Displaying items by tag: Religion

After 62-year-old Brian Walker’s membership of the Scout Association was cancelled, he is taking legal action, claiming he was discriminated against on account of his Christian faith. Brian fears that the association is increasingly promoting Islam and moving away from its Christian roots. He accuses it of ‘making a mockery of what was once a respectable organisation’ by its emphasis on Islam, as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex issues. Mr Walker argues that the movement has contravened its own Equal Opportunities policy. Scouting was founded in 1907 and based on Christian principles, while welcoming those of all faiths and none. Brian said that parents need to be aware of what is happening at the centre of Scouting; the organisation is increasingly promoting political correctness and interfaith issues above Christian values. See also the next article.

Pope Francis and the Church of England are encouraging us to give up plastic for Lent. 41 Conservative MPs have pledged to give up single-use plastics for Lent, and are urging others to do the same. Eight tonnes of plastic are dumped in the sea every minute, and plastics have reached every part of the world’s oceans. If we reduce our own use of plastic, we follow the fifth mark of mission, 'to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth'. The Church of England also quoted this fifth mark, saying that we can reflect on God’s purpose for our life and accept the challenge to give up single-use plastics, thus reducing the actions which damage God’s creation. Tory MPs signed up to the Lent challenge after watching Blue Planet II. Congregations are invited to share their Lent journey with others on

The Voice of the Martyrs movie ‘Tortured for Christ’ will show in nearly a hundred cinemas across the USA. Some of the screenings are already sold out! Voice of the Martyrs are thankful for all those who have pre-purchased tickets for this film highlighting the testimony of VOM’s founder. Another 500+ events are scheduled but haven’t yet reached the minimum ticket sales necessary to confirm the event. Pray for more people to hear about this film and ask cinema managers in their area to screen it.

‘They threatened to kill me.’ ‘They’ are not jihadist groups, they are A’s family. When A committed his life to Christ in 2000, his Muslim family from the ethnic Kotoko people acted as if he had pointed a challenging dagger at them. The Kotoko take pride in the fact that they are one of the few tribes in their region with no known Christians. A said, ‘When all their spells and curses with the help of the local medicine man failed, they tried to kill me themselves.’ More than once, his family tried to poison his food. One night, strangers kidnapped him and took him to an unknown destination. ‘On the way there, I prayed for God to confuse them so that they could release me. And He did! They just let me go without saying anything.’ A and others face constant insults, exclusion and danger from their families when they become Christians.

Every Tuesday lunchtime, a service in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in Westminster gives people an opportunity for reflection in the midst of a busy and demanding parliamentary life. On 6 March the theme will be ‘The God of incomparable power - Isaiah 40:12-26’. We can pray for the Lord Jesus to pour out a fresh move of his Spirit across Parliament at this time. Pray also for our leaders and all who work in Westminster to recognise how powerful our God is and the vastness of His ability to change situations, turn circumstances around and give those who know Him the ability to hear His voice of wisdom in all decision making. Pray for the power of God to rest on our appointed politicians and bring about His Kingdom purpose for our nation.

Far-right Polish groups are using links to religion to gain mainstream influence. A terrified onlooker saw hooligans chanting overtly racist and fascist slogans, calling for ‘White Poland’, and shouting ‘Beat the red scum’. He saw priests simply moving to the rhythm of these chants, doing nothing about them. Approaching two of them, he asked, ‘Is this what your Catholicism looks like?’ They lowered their heads, but said nothing. The church’s hard-line nationalist wing is out of control, and nobody is able or willing to stop it. Observers point to the close connections between the Catholic Church and two high-profile nationalist movements. The messages that Catholicism is the only true religion and that Poles are superior to other nations are thinly veiled by shallow humanitarian slogans.

Theresa May is currently on a three-day state visit to China, to discuss expanding trade between the two countries. CSW says that while such talks are important, they shouldn’t come at the expense of challenging President Xi on his treatment of Christians. Mrs May’s visit coincides with new restrictions on churches. The government wants all churches to be registered, and to control the appointment of pastors and what they teach. Some Christians simply cannot do that. Christians who are not part of the official, government-sanctioned, church are branded as evil cults. This month in Yunnan Province, six members of an unregistered church were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for ‘using an evil cult to organise and undermine law enforcement’, and a 500-member church in Shanxi Province was demolished with dynamite.

CofE leaders are concerned that a growing number of parents who discover their child will be born with Down’s Syndrome are choosing to terminate the pregnancy, a pattern which could see such children wiped out completely. The General Synod next week will debate a call to regulate providers of non-invasive prenatal testing, a relatively new test for the condition which carries no risk of miscarriage, unlike older procedures. The Church said that women should be provided with ‘comprehensive, unbiased information’ by doctors and test providers. In a document entitled Valuing People with Down’s Syndrome, the Church warned that the test might lead to major reductions of Down’s Syndrome live births. Iceland and Denmark have screening and almost 100% termination rates. Currently there are unregulated websites offering a blood test for a few hundred pounds, with no context or information about the prospects for someone with Down's Syndrome. See also

Anglo-Catholics warn that proposals to end the 200-year-old split with Methodism 'threaten the fundamentals' of the CofE. A motion will be debated at its General Synod to allow ministers from each church to practise in the other's. If passed, it would be ‘a profound sign of reconciliation, a healing of wounds that go back to the origins of Methodism in the 18th century,' says the Bishop of Coventry. However the catholic wing of the Church places great importance on churches being led by bishops who follow on from Jesus' apostles in ‘apostolic succession’. If the plans are passed by the synod next week and by the Methodist Church in the summer, the two churches will join forces and combine resources in areas where there are challenges in sustaining a Christian presence. It will also mean that for the first time ever, Methodists in the UK will have a bishop of their own.

Abortions are illegal in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. There is a new wave of youth-driven campaigning on both sides of the abortion argument, which will come to a head over the next few months now that the Irish government has confirmed it will hold a referendum on reform of the country’s strict anti-abortion laws by the end of May.