Great Big Tea Party at Revival

Revival FM, Scotland's Christian radio station, is taking part in the Great Big Tea Party.

This event is run by Open Doors and this year happens on Sunday 8th June.

Revival FM's Great Big Tea Party happens at 2pm at the Revival studio complex in Cumbernauld.

Please come along and have a cup of tea or coffee and some home baking and help to raise funds for the persecuted church in China.

Cost is a £2.00 donation per cup

If you need directions to the studio, call 01236 721110 or e-mail admin@revival.fm

While you're there, Revival Requests will be live on air.

• Great Big Tea Party at Open Doors

Equality and Human Rights Commission speaks against the natural

The Equality and Human Rights Commission ignored the laws of nature and the design of God when they entered the politcal arena, calling for access to IVF treatment for same sex couples.

In the approach to critical votes in the UK Parliament, speaking on behalf of the EHRC, Trevor Phillips said: ‘... the Government that parliament should not let another day go by in which single women and lesbian couples are denied access to fertility treatment on exactly the same basis as everyone else.

• Commission statement

Christian registrar seeks conscience exemption

A Christian registrar, Lillian Ladele, is presenting her case to an employment tribunal after her Council employers refused to grant her a conscience exemption from registering same-sex unions.

Miss Ladele, who currently works for Islington Council in England, has been a registrar for nearly 16 years.

Before the Civil Partnerships Act came into effect in 2005 she asked to be excused from registering civil partnerships between same-sex couples because to do so would conflict with her religious beliefs.

She has subsequently been disciplined by her employers, and other colleagues have been allowed to choose not to work with her because of her beliefs.

Miss Ladele says that although the law requires local authorities to provide a civil partnership service, the requirement does not extend to individual registrars.

Her case is being heard by an employment tribunal which began on Tuesday, 20 May, and is expected to last four days. Miss Ladele argues that by forcing her to take part in forming civil partnerships against her conscience, Islington Council are infringing equality laws.

Miss Ladele said: "This is a subject on which there are a variety of views in our society. As a matter of religious conscience, I simply can't take part in the formation of a civil partnership."

She continued: "I am not seeking to obstruct people forming civil partnerships and I have many colleagues who are willing to assist with the formation of civil partnerships. Other local authorities in this situation have agreed to accommodate individual consciences.

"Unfortunately, after nearly 16 years' service, this is unacceptable to my local authority, although it has decided it is acceptable for colleagues to choose not to work with me because they object to my religious beliefs.

"I believe that forcing someone to work contrary to their conscience and under threat of dismissal is not right. If we are genuine when we talk about diversity and equality then shouldn't we be prepared to tolerate a range of views, not simply those we agree with?"

• Daily Telegraph article
• BBC News article
• Daily Mail article
• The Times article
• The Sunday Telegraph article
• Press release (18/5/08)

Human rights organization condemns Myanmar referendum result

The ruling military junta in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has claimed that 99 percent of the electorate turned out to vote in the referendum that was held on May 10.

It stated that 92.4 percent of voters approved the constitution voted upon on that day.

The junta is now gearing up to hold a further round of voting on May 24 in areas which were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today unequivocally condemned the result of the referendum held to approve the new constitution in Myanmar. The Christian human rights organization did so as its Advocacy Officer, Benedict Rogers, returned from a two-week fact-finding visit to the Thailand-Burma border.

During his visit, Rogers visited Karen and Karenni refugees, Chin and Kachin activists and relief organizations currently responding to the humanitarian crisis in Burma following the cyclone. Rogers traveled to the Thailand-Burma border from Japan, where he had discussions with Japanese Members of Parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the crisis in Burma.

Rogers said: "The result of the referendum announced by the military junta in the midst of indescribable suffering of the people of Burma must be internationally rejected and immediate action must be taken to ensure delivery of aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis."

He continued: "During the past two weeks I have met with relief teams doing courageous work to get aid to the victims of the cyclone, despite the military regime's obstruction. I have been given reports and photographs which illustrate the catastrophe unfolding in Burma."

He added: "I have also heard widespread reports of the regime's efforts to rig the referendum on 10 May and have been told of the people's courageous defiance of the regime in some places by overwhelmingly voting against the proposed constitution. In addition to these humanitarian and political crises, human rights violations continue to be perpetrated on a systematic scale in Karen and Karenni areas and throughout Burma. "Every hour of international inaction is costing lives. It is now time to hold the regime to account for these collective crimes against humanity."

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.For more information contact Benedict Rogers at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 07823 329 664, email benrogers@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk .

Let 13 year-olds have sex, says Children's Commissioner

from the Christian Institute

The Children's Commissioner in Scotland, Kathleen Marshall, has faced criticism for backing Scottish Law Commission proposals to legalise sex between 13 to 15 year olds.

Responding to a Government consultation on sexual offences, the Commissioner argued that while children ought to be protected from the sexual advances of adults, sexual activity between 'consenting' 13 to 15 year-olds should not be illegal.

"It is right to recognise the general vulnerability of 13 to 16-year-olds by maintaining the general prohibition on sexual activity, backed by the weight of the law," she said. "But I also welcome proposals to take a different approach to consensual activity between young people."
Christian groups and other campaigners have criticised the proposals. Rape Crisis Scotland says it is "concerned that the proposed changes might potentially reduce the extent to which young people are protected and limit options for prosecutors".

The age of consent in England, Scotland and Wales is 16. It was raised from 13 in 1885 following years of campaigning by evangelical social reformer Josephine Butler.

Colin Hart, Director of The Christian Institute, said: "The law sends out a strong signal about what age is appropriate for sexual activity. Relaxing the law in this area will inevitably be interpreted as official sanction for teenage sex.

"The Children's Commissioner seems to want to put the clock back to 1884, when the age of consent was 13."

The Scottish Government is currently considering responses to the consultation.

• The Times article
• The Herald article
• The Christian Institute's response to the consultation
• Scottish Government consults on legalising sex between 13-year-olds (12/3/08)
• Stormont says keep age of consent at 17 (5/2/08)
• Britain's underage sex rates are the highest in Europe (8/1/08)

Doomsday delayed

Friday, May 16, 2008
…Norway, the country that has ‘The Doomsday Vault’ and visiting doctors who have prescribed miracles for their sick patients

By Dan and Peter Wooding
Special to ASSIST News Service

TRONDHEIM, NORWAY (ANS) -- Norway is the 5th largest country in Europe; a nation of Vikings and abounding fjords and The Doomsday Vault, that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops that is expected to provide food in the event of a major catastrophe such as a nuclear war.

And recently, from May 14-15, 2008, some 200 doctors and medical professionals from 28 countries descended on this quiet town, not far from the Arctic Circle, for the 5th Annual International Christian Medical Conference, to share evidence about what for many of their patients appeared to be their own “doomsday” – when they learn that they have an untreatable disease.

“There is a spiritual revolution taking place by Christian doctors around the world who met to affirm God’s power with their expertise and knowledge in medicine,” said one attendee.

Delegates from AfricaThese doctors, from places like Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, China, Indonesia and Vietnam, were all Christians who believe in the power of prayer and the fact that there are times when medical treatment has to give up – and then God’s Power takes over.

They met under the auspices of the World Christian Doctors Network (WCDN) and Dr. Yoon-Seok Chae, President of WCDN explained, “Although most advanced medical science such as successful researches on cloning of animals with stem cell has emerged, it is true that numerous incurable diseases and deadly emerging diseases have been increasing continually in spite of that development. The truth health can be described as a state of being peace physically and mentally. God is the only One who knows all about people and most of all, is able to cure our various diseases.”

During the two-day gathering, doctors took turns in presenting case studies of miracles they had experiences with the date flashed on a big screen and then allowed questions from the medical audience.

These ranged from a man being raised from the dead, to a detached retina being healed, to other diseases both large and small.

Dr. Armando Pineda, who is now based in Florida and is Director of the World Christian Doctors Network USA, spoke passionately about the need for doctors to pray for their patients, citing the example of many Cubans he had been ministering to being set free from witchcraft.

He added: “Doctors are the most credible people to testify to God’s healing powers. We need to realize that miracles are far more contagious than any disease.”

One of the non-medical attendees -- Mikhail Morgulis, Chairman of the Spiritual Diplomacy Project, and a well know journalist originally from Ukraine -- said, “This conference has been like a Christian holiday for me because we have been given a lot of proof of the power of God today.
This resource items from our medical friends are a contemporary demonstration of miracles and show that miracles didn’t cease some 2,000 years ago, but our God is still working today.”

The conference itself lasted only two days, but many who attended believe its ripple effect will spread to all corner of the earth with more miracles being prescribed by more doctors for their patients...

The conference organisers announced at the end of the conference that next year's gathering will be held in May 2009 in Kiev, Ukraine.

Call for a "Just Peace"

Revd. Kathy Galloway, Leader of the Iona Community, has joined a number of Christian leaders, primarily from England and Wales, in calling for "a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel".

The call comes in a letter published in The Independent newspaper on Thursday 8th May 2008

The declaration states that "millions of Israelis and Jews around the world will joyfully mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel", "millions of Palestinians will mourn 60 years since over 700,000 of them were uprooted from their homes and forbidden from returning."

• View the article in The Independent
• View full statement and list of signatories

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