In the News
-
August 23rd, 2016
-
August 21st, 2016
-
August 16th, 2016
Reverend Clive Larsen had just finished his regular Sunday service at St Agnes Church in North Reddish, Stockport when he dropped a proverbial bombshell on his faithful congregation.
Taking a deep, restorative breath, the 60-year-old Church of England priest announced that, after 25 years working in the diocese of Manchester (11 of them spent at St Agnes), he was stepping down. But it was not all sad tidings.
His next words were thus: "The first thing I will be able to do is marry John. John, will you marry me?"
-
August 16th, 2016
I’m what’s known as a Sidewalk Advocate for Life at my Baptist church. That means I stand outside abortion clinics to counsel, pray with and pray for the women who feel as if aborting their baby is the only choice they have left.
Being an advocate does not mean I yell at women. I am not protesting. I don’t hold signs or wear demeaning shirts for shock value. I consider myself to be loving my neighbor. I am loving her to a place where she can better know how to make a decision that won’t hurt her in the end.
-
August 16th, 2016
Take a deep breath, try to banish all distractions and watch a TV documentary about Mesopotamia. Re-runs of the BBC series Ancient Worlds are about as good for your health as the practice of mindfulness, embraced by celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Emma Watson, a study suggests.
Researchers found that putting students on a six-week mindfulness course did not make them any more likely to eat healthily, exercise or give up smoking and drinking than watching six hours of TV about the origins of civilisation. Mindfulness, which emphasises concentration and calmness, did not appear to affect participants’ physical stress, though it did make them feel less anxious.
-
August 16th, 2016
It is one of the cruellest weapons of the oppressive power hierarchy, a tool used by the binary forces of traditional gender stereotypes to crush the spirit of the transgender community.
Yes, calling people by the titles of Mr and Ms — let alone those historical throwbacks, Mrs and Miss — is a barbarism that should be stamped out immediately.
That, at any rate, is the impression given by Oxford city council, which has raised the possibility of dropping titles such as Mr and Ms because “they are not inclusive of transgender people”.
-
August 16th, 2016
Almost 150 people have had their gender legally recognised since new legislation was passed last year.
Department of Social Protection figures show that gender recognition certificates were issued to 149 transgender people up to the end of June. Ireland was only the fourth country in the world to recognise a person’s self-determined gender without requiring reassignment treatment or assessment by the state.
-
August 15th, 2016
A village in Corsica became the third place in France to ban the Burqini from its beaches Monday after a fight broke out over the weekend over the swimsuit favored by some Muslim women, Agence-France Presse reports.
Five people were injured and three cars set ablaze in the village of Sisco Saturday after a dispute between beach-goers ended with both sides reportedly throwing stones and bottles at one another. The French Interior Ministry reports 100 police officers were needed to restore order. An inquiry has been opened to determine what prompted the brawl; a witness said the fight began after tourists took photographs of women wearing Burqinis.
-
August 15th, 2016
Over the weekend, two articles appeared in the Guardian by Harriet Sherwood, citing Martyn Percy’s disagreement with the direction the Church of England is apparently taking.
The first cites comments from the conclusion to a forthcoming book, which appears to express Martyn’s overall discontent.
-
August 15th, 2016
The government position of faith minister has been quietly minimised in an ongoing trend of minimising the prominence of religion in senior roles.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth is the new minister with responsibilities for "faith and integration" after Theresa May became Prime Minister in July.
But far from being a senior government position, Bourne is a junior minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Alongside his responsibilities for religion, he also oversees community cohesion, race equality, troubled families, domestic refuges, travellers policy and is in charge of the Syrian Refugees Programme.