eChurch Blog

I wondered why the BBC website was suddenly posing the question as to the relevance of a doctor’s religion and now I know why.

Professor Clive Seale has published some fascinating and quite disturbing research today over at the Journal of Medical Ethics which appears to confirm that atheist or agnostic doctors are twice as likely to take decisions that might shorten the life of somebody who is terminally ill as doctors who are deeply religious.

I can only access the Abstract free of charge, so here it is:

Background and Aims The prevalence of religious faith among doctors and its relationship with decision-making in end-of-life care is not well documented. The impact of ethnic differences on this is also poorly understood. This study compares ethnicity and religious faith in the medical and general UK populations, and reports on their associations with ethically controversial decisions taken when providing care to dying patients.

Method A postal survey of 3733 UK medical practitioners, of whom 2923 reported on the care of their last patient who died.

Findings Specialists in care of the elderly were somewhat more likely to be Hindu or Muslim than other doctors; palliative care specialists were somewhat more likely to be Christian, religious and ‘white’ than others. Ethnicity was largely unrelated to rates of reporting ethically controversial decisions. Independently of speciality, doctors who described themselves as non-religious were more likely than others to report having given continuous deep sedation until death, having taken decisions they expected or partly intended to end life, and to have discussed these decisions with patients judged to have the capacity to participate in discussions. Speciality was independently related to wide variations in the reporting of decisions taken with some intent to end life, with doctors in ‘other hospital’ specialities being almost 10 times as likely to report this when compared with palliative medicine specialists, regardless of religious faith.

Conclusions Greater acknowledgement of the relationship of doctors’ values with clinical decision-making is advocated.

And the moral of the story is if you or a loved one is facing an “end-of-life” situation, it may be prudent to find out your doctor’s views were on religious matters, as there appears to be a strong link between religious belief (or lack thereof) and clinical decision making.

UPDATE: More at the BBC, here and here (Radio interview with Prof. Clive Seal & Baroness Finlay)

ANOTHER UPDATE: Bish Nick Baines has now blogged on this.

AND ANOTHER: Michael Merrick of Outside In has also blogged this one in the style of a good ol’ fashioned BBC fisking.

The Biased BBC blog has picked up on a recent episode of Horrible Histories which is a programme aimed at children and is described [by the BBC] as an Historical sketch show.

The recent episode focused in part on the Crusades and came complete with quotes such as:

“A time when the Christian people of Europe decided to go to war with the Islamic people in the Middle East just becasue they didn’t believe in the same things…hard to imagine I know.”

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One commentator wrote in to the Biased BBC blog and had this to say:

“I had to gulp at the opening introduction. There was a reference to the Westerners deciding to go to war with the Muslims because ‘they happened to live there’ laced with sarcasm. The rest of the narrative was blatantly anti-west. Who wrote this script, I wonder?

Am I being paranoid or have they completely missed the Muslim conquest of Syria in the 7th century, attacks of Muslim Seljuk Turks, murder of pilgrims and the consequent aggressive expansionism that led to the Byzantine Empire issuing a desperate call for help to the Pope?

It’s like describing the reason for D-Day as a war on Germany because Germans ‘happened to live’ in France.

I am shocked and above all disturbed by the inversion of teaching to the young about such an important time in history.”

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Is the BBC guilty of biased historical revision? This is an important question because I should imagine many children – rightly or wrongly – gain their historical knowledge from programmes such as these. It would be a serious charge against the BBC indeed.

Just wanted to share a couple of pieces I came across today which I thought worthy of your attention:

The first by Roger Olsen on Open Theism, of which I knew very little, but really is quite fascinating. I particularly enjoyed this little quote, which is such a great nutshell truism and potentially applicable to all of us at one time or another:

……This is simply another example of the neo-fundamentalist tendency to accuse others of actually holding beliefs they do not hold because the accuser thinks those beliefs are logically entailed by other beliefs.

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The second piece comes from the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology and is entitled; Toward the Theology of Human Embodiement by Gregg Allison.

The purpose of this article is to sketch a theology of human embodiment, the fruit of years of study flowing from the encounter related above. It is my contention that evangelicals at best express an ambivalence toward the human body, and at worst manifest a disregard or contempt for it.

Many people, often due to tragic experiences with the body (e.g., physical/sexual abuse), abhor their body, and many Christians, due to either poor or non-existent teaching on human embodiment, consider their body to be, at best, a hindrance to spiritual maturity and, at worst, inherently evil or the ultimate source of sin.

By contrast, in my study of Scripture, I have discovered a remarkable perspective toward the body, one which impacts how we live out our existence as created beings, how we view and experience our salvation, and how we trust and obey God as maturing believers in Jesus Christ. After giving a definition, I will outline various elements of my theology of human embodiment: the creation of the body, the gendered body, the sexual body, the disciplined body, the sanctification of the body, the clothing of the body, the body and the worship of God, the suffering and healing of the body, the death of the body, and the future of the body. For each element of discussion, I will draw some practical application for living our human embodiment.

Definition: The Human Body and Human Embodiment

Let me begin with a definition. The human body is an essential aspect of human beings during their earthly existence and, following Christ’s return and the resurrection of their body, in the age to come. Specifically, the body is the material component of human nature distinct from —  but intimately linked with — the immaterial component, commonly called the soul (or spirit).

Only between physical death and the return of Christ will human existence be a disembodied one. The soul (or spirit) will survive death and continue to exist while the body is sloughed off, but this is an abnormal condition (2 Cor 5:1-10).

Embodiment, therefore, is the state of human existence between conception and death, and again after the resurrection of the body and for all eternity.

The normal state of human existence is an embodied existence.

The Creation of the Body

Human beings are this way because God designed them to be embodied. This was true of the first man, as “the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen 2:7).3 This was also true of the first woman, as God removed part of the man’s body, and “the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man” (Gen 2:22). Moreover, it is true of each and every human being since the original creation, as God is intimately involved in fashioning human life from the moment of conception.

As David extols God in a psalm, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb…. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (Ps 139:13, 15). Through advancements in medicine and technology, we are now able to understand the development of a human being in utero, so what was formerly “hidden … in secret” has been revealed.

Still, human ability to explain this magnificent process genetically and physiologically does not take away from the truth that God is also at work to bring about human development. Moreover, human beings are created holistically, so that in this earthly existence, soul and body are an inseparable unity. Indeed, being made in the image of God entails the embodiment of the image bearers. Human embodiment, then, is according to divine design.

Accordingly, people should embrace embodiment as a gift from God. In an article in Books and Culture, Frederica Mathewes-Green provided a quote from C. S. Lewis that represents a common viewpoint that people have of their bodies: “The fact that we have bodies is the oldest joke there is.” Such disdain for human embodiment is not in accord with Scripture. Mathewes-Green offered a corrective insight: “The initial impression that we stand critically apart from our bodies was our first mistake. We are not merely passengers riding around in skin tight racecars; we are our bodies. They embody us.”

Embodiment is God’s creative design for human beings, who should be grateful for their physical existence. Moreover, the church is called to minister to people  as holistic human beings created in the image of God. This worldview entails treating all people—both Christians and non-Christians alike—with respect for their inherent dignity. Furthermore, the church should be engaged in helping the poor and marginalized through deeds of mercy, communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone, and discipling Christians by addressing their many needs — intellectual, emotional, volitional, physical, educational, and socio-economic.

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I suspect most folk have already come across the headlines covering the recent Al Hutchinson’s report on the IRA Claudy bomb.

As this potentially involved a Catholic priest (Fr James Chesney) the headlines are predictably sensationalist and replete with terms such as Catholic Church Cover-up and Catholic Church Conspiracy.

In truth I know nothing about this incident, I wasn’t even born when it happened, so I’m going to hand over firstly to the Church Mouse:

News from the inquiry into the Claudy bombing in Northern Ireland in 1972 by the Police Ombudsman has been dominated by the question of whether there was a cover up by the Catholic Church.  Mouse simply cannot see how this stacks up at all.

The question has arisen as a result of the transfer of Fr James Chesney out of Northern Ireland and into the Republic, whilst he was suspected of involvement in the bombing.

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And secondly to the Catholic News Agency:

Two bishops responded Tuesday to claims that a Catholic priest was never questioned for his suspected role in a Northern Ireland bombing during the 1970s. The prelates remarked that the suspicions are “shocking” and commented that the case should have been properly investigated during the priest’s lifetime.

On July 31, 1972 a triple car bombing killed nine, including an eight-year-old girl, and injured 30 in the village of Claudy. Among those who died were five Catholics and four Protestants.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) never claimed responsibility for the attacks, the Daily Telegraph reports. The bombers had allegedly tried to make warning calls but telephone lines were down from earlier bomb damage.

Fr. James Chesney, reported to be an IRA sympathizer, was suspected of planning the attack. He was later transferred to a parish in the Republic of Ireland outside of the United Kingdom’s jurisdiction.

The priest died of cancer in 1980 at the age of 46 and was never questioned by police.

Al Hutchinson, the Northern Ireland police ombudsman, recently issued a report which charged that a Royal Union Constabulary (RUC) official refused a detective’s request to arrest the cleric. The same official asked whether the matter could be raised within the Church hierarchy.

Hutchinson found that when the Church was informed about “the level of concerns others had” about Fr. Chesney, officials challenged the priest about his alleged activities “which he denied.”

“In the course of this enquiry the Police Ombudsman’s investigation found no evidence of any criminal intent on the part of any Church official,” stated the report.

Archbishop of Armagh Cardinal Seán Brady and Bishop of Derry Séamus Hegarty issued a joint statement Tuesday on the investigation. They accepted the ombudsman’s findings and conclusions.

“All known material in the possession of the Catholic Church has been made available to the Ombudsman,” the statement said.

“This case should have been properly investigated and resolved during Father Chesney’s lifetime. If there was sufficient evidence to link him to criminal activity, he should have been arrested and questioned at the earliest opportunity, like anyone else. We agree with the Police Ombudsman that the fact this did not happen failed those who were murdered, injured and bereaved in the bombings.”

According to the prelates, the Catholic Church was “constant” in its condemnation of the violence during the conflict known as the “Troubles.”

“The Catholic Church did not engage in a cover-up of this matter,” Cardinal Brady and Bishop Hegarty wrote. They noted that the Church was approached by the then-Secretary of State at the instigation of senior members of the RUC.

According to the bishops, the actions of Cardinal William Conway or any other Church authority did not prevent the possibility of the future arrest and questioning of Fr. Chesney, as the priest was known to have regularly traveled across the border.

“Fr. Chesney is dead and, as a suspect in the Claudy bombing, he is beyond the justice of earthly courts,” the bishops’ statement continued, saying that the bereaved and injured “deserve to know the truth.”

Urging that the “human cost of this atrocity” be remembered, Cardinal Brady and Bishop Hegarty assured the bombing victims of their prayers.

“It is only with honesty and bravery that we as a community can address these painful issues and do our best to ensure that the dreadful lessons of the past are learned and never repeated,” the bishops’ statement concluded.

If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team CATHOLIC VOICES.

I’m so sorry about the “A-Team” reference, it was either that or Ghost Busters, you know, Who ya gonna call?

You see my Wife’s away in London and I think this may have caused me to be a little aberrant. Well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it. I do miss her, she’s only been gone a couple of days but it feels like weeks!

Anyway, CATHOLIC VOICES are a crack team of Catholic communicators who have been trained and prepared for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in September. Here’s what they say about themselves:

CATHOLIC VOICES is a bureau of Catholic speakers able to articulate with conviction the Church’s positions on major contentious issues in the media. Since its launch in February 2010, the project has been reported in various newspapers and magazines.

Through regular expert briefings and media skills workshops from March to July 2010, a team of Catholics drawn from a broad spectrum of the Church have prepared for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in September, to make themselves available to the media before and during that time.  Catholic Voices on TV and Radio has a summary of media appearances to date.

CATHOLIC VOICES has the blessing of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, but does not speak officially for the Church. Media enquiries seeking official statements should be directed to the Catholic Communications Network.

Contact us if you need a Catholic Voice on your programme.

Unfortunately, today we hear of a rival group via Protect the Pope:

Sister Myra Poole SNDdeN has set up a group of dissenting Catholics who will be available to the media during the state visit to challenge the Holy Father on child abuse, women’s ordination, married priests and homosexuality.

Sister Myra Poole, a supporter of women’s ordination, has established Catholic Voices for Reform to directly counter the official group Catholic Voices, set up with the blessing of the Bishops’ Conference to put the case for the Church.

Sister Myra Poole explained to anti-Catholic newspaper The Guardian, that she set up the group to ‘call for a wholesale transformation of the papacy and the Vatican. It will offer the media a chance to hear the views of Catholics who are “deeply concerned at the present state of the church”‘

The group issued a statement explaining the reasons for their dissent and opposition to the Holy Father:

“These people, women and men, have formed the backbone for the call for the change in the church, some for many years but others more recently. They are its loyal opposition who have remained within the church calling for reform. All our members are people with different experiences who have found a conflict between these experiences and the official teachings of the church.”

Sister Myra Poole went on to explain her attitude towards the official group, Catholic Voices:

‘I’m not frightened of them. They are the official group, they’re very with it, but we’re not daft. We all have experience and know about theology. It’s going to be hard because as the trip gets nearer, we’re going to be up against them.’

The Notre Dame de Namur sister went on to declare that Catholic Voices for Reform will be holding a prayer vigil in central London on the eve of the papal visit and that two letters will be hand-delivered to the residence of the archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols. She explained:  ”One will be for the archbishop and the other will be for the pope. We will be asking six very simple questions on reform. We’re working on them now.”

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The role of the CATHOLIC VOICES was no walk in the park as it was, let alone being attacked from within as well.

J R Daniel Kirk of Storied Theology has put together a blog post which looks at the impact of the life we lead here and now on eternity.

As I’ve been pondering this same phenomena I felt a palpable sense of relief in reading his post.

What we do on earth in this life counts in the eternal stakes. So many folk seem to view a discontinuity between this life / age and the one to come, as if this life has no bearing whatsoever in the next, even though Scripture does not bear this out.

In line with this, I have recently begun taking solace from this Scripture:

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Holding to discontinuity would make a mockery of this verse. I personally find that living this life knowing that it “echoes” into eternity is a strong and powerful motivator.

Anyway, here’s the link to the piece:

Storied Theology – What We Do, Echoing in Eternity

Big Think – Matthew Nisbet

In part the new atheist movement is almost a social movement within the larger scientific community.  Many of the people that are attracted to new atheist movement identify with science or are scientists themselves and certainly scientists have been online for a long time.  In fact, many of the most prominent bloggers, new atheist bloggers, they came about… they came up and they kind of honed their skills in internet discussion groups, mostly around the debates about evolution. So they have that natural consistency and that natural… the pre-existing experience with using online organizing and reaching people online that maybe some of the religious organizations do not.  The advantage that the religious organizations have though is they have real world communities.  They have networks of interaction through mega-churches, through traditional churches and one of the things that I’ll be blogging and writing about and taking a look at, at the Age of Engagement is how are traditional religious organizations and movements now using the online world to foster the communities, to build their communities or is the online world actually taking away some of their followers and distracting people who otherwise might commit to that particular religious faith or even attend church on a weekly basis.

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A few links I found intersting for one reason or another:

Spitoon – Religious people need to recommit to and engage with critical thinking

ThirdSector – Catholic Care considers appeal against Charity Commission over gay adoption

BBC – Northern Ireland’s Police Ombudsman is due to publish his report into the alleged involvement of a priest in a 1972 IRA bombing in County Londonderry.

Bishop Nick Baines Does the BBC need a ‘Religion Editor’?

ClayBoy – Introducing the Old Testament to readers

CathNewsAsia – Solar Bible for blind debuts in Philippines

PsychologyToday – Confusing race and religion is dangerous

Parchment & Pen – My Biggest Gripe with Word/Faith Theology

scientia et sapientia – Roger Olson vs. the “neo-fundamentalists”

Exploring our Matrix – Using Scripture Unscripturally

Ugley Vicar – Fiddling with God

Clerical Whispers – Don’t confess sins over the phone: Coptic pope

With so much attention focused on the Bushehr nuclear plant in southern Iran, you may be excused for missing the recent Iranian surface-surface missile test a few days ago. This from the Telegraph:

Television images showed the sand coloured Qiam (Rising) blasting into the air from a desert terrain, amid chants of “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest).

The words “Ya Mahdi” were written on the side of the missile, referring to Imam Mahdi, one of the 12 imams of Shiite Islam, who disappeared as a boy and whom the faithful believe will return one day to bring redemption to mankind.

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For me personally the most disturbing development are the words written on the sides of the missiles, which affirms the role of a specific form of Islamic ideology underpinning their quest for military prowess.

Now make no mistake the current Shiite leaders of Iran view the Mahdi as an eschatological and apocalyptic figure and this mixed with increased military capability makes for a heady mix indeed.

I wonder how much outrage and media coverage there would be if it were discovered that we in the West had emblazoned our missiles with apocalyptic Biblical Scriptures?

Do you remember the global outrage when it was discovered that coded references to biblical passages were inscribed on gun-sights widely used by the US and British military in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Have a read up on the “coming Islamic Mahdi” for more information:

Click here for Google Search on Mahdi