Religion News http://orange-order.co.uk Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:55:38 +0000 2000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35831-priest-abuse-verdict-jury-finds-archdiocese-negligent-and-reckless-1-million-for-victim/ Priest Abuse Verdict: Jury Finds Archdiocese Negligent And Reckless; $1 Million For Victim
Former Altar Boy Awarded $1 Million In Damages For Abuse By Priest Church Knew Was A Pedophile
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-priest-abuse-verdict-0211-20120210,0,1752074.story?page=2&utm_medium=feed&track=rss&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20Courant%2FConnecticutNews%20%28courant.com%20-%20CONNECTICUT%20NEWS%29&utm_source=feedburner
By EDMUND H. MAHONY, emahony@courant.com The Hartford Courant

1:36 p.m. EST, February 10, 2012
WATERBURY —

A Superior Court jury decided Friday morning that the Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford had been reckless and negligent in allowing a priest the church knew to be a pedophile to have access to children and that a former altar boy the priest sexually abused three decades ago should receive $1 million in damages.

The now-adult victim, identified in his suit as Jacob Doe, said the verdict validates "that things that occurred in the past were not my fault or the fault of any of the victims. …This is the most important part of my healing process."

Doe added: "This predator was placed in a position where he could harm me and my friend. … I'm hoping that other victims can begin their healing process, and the church does the right thing going forward."
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Doe said the church viciously attacked him and, by extension, his family in defending against the lawsuit, and that the support of his family got him "through this."

"My family and my attorney — without them I would not be where I am in my healing process," Doe said.

He said he no longer goes to church but will explore whether that will change, in consultation with the woman he called his best friend. He said he has not lost his faith.

"I don't go to church," Doe said, "but if anything, my faith is stronger."

The victim's father, a former church deacon who testified during the trial, said the verdict was "like a new beginning.

"Accountability is where it should be," Doe's father said. "Now he can start to heal. It's off his shoulders."

The two men and four women on the civil jury deliberated for about two hours Thursday afternoon and an hour and a half Friday.

Jury foreman Mary Pat Noonan said she needed time to "decompress" before talking in detail about the verdict.

"We were trying so hard to do what was right by everybody, and I don't think I can talk right now," she said. "We were working very hard together to be fair … and we are very proud of the job we did."

Doe's lawyer, Thomas McNamara of New Haven, said: "It's a great day for my client and for all victims of childhood sexual abuse. I'd like to thank the jury for their careful consideration of the upsetting facts of this case. The verdict sends one more message that victims no longer have to live in the darkness of the damage that childhood sexual abuse has caused them."

John Sitarz, the lawyer who represented the archdiocese, had no comment.

'Amputation Of His Spirit'

In his closing argument Thursday, McNamara told jurors that Doe — who was abused by Father Ivan Ferguson in the early 1980s when Doe was 13 to 15 — probably can never be compensated for the "amputation of his spirit."

"You can't put a price on that," attorney McNamara said. "It's worth more than $1 million. It's worth more than $2 million. Not even $3 million will compensate him."

Doe presented evidence during a week-long trial that senior church officials put Ferguson in a position where he could abuse Doe despite Ferguson having admitted to church officials two years earlier that he had sexually abused other boys.

Sitarz conceded in his closing argument Thursday that the abuse by Ferguson occurred, and he characterized it as despicable. But Sitarz argued to the jury that former Archbishop John F. Whealon allowed Ferguson to resume contact with children only after experts at a church clinic concluded that Ferguson could control his sexual attraction to boys.

Sitarz also rejected the victim's claims that he will likely suffer for life from depression and traumatic stress associated with the abuse, and he asked the jury to reject the victim's claim that he is due millions in compensation "His proposal can easily be seen by all of you as excessive," Sitarz said. "You all know the value of a dollar."

Over two hours of closing arguments, the lawyers agreed, as they had during the trial, on the nature of Ferguson's abuse. And, just as they had during the trial, they disagreed on the central issue before the jury — whether the church acted reasonably and carefully after learning for the first time in 1979 that Ferguson was probably a pedophile.

Evidence produced during the trial, mostly memorandums and letters from archdiocese files, showed that Whealon learned from a mother's complaint in March 1979 that Ferguson had abused two young brothers in Simsbury. The records show that Whealon confronted Ferguson, who admitted the abuse but blamed his behavior on alcohol abuse.

Whealon then wrote in a memo to church files that Ferguson, about 44 at the time, admitted that he had failed repeatedly since age 10 to control "homosexual" urges. Whealon forced Ferguson, who died in 2002, to submit to four months of treatment at the St. Luke Institute, a church clinic then located in Massachusetts and known for treating alcoholic clergy.
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At the conclusion of Ferguson's in-patient treatment, the clinic director cleared Ferguson to return to the ministry and said that Ferguson's sexual attraction to boys could be controlled as long as his drinking was controlled.

In the summer of 1979, Whealon assigned Ferguson to a parochial high school for girls in Milford. In 1981, Ferguson was again reassigned, that time as principal of St. Mary's grammar school in Derby, were he befriended and abused Doe and Doe's best friend, another altar boy. The director of the St. Luke Institute approved both assignments.

McNamara argued that the so-called treatment of pedophila at the St. Luke Institute was a sham. He said the records and other evidence show that St. Luke Institute was capable of treating only alcohol and drug abuse, not psychosexual disorders such as pedophilia.

The church, McNamara argued, was more concerned with keeping Ferguson's behavior a secret than it was in treating it.

In addition, McNamara said there is evidence that Ferguson's superiors in the church failed to act on signs that he was behaving inappropriately toward children after he had been assigned to St. Mary's.

Among other things, there was testimony at the trial that, after his release from the St. Luke Institute, Ferguson often invited boys to sleepover parties in his rectory rooms. Doe testified that Ferguson partially undressed so he could shower with and soap the backs of grammar school boys following gym class.

McNamara scoffed at an argument by Sitarz that little was known three decades ago about the nature of pedophilia and whether it could be treated.

"Thirty years ago, murder was murder, children were children, and rape was rape," McNamara said. "It wasn't that long ago."

During the trial, Doe's parents —a former church deacon and a former parish nurse — both testified about their shock when their son disclosed to them three years ago that Ferguson, whom the family had known for years, had abused him and his best friend.

"We all started to cry," Doe's father testified. "It was shocking. It was painful, because I could feel his pain. Anger. Anger at the hierarchy of the church to allow this to happen. And guilty. I felt guilty that I had allowed this to happen."

He also testified that he "remained an active, practicing Catholic" in spite of what he learned from his son.]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:55:38 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35831-priest-abuse-verdict-jury-finds-archdiocese-negligent-and-reckless-1-million-for-victim/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35708-racial-abuse-against-archbishop-of-york-condemned/ http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16255
By staff writers
9 Feb 2012


Following news reports that the Archbishop of York has received racist emails after his recent interview about same-sex marriage, the LGB&T Anglican Coalition has expressed concern and solidarity - in spite of disagreeing with his opposition to marriage equality.

"The LGB&T Anglican Coalition stands against all forms of prejudice including racism. We totally condemn all such acts," a spokesperson said, commenting on the racial abuse allegations.

Dr John Sentamu, who is tipped for the post of Archbishop of Canterbury if, as strong hints indicate, Dr Rowan Williams stands down in the near future, launched what critics described as a prejudiced attack on the government's consultation about same-sex marriage.

Advocates of change say that those who wish to go ahead with same-sex ceremonies and commitments should be allowed to do so, without forcing those like Dr Sentamu, who does not. He wishes to prohibit others by law and compel them to follow his path on the issue.

But LGBT campaigners are also deeply distressed at the racial nature of some of the remarks directed at the Archbishop, who is originally from Uganda and stood up against the Idi Amin dictatorship.

"We believe that prejudice in any form can only be opposed by creating an environment of openness, listening and mutual respect, and it is in this spirit that we approach all of our discussions in the ongoing debate," says the LGB&T Anglican Coalition.

[Ekk/3]]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:52:34 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35708-racial-abuse-against-archbishop-of-york-condemned/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35704-baroness-warsi-to-lead-large-british-delegation-to-meet-the-pope/ telegraph.co.ukFebruary 6th, 2012view original
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9064786/Baroness-Warsi-to-lead-large-British-delegation-to-meet-the-Pope.html


Baroness Warsi will deliver an address to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, a Vatican institution, on the subject of the place of religion in modern political discourse Photo: PA
The visit, which will be led by Baroness Warsi, Cabinet Minister without Portfolio, follows the success of Benedict XVI's visit to the UK in Sept 2010.

The British delegation will discuss climate change, arms proliferation, religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue and the crisis in Somalia and the Horn of Africa with the Pope and Vatican officials.

"It's a very strong delegation and it's a way of showing that the relationship with the Holy See didn't end in a blaze of fireworks when the Pope's visit finished," said a Vatican observer.

"It's one of the most comprehensive British visits ever in terms of the range of interests represented.

"When the Pope gave his annual speech to the diplomatic corps in Rome last month the one country he mentioned by name was Somalia, expressing hope that the international community can tackle the problems in the Horn of Africa."

The discussions on Somalia will come ahead of the British government hosting an international conference on the lawless country in London later this month.

The Vatican visit will also mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See.

After the schism with Rome under Henry VIII in the early 16th century, Britain re-established limited diplomatic relations in 1914 but they were not fully upgraded to ambassador level until 1982.

Baroness Warsi will be accompanied by six ministers for the Feb 14-15 visit, including Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport; Alan Duncan, the Minister for International Development; and Greg Barker, the Energy and Climate Change Minister.

They will be accompanied by The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster.

Baroness Warsi will deliver an address to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, a Vatican institution, on the subject of the place of religion in modern political discourse.]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:14:53 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35704-baroness-warsi-to-lead-large-british-delegation-to-meet-the-pope/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35703-wycliffe-bible-translators-accused-of-downgrading-jesus-%e2%80%98for-muslim-sensitivities%e2%80%99/ Wycliffe Bible Translators accused of downgrading Jesus ‘for Muslim sensitivities’
http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2012/02/wycliffe-bible-translators-accused-of.html


And not merely of ‘downgrading’, but actually ousting Him altogether from the Trinity: He is no longer the Son of the Father, because such terms are apparently offensive to Muslims, for whom Allah has no son and Mohammed is his messenger. Period. So, it appears that Wycliffe’s new Bibles are to be purged of all that which might cause offence to the heathen. God knows what John Wycliffe himself might have had to say about this: when words of truth become a stumbling block to mission, it must surely time to reassess one’s missiology, not adapt the truth.

Mission is a complex and multi-faceted pursuit, with a plethora of models of praxis. The work of Bible translation is intrinsic to and inseparable from the work, for one must be constantly sensitive to cultural shifts and developments in language, for neither is as conveniently fixed as the unchanging Logos. Some Christians view culture as antagonistic to the gospel, and so adopt a confrontational approach. Others see culture as being essentially ‘on our side’, adopting the anthropological model of contextualisation, looking for ways in which God has revealed himself in culture and building on those. Those who adopt the ‘Christ above culture’ model have a synthetic approach and adopt a mediating third way, keeping culture and faith in creative tension. And those who see Christ as the transformer of culture adopt a critical contextualisation which by no means rejects culture, but is prepared to be critical both of the context and of the way we ourselves perceive the gospel and its meaning. Thus culture itself needs to be addressed by the gospel, not simply the individuals within it, and truth is mediated through cultural spectacles.

Mission relates to every aspect of a culture in its religious, political, economic and social dimensions, and is necessarily mediated through language. From the moment God ‘translated’ himself at the Incarnation, the task of communicating a Hebrew gospel to a Greek audience became a missiological imperative. But what does ben mean in the culture of the huios? How much of an âb is a patêr?

From the moment the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, it became clear that the Word was to be shared in a myriad of diverse words in disparate cultures. There was some regress, of course, when Latin became the lingua franca and the élite asserted an inviolable uniformity of linguistic expression to expound their soteriological certainties. It took the Protestant Reformation to reawaken the need for the ploughboy to be able to read the scriptures once again in his own tongue, since which time the task of Bible translation has been the foundation of Christian mission, and linguistic science has become its most crucial tool.

Wycliffe Bible Translators must surely understand the imperative of witnessing to the truth in a postmodern age of aggressive secularism and relativism. Yet they stand accused of producing an Arabic Bible that uses ‘Lord’ instead of ‘Father’ and ‘Messiah’ instead of ‘Son’. They produced a Turkish translation that uses ‘guardian’ for ‘Father’ and ‘representative’ or ‘proxy’ for ‘Son’. There is also concern that God is rendered ‘Allah’. And in the Bengali Injil Sharif, references to ‘Son’ were rendered ‘Messiah’, and the succinct ‘Son of God’ becomes ‘God’s Uniquely Intimate Beloved Chosen One’. The allegation is that by excising these terms from Scripture, they fail to portray God as who He is: the familial, eternal, loving God the Father, Son and Spirit: ‘The deity of Jesus is obscured, and thus the self-sacrifice of God on our behalf.’

This has led a US group called Biblical Missiology to sponsor a petition for the retention of the terms ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ in the text of all translations. His Grace has some sympathy with the observation of John Harrower, Bishop of Tasmania, who said:
This is an impoverished and incorrect attempt at contextualisation which results in syncretism: the mixing of belief systems/religions that produces a new belief system/religion that is not true to any of the original belief systems/religions. Changing fundamental words of Scripture such as "Father" and "Son" will also fuel the Muslim claim that the Bible is corrupted, full of errors and has been abrogated by the Qur'an and example of Muhammad. For the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, please stop this malpractice.
The observation that ‘tampering’ with Scripture merely reinforces the chronic Islamic assertion and belief that the Bible is corrupted is moot. But it must be observed that it is also a strength of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, which has ever been syncretic. Christians do not believe (or most of them, at any rate) that God miraculously imparted an immutable book in an eternal language with universal meaning through an infallible agent at a single point in history: the Bible is God’s revealed truth mediated throughout millennia of history by men and women of faith, who were manifestly flawed, confined by culture and bound in time. We may disagree with each other as we struggle to distinguish which are God’s words to all peoples for all time from those which are aimed at a specific people in a particular time. But we can only engage in the process as we open our eyes to higher criticism and historical scholarship; as we examine a particular political and societal context and discern the Sitz im Leben of Scripture.

His Grace is (though he says it himself) really quite knowledgeable on such matters, and learned in Hebrew and Greek. He is also acutely aware that many Wycliffe workers operate in missiologically 'challenging' parts of the world. It is very easy for us to engage in lively academic armchair debate on contentious matters of translation while, for Wycliffe missionaries, the task is not only a matter of the eternal lives of those who are being saved, but also the reality of torture and death should their work be revealed and their confession made public. There is a long-standing convention in the missionary world that organisations do not give out the names or locations of those working in sensitive areas. All missionary organisations have agreed to this and it has been respected, until now. Some websites critical of Wycliffe and some of the emails in circulation make it possible to identify some of the people, missionaries and local believers who are in very sensitive situations. This is utterly irresponsible: indeed, it is an assault upon the work of God.

There is absolutely no question of Wycliffe Bible Translators being engaged in some subversive activity to undermine the Christian faith in order to make Scripture somehow more palatable to Muslims. All Wycliffe workers are required to sign an orthodox confession of faith; they believe unequivocally that the Son is begotten of the Father and conceived by the Spirit. One of the problems (if not the principal one) is that the sound-bite ‘Wycliffe have removed the Son of God from the Bible’ is a much easier message to impart than a nuanced discussion about the nature of the Trinity, the vagaries of language and the imprecision of meaning. There are complex and legitimate questions to be asked about the way in which terms such as the ‘Son of God’ are translated in some contexts. These cannot easily be discussed on febrile blogs or in 140-character tweets. And those who have pledged to withhold their tithes as a result are acting like children.

Wycliffe have given a public assurance that they would ever be involved in a translation which does not translate the terms ‘Son’ or ‘Father’ or ‘Son of God’. To say that they are removing them from the Bible is, they say, simply not true. However, translating the original Greek into some languages can devalue the Trinitarian relationship by reducing it to purely physical conception. This limitation is a linguistic reality (not dissimilar from the poverty of the English language when we translate ‘love’, for which the Greeks had four distinctly different words). Because of this, in some cases, translators seek to spell out the meaning of the term, rather than render it word-for-word, in order to convey the biblical concept more clearly. In cases where this is done, it is invariably with input from both local Christians and inculturated translation consultants and only after a rigorous process of checking has made sure that the translation carries the full force of the biblical message. It is also normal practice that direct translations of (say) ‘Son of God’ are included as footnotes for clarity.

Consider, for example, a culture in which to be a father involved the routine rape (by Western definition) of one’s young daughters; one in which to be a 12-year-old son involved being pimped out (by Western definition) to older men for ‘mentoring’. These ‘coming of age’ rites of passage are traumatising for children (by Western definition), though by no means aberrational: they are culturally normative, socially engrained, and inseparable from that culture’s understanding of hierarchy, patriarchy, order and justice. The Christian missionary is presented with a choice: either to devote decades if not centuries attempting to transform the culture in order that it might be receptive to what the Bible says about fatherhood and sonship, by diligently and patiently labouring incarnationally in the process of re-education while souls are being lost. Or he/she can find ways of communicating the essence of God the Father which does not present the stumbling block of the Father being an oppressive rapist; and ways of talking about God the Son which detaches the Son from the normative submissive penetrative sexual act. This might mean that ‘Father’, for that culture, is translated (say) ‘Parent of Nurture’, and ‘Son’ is rendered (say) ‘Child of Purity’, where ‘purity’ is culturally understood as being physically inviolate. These are not perfect: they are not remote equivalences: they are the initial thoughts and crude drafts of possible terms by which ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ in the biblical doctrine of the Trinity might be detached from the physical act of sex in and for this culture.

Translation is an art, not a science. There are those, of course, who will demand that we stick with the terms ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ in all languages, and insist on translating the Bible ‘as it is’, and work out our doctrine afterwards, rather than imposing translations that suit our doctrines. There are others who favour a more ‘artistic’ dynamic equivalence. There is an ongoing debate about this question and there are legitimate arguments on both sides. Inevitably, some people will be unhappy with the approach taken in and with some languages, but this should not be used to undermine one of the world’s greatest works of mission – to translate the Bible for every tribe and tongue on the planet, and they are on target to achieve this part of the Great Commission by 2025. All of Wycliffe’s translations are checked according to a set of standards agreed internationally by all Bible agencies. They would never publish a translation which systematically removed Jesus’ relationship to the Father and they certainly would not make translation choices in order to mitigate the offence of the Gospel of Christ. When many risk their lives in some hostile societies, the allegation of diluting or dumbing down Scripture is absurd.

The notion that translation can be effected by internet petition (by people many of whom will have very little understanding of the host culture situation) seems like the very worst kind of Western Christian arrogance. We may know what ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ mean in English, but it does not follow that they must have the same semantic range in another language. Who but the Greek and the scholar of Greek can know what is meant by huios? Who but the indigenous and the participant observer can begin to grapple with the difference and distinction between biological and social familial terms?

To be a father in English may be understood both biologically (imparting DNA) and socially (in nurture). In some cultures, it may refer only to the biological. We may use the term ‘step father’ to denote a non-biological father, but as our own society has developed, the ‘step’ is increasingly discarded. We may similarly observe two categories of son. When it comes to New Testament Greek, huios is translated ‘son’ in English; the Old Testament ben is similarly rendered. Neither term carries an automatic assumption of biological procreation: indeed, they are frequently used of sonship in the social sense, as is the English ‘son’. But what of languages which cannot distinguish the DNA-begat son from the adoptive-social son? This is not as straightforward as ‘dynamic’ versus ‘literal’: the important thing to grasp is that the scriptures in their original languages do not contain the words 'Father' and 'Son': they have huios and , and patêr and âb. Words which have the same semantic range as these words in English simply may not exist in other host languages which is why translation is fraught with difficulties.

And so exegesis is necessary to determine meaning: exegetes generally work from the Hebrew and Greek, and are likely to be a speaker of the language into which the Bible is being translated. There is drafting and wide consultation with members of the local community to discover if phrases or expressions capture the sense of Scripture. This is rigorous and painstaking, and is followed by revision and further revision. Translators have to learn humility as their scholarship and professionalism are constantly criticised and not infrequently amended or even completely discarded. There is then a process of testing: the translators may believe they have done a fine job, but only by testing in the receptor community can this be established. When the translation has been tested it is checked and re-checked by scholars and consultants. These obviously have a deep knowledge of the biblical texts and the local cultural context. Every verse is examined to ensure that it is an accurate reflection of the original text for the receptor culture.

While debate and discussion on such a process are to be welcome, it is only fruitful when all parties are listening, learning and interacting. When it comes to the demands of expressing the mysteries of inter-Trinitarian relationships in a host culture, honest debate and questioning are both inevitable and (hopefully) helpful. However, the idea that a few thousand signatures on a petition should short-circuit the whole process of cultural engagement and careful reflection by people who are giving their lives to reach a given community with the gospel seems extraordinary. This is the X-Factorisation of Bible translation; argumentum ad populum.

We may be justifiably concerned that the Son in one translation is apparently not ‘begotten’. We may be even more concerned that this is the approach taken with every reference to the Son, apparently ignoring a spectrum of nuanced terms. Perhaps Muslim and Jewish converts in particular might be acutely sensitive to this, since the simultaneous Fatherhood and Sonship of God must represent one of their most significant revelations. Certainly, most Muslims balk at the Bible's familial language, because the Qur'an teaches that God could not have a son. And so they are likely to be as sincerely fervent and absolute in their Sonship doctrine as ex-smokers tend to be in the purity of their lungs. But if the term ‘Son of God’ causes instant repudiation and proves an insurmountable hurdle to dialogue and relationship, why not start with ‘Messiah’ or ‘Christ’ in order to enlighten incrementally? Really, a work of mission which begins by telling the Muslim that Mohammed was a paedophile (by Western definition) isn’t going to get very far.

Which may lead some (if not a very great many) missionaries to the conclusion that a work of love which begins with those scriptures which give the impression of Jesus having been God’s procreated Son is unhelpful, and indeed likely to prove unfruitful if the inference in the receptor culture is of a blasphemous assertion that God impregnated Mary. And yet this Son, according to the Apostles’ Creed, was ‘conceived of the Holy Spirit’. But in Scripture this ‘conceived’ is not gennaō but sullambanō, and there are very subtle but important differences: while the former is the more usual term for biological begetting, the latter, while it may certainly admit that interpretation, also extends to embracing the possibility of the metaphorical. Suddenly, the ontology of conception, creation, procreation and begetting become neo-platonic theo-philosophical complexities, all bound up in the fourth-century religio-political difficulties caused by an irritant by the name of Arius, while the missionary in the field has to be concerned with communicating a gospel which may be received with the mind of a child. It is a tortuous dichotomy: mission is a work of profound depths with some joyous ecstasies. But let no-one dogmatically assert that communicating the Word is as simple as propagating and imposing the meaning of words.]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:13:33 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35703-wycliffe-bible-translators-accused-of-downgrading-jesus-%e2%80%98for-muslim-sensitivities%e2%80%99/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35628-former-dutch-mp-warns-of-hatred-for-christians/ rnw.nlJannie SchipperFebruary 7th, 2012view original
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/former-dutch-mp-warns-hatred-christians

A genocide against Christians is going on in the Muslim world. That's according to the Somali-born former Dutch MP and writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali in Newsweek.

According to Ms Hirsi Ali, since the Arab spring, Western governments and media have too often portrayed Muslims as heroes or victims, and they forget that thousands of Christians in Muslim countries are oppressed or murdered because of their faith.

According to the former politician, who now lives in the United States, so-called Islamophobia isn't the same thing as what she calls 'Christophobia': the oppression of Christian minorities in the Islamic world. The fate of Christians and other religious minorities in the Islamic world is at stake, she says.

"The conspiracy of silence about the violent expression of religious intolerance must stop."

Nigeria to Pakistan
The intolerance takes different forms in different places, says Ms Hirsi Ali.

"In some countries it is the government itself, in others rebel groups and militias have displaced Christians from areas where their roots have lain for centuries."

Christians are living in fear in Nigeria, where the Islamist Boko Haram sect killed 54 people in January 2012. In Egypt, at least 30 people died in demonstrations in Cairo in October 2011, when Coptic Christians gathered to protest the burning of a Christian centre that was due to be converted into a church. In Pakistan, a Christian woman was sentenced to death and a deadly attack took place on a group of Christian social workers. In Sudan, 'Christophobia' has claimed victims for years. Ayaan Hirsi Ali cites these, as well as more examples, to show that Christians are increasingly at risk in the Islamic world.

Not alone
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not the first to warn of the increasing persecution of Christians. Last year, conservative politician Frits Bolkestein and political scientist Hala Naoum Nehme made the same point in Dutch media. On a list of countries where Christians are persecuted, half of them have a Muslim majority.

These examples need to be put into their proper context, however. "Many examples are from countries where social and political problems affect the entire population," said Taoufik Benyahia of the Amsterdam youth organization Argan. "When there are difficulties, there are always vulnerable minorities."

According to former diplomat and Arabist Petra Stienen, it's "demonstrably untrue" that there's too little attention to the position of Christians. "In the Lower House [of the Dutch parliament] there are actually many more questions about Christian minorities than about other oppressed groups in the Islamic world."

Human Rights Ambassador
The Dutch Foreign Ministry's human rights policy already devotes special attention to religious minorities. A policy paper from 2011 states:

"It is primarily the freedom of religion and belief: the Netherlands continues to actively fight for the protection of religious minorities, including in response to the disturbing increase in violence against Christians in several countries."

After the reports of violence in Nigeria in January, Minister Uri Rosenthal said immediately that Nigeria would be the next destination for the Dutch special ambassador for human rights.

Ms Hirsi Ali would like to see Western countries focus on the rights of religious minorities as a condition for aid and trade agreements. But Mr Benyahia calls this "an error signal".

"It's just as much nonsense as imagining that a Muslim leader would seek relations only with countries that respect the rights of Muslims. It should involve respect for the rights of all inhabitants of a country, not of one specific group."

Priorities
Petra Stienen adds: "We must avoid looking explicitly at a single group. The big question for Arab countries like Egypt is: how do they deal with pluralism. A secular state should have room for ethnic, religious and other differences."

Ms Hirsi Ali says in Newsweek: "Let's get our priorities right." She doesn't deny that Muslim minorities in Western countries must be protected, while noting that "cartoons, movies and articles are something other than knives, guns and grenades."]]> Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:02:54 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35628-former-dutch-mp-warns-of-hatred-for-christians/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35623-patton-is-elected-as-presbyterian-moderator/ http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/patton_is_elected_as_presbyterian_moderator_1_3497154


Published on Wednesday 8 February 2012 08:32

CO Down minister the Rev Roy Patton has been elected as the next Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

The 58-year-old Co Monaghan-born cleric was nominated by eight out of the 19 presbyteries which met last night.

He will take up office on Monday, May 28, succeeding the present moderator, the Rev Dr Ivan Patterson.

Mr Patton, minister of Ballygilbert church on the Belfast-Bangor Road for the past 17 years, said he was humbled by his election.

“I am very aware of my own shortcomings and the responsibility of the office. However, I know God will give me the strength to fulfil the task to which he has called me and I have the confidence of the support of my wife and the prayers of my congregation and wider church family and friends.”

The new moderator was backed by Ards, Armagh, Dromore, Iveagh, Monaghan, Newry, Route and Templepatrick presbyteries.

Mr Patton describes his ministry as one of encouraging congregational life and reaching out into the community believing that a church should be “a living, caring community of Christ’s people reaching out to others”.

To emphasis this his 400-family Ballygilbert congregation has recently completed an extension and renovations to their buildings alongside the main Belfast to Bangor road.

“These are much more inviting and welcoming and have allowed us to be more engaged with the community we seek to serve,” said Mr Patton, who grew up on a farm outside Ballybay in Co Monaghan He attended First Ballybay Presbyterian Church and was educated at Derryvalley National School, Ballybay Vocational School and Monaghan Collegiate.

In 1977 he graduated with a BA in history, philosophy and New Testament studies from Trinity College, Dublin and followed this up with a BD from New College in Edinburgh. He completed his training for the Presbyterian ministry at Union Theological College in Belfast in 1980.

Mr Patton was ordained in 1981 as assistant minister in St Enoch’s Church in north Belfast before being called to Newry’s Downshire Road congregation in 1983. Eleven years later in 1994 he became minister of Ballygilbert.

Mr Patton has also had the opportunity to travel overseas with both church wide and congregational teams to Malawi, Kenya and Romania.He describes himself as an armchair sports fan of rugby and football.]]> Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:20:23 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35623-patton-is-elected-as-presbyterian-moderator/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35552-depression-me-and-you-by-ruby/ http://www.newsletter.co.uk/lifestyle/features/depression_me_and_you_by_ruby_1_3491925
Ruby Wax

Published on Monday 6 February 2012 08:48

Comedian Ruby Wax reveals to NL WOMAN what keeps her happy as she launches a new website to aid depression sufferers

RUBY Wax recently launched a new social networking site for adults with mental illnesses, Black Dog Tribe.

The actress and comedienne, probably best known for her 1996 BBC series Ruby Wax Meets..., where she interviewed celebrities including Imelda Marcos, the Duchess of York and Madonna, has suffered from bouts of depression throughout her life.

“When you have it, it’s like being encased in concrete,” she explains.

“I’ve had it since I was a child and the bouts happen about once every five years. Depression doesn’t care if you’re well known or live in a mud hut, it just loves everyone.

“During those periods, it’s as though your personality has vacated the premises. It’s completely different from being sad, it’s very frightening.”

Four-and-a-half years ago she received in-patient treatment after what she describes: “The worst period of my life when I had the tsunami of all depressions - even moving from a chair was too terrifying to imagine.”

But during her recovery, she and singer-songwriter Judith Owen wrote a show called Live From The Priory, which they performed only in private and NHS institutions.

Two years ago, however, Wax agreed, as part of Comic Relief, to be photographed with a caption stating that she suffered from depression.

“That was fine but I didn’t expect it to turn out to be a huge poster campaign in Tube stations! I kept running round trying to throw myself on them to cover them up,” she half-jokes.

“I worried initially that it might affect my being able to work, there’s such a stigma attached to mental illness. And it was a strange way to be ‘outed’ as a depressive but, in a way, it was the making of me.”

Wax, the script editor on Absolutely Fabulous, rose to the challenge of public exposure and she and friend Owen streamlined their witty, informative exploration of depression in Ruby Wax: Losing It, and a successful tour culminated in a West End run.

She acknowledges that she’s used humour throughout her life and often as a defence.

“I’m very lucky to have the ability to be funny. When I was young I was dyslexic and incredibly under-confident and making people laugh was my way of trying to fit in,” she says.

“Nowadays, humour allows me to get across serious points without being accused of whining.

“In the show, sometimes we had people crying as well as laughing, which is a pretty good reaction.”

But it was the audience participation which surprised Wax.

“At the end, we gave people a chance to share their experiences, although I never thought the British, with their characteristic reserve, would be up for that,” she says.

“In fact, the opposite happened, and people came out with extraordinarily intimate details about their lives.

“It was life enhancing because there were so many moving moments. One man from Newcastle said he’d been on anti-depressants for 10 years and didn’t know how to tell his wife, who was sitting right next to him, while a mother spoke of her agony at believing she’d passed on the illness to her child.”

Wax, who grew up in Chicago and came to Britain to pursue an acting career, believes a sense of isolation adds to the suffering of those with mental illness.

“Having other sufferers to confide in would have cut 30 years of suffering out of my life, instead of going from doctor to doctor struggling to find out what was wrong with me,” she says.

“When I got treatment, what was really most healing, for me, besides the drugs, was meeting my own people, my tribe.

“When you meet each other there’s the relief of knowing you’re not alone and that you both feel like the walking dead. It’s such a relief to be with someone who will never say, ‘Perk up’.”

So when she met internet entrepreneur Nina Storm, the idea of the Black Dog Tribe site, getting its name from Winston Churchill’s nickname for his depression, was born.

It’s aimed at those suffering from conditions including depression, panic attacks, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-natal depression and attention deficit disorder.

“The aim is for people to be able to find a like-minded sufferer so they can swap experiences, chat, get information and generally feel connected,” she explains.

“Eventually, I’d like people, if they wish, to be able to meet up in person rather than just online and have meetings and a network rather like Alcoholics Anonymous.

“Hopefully then we’ll get a political voice because people with mental illness are discriminated against.

“There are still many industries where if they find out you’ve got depression, your career is effectively over. That’s so wrong.”

Wax, 57, who says she will be on medication for life to combat her illness, lives in London with her husband, TV producer Ed Bye, and their three children, Max, 22, Maddie, 20, and Marina, 17.

“My kids are really proud of what I do. They didn’t really realise until they were much older that I had any problem because my husband would step in when I got one of my bouts. What is a wonderful relief is that none of them have this problem,” she says.

Five years ago she gained a postgraduate diploma in psychotherapy and counselling and is now halfway through a master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy at Oxford University.

“Yes, it’s a long way from those days of interviewing celebrities but I think it’s age appropriate. I had around 20 years in TV which was good going.

“Anyway, you can’t carry on doing that sort of thing forever, because it’s only interesting for a while and then they’re looking for the next new face to do it,” she says.

“I love studying. All my classmates are intellectuals and doctors - and then there’s me. But I was so thrilled recently when I got a letter from a neuroscientist who was impressed and mystified that I could make science funny.

“Of course, I can’t understand all the details because I’m not that kind of smart, but I can kind of translate into ordinary speech what they’re getting at. That’s my skill, taking inaccessible information and make it clear.”

She may use her dissertation for the master’s as the basis for a new show, and is also busy writing a book.

“I just keep plugging away, studying, performing, and engaging in things I’m interested in, which keeps my whole brain exercised. Because I’m studying mindfulness, I also have to practise it.

“I do meditate in a kind of a way, but not to a higher presence. I just sit there following my breathing, which helps to get my heart beat and cortisol levels down and is calming and peaceful, which is good for me.

“We all think everybody else has their life right, and we’re the only ones without the instruction manual. But secretly most of us are all trying to work it out and some of us just need a little more help than others at certain times.”

:: INFORMATION: Visit www.blackdogtribebeta.com, the social networking website for adults with mental illnesses]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:52:45 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35552-depression-me-and-you-by-ruby/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35545-david-quinn-this-intolerant-secularism-is-a-threat-to-liberty/ independent.ieFebruary 3rd, 2012view original
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/this-intolerant-secularism-is-a-threat-to-liberty-3009124.html

AT its annual conference in April, Labour will debate probably the most obnoxious proposal to come before any party in a long time. It is contained in a document that is a swingeing attack on denominational schools. Senator Joe McCarthy of anti-communism fame would be proud of the recommendation. It says that senior civil servants in the Department of Education should be screened to ensure they are not "Catholics first and Irish second".

If Fianna Fail was to debate a similar motion at its ard fheis, calling for the screening of civil servants who might be "Protestants first and Irish second", there would rightly be uproar at the suggestion that to be Protestant is somehow to be less Irish. That is how we used to think. Has that suspicion now transferred to Catholics?

Aside from a report in this newspaper, there has been almost no reaction in the national media to the proposal before the Labour Party. This is very curious. At least three BBC programmes in Northern Ireland have run items on it. I was interviewed for one of them myself. But to the best of my knowledge, RTE hasn't bothered with the story at all.

The document from which this recommendation springs has been adopted by the Dublin North Central council of the Labour Party and is known as 'the Clontarf Report'. Labour's TD for the area, Aodhan O Riordain, confirmed to 'The Irish Catholic' that he supports the document.

Mr O Riordain is a sort of Ivana Bacik mark two. He also told 'The Irish Catholic' that he believes: "Religious ethos has no place in the education sector of a modern republic."

The document erroneously claims denominational schools are breaking the law when they admit children of their own faith ahead of other children. In fact, this is expressly permitted in law.

It's worth quoting recommendation 15, the document's particularly offensive proposal, in full: "All senior officials in state bodies which are likely to have to deal with the Catholic Church should be screened to ensure that they will not show inappropriate deference to the Catholic Church. Those who feel that they are 'Catholic first and Irish second' should have no influence on the control of education."

So, a report concerned to stop what it believes is illegal discrimination by denominational schools against children not of their own religion wants Catholic civil servants to be singled.

Nice.

When he wrote this, perhaps the report's author was thinking of Ruairi Quinn's 2009 suggestion that some officials in the Department of Education might be members of what he absurdly called "secret societies, such as the Knights of St Columbanus and Opus Dei". More shades of McCarthyism right there.

This motion will almost certainly be defeated, but it should never have been tabled. It is a sign of the aggressive secularism which has gripped many people in this country.

Another indication of this mentality emerged a few days ago when the 'Sunday Independent' reported a ridiculous charge that Bishop Philip Boyce of Raphoe had breached the Incitement to Hatred Act. A file has been sent to the DPP.

THE bishop's offence? He said in a homily last August that he believed the Catholic Church was being 'attacked from outside by the arrows of a godless culture'. If that is incitement to hatred, then probably every commentator in Ireland is guilty of it 10 times over. Just think of what journalists say about property developers, bankers, politicians or indeed about the bishops themselves.

The DPP will almost certainly dismiss the complaint, but Bishop Boyce's name is now in the papers in connection with an incitement-to-hatred accusation. This will have a chilling effect on anyone else who might want to criticise secular critics of the church.

In fact, Bishop Boyce should make his own complaint to the Garda Ombudsman against the officer who saw fit to send a file to the DPP based on such a frivolous charge. Why didn't the garda throw it in the bin?

Either that or incitement to hatred legislation will have to be drastically amended so that gardai in the future are in no doubt as to its very limited scope. This was always the danger in passing such legislation -- that it would become a weapon used by cranks against anyone with whom they disagree.

Ireland used to be full of one-eyed nationalists. Today, it is full of one-eyed secularists who can think of nothing better to do with their time than put down obnoxious motions for debate at party conferences or walk into garda stations and accuse bishops of inciting hatred when all they have done is mildly express their opinion.

The bottom line is that secular intolerance is in full cry.

Irish Independent]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:27:31 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35545-david-quinn-this-intolerant-secularism-is-a-threat-to-liberty/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35502-church-of-england-failing-gay-christian-couples-says-bishop/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/05/church-of-england-gay-christian-couples

guardian.co.ukFebruary 5th, 2012view original

The divisive issue of same sex relationships is likely to be eclipsed at the General Synod, where legislation on women bishops is due to be finalised. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian
The Church of England is failing gay Christian couples and must rethink the traditional, biblical portrayal of homosexuality as "idolatrous, promiscuous and exploitative", according to one bishop.

In remarks that reveal deep divisions in the church hierarchy, the Right Rev Nicholas Holtam said there were gay couples who were living faithfully and lovingly for life and that the quality and nature of their relationships meant it was appropriate to use the language of marriage.

Holtam, who as bishop of Salisbury is the most senior cleric to have spoken favourably about gay relationships, told the BBC: "Marriage is between a man and a woman. What has happened now is that we have begun to see in a way, which is not there in the Bible, that there are people in same sex relationships who are living faithfully and lovingly for life."

He added: "I don't think there is much there [in the Bible] which addresses the issue of faithful, same sex relationships. We have had the experience of civil partnerships for six years now and we need to review where we are."

The Church of England has blocked the registration of civil partnerships in its buildings unless its parliament, the General Synod, agrees to it. It tolerates clergy who are in civil relationships, but expects them to be celibate.

The archbishop of York last month criticised the government for opening a consultation on the legalisation of gay marriage, saying David Cameron would be acting "like a dictator" if he allowed the change to happen.

His remarks, in addition to angering equality campaigners, also spurred on more than 120 London-based clergy to say they wanted civil partnerships to be registered in their buildings, a call swiftly rebuffed by the bishop of London, Richard Chartres.

But dominant and emotive the issue of homosexuality has been in recent weeks, it is unlikely to feature heavily at the synod, which starts on Monday, where hundreds of Church of England members will thrash out the small print on the legislation permitting women to be ordained as bishops.

The four-day meeting could defy the image of the Church of England as the "Tory party at prayer" as traditionalists and liberals square up to each other once more over the historic development.

Anglo-Catholics and conservative evangelicals seek an amendment that will give them the legal right to ignore the authority of a female bishop and choose to be led by a male one instead.

It could be their last chance to introduce such a change, with the final version of the legislation presented to the synod at its July summit in York.

They face formidable resistance from supporters of women clergy who have successfully voted down similar proposals on several occasions, embarrassing and frustrating the archbishops of Canterbury and York, who want concessions for those opposed to female leadership to avoid a split or further defections to Catholicism by disaffected Anglican clergy and parishioners.]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:01:39 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35502-church-of-england-failing-gay-christian-couples-says-bishop/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35497-catholic-church-fury-as-charity-boss-blames-faith-schools-for-sectarianism/ http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/political-news/catholic-church-fury-as-charity-boss-blames-faith-schools-for-sectarianism.1328411182
Paul Hutcheon
Investigations Editor
THE public face of the country's top lobbying group for charities has been criticised for launching an outspoken attack against faith schools.

John Downie, a director of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), said one of the "key causes" of sectarianism was the existence of denominational education.

He added that "getting rid of faith schools" would help eradicate the blight of religious hatred north of the border.

Bishop Joseph Devine, the President of the Scottish Catholic Education Commission, last night told the Sunday Herald the opinions were "reckless" and "offensive".

The SNP Government has made tackling sectarianism a top priority in its second term.

Legislation passed last year created new offences relating to singing at football matches and internet behaviour.

However, the bill became law in spite of cross-party criticisms that the plans were poorly conceived and vague.

In a blog on the SCVO's website last year, Downie picked up on this theme, arguing that "the Government have the right intention but are taking the wrong action".

He said "the solution" was to focus on the real cause of sectarianism, namely the school system.

Downie said: "In my opinion one key causes [sic] of sectarianism is Scotland continuing to have separate denominational and non-denominational schools...the reality is that separate schools foster estrangement between Catholic and Protestant communities and influence the behaviour of children."

He added: "Yes, the attitudes of parents and grandparents don't help and need to change but, like it or not, separate schools are a huge factor.

"The reality is, it doesn't matter if a school is Catholic, Muslim or non-denominational, it is the attitudes of difference that separate schools perpetuate."

Downie, who said in the piece that he was a Rangers season ticket holder, concluded: "The SNP landslide victory in the election broke Labour's traditional stranglehold in the West of Scotland – if they really want to get rid of sectarianism then getting rid of faith schools would be the bold and right action to take."

All SCVO blogs contain the caveat that "opinions expressed by the bloggers are their own".

Downie was appointed as SCVO head of public affairs in 2009, leading a department that includes the body's policy, research, communications and campaigns staff.

He also has responsibility for the SCVO's "internal and external" engagement with politicians.

His appearances on television effectively make him the body's public face.

Around 1300 charities and voluntary groups are members of the SCVO, which acts as the sector's national voice.

Its members, one of which is the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, employ more than 50,000 people.

Devine said: "Mr Downie has mis-used the SCVO website to make offensive and untenable claims that Catholic Schools are a cause of sectarianism in Scotland.

"Such an intervention is not what one would expect to read on the official website of a respected social agency that is expected to champion co-operation, harmony and tolerance.

"If he has no evidence to support his reckless claims perhaps he would have the good grace to withdraw them and better spend his time and energy promoting the interests of his members instead."

Labour MSP Michael McMahon said: "There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that separate schools creates sectarianism – in fact, the opposite is true.

"If John Downie expressed these views on his own website, then fine, but using the SCVO website is for me stepping over the line. He should apologise."

Neither Downie nor SCVO responded to requests for comment.]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:13:28 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35497-catholic-church-fury-as-charity-boss-blames-faith-schools-for-sectarianism/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35495-black-santa-proceeds-distributed-at-st-annes-cathedral/ Black Santa proceeds distributed at St Anne's Cathedral
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16899248

The Dean of Belfast, Rev John Mann, said he was pleased with the amount of money raised
The proceeds of last year's Black Santa sit out were distributed to charity at a special service at St Anne's Cathedral on Sunday.

More than £185,000 was raised during the week long campaign by the Dean of Belfast, Rev John Mann.

Most of the money donated will stay in Northern Ireland, and a proportion goes overseas.

More charities than ever before applied for funding this year, a sign, the Dean believes of hard economic times.

"There are many money charities now applying for funding," he said.

"The emphasis at the services turns to the 200 charities receiving the money and it goes to a variety of places.

"We didn't quite get the amount of money we had hoped to raise, but its a very large sum of money."]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:10:21 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35495-black-santa-proceeds-distributed-at-st-annes-cathedral/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35492-bath-christian-groups-god-can-heal-adverts-banned/ Bath Christian group's 'God can heal' adverts banned
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-16871116

Church drops 'God heals' advert
A Christian group has been banned from claiming that God can heal illnesses on its website and in leaflets.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had concluded that the adverts by Healing on the Streets (HOTS) - Bath, were misleading.

It said a leaflet available to download from the group's website said: "Need Healing? God can heal today!"

The group, based in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, said it was disappointed with the decision and would appeal.

HOTS Bath said its vision was to promote Christian healing "as a daily lifestyle for every believer".

'False hope'
The ASA said the leaflet read: "Need Healing? God can heal today! Do you suffer from Back Pain, Arthritis, MS, Addiction ... Ulcers, Depression, Allergies, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, Paralysis, Crippling Disease, Phobias, Sleeping disorders or any other sickness?

"We'd love to pray for your healing right now!

"We're Christian from churches in Bath and we pray in the name of Jesus. We believe that God loves you and can heal you from any sickness."

The ASA said it had been alerted to the adverts by a complainant, and concluded that they could encourage false hope and were irresponsible.

HOTS Bath said: "It seems very odd to us that the ASA wants to prevent us from stating on our website the basic Christian belief that God can heal illness.

"All over the world as part of their normal Christian life, Christians believe in, pray for and experience God's healing; our ministry, in common with many churches, has been active in praying for God's healing (of Christians and non Christians) for many years."

The group said it had tried to reach a compromise, "but there are certain things that we cannot agree to - including a ban on expressing our beliefs".

The Healing On The Streets ministry was started by Causeway Coast Vineyard church in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, in 2005 and has been taken up by dozens of churches across the UK.]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:06:40 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35492-bath-christian-groups-god-can-heal-adverts-banned/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35210-uk-teen-abortions-are-nearly-double-eu-average/ christian.org.ukJanuary 6th, 2012view original
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/uk-teen-abortions-are-nearly-double-eu-average/

Teenage abortions in the UK stand at nearly twice the EU average, according to a sobering newly released report.

Figures in the report show 22.1 per cent of all abortions in the UK in 2008 were carried out on under 20-year-olds – nearly twice the EU average of 12.0 per cent.

While a co-auther of the report called for more sex education to combat the problem, a reproductive ethics group said it was clear that sex education is not working.

Teenage

The report was published in a journal of obstetrics and gynaecology and considered abortion numbers across Europe.

In the list of European countries considered, Belgium came top with 25.2 per cent of all abortions being for teenagers. The UK was second while Greece was at the bottom with 4.1 per cent.

Mika Gissler, a co-author of the study said teenage abortion rates “can be reduced by improved access to youth-friendly reproductive and sexual health services, better sexual education in schools, and free or heavily subsidised contraceptives”.

But Josephine Quintavalle, from campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: “There is no shortage of sex education or availability of contraceptives. It is pretty obvious it isn’t working.”

Cost

Last year it was revealed that abortions in England cost the NHS £118 million in 2010, according to Government estimates.

The figure was much higher than the previously calculated figure of £90m.

Health Secretary Anne Milton revealed the figures following concern in the House of Lords about the true financial cost to the NHS of abortion.

She outlined a new method which the Department will now use for calculating abortion spending. One minister had admitted the previous method was “less reliable”.]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:48:23 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35210-uk-teen-abortions-are-nearly-double-eu-average/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35207-church-educationalists-in-national-talks-on-education-policy-in-uk/ anglicancommunion.orgJanuary 25th, 2012view original
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2012/1/25/ACNS5020

Four Anglican Education administrators from across the Communion started a high-level fellowship study programme with a round of national education policy meetings in London this week.

The four are Jacqueline Glasgow-Browne, Senior Education Officer of St.Vincent and the Grenadines ; Dauda Seidu, Regional Manager of Anglican Education Unit, in Tamale, Ghana; Ven David Emenike Agbo, Education Secretary, Anglican diocese of Enugu, Nigeria, and Joe Calvin Takeli, Education Secretary, of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, based in Solomon Islands.

They commenced the professional educational training programme as the first fellows in the fellowship scheme set up by the Anglican Alliance and funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. They arrived in the UK on the 15TH of January 2012.

Their first week activities have taken them to briefings with senior civil servants in the UK’s Department for Education, Church House, meetings with Members of Parliament, and visits to Westminster Abbey and Lambeth Palace.

When the fellows visited the Department for Education and the Houses of Parliament, discussions centered around the state policies for education, including the origin, process, implementation and evaluation.

Simon Smith, of the International Education division spoke about policy priorities in England. Issues relating to “Schools with a religious character,” were highlighted by Jackey Byrnes, while Angela Overington talked about “narrowing the attainment gap” between children experiencing disadvantage due to income, gender or ethnicity.

The fellows were also briefed by Fiona Boardman of the local area policy and performance division on “relations between central government and local authority.”

At the Houses of Parliament fellows held discussion with two MPs;

Barry Sheerman MP, an expert in general education policy and former chair of the Education Select Committee, and Karen Buck MP, an expert in childhood early years policy.


Visits were also made to the Church House at Westminster and to Lambeth Palace where discussions were held with Dr. Rob Gwynne, education under-secretary for the Church of England. The Revd Rachel Carnegie, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary for International Development, warmly welcomed the fellows and shared with them the Church’s mission for development throughout the Anglican Communion.

The fellows were also taken on a tour of Westminster Abbey.

According to Dauda Seidu, a fellow from Ghana, “the programme is not only exciting but is providing first hand experience to be gathered for use back home.”

The programme is schedule to last for nine weeks and will include visits to local education authorities, diocesan education departments, primary and secondary schools, specialist education programmes and a week in the education leadership academy in Nottingham.

If you want to contact the fellows about their course you can email them at anglicanalliance@aco.org.]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:46:04 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35207-church-educationalists-in-national-talks-on-education-policy-in-uk/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35204-rc-archbishop-takes-govt-to-task-over-gay-marriage/ christian.org.ukJanuary 26th, 2012view original
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/rc-archbishop-takes-govt-to-task-over-gay-marriage/

A senior Roman Catholic has challenged the Home Secretary about the Government’s plans to redefine marriage.

Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark noted that civil partnerships already offer same-sex couples virtually all the rights of marriage.

He pointed out that when he met with Home Secretary Theresa May earlier this week she seemed unable to say why marriage should be redefined in light of that.

Marriage

He said: “I suspect the Government hasn’t really thought out why the definition of marriage should be changed.”

The Government will launch a consultation about redefining marriage in the spring.

Archbishop Smith met Mrs May alongside William Fittal, secretary general of the Church of England.

Committed

A spokesperson for the Church of England said: “The Church of England is committed to marriage as being between a man and a woman and will respond in full to the consultation when it is launched.”

The spokesperson added: “Opening marriage to same-sex couples would add nothing to the rights and responsibilities that already arise with a civil partnership but would require multiple changes to law, with the definition of marriage having to change for everyone.”

Redefine

In October a prominent commentator warned that David Cameron should “tread more carefully” in considering whether to redefine marriage.

Charles Moore, former editor of The Daily Telegraph, said that it is “very big and bold” to argue that marriage should be differently defined.

Mr Cameron caused controversy when he spoke out in favour of changing the definition of marriage at the Conservative conference in Manchester last year.

Survival

Responding to Mr Cameron’s words, Mr Moore said: “For the entire history of civilisation, marriage has been defined as being between a man and a woman.

“Throughout that history, almost all civilisations have regarded marriage as central to their survival.”]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:29:11 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35204-rc-archbishop-takes-govt-to-task-over-gay-marriage/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35203-religion-isn%e2%80%99t-necessary-for-morals-%e2%80%93-dawkins/
Religion isn’t necessary for morals – Dawkins
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/3/religion.isnt.necessary.for.morals.dawkins/29217.htm
christiantoday.comJanuary 26th, 2012view original

Christians and other religious people often point to their holy books as a source of moral guidance for the world, but to Richard Dawkins they are not necessary.

Speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India, the God Delusion author argued that moral values can be found in secular places.

“We are the 21st century moralists and atheists,” he said, according to Indo-Asian News Service.

“We don’t need to get morals from our religions … We don’t want to find morals from the holy books. We can have our own enlightened secular values.”

Dawkins has been consistent and outspoken in his criticisms of religion and belief in God, deeming both to be the source of many of the world’s problems.

He was at the literary festival to talk about his 1976 classic, The Selfish Gene, in which he develops Darwin’s theory of evolution and argues that altruism is naturally occurring.

During his session, he suggested that belief in science and the creator God were incompatible.

"We still don't know what exactly happened at the time of the Big Bang, 13.72 billion years ago. Cosmologists and physicists now have good ideas which are yet to be proved definitely, that the whole universe came into being as a quantum event out of literally nothing," he said, according to the Times of India.

"This leaves religion with nowhere to go. Because however difficult it may be to explain the origin of the cosmos, it would be even more difficult to explain the origin of a designer who made the cosmos.

“So you have absolutely nothing to gain by postulating any kind of intelligent designer, because that simply evades the question we're trying to solve. If you want to believe in some kind of god, don't look to science."]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:28:23 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35203-religion-isn%e2%80%99t-necessary-for-morals-%e2%80%93-dawkins/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35201-churches-unable-to-define-a-christian/ m.newsletter.co.ukJanuary 27th, 2012view original
http://m.newsletter.co.uk/community/letters/churches_unable_to_define_a_christian_1_3460716

YOUR article on the conference on homosexuality held recently at Orangefield Presbyterian Church, Belfast, raises a few critically important but apparently forgotten issues.

First, homosexuality is a sin like any other sin, and must be properly named as such.

It is a perversion of God’s plan for marriage and the relationship between a man and a woman for life.

Second, homosexuality, when properly named as a sin, can be forgiven by our most gracious God.

Third, divine forgiveness must be offered to those involved in this sin with the promise that everyone who repents of his/her sin and trusts Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation, will be pardoned. Does the church today believe in forgiveness for sin, this sin? Or is this a ‘preference’ that needs no repentance and therefore no forgiveness?

The church of Jesus Christ must exhibit simultaneously God’s holiness and God’s love.

She must maintain His standards and display His compassion. But the church has no right whatever to even suggest that homosexuality is but another acceptable sexual orientation that is on a par with a proper relationship between a man and a woman for life.

If the Church believes that Paul got it all wrong in Rom. 1, then let her come out and say so. But if she believes he got it right on this issue, then she is duty bound and honour bound to uphold the biblical standards despite all opposition.

I think the real problem is that the churches no longer know what a Christian is, how a sinner becomes a Christian, or how a Christian is to be defined.

The only thing they seem to be interested in are ‘professions of faith’. They do not see that entry into the Christian life is via a ‘narrow gate’, according to Jesus Christ, and continues until death along this ‘narrow road’. It starts ‘narrow’ and it stays ‘narrow’. That ‘narrow gate’ is repentance toward God for sin, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the church ought to be evangelising all those who got themselves caught up in the sin of homosexuality, and seeking to win them for Christ.

But she cannot water down our faith by saying that the ‘profession of faith’ of those who hold on tenaciously to what the Scriptures describe as an abomination, is acceptable for church membership.

That would be like saying that a man can use the foulest of language, including blaspheming the precious and holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and still be regarded as a Christian and church member.

There is forgiveness for that man if he repents of his sin and turns in faith to Christ, but not otherwise.

Sadly, the church has been fatally infiltrated and negatively affected by ‘the world’, to such an extent that she no longer knows what she believes.

J E Hazlett Lynch (Dr)]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:24:26 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35201-churches-unable-to-define-a-christian/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35200-abortion-helps-daughters-%e2%80%9cfulfil-their-dreams%e2%80%9d-the-us-president-has-declared/ christian.org.ukJanuary 27th, 2012view original
Abortion helps daughters “fulfil their dreams”, the US President has declared
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/obama-abortion-can-help-daughters-fulfil-their-dreams/
Abortion helps daughters “fulfil their dreams”, the US President has declared in a statement to mark 39 years since the legalisation of abortions in America.

President Barack Obama asserted he was “committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose” an abortion and said the government “should not intrude on private family matters”.

The remarks came in a White House press release on 22 January 2012, marking the 39th anniversary of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, which affirmed that abortion is a right under the United States Constitution.

Historic

Describing it as a “historic anniversary”, Mr Obama said, “we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters”.

Adding, “we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfil their dreams”.

The following day, tens of thousands of pro-life campaigners marched in Washington at the annual March for Life.

Conformity

Speaking at the rally, Chris Smith, one of Congress’ leading pro-life advocates, said: “Unhindered and unfettered by any concern over a future election, Mr Obama will aggressively use the coercive power of the state to compel abortion conformity and complicity”.

Mr Smith continued: “The predictable consequence: more dead babies, more wounded moms.”

In 2010 a campaign group in America attempted to force medical professionals to go against their consciences and perform abortions.

Consciences

The American Civil Liberties Union called on the US Department of Health and Human Services to force religiously affiliated hospitals to carry out abortions against the conscientious objections of their doctors and nurses.]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:22:57 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35200-abortion-helps-daughters-%e2%80%9cfulfil-their-dreams%e2%80%9d-the-us-president-has-declared/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35198-school-provision-a-catholic-right-says-cardinal/ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0127/1224310809343.html
irishtimes.comJanuary 27th, 2012view original
PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent

CATHOLIC PRIMATE Cardinal Seán Brady has reiterated the church’s commitment to the provision of schools.

He also defended the policy that Catholic parents have first claim on places in such schools.

“The Catholic Church is committed to providing Catholic schools to cater for the needs of parents who wish to exercise their constitutional right to the provision of faith education,” he added.

He was speaking at an event to publicise Catholic Schools Week 2012 in St Mary’s College, Dundalk, Co Louth.

The event continues until February 4th.

He said that, “not unreasonably, I believe, the church holds the view that the children of Catholic parents have first claim on admission to Catholic schools, just as Protestant children have first claim to admission to Protestant schools, and Muslim children have first claim to admission to Islamic schools and so on.

“Of course wherever possible – provided they have places and resources – Catholic schools welcome children of all faiths and none.”

At the same event, Sr Marianne O’Connor, director general of Conference of Religious of Ireland, said she was “glad today to be able to reaffirm our commitment to supporting Catholic education into the future, notwithstanding the radically changed landscape in the Ireland of the 21st century”.

New forms of trusteeship for schools would “foster the Catholic education needs of children for generations to come”, Sr O’Connor said.

Last week Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordán, vice-chairman of the Oireachtas education committee, said that “religious ethos has no place in the educational system of a modern republic”.

Mr Ó Ríordán told the Irish Catholic newspaper that changes to the law were necessary.

The law should be amended so that “faith-based schools would be unable to reserve places for children of a particular denomination where a school is oversubscribed”, he said.]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:18:27 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35198-school-provision-a-catholic-right-says-cardinal/ http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35196-a-supreme-court-judge-explains-why-the-constitution-defends-marriage/ A Supreme Court judge explains why the Constitution defends marriage
ionainstitute.ieJanuary 27th, 2012view original
http://www.ionainstitute.ie/index.php?id=1917#.TyP8XEu5vJM.twitter

Last month saw a potentially very significant ruling by the Supreme Court on adoption, Nottinghamshire County

Council v B, but in the course of the ruling Justice Donal O’Donnell gave a justification for the Constitutional position on marriage which is well worth noting. Most importantly, his justification puts children at the centre of marriage, not adults.
In his judgement, Justice Donal O'Donnell had the following to say about the constitutional provisions that refer to marriage and the family:

“On the contrary, the Articles at least in general terms, state propositions that are by no means eccentric, uniquely Irish or necessarily outdated: there is a working assumption that a family with married parents is believed to have been shown by experience to be a desirable location for the upbringing of children; that as such the family created by marriage is an essential unit in society; that accordingly, marriage and family based upon it is to be supported by the State. Consequently the State’s position is one which does not seek to pre-empt the family but rather seeks to supplement its position so that the State will only interfere when a family is not functioning and providing the benefits to its members (and thus the benefits to society) which the Constitution contemplates. In that case, the State may be entitled to intervene in discharge of its own duty under the Constitution and to protect the rights of the individuals involved.”

Notably, Justice O'Donnell is pointing out that, contrary to the suggestions of many people that the Constitution's defence of the married family is somehow out of touch with modernity “there is nothing “eccentric, uniquely Irish or necessarily outdated” about its stance.

Instead, he notes that it is based on the evidence-based idea that marriage as a social institution benefits children, and that because of this, it deserves State protection. He doesn’t refer to adults at all in his discussion of marriage. Adults are not the reason why the State gives marriage special support which is what some people today seem to think. In fact, if marriage is redefined as a chiefly adult-centred institution rather than a chiefly child-centred one, then it’s hard to see why it should receive special support at all.

Crucially Justice O’Donnell also notes that the Constitution acknowledges the family as an institution which predates the State, and that as such it does not require the State to legitimate it. Instead, the Constitution mandates the State to “only interfere when a family is not functioning and providing the benefits to its members (and thus the benefits to society) which the Constitution contemplates.”

The “working assumption” that marriage is best for kids has been demonstrated repeatedly by social science data over the last four decades. Far from this stance being “outdated”, the Constitution has been shown, in this regard at least, to be very farsighted.

The ruling itself was concerned primarily with adoption and said, in essence, that the Constitution doesn't erect an insuperable barrier to the adoption of marital children as many people had previously thought.

This will have some implications for the Government's proposed children's rights referendum. One of the rationales advanced for that proposal is that Constitution makes it too difficult to adopt the children of married parents. This will have to be revisited.]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:45:25 +0000 http://orange-order.co.uk/topic/35196-a-supreme-court-judge-explains-why-the-constitution-defends-marriage/