Cathedral to host ‘new age’ festival
11 Apr 2011
Manchester Cathedral is to host a controversial new age festival in May which is set to include card readings, mysticism, dream interpretations and a fire breathing vicar. The Christian Spirituality fair is also expected to include a workshop on ‘Meditating on icons as doors into the mystic realm’. Its location in the historic Church of England building is likely to alarm many Christians. ‘Explore’ The fair is set to include Jesus Deck readings, a type of Bible study based on a card drawn from a pack of cards. The ‘Christian symbolism of gem stones’ and an exploration of the ‘relationship between the Goddess and Christian tradition to uncover the divine feminine in Christianity’ are also expected to feature at the event. The Bishop of Manchester, Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch said: ‘The event is a chance to discover and explore old and new Christian spiritual traditions.’ Pray: for the Church authorities as they allow the exploration of alternative faiths and spirituality that God would intervene and bring His revelation and truth. (Gal.1:12) More: http://www.theway.co.uk/feature.php?id=8413&this=Church_of_England_cathedral_to_host_
Catastrophic failings in schizophrenia care
16 Nov 2012A Schizophrenia Commission report said care for people with schizophrenia requires a major overhaul. Patients spend too long in ‘demoralised and dysfunctional’ hospital wards costing £12bn a year. Schizophrenia affects thinking, feeling and behaviour. There is a need for more early intervention teams to help people before their hallucinations or delusions become severe. Teams are being cut or diluted at the moment and secure care took 19% of the 2011 mental health budget with many people staying too long in expensive units. In inner cities secure units were compared to mental institutions with nurses often overwhelmed. Better use of ‘recovery houses’ providing an alternative to hospital admission are needed. Schizophrenia affects 1 in every 100 people. Schizophrenia is believed to make people violent, but people with schizophrenia are more likely to be victims of violence by others. Pray for people with mental health problems to have the same dignified care as anyone else.
Pray: that the Government would consider mental health a priority and improve out-patient care and in-patient units. (Is.32:4, 17-18)
Health officials in the United Kingdom are warning of possible catastrophic consequences after the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. One of the reasons antibiotic resistance is on the increase is the fact that bacteria are adapting quicker than researchers can develop new drugs to fight them, according to England's chief medical officer. "Antimicrobial resistance poses a catastrophic threat. If we don't act now, any one of us could go into hospital in 20 years for minor surgery and die because of an ordinary infection that can't be treated by antibiotics," Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, told Reuters. She added that there have only been a few drugs successfully developed and made available on the market in the past few decades which led to the current situation. It also means that procedures that were once thought to be routine may pose a serious health risk to patients.
Pray: for the work of medical researchers as they seek to find new solutions to this problem. (Ac.10:38)
More: http://global.christianpost.com/news/catastrophic-antibiotic-threat-untreatable-infections-coming-uk-and-us-doctors-warn-91611/
The number of confirmed and suspected cases of legionnaires' disease in Edinburgh had risen to 80 by last Saturday withevery prospect of further cases being confirmed. Patients being treated in Scotland's biggest outbreak of the disease include 15 cases in intensive care. On Friday the North British Distillery in Edinburgh was served with an improvement notice by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, both the firm and health inspectors said the order did not mean that its three cooling towers were the definitive source of the outbreak. The Health and Safety Executive and Edinburgh City Council are continuing their investigations into the possible source of the outbreak. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's Health Minister said: ‘Although there has been a rise in the number of confirmed cases, it is reassuring to see that the number of suspected cases is decreasing and that 16 people have now been discharged from hospital.’
Pray: for all those affected by the disease and for the authorities to be able to resolve the problem at its source. (Ps.116:15)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9321587/Cases-of-legionnaires-in-Edinburgh-rise-to-80.html
Christian social policy charity CARE has welcomed the findings of a major review into the commercialisation and sexualisation of children. The review, headed up by Mothers’ Union chief Reg Bailey, makes a number of recommendations aimed at tightening up regulations on sexualised media, marketing and retail. They include putting age restrictions on raunchy music videos and banning sexy billboard ads near schools. The Bailey Report also recommends an end to the sale of inappropriate clothing for children such as padded bras or T-shirts emblazoned with provocative slogans such as ‘porn star’. Magazines and newspapers with sexualised images on the front page should be kept out of the sight of children and parents should be given the right to choose at the point of purchase whether they want adult content on their home internet, laptops or smart phones. Broadcasters will also be under pressure to pay greater attention to the concerns of parents.
Pray: for the authorities to increase the pressure on all those who seek to gain from sexualisation of children. (Mk.7:20-22)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/care.welcomes.review.on.sexualisation.of.childhood/28105.htm
Care Not Killing warns of 'copycat suicide'
16 Jun 2011
Care Not Killing, an alliance of over 40 organisations, has today called on the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, to carry out an urgent investigation into the way assisted suicide is covered by the BBC and its link to English suicide rates. CNK Campaign Director Dr Peter Saunders, said, 'A programme featuring celebrity author Terry Pratchett was shown on BBC2 on Monday night following a huge amount of advance media publicity. It breaches international guidelines on suicide portrayal and, as such, poses a significant risk to vulnerable people. There is a real risk that copycat suicides will follow the screening. The WHO international guidelines on suicide portrayal refer to over 50 published studies, systematic reviews of which have consistently drawn the same conclusion, that media reporting of suicide can lead to imitative suicidal behaviours’. Pray: that this programme will not lead to an increase in copycat suicides. (Dt.30:19)
Care crisis hindering disabled contribution
21 Jan 2013The social care system is failing to meet the needs of disabled people of working age, the Bishop of Carlisle has said. The Right Reverend James Newcome made the comments in support of the report, 'The Other Care Crisis', published this week by Scope, Mencap, The National Autistic Society, Sense and Leonard Cheshire Disability. The report warns that chronic underfunding of care services is being exacerbated by cuts to local services, depriving tens of thousands of disabled people without the support they need. Four in 10 disabled people are failing to have their basic needs met and the lack of funding is hindering their independence, with nearly half of disabled adults reporting that services are not supporting them in getting out into the community. 'Without support, disabled people find themselves unable to wash, dress, leave their house or communicate with others. This can leave them unable to work, study and contribute to society.'
Pray: that at a time of economic restraint no group is abandoned and appropriate support is maintained. (Matt.22:39)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/disabled.contribution.hindered.by.care.crisis.bishop/31484.htm
CARE campaign to protect families online
10 Feb 2011
The campaign coincides with the EU-wide Safer Internet Day and seeks to help families protect themselves from inappropriate content, including pornography, violence in video games, films, the promotion of alcohol or tobacco, and other age sensitive content. The campaign highlights the changing nature of technology from passive radio and TV to handheld mobile phones and the challenge of a new and largely unregulated environment in which content is increasingly consumed by users online. The Protecting Families Online campaign is calling for the introduction of measures to give parents greater parental control, including robust age verification to access age sensitive content and opt-in/opt-out filters that can stop certain content coming into the home via the internet. It is encouraging parents to make use of family protection resources and put into place the proper restrictions on computers, mobile phones, games consoles and other devices that have access to the internet. Pray: that this campaign will be effective in challenging parents to protect their children from inappropriate internet content. (Ps.5:11) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/new.campaign.to.protect.families.online/27489.htm