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In the News

  • Times (£): Mindfulness lessons 'can harm children'
    May 3rd, 2017

    It was meant to inspire students to achieve more, simply with the power of positive thinking. Instead, mindfulness in schools has no impact on behaviour or academic attainment and may even be harmful to pupils, a review of research suggests.

    The practice, which encourages pupils to live in the moment, first caught on in independent schools then swept across the state sector. Children as young as five are taught to find peace and happiness and supporters claim that it lowers stress and improves performance.

    An analysis of dozens of studies indicates that schools may be wasting their time, however. The report published by the Campbell Collaboration, an international group that assesses evidence for social policies, acknowledged that mindfulness-based interventions could have a small positive effect.

    Read more.

  • NZ Herald: Secular Education Network challenging Bible in Schools through Human Rights tribunal
    May 2nd, 2017

    The Secular Education Network (SEN) is launching a fresh challenge against Bible in Schools programmes, claiming "religious bias" has led to children and parents being bullied over their decision to opt out of classes.

    Twenty-six witnesses have filed evidence for a new case being launched in the Human Rights Review Tribunal, brought by David Hines and Tanya Jacob.

    They will be claiming that section 78 of the Education Act 1964 - which permitted the programmes - is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act, according to a statement from SEN.

    Read more.

  • Christians on the Left: Religious Freedom (with Open Doors)
    May 2nd, 2017

    Christians on the Left is proud to support the work of Open Doors UK. Zoe Smith, head of advocacy, writes for us about religious freedom:

    How do you protect persecuted religious minorities? Pledge to do so in the Labour Party Manifesto.

    It's a simple yet remarkably effective solution. We may wake up to a Labour Government on 9 June. If so, we want to wake up to one fully committed and mandated to protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief – speaking out for some of the most marginalised people around the world.

    Read more.

  • Premier: GAFCON not looking for split in Church
    May 2nd, 2017

    GAFCON, a worldwide group of conservative Anglicans, has told Premier it's not looking to break up the Church of England but is instead working to keep Anglican Communion united.

    Over the weekend, a statement from the group was released with details of the creation of a missionary bishop to be sent to the UK in response to the Church of England and Scottish Episcopal Church's teaching on marriage and sexuality.

    GAFCON, which follows the traditional understanding on these issues, says it is sending someone here to give episcopal leadership to those who claim the Churches are becoming too liberal.

    Read more.

  • SPUC: IVF clinics threatened with action as investigation uncovers catalogue of abuses
    May 2nd, 2017

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is investigating several fertility clinics after an undercover investigation by the Daily Mail accused them of exploiting couples desperate to have children.

    The major allegation against the clinics visited by undercover journalists was that women were being convinced to donate their eggs in return for free IVF. The journalists were encouraged to donate half their healthy eggs in return for free IVF cycles at clinics in London, Hertfordshire and County Durham.

    It is illegal to sell eggs outright, to protect women from exploitation. However, HFEA guidance says that IVF centres "may compensate egg donors a fixed sum of up to £750 per cycle of donation". It also lets clinics offer donors free or discounted treatment – a big incentive when IVF costs around £3,000 a cycle. Their eggs go to a patient who cannot produce her own. The recipient pays up to £7,500 – effectively covering the costs of both women's treatment. 

    Read more.

  • Premier: Less than a third of Britons believe religion is important, says poll
    May 2nd, 2017

    New research has found fewer than one in three Britons believe faith matters.

    Ipsos Mori found 30 per cent of people said religion is important to them, a figure significantly lower than the global average of 53 per cent.

    The statistics place Britain among the least religious countries in the world, with only Sweden, Belgium and Japan ranked lower.

    Read more.

  • Reuteurs: Same-sex couple can seek damages from Kentucky clerk: U.S. appeals court
    May 2nd, 2017

    A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a damages lawsuit against Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who in 2015 refused to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples because it conflicted with her Christian beliefs.

    The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati said a lower court judge erred in finding that damages claims by David Ermold and David Moore became moot, after a new state law last July excused clerks like Davis, from Rowan County, from having to sign marriage license forms.

    While the couple eventually did get a license, a three-judge appeals court panel said they could sue over Davis' initial refusal to grant one, after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2015 said the Constitution guaranteed a right to same-sex marriage.

    Read more.

  • Telegraph: Labour sacks candidate under investigation for 'calling for the eradication of Islam' on Twitter
    May 2nd, 2017

    Labour has sacked one of its election candidates over a series of tweets reportedly posted by the prospective MP online.

    Trevor Merralls, who leads a black cab campaign group, said his sacking was the result of a "vicious smear campaign".

    Earlier the party said it was "urgently investigating" claims that the candidate in Old Bexley and Sidcup posted tweets calling for the eradication of Islam.

    Read more.

  • Transgender Trend: Is It Surprising That Referrals Of Children To The Tavistock Clinic Continue To Soar?
    May 2nd, 2017

    Referral figures for the Tavistock clinic Gender Identity Development Service, just announced, have risen from 1,419 last year to a total of 2,016 this year, an increase of 42%. The number of children who feel they are 'trapped in the wrong body' and need to transition to the opposite sex continues to soar year on year.

    Although the headline of the Tavistock's announcement is 'GIDS referrals increase slows in 2016/17' and goes on to state "the rate of referral increase for this year is the lowest since 2009," this year's figure in fact represents a rate increase on last year's unprecedented 104% – so in actual numbers the total increase of 597 new referrals is second only to last year's 722. The increase in numbers between 2009 – 10 was 41.

    Dr Polly Carmichael, Gender Identity Development Service Director and Consultant Clinical Psychologist, comments.

    Read more.

  • Archbishop Cranmer: Hounding Tim Farron about gay sex deflects from LibDem vote to abolish faith schools
    May 2nd, 2017

    While the Christian leader of the Liberal Democrats was being harassed and hounded day after day by liberal metropolitan journalists to pronounce on whether he believed homosexual acts were sin (which belief would surely be a mortal sin against liberal metropolitan orthodoxy, and so the end of his political career), all journalistic scrutiny was deflected from the real illiberal Liberal Democrat intolerance of fervent (Christian) faith, which is that they have voted to abolish state faith schools, or 'schools with a religious character'.

    It isn't couched in such stark terms, but that is most definitely what their new party policy amounts to. A motion in their Spring Conference waffled on so very liberally about how "Religious communities make a valuable contribution to the cultural life of the UK"; and how "religious organisations have played a major historic role in broadening access to education"; and how "There continues to be a place for state schools with a religious character"; and "Where different bodies are allowed to sponsor state schools, religious organisations should not be discriminated against in so doing." It's all so deliciously super-duper; so effusively tolerant. But look at the detail.

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