The Editor however felt that articles which presumed the existence of God or which directed human thought towards believing that God exists would perplex readers who are atheists. Rather than guide his readers towards the existence of God, he eyed his newspaper on purely commercial lines and unfortunately such is the situation with almost all of the press world-wide.

As journalists, Editors may have a great drive to uplift society but the irony is that very often they justify actions and blame reactions. For example on one hand they may report on the need to curb teenage pregnancies or to promote health but to please advertisers, they on the other hand carry adverts promoting cigarette brands or in the name of style, they carry pictures of scantily clad women thereby encouraging illicit thoughts. Because many Editors believe that sobriety is not marketable, many newspapers and magazines have become so brazen that they can no longer be read in front of children.

One of God’s most beautiful gifts is to give some individuals the ability and opportunity to provide deliverance and to expose the hypocrites at a time when society is tossed by turmoil. Yet people with the power to use the pen abuse their responsibility for money or fame by not considering what the effect, for good or ill, of their writings are on the people who read them.

The function of the world media is to inform, entertain and educate. Editors who write to unduly please readers make a mockery of the well know adage that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ and ultimately end up vacating their chairs having done little to guide the people towards religion. All they do during their tenure in office is to report the news and complain of the system, complain of corruption, complain of dishonesty and complain of falling standards of living. They offer many valid remedies and suggestions but what they fail to see is that without God no system can function because without God human beings fall prey to their own selfish desires and after all are not egos known to destroy many plans and intentions which appear noble at the outset?

Editors who are selfish to the spine to promote their newspapers forget the fact that they have the responsibility to cleanse society of sins. They should be perturbed about how many individuals have lost their way and should be restless in their efforts to bring about reforms in degenerating human behaviour which many accept as normal today.

Secular progress has been made in many fields but ironically moral values are going down-hill at an alarming rate. Citizens around the world have become lecherous, unpatriotic, irreligious, greedy, insensitive, hypocritical and power-hungry. Marriage is not treated as sacrosanct, casual relationships, extra-marital liaisons, incest and divorces have become common. Parents do not forgo worldly pleasures to provide the world to their children, aged parents are neglected, insulted and even abandoned. Similarly discotheques are in vogue, advertisements harp more on the body and less on products, pornography abounds, friends are not sincere and close relatives have no qualms in wresting the shares of those who have passed away.

In the past, the major influences on behaviour have been the family, the school and the place of worship. During recent decades these have been overshadowed by the influence of the media which however has been negative. With such an unhealthy atmosphere, the press needs to provide a ray of light to awaken readers. It needs to light the candle of awakening to enlighten and inspire society to follow the path of God to enable successful living in this world and the hereafter because no system can survive without His presence.

- Munir Daya