Tag Archives: Country: United Kingdom

Christian Institute: A couple who have two children with Down’s syndrome, including one they adopted, have spoken of the joys of bringing them up – but criticised the culture of aborting children with the condition.

LifeSiteNews: Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party mayor of London, is being sued by a Christian organization whose bus advertisements for overcoming same-sex attraction he ordered pulled.

Telegraph: We are not so much living in an age of crisis as facing a crisis of age. Its latest manifestation was the warning from the International Monetary Fund that demographic pressures will impose unexpectedly onerous financial burdens on industrialised countries.

Telegraph: Consider question No 3. Any member of the public who decides to give the government his or her views on same-sex marriage is firstly asked “What is your sexual orientation?”, is secondly asked “What is your gender?”, and is then asked the following: “Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were assigned at birth?” You what? There are so many weird things in that sentence it is hard to know where to start.

Mark Steyn at National Review: Melanie Phillips on an election in Yorkshire for the House of Commons in the Mother of Parliaments in the early 21st century: ‘All praise to Allah!’ he [George Galloway] saluted his victory through a loud-hailer — having previously told a public meeting that if people didn’t vote for him, Allah would want to know why.

Telegraph: Parliament should have sovereignty over the European Court of Human Rights.

Washington Post: The British government has fast-tracked a move to restore the rights of towns and cities to hold prayers as part of their official business, effectively overriding a High Court order to stop the practice.

Telegraph: The majority of Conservative MPs believe David Cameron’s same-sex marriage plan is doomed to failure and is a source of deep concern for their constituents.

Telegraph: Britain should turn its back on the European Court of Human Rights because its rulings on the extradition of terrorist suspects risk undermining the special relationship, a former US ambassador said.

Telegraph: A town council banned by the High Court from holding prayers before official meetings is refusing to reinstate them because of concerns that new government powers to protect the historic practice are not strong enough.

Telegraph: Church leaders are today calling on Christians to wear the cross to show pride in their faith in the face of attempts to “sideline” Christianity in public life.

Christian Concern: Christian Concern has launched a new campaign this Easter, urging Prime Minister David Cameron to back up his recent words of support for the Christian faith with some ‘solid action’.

The Guardian: Contrasting the “hysteria” of “aggressive polemic against religious faith” with an increasing recognition among “serious and liberal-minded commentators”, he said faith was no longer seen as “a brainless and oppressive enemy” but recognised as a potential ally against a greedy and individualistic way of life that feels “increasingly insane”.

ResPublica: Writing for ResPublica’s essay collection on Lords Reform “Our House: Reflections on Representation and Reform in the House of Lords”, the Bishop of Leicester, the Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, has argued that they are representative of the regions, with church parishes across the nation. In a Parliament that is very focused on London, they bring a regional and localist perspective that should be welcomed; surely this is an example of localism embedded into the constitution. The bishops are more representative of the whole of Britain than MPs and peers. The argument made by some, such as Theos, that more specialised, political Lords Spiritual, less focused on the diocese, would diminish that “rootedness” in the regions.

AP: Nigeria is facing a “high risk” of a terrorist attack over the Easter holiday, the United Kingdom warned its citizens Thursday . . .

ChristianConcern.com: Prime Minister David Cameron told Christian leaders this week that he wants their biblical values to guide the nation, despite his strong support for same-sex ‘marriage’.

Christian Concern: Jeffrey Ventrella, the senior vice president of the Alliance Defense Fund, gave a series of talks on the role of the advocate in society entitled “Law, Lordship & Liberty”.

Bloomberg: “I think there’s something of a fightback going on, and we should welcome that,” the prime minister told guests including church ministers and Christian politicians at an Easter reception in his official Downing Street residence in London today. “The values of the Bible, the values of Christianity are the values that we need.”

Christian Institute: The High Court has deferred a decision on whether a watchdog was right to ban an advert that asked Christians to report experiences of workplace marginalisation.

Independent: Foreign Office reveals cases from Italy, Holland, Australia, Indonesia and Nigeria, with one in five victims a man, and ages ranging from five to 87.

Boston Globe: The issue is also setting up the biggest internal party rebellion since the Conservatives returned to power in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Strategists say that as many as a third of Conservative lawmakers may vote against the plan, which might nevertheless pass in Parliament with the backing of Cameron’s Liberal Democrat coalition partners and the opposition Labor Party.

Christian Institute: Two senior judges want to see the introduction of ‘no fault’ divorce in England, but critics say it will lead to a greater injustice in divorce cases.

Christian Institute: The legal rights on dissolving a same-sex civil partnership are exactly the same as a divorce between a married couple, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

This is Staffordshire: TRADITIONAL prayers said at the opening of city council meetings are to be moved to avoid offending atheists and non-Christians.

Coalition for Marriage

Care: Lady Howe said, “My Bill will help parents protect their children from access pornography by requiring internet Service Providers and Mobile Phone Operators to block pornography at the network level unless the customer buying access to the internet or mobile network is 18 or over and asks them to remove the block through an opt-in mechanism.”

Christian Concern: An attempt to stop the issue of abortion being freely discussed at University College London (UCL) has failed after a coalition of students objected to what they considered to be a serious attack on free speech.

Christian Institute: An attempt to undermine the law against assisted suicide has been unanimously rejected by the House of Commons.

LifeNews: The House of Commons is upsetting pro-life advocates in England by essentially decriminalizing assisted suicide by welcoming new guidelines that make it so people engaging in so-called suicide tourism will not be prosecuted.

Christian Concern: A Christian doctor is suing his employers for unfair dismissal after being sacked following his sending of a motivational prayer e-mail to colleagues and a Christmas text message to one individual.

Christian Concern: On Tuesday 27 March MPs in the House of Commons will debate a motion by Richard Ottaway which ‘invites the Government to consult as to whether to put (the DPP’s guidance on prosecutions for assisted suicide) on a ‘statutory basis’.

Christian Institute: Mario Conti, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, cautioned against those who want to redefine marriage “without any reference to children” and also warned of a further descent into “ethical confusion”.

Christian Concern: Three Christian MPs have written to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in an attempt to overturn its ban on claiming that ‘God can heal’.

Conservative Home Blog: During the budget speech, the Chancellor announced that “we will introduce legislation limited to relaxing the Sunday Trading laws for eight Sundays only, starting on 22nd July.”

Guardian: My experince as a doctor leads me to oppose making assisted suicide any easier under the law

Christian Institute: Ministers are preparing to change the law to ensure that halal meat has to be clearly identified as such when sold to the public.

Christian Institute: A secular bias in the public sector means faith groups don’t have equal access to public funding for community projects, academics say.

Christian Concern: A Judge has ruled that a Christian who was demoted for posting private comments on his Facebook page criticising the introduction of “gay marriage” in churches cannot rely on his human rights to defend himself.

The Christian Institute: A judge has this morning stopped a Christian from using human rights arguments in his legal case against his employer who demoted him because of his moderate comments about gay weddings in churches.

Christian Institute: David Cameron’s plan to rewrite the definition of marriage is not a vote winner, an influential Conservative commentator has warned.

RIANOVOSTI: Hegumen Philip Ryabykh, the Russian Orthodox Church’s representative to the Council of Europe, said on Tuesday Russia would do what it can to help British Christians banned from openly wearing crosses at work defend their right to do so.

Christian Institute: A Sikh Peer and a senior Jewish rabbi have both spoken out against redefining marriage as opposition continues to mount against the Government.

The Christian Institute: The UK could be thrown into a constitutional crisis if marriage is redefined, a Tory MP has warned.

Christian Institute: Now the Muslim Council of Britain has warned that plans to rewrite the definition of marriage are “unnecessary and unhelpful”.

Telegraph: Hundreds of new Church of England schools are to be opened to spread Christianity and combat “aggressive secularism”, it emerged today.

Daily Mail: Educational psychologist Gaynor Sbuttoni, who provides counselling for children in London, said the practice of teachers encouraging kids to play in large groups instead of developing tight-knit bonds is increasingly common.

Telegraph (includes video): Mr Livingstone, Labour’s candidate for mayor of London, pledged to “educate the mass of Londoners” in Islam, saying: “That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet.” Mr Livingstone described Mohammed’s words in his last sermon as “an agenda for all humanity.”

Christian Institute: British Muslim men reportedly bring about 12,000 brides to Britain each year, leaving UK-born Muslim females struggling to find a husband.

BBC: Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has announced he is to stand down in December.

LifeSiteNews (includes video): A homosexualist activist disrupted a Mass held in a parish in Teignmouth, Devon, with a video camera last week as a priest prepared to read a letter from the country’s bishops conference opposing government efforts to legalize same-sex “marriage.” The incident has prompted concerns that anti-Christian activists are becoming more bold and aggressive as the Church continues to oppose same-sex “marriage.”

Christian Institute: The Prime Minister and London Mayor have both indicated their support for Christians who are facing a legal battle over wearing a cross at work.

Christian Institute: The Westminster Government has today started a consultation on its controversial plans to redefine marriage. In response to the growing opposition to the proposals, the Government has added a question that asks the public whether they agree with the idea.

Christian Institute: The Westminster Government’s official consultation on redefining marriage has been branded a “sham” which will ignore any opposition.

Anne Jolis at the Wall Street Journal: U.K. non-discrimination rules already have more loopholes than a coherent principle can bear.

Christian Concern: A Christian bus driver is facing disciplinary action after circulating a petition backing traditional marriage at work during his break.

Christian Institute: A senior QC has warned that English law could refer to fathers and mothers with terms like “Progenitor A” and “Progenitor B” if marriage is redefined. Labour Peer Lord Brenna . . .

AP: The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) says activists from the 40 Days for Life group have been holding vigils outside one of their central London clinics.

The Tablet: The government has promised to “champion” marriage and families in an effort to reduce social breakdown.

The Tablet: He said: “If the stories in the press about Blair’s thinking are true, I think he should examine his conscience carefully”, Vatican Insider reported.

Christian Institute: Tony Nicklinson wants doctors to be allowed to kill him, and yesterday the High Court gave permission for his legal case to be heard. But critics say it may put other vulnerable people at risk, and the Government has previously said there are “compelling reasons” for the courts not to get involved.

LifeNews: Another abortion practitioner has been suspended in the shocking expose’ revealing abortion doctors facilitating illegal sex-selection abortions.

IOL News: Pagan prisoners in Britain are demanding the right to pray naked and wear hooded robes in their cells.

Telegraph: It is better for children to be raised by two parents than one, and better still when those parents are married, the Government will declare today.

CNN: Britain will argue that the two Christian women at the center of the case had the option of quitting their jobs and working elsewhere, so they are not covered by European human rights law, according to legal papers obtained by CNN.

Christian Institute: The Government would be “playing with fire” if it goes ahead with its contentious plans to redefine marriage, the Bishop of Oxford has warned. Rt Revd John Pritchard said: “It is not up to society or the Government to define marriage at will.”

Christian Institute: The money, which was rejected by mum Lisa Mackin, was offered by the child’s father when he discovered that the child could have the condition.

Christian Institute: Openly gay popstar Will Young believes vicars who describe gay marriage as ‘abhorrent’ should be prosecuted for hate crimes.

Christian Institute: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali also affirmed the Church’s right to defend marriage, warning that the issue is a matter of significance. “The Church is not in this to protect its own interest, it is in this discussion for the sake of wider society in this country generally,” he said.

UK Human Rights Blog: This is the second in a series of posts analysing the UK’s draft “Brighton Declaration” on European Court of Human Rights reform

Christian Concern: A new poll has found that 70 per cent of the public oppose the Government’s plan to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples, agreeing that marriage should remain a “life-long exclusive commitment between a man and a woman”.

Abhijit Pandya at the Daily Mail: In holding this prejudice the church has, perhaps, missed the entire point of the life of Christ. The religious prejudice against homosexuals is, and always has been, a construction of religion, not of Jesus.

Religion Clause Blog: Christian Today reports that the Evangelical Alliance protested another passage in the Commission’s report: “The Commission believes that an employer may legitimately refuse to accommodate an individual’s religious beliefs where such accommodation would involve discrimination on the basis of other protected characteristics.”

Christian Institute: The Welsh Government is being urged to restore prayers to council meetings following a similar move in England.

Christian Institute: Archbishop Vincent Nichols – the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales – has written a letter to be read out in 2,500 churches this weekend.

LifeSiteNews: Jill Recknell is mourning the loss of her grandson, despite the fact that he is alive and well. It’s just that, according to five-year-old Zach Avery and his parents, he’s not her grandson anymore. He’s her granddaughter