A campaign group which is seeking to preserve the definition of marriage for Scotland has been welcomed by the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. Archbishop Vincent Nichols said the group’s name, ‘Scotland for Marriage’, gave a ‘very positive message’. The group’s launch comes as the consultation on redefining marriage in Scotland draws to a close – the final date for submissions is 9 December. He commented that a similar message was needed for England – a public consultation on how to change the law in England and Wales will begin next year with the Westminster Government wanting to redefine marriage by 2015. The Church said it was concerned by the speed at which the Scottish Government is proceeding with the issue, saying that the debate had so far been ‘patchy’. The Church went on to reject the Government's proposal to legalise the registration of civil partnerships on religious premises. (See also Prayer Alert 47-2011 & 45.2011)
Pray: for the Church and authorities in Scotland as they consider marriage. (Heb.13:4)
An English evangelical anglican Baroness told 825 Anglican and Episcopal missionaries including three archbishops, 20 bishops and numerous clergy and laity, that resurgent Islamic fundamentalism poses a threat to Western Civilization. Citing Bishop Michael Nazir Ali, Caroline Cox said the British nation has ‘lost its soul.’ England, she said, is in a perilous situation. ‘Where there is a vacuum, it is liable to be filled with alternative ideologies and belief systems. Without a vision the people perish,’ she said to a New Wineskins for Global Mission participants coming from 28 countries of the world. ‘A resurgent
Islam requires gospel bridges. We do not need walls, but reconciliation can only be achieved through realism,’ she said. Baroness Cox is a voice for the persecuted and marginalized of the world, especially in the war torn country of Sudan that she has visited numerous times.
Pray: for interfaith dialogue that will help diffuse all forms of extremism. (Jas.1:19-20)
People using public services should not have to answer ‘intrusive’ equality questionnaires on subjects like sexual orientation, a government minister has said. Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, has issued statutory guidance to councils which clarifies that there is no requirement for them to carry out ‘lifestyle or diversity questionnaires’. The move follows revelations that Islington Council asks people wanting to a join a library if they are transgender. (See last week’s Prayer Alert). And it comes after a grandmother was asked about her sexual orientation after she complained about her council’s bin collection service. Mr Pickles continued: ‘Local residents shouldn’t be asked to reveal detailed personal information just because they’ve enquired about getting their bins emptied or how to join their local library. Clamping down on such town hall activity will save taxpayers’ money and protect the privacy of residents of all backgrounds.’
Pray: for the new guidance to be fully adopted by all councils and departments. (Pr.13:10)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/end-intrusive-equality-surveys-says-govt-minster/
End of the road for pathway of death
19 Jul 2013The Liverpool Care Pathway is to be abolished following a Government-commissioned review which heard that hospital staff wrongly interpreted its guidance for care of the dying, leading to stories of patients who were drugged and deprived of fluids in their last weeks of life. An independent committee has recommended its closure. The Government has ordered hospitals to carry out immediate reviews of their practices and announced that the Liverpool Care Pathway will be phased out. Its defenders say the LCP offers people a peaceful, pain-free death. But it is only pain-free because of the sedation. Dehydration and starvation are normally painful. The critics accuse doctors of using the LCP to hasten death and free up beds. Although the Pathway was supposed to be used only in cases where recovery was not possible, elderly patients suffering from non-terminal illnesses have found themselves at risk from doctors illegally practising euthanasia.
Pray: that this answer to our prayers will lead to a transformation in health recovery for those in need. (Ph.3:21)
More: http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/index.php/2013jul15lcp/
Emergency budget
28 Jun 2010
The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s emergency budget has met a lukewarm response from some Christians fearful that its impact will be felt by those least able to afford it. The Chancellor presented the severest budget for nearly 30 years outlining tax hikes and painful cuts to public spending. Paul Morrison, a member of the Methodist Church’s Joint Public Issues Team, said the taxation burden should be put on the people who could afford it rather than those least able. Chris Sheldon, Deputy Chief Executive of Kingdom Bank, welcomed the efforts to reduce the nation’s massive deficit. ‘I am pleased to see that the government is taking the issue of balancing the country’s income and expenditure so seriously,’ he said. ‘It is a strong biblical principle that we should not spend more than we can afford and that applies to the country in the same way that it applies to individuals’. Pray: for us to balance the collective responsibility we hold to address the national deficit whilst protecting the most vulnerable. (Pr.1:3) More:http://www.christiantoday.com/article/emergency.budget.draws.mixed.reaction.from.christians/26157-2.htm
An electrician faces the sack for displaying a palm cross in the window of his company van. Colin Atkinson, 64, from Wakefield, has been called to a disciplinary hearing at the housing association where he has worked for 15 years. His bosses at the publicly funded Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) have demanded he remove the eight inch long cross made from woven palm leaves that sits on his dashboard. The organisation claims the cross may cause offence but says it strongly promotes ‘inclusive’ policies and allows employees to wear religious symbols at work. It has provided stalls at gay pride events, held ‘diversity days’ for travellers, and has allowed other staff to display photographs of Che Guevara, the revolutionary leader, in their office. Mr Atkinson, who is a regular worshipper at church, said: ‘I have worked in the coal mines and served in the Army in Northern Ireland and I have never suffered such stress'. Pray: for Mr Atkinson and for WDH to withdraw their discriminatory action. (Ps.40:10)
Eire - Policies forcibly separate families
17 Jan 2011The Government’s immigration policies are forcibly separating families of Irish children, and allow no mechanism to appeal, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Raymond Field has said. ‘Not only are parents forced to live in different countries but they must choose where and with whom their child will live,’ he notes. Bishop Field, chairman of the Irish Bishops’ Council for Justice and Peace, says: ‘Ireland is the only EU member state without primary legislation on family reunification for immigrants. In Ireland, in accord with EU law, a child is entitled to Irish citizenship if one parent is an Irish citizen or a legally resident immigrant. The other parent may be someone whose visa is expiring or whose asylum application has failed. However, despite a child’s rights as an Irish citizen, we are now seeing the deportation of a parent whose immigration status is irregular.’
Pray: that Eire’s immigration process will take into account the human tragedy of split families. (Isa. 63:8)
More: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0104/1224286701369.html
Education report debunks secular neutrality myth
17 Jan 2011Secularism isn’t a neutral force in education and it attempts to exclude faith from the classroom risk of anti-religious indoctrination, according to a new report by a professor of education. Prof Trevor Cooling’s report, entitled Doing God in Education, also criticised opponents who claim that faith schools shouldn’t be able to consider religious criteria when selecting pupils. The report, published by the theology think-tank Theos, argues that all education is value driven and shaped by school leaders. It cautions: ‘The objection to so-called neutral approaches, then, is that they privilege secular worldviews and are in danger of implicit anti-religious indoctrination. ‘They are not, in other words, neutral.’ Commenting on the report Paul Woolley, the think-tank’s director, said: ‘The idea that education is religiously neutral or objective is indefensible. ‘Teaching is shaped by our understanding of which virtues we should practise, what qualities we should value, ultimately of what kind of people we should be.’
Pray: for the value of good religious education to be recognised and its place in the school curriculum to be ensured. (Ti.1:13)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/education-report-debunks-secular-neutrality-myth/