Pagan 'church' is recognised in Northern Ireland
30 Apr 2015
A Presbyterian church minister has issued a warning following the first legal recognition of a Pagan 'church' in Northern Ireland. Minister of Magheramason Presbyterian Church in Londonderry, Rev Graeme Orr, told the Irish News Letter: ‘There is a dark spiritual side involved with paganism that I would like people to be wary about. I would invite people to come and speak to me and find their answers through God.’ While most religions go back hundreds, even thousands of years, The Order of the Golden River – Northern Ireland's first official Pagan church – was established just six years ago, in 2009. Led by Patrick Cranberry, now legally recognised as a Pagan priest in the country, the group's members have remained anonymous since its founding. Though Cranberry says he has recieved a lot of support in the last few weeks, Orr says he is worried for the people of Londonderry, where The Order has been offered a building.
Children struggle to read emotions and are less empathetic than a generation ago because they spend too much time using tablets and smartphones, a leading psychiatrist has warned. Iain McGilchrist said children as young as five were less able to read facial expressions because of too much interaction with technology. He added that he had evidence that more pupils were displaying borderline ‘autistic’ behaviour. Dr McGilchrist, a former Oxford literary scholar who retrained in medicine, said he had heard of increasing numbers of teachers who had to explain to their pupils how to make sense of human faces. He said ‘plausible’ theories as to why children are less empathetic are to do with the disruptive effects of technology in the family unit. ‘Children spend more time engaging with machines and with virtual reality than they used to in the past,’
Christians across Britain are being invited to join an ‘election prayer surge’ on the eve of the general election in a bid to pray in ‘God's will’ for the nation. In a pastoral letter, Dr Jonathan Oloyede, convenor of the National Day of Prayer and Worship, has issued a prayer summons to evangelical, charismatic and any other committed Christians to gather outside Parliament on the evening of Wednesday 6 May between 7.14 and 8.14, or those who cannot travel down to London are encouraged to meet where they live in small and large groups. Thursday 7 May 2015 will be a significant day in the life of this nation as we head to the polling stations to vote for the next government, our local councillors and in some places for mayoral candidates,’ he writes. ‘I urge you to renew the call to prayer for the UK and the government. I know many of you are already praying, but I believe we need to raise the bar in praying for God's Kingdom to come and His will to be done.’ If you want to organise an event where you are, Jonathan invites you to email him directly at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
British forces update
02 Apr 2015
‘Britain remains at the forefront of coalition military efforts to support the Iraqi government in their fight against IS’ says Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. ‘This effective and closely coordinated activity in conjunction with Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces has largely stalled the terrorists’ advances. In Syria, coalition airstrikes have supported the liberation of Kobane and have disrupted IS’s logistics and supply lines. However, defeating IS ultimately lies with local forces and we are helping to create effective ground forces in Syria, as well as in Iraq, so they can take the fight to IS.’ RAF Tornadoes and Reapers have been involved in successful airstrikes throughout the month. Please pray for the discrepancies between what is being asked of our Armed Forces, and the cuts proposed by government. This adds stress and uncertainty affecting not only the individual and their expected work load, but the nation and its defence and security.
Church leaders in the UK have welcomed a call by MPs for an ‘urgent’ review of benefits sanctions. Their support for the Work and Pensions Select Committee proposal comes after a Church report found that nearly seven million weeks of sanctions were handed out to people in 2013/2014, with as many as 100,000 children affected. People on sickness benefit because of a long-term mental health problem were being sanctioned at a rate of more than 100 per day. ‘The Select Committee Report describes a system that is broken and needs urgent review,’ said Paul Morrison of the Methodist Church. ‘Churches are often at the forefront of helping people who have been sanctioned and who are in desperate need of food, support and advice. It is unacceptable that vulnerable people can be left with no means of support as punishment for often very minor mistakes.'
New teaching materials exploring issues around sexual consent to be introduced in schools next term. Children as young as 11 are to be given lessons about rape where they will be taught that dressing provocatively does not imply consent to sex, under new teaching plans to be introduced in schools within weeks. Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, has commissioned new guidance advising schools that they should teach pupils about ‘rape myths’ before they are sexually active, as otherwise it may be ‘too late’. Mrs Morgan, who was also Minister for Woman and Qqualities, said that girls today faced ‘unimaginable’ pressures. ‘Mothers at the school gates often tell me about their worries for their daughters. They tell me that on top of the usual stress of school life and teenage years, they want to know their girls are being taught what a healthy relationship looks like and how to say ‘no’,’ she wrote in the Sunday Times. ‘It's our duty to ensure that our daughters leave school able to navigate the challenges and choices they will face in adulthood.’
Christians are ‘openly derided’ and ‘coolly dismissed’, but their beliefs and work to help others are hugely valuable, Michael Gove has said. The former Education Secretary said that while British culture belittles Christianity on a daily basis, churchgoers’ demonstration of their love for Jesus through service to others is of incalculable importance. Last month an equality watchdog found evidence of widespread discrimination against Christians. Writing in the Spectator magazine, Gove said: ‘Relativism is the orthodoxy of our age so to call yourself a Christian in contemporary Britain is to invite pity, condescension or cool dismissal. But genuine Christian faith - far from making any individual more invincibly convinced of their own righteousness - makes us realise just how flawed and fallible we all are’, he wrote. As the Book of Common Prayer puts it', we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts and there is no health in us.’
One in five primary school girls 'on a diet'
02 Apr 2015
New figures from the Government Equalities Office show that one in five primary school age girls say they have been on a diet, while 87% of girls aged 11-21 think that women are judged more on their appearance than on their ability. Poor body image among girls has also been associated with low participation in sport. The research shows that 23% of girls aged 7-21 don't participate in exercise because they are unhappy with their body image, and 48% of girls think getting sweaty from taking part in sports is unfeminine. There is also new insight into the long-term consequences of poor body image among young girls, which is associated with lower confidence, lower aspirations and lower social participation. Equalities Minister Jo Swinson said: ‘We absolutely need to make sure that children have resilience to deal with the world around them.’