no sin, suffering, or death in the world. Our first parents were created in the image of God, and had direct fellowship with their Creator. He gave them the mandate to exercise dominion over the earth, to populate it, and to care for it. God also gave our first parents the command to be perfectly obedient to Him. Since God is absolutely holy, nothing less would maintain unbroken fellowship.

But man, made in the image of God, was not a robot. God gave Adam and Eve the freedom to choose, to obey Him or to rebel against Him. God warned our first parents about the consequences of rebellion: physical death, and spiritual death - eternal separation from God.

The bad news is that our first parents chose to rebel against God. Their disobedience brought physical and spiritual death upon themselves. It also introduced disorder, suffering, and death into the human race, and the entire creation.

The Bible tells us that because of Adam's sin, death has passed on to all of his descendants (Romans 5:12). We are all sinners from conception (Psalm 51:5) because we have inherited Adam's sin nature. But beyond that, we have all broken God's law ourselves (Romans 3:23, James 2:10). We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.

We read in Isaiah 59:2 that our sins have separated us from God and have hidden His face from us. Left to ourselves in our rebellious state, we face the inevitable consequence of our sins: eternal separation from God in Hell (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Revelation 20:12-15). Because God is perfectly holy and just, our sin demands the ultimate penalty.

This is the bad news about all of mankind. It is the bad news about every individual. But there is good news.

God Has Provided Redemption for Man and Creation

God has reached out to mankind in our state of hopelessness. He has made the way for man - and the entire creation - to be redeemed and restored. We read in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

We read in Philippians chapter two that God the Creator condescended to be the Savior of men. God came into this sin-cursed world in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived the perfect life that we cannot not live, and He was therefore able to offer Himself on the cross as the perfectly innocent sacrifice that would satisfy the righteous demands of the holiness and justice of God on men's behalf. Jesus Christ not only died to atone for sin, but rose again from the dead, conquering death forever.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:10-13)

Voluntary Human Extinction is NOT the Answer!

Man cannot save himself. Much less can man save the planet through Voluntary Human Extinction. God sent one Man to die - His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ - so that man could live forever in a universe restored to its glorious perfection.

Everyone who truly repents of his sin and trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation from the wrath of God is no longer subject to God's condemnation, and has passed forever from eternal death to eternal life (John 5:24). That is what it means to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. His perfect death satisfies the righteous wrath of a holy God on your behalf. His perfect, sinless life is credited to your account so that God the Father no longer sees your sin, but His Son's righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). God the condemning Judge becomes God your loving Father.

The key to receiving the good news of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ is to believe on Him. "He who believes on Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18). Jesus Christ is the only way. "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).

"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name" (John 1:12).

Do you want to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If so, please contact us. We will be glad to help you.

References:

1. "What is the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement?" at http://www.vhemt.org/aboutvhemt.htm#vhemt, as viewed on 9/17/2014.

2. "Why People Breed" at http://www.vhemt.org/biobreed.htm#wrongpeople, as viewed on 9/17/2014.

3. Nell Frizzell, "Is Having A Baby In 2021 Pure Environmental Vandalism?" as viewed on 05/10/20201 at https://www.vogue.co.uk/mini-vogue/article/having-a-child-sustainable

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