Nearly half of British Christians think religion is a 'negative force'
Around 45% of Christians in Britain think religion is a negative force in modern life, with around a third believing it does more good than harm. Christians also think that atheists and religious people are just as likely to be moral, at 69% and 60% respectively. Muslims surveyed were more unsure, with 53% saying they ‘didn't know’. Of the 2,004 people surveyed in the HuffPost/Survation poll, 56% described themselves as Christian, 2.5% were Muslim, 1% were Jewish and the remainder were of another faith or none. More than 55% of those surveyed said that atheists are just as likely to be moral people than religious people. Around 30% of 18-24 year -olds believe religion does more good than harm, compared to just 19% of 55-64 year-olds. This article suggests many people are unaware of the considerable contribution made by the Church and other faithgroups to our society.
UK doctors have 'ethical duty' to prevent waste
Doctors have an ethical duty to prevent waste in the NHS, argues a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Its authors point to potential savings of nearly £2bn. Examples include better use of medication, tests, hospital beds and operating theatres. The British Medical Association said doctors were ideally placed to identify savings, but patients must come first. The authors argue it is better to develop a culture of finding the best way to do something, and then do it right across the health service. ‘We need to be innovative to tackle the huge financial challenges we are facing’ Surgeon Jeremy Lavey. A manager can't make those decisions whereas we are ideally positioned and we have a responsibility to make sure we do that properly.’
Government preparing for fracking
Many are petitioning for ‘Frack Free Somerset,’ the Economist has called fracking the ‘Dash for cash’. tens of thousands are concerned that the government is considering proposals to allow the fracking industry to drill below people's land without permission, and the RSPB is objecting to Cuadrilla’s plans for sites. On Wednesday the Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy named a Blackpool College as the first UK training centre for the fracking industry. It will be a hub for the National College for Onshore Oil and Gas with other colleges serving as spokes for the hub, delivering advanced qualifications including honours degrees for engineers and technicians. Also on Wednesday researchers and experts from the UK Energy Research Centre said that ministers have ‘completely oversold’ shale gas potential. Promises of lower prices and that ‘greater energy security from UK shale gas were hype and lacking in evidence’. See also: h
So-called equality laws victimise marriage supporters
Legislation aimed at boosting equality is actually victimising traditional marriage supporters, a gay journalist has warned. Andrew Pierce, who has repeatedly spoken out against redefining marriage, accused the Government of making ‘empty promises’ to protect freedom of conscience. The public was given repeated assurances that freedom of conscience would be respected if the law on marriage was changed. Maria Miller – the Tory Cabinet minister responsible for the Bill – ‘insisted’ that those opposing the plans would not be subjected to any discrimination. Mr Pierce quotes many examples of people being prosecuted for holding to their traditional views of marriage including that of the McArthur family who are being taken to court by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland over their refusal to make a pro-gay marriage campaign cake. Same-sex marriage has not been introduced in Northern Ireland, with MLAs voting three times in two years against changing the law.
Christians urge sacking of gay lecturer with ‘1,000 conquests’
A Christian pressure group is campaigning to oust a high-profile university professor who boasted about his 1,000 sexual conquests. Eric Anderson, 46, a Winchester University professor of sports studies, told a gathering of gay and lesbian students at Oxford that he liked sex with ‘16, 17, 18-year-old boys’. He dismissed Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, as a ‘total bigot’ and ‘liar’ and said ‘the damage that’s caused by child molestation is socially constructed by the western world’. The pressure group Because Children Matter wrote to Joy Carter, Winchester Universities vice-chancellor, urging her to dismiss the professor. It warned that the gay/lesbian group will distribute thousands of leaflets with the professors comments to members of the university’s board, head teachers of secondary schools in its area, students and members of the public. The university says it has reprimanded the professor for his remarks, but defended him as an ‘internationally renowned sociologist.’(Ps.5:4)
Nigeria: Death toll rises after school bombing
The death toll has risen to 49 after a suicide bomber disguised in a school uniform blew himself up at a boys' secondary school in northern Nigeria on Monday. 57 people were injured. Other reports put the number of injured victims at 79 in the attack in Yobe state, which took place as students were in the yard of the boarding school during the morning roll call. All schools in the town are closed now. The attack came six days after a similar one on a Shi'ite Islamic school in Potiskum, in which 30 people died. Boko Haram targeted both schools. The UN Children's Fund (Unicef) said attacks on children are attacks ‘on the future of Nigeria’, warning that the country already has the largest number of children out of school in the world. (see item 2 below)
Nigeria: The issue of education
Nigeria’s population growth has put immense pressure on overstretched public services and infrastructure. 45% of the population are under 15 years of age and 4.7 million primary school age children are not in school. Statistically, 40% of those aged 6-11 don’t attend primary school and 30% of those in primary education drop out, with only 54% progressing to Junior Secondary Schools. The Northern region has the lowest school attendance rate, particularly for girls. The proportion of girls to boys in school ranges from 1 girl to 2 boys and 1 girl to 3 boys. Children skip school to work or when families cannot afford uniforms and textbooks. Sometimes a school is beyond a safe walking distance from homes, sometimes girls marry early. UniceF reports that the prospects of Nigeria achieving’ Education For All by 2015’ are frail.
USA: The Ferguson Response
Following protests and civil disorder when Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Christians erected a tent where 8-10 hours of praise, worship, intercession, and evangelism occurred daily. Believers of every hue united to provide opportunities for Ferguson to experience God. There were miraculous healings and deliverances; a couple of major protests were turned into prayer meetings, a few violent situations were defused through supernatural intervention, 50 people surrendered their lives to Jesus, and many heard the Gospel. The tent expression ended on 25 October. Minister Thomas said, ‘We've only just begun. The crisis invited the Church to manifest God’s love. He’s exposing our hearts. Jesus deals with iniquity in us before He deals with inequity around us. Regardless of the facts, and final outcome, every believer has a role to play in the healing of these wounds and bringing peace.’
Global: Obama and Putin warily circle each other at APEC
APEC is a 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum that met this week to move towards a new free trade zone and agree as a climate deal. America and Russia are part of APEC. President Barack Obama and President Vladimir Putin met three times while there, though relations between their countries continue to deteriorate. The White House said they tackled the tough issues of Russia's provocations in Ukraine and support for Syria's embattled government. They also discussed the fast-approaching deadline in nuclear talks with Iran, in which the US and Russia find themselves on the same negotiating team. Unlike some of their past meetings, Obama and Putin kept their deep-seated policy disagreements behind the scenes, but their public encounters suggested relationships between two of the most powerful leaders in the world remains tense.
Israel: Palestinian President talks of global religious war
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that Palestinians will not allow Israeli extremists to ‘contaminate’ the Temple Mount, saying that allowing Jewish prayer at the site would risk a global religious war. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeated several times in recent days that he does not intend to change the status quo at the site. Jews are allowed to visit but forbidden from praying at the contested site, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war, but where it allowed the Muslim Waqf authorities to remain in administrative charge. Abbas also said the Palestinian claims to all territory captured by Israel in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in 1967 were not up for debate and, ‘The Muslim and Christian worlds will never accept Israel’s claims that Jerusalem belongs to them. The Jerusalem that was occupied in 1967 belongs to us.’