Basic HTML Version
r.
by
Or.
Allen L
Stout
HOlJSTON: Hunge<
aA<l
makwt<ítlon
8fe
not due to llmíted resources - at
least .-ot
~rding
to " Limils to Gtowth"
con!~
speaker
Ha<ls
LiMem;>n. He
says
world
hunger is due
te
ttle
lneq~
ltles
ifl
the
eeonomics
·and
dlslribu1ion
of
food resowces
and
to the lnadequaci<ls
of
agfi(:ultural technology
In
the
.poor na·
tions.
Liflnemen, at the request of the
Club
of
Rome,
had
l>eaded a research team
to
stu9Y the
possibiüly
ol teeding
a
world
popula1ion
of
twice
the
present size.
He
emphasized: "lf
W<!
realty warlt lo elimi–
nate hunger
in
the world, we
can
do
il"
Ttle
!1$08fal
conctusioA of hls
resea~h
group
was that we couk:l easlly leed
double the work:l's p<esent JXl:l)ulatlon.
Howe~~er,
the
decisions
needed
to solve
10
the
--~~
arenotso
slm·
ply...-.
llMtGfee&·~WwM••o..
- ·
·· ·
.As a
-utl.()(-th<t
ma:e&We
elleo'l$
el
tlle -
" .G-
Aevólirtton."
1ood
~
sur.gecl..ahead
1n
truqál!l
$ix00$.
~
11>e
eatUer decline
in·
per-caplla·
food
oot·
pul.
s..t
as·ttle
·seveAties
gol
unQe<
way.
the
loo<lc~:bégan
to
sw.lrig
back.
Ae<:ordlng
to
L..,ter
B<own. presiden! of
Work:lwJI!ch
~.
!he
GreeA
Revolu–
tlon programs
taum:ned
in
India.
Pakl–
stan,
Tj.ll1<ey,
Wexico.
and
lbe
Philippines
"wer<>
.siiRply
buying
time
lo
gel
PQI»–
I!'Ii<>n
gmwth
under
control,
lime ..nicb
most
coumries
faited
1o
use
wisely • .•.
The
ag<lcullwal
and·
<Mr-
a<Mtnees
of
the las!
quarter
centu,y
l>we·ended
in
a nosounding
dowQbeat
-cl>arac!Mi%ed
by
a
f~
fish
catch.
taatng
grain
yields.
io.'tcrea98d
infant
mortality,
fafling
food
re–
ser.es.
and
pñce lnstability.' '
Brown
exptalned
lhal
"p<ior to
WO<-Id
War
11,
all
geograpnic
reglons exeept
Westem Eéurope were Ret e><porters.
North Ameiica
was
not ttoe
only
exporter,
no<
IWer>·lhe.leadlng
one.
Allll><6
bas
now
changed. AH
but
a
hendlul
of
the
115
nations for whklh
dala
a<e
avaüable are
now
net
irn¡>ort<!rs."
Only
ttoe United
States, Canada. ..wstraHa. and
~
Zea–
land remain·as
significan!
exporters.
The reasons for growfng dependence
on
North
American
looá
stlpptles
are var–
led. They lnclyde
such
pr-oblems'as agri·
cultur;U lnefflciency,
pol!tical
expediency,
.aod
tti<I 'J:apid
population growth
in
poor
e~
' 'IIIOSIIyc
vlllln
"merica.
P.<Sia.
and Alrica. For instance, while North
Amerlca's populatioo growttl has slowed
substat~tiaHy
and
nów
stands at 235 mil·
-lion,
Latín
America's populatlon has es–
calated since 1950 at an exploslve three
percent
per
year toa current 340 milllon.
Lester Brown suggests that "unless lhe
world can move steadily toward a 1% rate
of populatlon growth by 1985, H may be
very dlfflcuil to achleve a satlsfactory bal–
ance between food and people."
Summlng lt aH up, Brown stated that
..unless population growth, ovar·
consumption, overfishing, and ecological
deterioration are arrested ,
it
will
not be
possible to maintain even the present
quality of lile. A very great deal more ef–
fort will be
n~eded
11 decent living stan–
dards are to be extended to allthe earth's
people."
According to Llnneman's "most-likely"
calculalions, the number of hungry
people in the wor1d will increase from the
present 400 million lo 1.8 billion people
by !he year 2010. lf the population growth
rate is cut to hall the present rate, the
situation would improve. but still about 1
blllion people wouk:l suffer hunger by
201 O.
lf
exlsting lncome inequalities
could be reduced by hall, total hunger
would lncrease to "only" 800 million in
2010.
So ailhough a reduction ol populatlon
growth and lncome lnequalities wl ll both
have a favorable effect on the futura de·
velopment of hunger, they cannot solve
lhe world food problem. Hunger will con–
tinua
to
exist and even grow in magnitude
In luture years. unless food policles that
slimulate domestic food productlon are
fntroduced in the developing countries.
Whether or not hunger will be eradicated
in the coming years or decades does not
depend primarily on nature; 11 depends
on the choice and declslon of man -
particularl'y on those that are in a position
lo choose and decide.
.oor..- ·~....,.;.~n.~-~
- .fJ~~~4~
un--Will':ft-
Come -
?
'9Y·r~,~•
.
•
byWllfiam
F.
~nb<ing
TbcoughO',.t 11-istory, ma,.lc.i-nd has
been térriticd by
earthqttalc~.
The
an–
cients
believed
eart~uakes
were caused
by a
wbale,
a giant m-ole. or
a
stonn
beingimpriscmed wi1hin
tbe
earth's
in~·
rior. ln
lbe
Middle Ages .-ny poople
believed
an
eanhquake was
a
punish–
ment for sin and a ·warning
to
tj>e
unre·
penlant.
ln
!.M
J6th centouy,
an
ltalia.a
scbolar suggested that statucs
of
Mer·
cmy
and Satum be placéd
011
·building
waUs 10 pro;ect agaiilSI
eartl\~kes.
In modern times, bowever. the causes'
of earthqualocs have been largely pin·
pouued. Earll>quakes occur when there
is
a
suddeo dislocation
of segments
of
lhe earth's crust.
OrigiR
ofE~es
According to the latest geological the·
ory,
tbe
earth's crust - a
"!hin
slleet of
rock about two 10 tltree miles t!Uck un–
der the ocean and up
to
25 miles ' tbick
beneath the contioents - is made up of
several separate "plates•• lying on a rocl.:
mantle wbicb descends to a depth of
about 1,800 miles. The heavier mande
rock seems · to act like a very sluggish
ftuid, on which the crus1al plates ftoat.
Whe rever crustal plates interface w.ith
eacb
~r,
.scismologicaUy a«&iYe =nes
are created.
So
me of the strain generated in these
zones is released in the slow movemenl
of the ground along fault Jines. How–
ever} when stresses
accumulate
below
and when surface rocks are
~locked"
to–
gelher, the energy builds up to cata·
strophic levels. EventuaUy, the breaking
point ís reached. The fault can absorb
no more energy. Thc .retarding rocks
rupture, the sides of the fault slip rap–
ídly with respec1 to each other uotíl
equilibrium is restored, and a majar
earthquake results.
lf you live in an active eartbquake
zone, you can expect to experience sev–
era! earthquakes during your lifetime.
Whether or not you will experieoce a
major or catastrophíc quake, no one
knows.
For instance, Dr. Clarence Allen of
the Connelly Seismological Laboratory
of Caltech believes that the chances are
finy-finy that somewhere along tbe
southem portion of the San Andreas
fault a major earthqua.ke will occur dur–
ing the next 25 years.
Earthquakes in P rophecy
Scientists cannot yet accurately. pre·
dict earthquakes. Mystics and sooth·
sayers have been notoriously ineffective
in their dismal attempts to do so. How–
ever, the Bible - that ancient best seUer
- prophesies that tremendous quakes
will shake the earth in the years ahead.
Al one juncture in Jcsus' ministry, bis
disciples carne to him and inquired:
"What will be the signa! for your com–
ing and the end of the age?" (Manhew
24:3.)
(The New Engllsh Bible
is
quoted
above and lhroughout the article.)
Jesus then told them specif\c events
which would lead up to his secood com–
ing to the earth. He declared: "For na-
tion
wül
malr:e''"war .upon ·.natio.a ,
kíogdom
upon
oJcin&:lom;
there
w.ill
-be
fal!lin<;S: and
.earthquakes
in mal\)'
piaces.
·w;tb
all
.fhese
·tbings'
the
-biith–
__¡>allgs
ef'Íile
n.ew age -be_gin"
(vs.1,~)-
He
was
speiling
of
oou.ble
-eartl>–
-qoakcs
whicb. tbemselves
wi11
me.rely
·be
krerttnners
of
one
last
m~gluy
earth–
quálce, occurrütg waen Jesus -retums aod
setsfoot on !be Moum<:>fOiives.
The
propl!et
Zecbaciah records:
"On
that day
h.is
feet will Slalld:on tbe Mount
ofOlives,
wttich
is
opp<l6ite Jerusakm to
tbe
east. an<l lbe roountain
shaiJ
be cldl
in lwo by
an
ÍDJJDet>Se
valley
rwming
east aod wes1; half íhe moun1ain shan
mo~<e
no;tllwarás and
-half
soutbwards"
(Zecbariah
l4:4).
This same e,.rth<¡ualce is men1ioned in
the book of Revelaiion.
The
apostle
Jolui
record$ tbat when Jesus Ch.-ist re–
tums, seven angelíc plagues wiH
be
poured
0111
on rebellious mankind. Tbe
seventh
of
these devastaling plagues is
described this way:
·
"Then the -seven1h angel poured his
bowl on
1-he
air;
-and
oul, of the sanc–
tuary camea -Ioud voice from the· throne,
which said, 'JI
is
over!' And lbere
f-ol.
lowed ftashes of -ligbtning aod pe,.ls of
thunder, and a
vWienr ea/'thquake, ·fike
none before ir in human history,
so vio–
lent it was. The great city was split in
three; the cities of the world fell in ruin;
and God did not fQrget Babylon the
great, but made he.r.driak tbe cup which
was lll!ed with: tbe .fierce wine of h
is
vengeance."Every-1srand vanished; there
was not a m-ouotaln to be seen"
(Revela...
tion 16: 17-20).
The death loll from this biblically
pre–
dicted quake would very ükely soar
onto
lbe mil.lions w-orldwide. Such a quake
would alter entire continental bound·
aries, level mountain ranges, and re–
shapeseas.
That great eartbquake wiJI· surprise
the entire world. lts day and hour will
not be predictable, but its magnitude
wiU surpass any olher earthquake in
human history.
Nevertheless, there will be a way to
escape the devastating effect of 1his
earthquake.
Jesus Christ warned in advance over
1900 years ago: "Keep a watch on your·
selves; do not let your minds be duUed
by dissipation aod drunkenness and
wordly cares so that 1he great Day closes
upon you suddenly like a trap: for that
da
y
will come on all men, wherever they
are, the whole world over. Be on the
alert, praying al all times for strength to
pass safely througb all these imminent
troubles and to s¡and in the presence of
lhe Son ofMan" ( Luke 21 :36).
lf you wish
10
escape many of 1he
calamities which will one day unexpect–
edly Slrike the earth, you'd better be
seeking God's will and obeying him. Al
that time God
will
be a persoo's only
real hope. A psalmist beautifully aod
poetically described what can bappen
for those who trusl in God and his
migbt: "A thousand may fall al your
side. ten thousand cl<>l!e at hand, bul you
' ' shall nol touch ... Wilh your own eyes
you shaU see all 1his: you shaU watch tbe
punishment of the wicked. For you, the
Lord is a safe retreat; you have made
lhe Most High your re fuge. No disaster
shall befall you, no calamity shall come
upon your borne" (Psalm 91:7-10). O
WEEK ENDINO NOVEMBER
22, 1975
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