eChurch Christian Blog

I’m so tired today of reading the so called “news” that a whopping 70 per cent of Christians believe it is wrong for bishops to have reserved places in the House of Lords.

This is all based on an ICM poll commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, as part of the Power 2010 initiative for reform of the second chamber in parliament.

Ekkleisa are jumping up and down over this “news” and so is Polly Toynbee (President of the British Humanist Association) over at the Guardian.

I have just noticed that the sample used for this “poll” would appear to be around the 1000 mark, which is a paltry, and statistically unsound as a representation of the entire Christian communities view on this subject. I am also under the impression that the 1000 adults polled are not all Christians anyway. I am open to correction on these assertions and will post corrections if necessary, for the sake of transparency and honesty.

If this be the case, then it reminds me of the many face cream adverts on TV, in which it is touted that 70% of users felt they looked younger, and yet when you look at the small print you notice the sample of women consulted is around 200.

Ekkelsia are also joyful that they have overwhelmed Bishops email systems with 52,000 emails, and I refer you to a previous post on this:-

eChurch: Ekklesia has today teamed up with democracy campaign Power2010 in an initiative to urge Church of England bishops to take a lead in reforming the House of Lords.

If I am correct in my analysis then this recent “poll” is more a propaganda drive than true social science in action. To draw conclusions and headlines from such a small sample, using the closed questionnaire method, is naive at best and unscrupulous at worst.

Further, 52,000 emails sent to the Bishops proves nothing, when the entire number of Christians within the UK is considered. Also, what percentage of those sending emails did so as prompted by the British Humanist Association and other anti-Christian groups?

UPDATE: the British Humanist Association has just posted on this, please observe carefully the wording used:-

large-scale public action and poll

large majority of people are opposed to having Bishops sit in the House of Lords as of right.

Andrew Copson, BHA Chief Executive, commented, ‘It is evident that the majority of people in the UK do not support the automatic right of Bishops to sit in the legislature of our country.

But here is the rub:

The poll questioned over 1000 people

Don’t the BHA and Ekklesia sound similar! Sometimes it appears as if Ekklesia are the BHA’s trojan horse.

Please also bear in mind that I have not even commented on the validity of the sample contacted, the use of the telephone interview, the dates used to conduct the interviews, the potential interviewer bias, the funding issue and the slant of the closed questions used etc.

This is indeed good news. If you disagree then consider for one moment that “blasphemy” laws are used by Islamic states to demoralise, persecute, and control non-Muslims. Islamic blasphemy laws have been used in disputes and land grabs.

Consider also that blasphemy laws in the western world strengthens the case for the ‘Organization of the Islamic Conference’ to introduce a U.N. Resolution banning “defamation” of religion, which would usher in a global blasphemy law and only favour Islam.

Pakistan co-opted the wording of the Irish Blasphemy law in their submission to the UN, in order to bolster their own blasphemy laws. Recently Pakistani Christians have been sentenced to 25 years in jail for alleged blasphemy in relation to the Qu’ran.

In my opinion anyone should be free to “blaspheme” if they so choose and religious folks should be grown up enough and secure in their identity and beliefs to rise above it (and that goes for everyone by the way).

If religious folk wish to retain the right to comment freely and potentially negatively regarding other belief systems or lifestyles, then we must accept quid pro quo.

Cross Post from MediaWatchWatch (permission pending but expected):

Irish blasphemy law could go to referendum!

PZ Myers has commented positively also:

P Z Myers – Grand news from Ireland!

I hope that this law will be repealed in Ireland and that there will not be “blasphemy laws through the back door”, as in the recent troubling English criminal legal case involving Harry Taylor:

eChurch – Philosophy tutor and atheist Harry Taylor in court for leaving anti-religious cartoons in John Lennon airport

H/T Polycarp

Following is the word of St. Dawkins…..Thanks be to St. Dawkins.

All stand…..

Sydney Morning herald:

THE creation of saints is “pure Monty Python” and the Family First senator Steve Fielding is more stupid than an earthworm, says the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.

“I do find it very discouraging,” Dr Dawkins told the 2010 Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne yesterday when asked about the support of the media and the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, for Mary MacKillop, who is to become Australia’s first saint in a ceremony in Rome in October.

“The whole idea of creating saints is pure Monty Python,” he said. ”Why do they have to clock up two miracles? These are people we are supposed to take seriously.”

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I confess that sometimes I’m not a huge fan of the police for differing reasons, but I really do like Matt Baggott.

He is the president of the Christian Police Association and last last August was unveiled as Northern Ireland’s new chief constable, which let’s face it, is not the easiest job in the world.

This guy is so refreshingly open and honest about his faith, which is a real breath of fresh air for someone in such a high profile public position.

Anyway, just noticed this from the Press Association a couple of minutes ago:-

Northern Ireland’s chief constable claims that God had called him to the region’s top policing job.

Matt Baggott, who is a born-again Christian, said he felt his entire 33-year career in the police had been mapped out for him by a higher power.

In a candid interview about his deeply held beliefs, the 51-year-old father of three explained how much his faith had influenced he and his wife’s joint decision that he should apply to take over from the outgoing Sir Hugh Orde last year.

And this from the BBC

Talking about his decision to take the PSNI job, the chief constable said he felt he had been “very strongly pulled” to Northern Ireland.

“I have a very strong Christian faith where I have never planned anything in my 33 years of policing.

“When I’m more open to what I believe is meant to happen, the circumstances have always worked around me.

“When I’ve tried to push the pace myself then sometimes the door is shut.”

He denied he saw the job as a stepping stone to a more prestigious job.

“I don’t see this as a career move. I believe that as chief constable I’m meant to be here at this moment – how that works out is a question for others to shape and work with me on.

“But yes my faith has been a determining factor in me coming here as chief constable.”

He added: “My ambition is to do the best job I can here as chief constable of the people of Northern Ireland.”

Mr Baggott said that despite the difficulties of policing in Northern Ireland, he was enjoying the job.

“It’s a massive privilege to be here. We’ve settled really well here, we’ve made lots of friends already.

“I wouldn’t describe it as a quagmire… I would describe it as a place that I’ve found to be hungry for change.”

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Top man!

Previous posts on Tony Blair’s “Faith”: here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

As it happens, I think that Tony Blair and Rick Warren make a fine couple. Rick with his formulaic business approach to faith and Tony with his politically correct brand of faith/s.

Truth is, if Tony really wants to do something worthwhile, then he should find a way to protect the dwindling Christians in Iraq, who have been decimated as a result of his invasion.

In the seven years since the Iraq War was launched, 2,000 Christians have been murdered and 600,000 have fled Iraq, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 44% of Iraqi refugees are Christians, and many of the 600,000 Christians who remain are internally displaced persons who have had to flee their homes.

How about putting your talents, connections, ego, influence, power and money into this little problem Tony.

Guardian:

Former prime minister builds network of Christian allies as he prepares to launch a religious ‘offensive’ in North America

Tony Blair is preparing to launch a “faith offensive” across the United States over the next year, after building up relationships with a network of influential religious leaders and faith organisations.

With Afghanistan and Iraq casting a shadow over his popularity at home in Britain, Blair’s focus has increasingly shifted across the Atlantic, to where the nexus of faith and power is immutable and he is feted like a rock star.

According to the annual accounts of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a UK-based charity that promotes cohesion between the major faiths, the foundation is to develop a US arm that will pursue a host of faith-based projects. The accounts show that his foundation has an impressive – and, in at least one case, controversial – set of faith contacts. Sitting on some £4.5m in funds as of April last year, mostly gathered through donations, it is now well placed to make its voice heard.

The foundation’s advisory council of religious leaders includes Rick Warren, powerful founder of the California-based Saddleback church. It attracts congregations of nearly 20,000 and is reportedly one of the largest in the US. Warren, who has addressed the UN and the World Economic Forum in Davos, has been named one of the “15 world leaders who matter most” and one of the “100 most influential people in the world”.

His influence was confirmed in December 2008 when Barack Obama chose him to give the invocation at his presidential inauguration. But the decision angered many liberals, who see Warren as an opponent of gay rights and abortion on demand; a prominent alliance with Warren is likely to attract similar attacks on the former British prime minister.

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I’m posting this one as I feel this is an important clarification on some recent news media confusion:-

Damian Thompson – Telegraph

Catholic fury over The Times’s coverage of Pope Benedict XVI

There is international outrage in Catholic circles over a headline in The Times this morning that many people regard as utterly misleading and part of the newspaper’s reliably biased coverage (reinforced by vicious cartoons) of anything to do with Pope Benedict XVI.

The headline, over a story by Richard Owen, reads: “Pope knew priest was paedophile but allowed him to continue with ministry.” A universally admired Catholic journalist contacted me this morning and accused The Times of (and I am toning this down for legal reasons) an extremely serious error of judgment.

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Further Internet Links:

SCRUB ALERT: The Times reopens its bear-baiting pit

Guardian: Pope being set up over Munich sex abuse case, says Vatican – Benedict XVI’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, suggests ‘tenacious’ plot to implicate pontiff in cover-up

Catholic News Agency: Vatican: Pope was ‘completely extraneous’ to Munich sex abuse decision

BBC – The Vatican has denounced attempts to link Pope Benedict XVI to a child abuse scandal in his native Germany. Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said there had been “aggressive” efforts to involve the Pope, but added: “It’s clear that these attempts have failed.”

The hermeneutic of continuity – Disgraceful attack on the Holy Father in the Times

Auntie Joanna – Ignorant and prejudiced…

Catholic Register – Pope Benedict Transferred Paedophile? That’s the message that some in the media are rapidly trying to spin.

The following article from the Telegraph is majoring on the fact that the Home Office has been accused of discriminating against police Christian groups in favour of a Muslim police group, however, the real issue for me is whether religious groups should receive government funding at all.

A while back I posted in relation to a police Christian group and wrote:-

…..Interesting, although I am always slightly concerned when any Christian group receives funding from secular sources, especially governmental sources. I personally believe that all Christian groups should be funded from the Christian purse, even if they are providing a public service. Using public funds always adds fuel to the secularist fires and Christian funding eliminates any unwanted controlling  influences.

I am now awaiting the predictable comments on this, that tax payers are funding ‘magic’ within the policing world.

Personally I think this new “row” is another example reinforcing the argument against secular funding of ALL religious groups.

Telegraph:

The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) received £90,000 in grant aid in the last two years while the

Christian Police Association (CPA) received just £15,000 in the last five, despite both groups having around 2,000 members.

And the CPA even disputed those figures insisting it has only been given £10,000 over the period.

Faith-based organisations can bid for Home Office grants either for specific projects or for general funding, with officials deciding which are successful.

Don Axcell, executive director of the CPA, said other requests for additional funding had been ignored.

He said: “As a Christian charity we have to rely on the public for funds as our requests for money from government are largely rejected or ignored. Our letters go unanswered.”

Alan Craig, leader of Christian Peoples Alliance, said: “This is yet another sign of Christianity being written off the agenda.

“Christians are constantly marginalised and discriminated against by the government, who are ignoring one of this country’s principle faiths.”

The CPA was handed £5,000 in 2004/05 and £10,000 last year, according to Home Office figures, but Mr Axcell insisted the only grant the group has received is the one last year.

That was to help widen its involvement with local church groups and encouraged members of the public to “adopt a cop” by praying for the safety of local officers.

In contrast, the NAMP was given grants of £45,000 last year and in 2008/09, listed only as general funding.

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I simply found this one from the BBC intriguing. Imagine this scheme in the UK and the shock and dismay when prison inmates discovered that time actually moves slower in some churches than in prison

BBC

Georgian monasteries offer to take in prisoners

Officials in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia have announced a scheme to let prisoners shorten their jail terms by spending time in a monastery instead.

The scheme for petty criminals has been proposed by the country’s Orthodox Church and government officials.

It comes as prisoner numbers in Georgia continue to rise and so too does the popularity of the Church.

It is unclear how many prisoners will be allowed to become monks or if they have any choice in the matter.

Overcrowding

To say that the Orthodox Church plays an important and influential role in Georgia is an understatement.

Some 80% of its population are said to be Orthodox Christians and its leaders have at times played a part in politics.

Now the Church has gone a step further by directly offering to help reform certain criminals by handing them a cassock and allowing them to serve out their sentence as monks.

In a joint statement, officials from the prisons ministry and the Church said they would work together to select the convicts they thought would benefit most from spending time in a monastery.

They said the purpose was to liberalise the criminal justice system, but the reality is that prisoner numbers are rising fast in Georgia.

A report last year by a penal reform organisation said the incarceration rate had risen by 300% since 2004 and that jails were badly overcrowded.

A senior cleric told the BBC he believed the Church played a positive role in society and that the scheme could work.

Barbara Smoker has written an open letter to the National Secular Society as follows:

In all the media coverage on the character of John Venables [one of the murderers of Jamie Bulger] I have yet to read or hear any mention of the fact that he and his co-murderer were, at the time of their horrific crime in 1993, attending a CofE primary school where, instead of receiving moral education, they were fed violent, vindictive bible stories.

What a despicable and unfounded comment and yet the NSS felt happy to include this in their e-mailshot.

George Pitcher over at the Telegraph shares his thoughts on the news that Ministers have ruled out banning teachers who are members of he BNP.

The BNP are predictably eminently jubilant with this news and have said:

The Maurice Smith review ruling that teachers may be members of the British National Party means that democracy has “just survived another leftist totalitarian onslaught on our basic freedoms,” said Nick Griffin MEP.

“This is a commonsense decision, as classrooms should be places of learning and not far left indoctrination centres,” Mr Griffin said.

George Pitcher also takes a positive stance on this news:

It is entirely sensible that ministers have ruled out a ban on teachers being members of the BNP. I’ve always been embarrassed that the Church of England’s Synod voted to prevent its clergy joining Nick Griffin’s party. There is, apparently, one retired clergyman somewhere who’s a member and the action seemed out of all proportion. Let the BNP argue its case and we can see how ridiculous it is. And, like it or not, it’s a legally constituted political party.

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I concur.

No matter what your view on the BNP, they are, whether we like it or not, a legal political entity in the UK and for ministers to have prescribed a ban on teachers being members of the BNP, would have been a profoundly dangerous move and an overt assault on our democracy and liberties.

Notice George Pitcher also mentions this:

I’ve always been embarrassed that the Church of England’s Synod voted to prevent its clergy joining Nick Griffin’s party.

Again, I concur. It is fruitless and counter-productive to simply impose “bans” on folks joining a specific political party and allows parties such as the BNP to portray themselves as persecuted at the hands of powerful and ruthless aggressors.

Leaders in the church have to learn to articulate a persuasive and factual case as to why they believe Christian folk should not align themselves with the BNP.

I have often posted on the BNP in order to counter their claims to represent British Christianity, and you can find my recent post on this below:

Why there’s Nothing British about the BNP’s (British National Party) “Christian values”

The Spitoon have just posted on this one and make some salient points:

No Banning for BNP Teachers

I only want to highlight the BBC headline for this one:-

BBC – Atheists meet in Melbourne to celebrate lack of faith

Is this not hilariously paradoxical?

Today we are seeing headlines like this one:-

Daily Mail – Celibacy to blame for sex abuse cases, says cardinal tipped for papacy

National Post – Cardinal claims celibacy linked to sex abuse

I’ve been informed that these headlines are misleading and that Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said no such thing:

Catholic Culture:

Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said that the broadening sex-abuse scandal indicates a need to re-think the training that priests receive. The Austrian prelate called for a thorough and “unflinching” discussion of the possible causes for sexual abuse by Catholic priests. No topics should be taboo during that discussion, the cardinal said; he called for a frank evaluation of how priests have handled the consequences of the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s, and analysis of how priests are trained for a life of celibacy.

Several English newspapers reported that Cardinal Schönborn had said that priestly celibacy is the root cause of the sex-abuse problem. He did not. Nor did he call for an end to clerical celibacy. As spokesman for the Vienna archdiocese, responding to these interpretations of the cardinal’s statement, issued a clarification that Cardinal Schönbron “did not call into question celibacy in any way.” His focus was on how young men are prepared to live with that discipline.

In Rome the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, confirmed that Church leaders are not planning any change in the rule of priestly celibacy, which he described as “a gift from the Holy Spirit.”

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiga, asked whether he saw a connection between celibacy and abuse, replied: ‘I don’t understand how there can be a link.” Archbishop Gerhard Mueller of Regensberg, Germany, was even more dismissive, saying that any claim to see a connection was “nonsense.”

Link to Catholic News Agency:-

After media outlets misinterpreted an article by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn to say that he is questioning the Church’s rule of priestly celibacy, several high ranking churchmen have spoken out in praise of celibacy as a gift. They also dismissed the idea that celibacy is connected to pedophilia.

The Times has a good piece on this:-

Cardinal Schönborn says celibacy partly to blame for clerical sex abuse

Bastards.

From Harry’s Place:-

They took the staff into a separate room and executed them one by one, according to a news report on ABC.

The charity said they thought the office was targeted because it was running programmes to help women.

World Vision has decided to suspend its programmes and pull out of the country following the “brutal and senseless” attacks on its staff.

From World Vision:-

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, World Vision serves alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of God’s unconditional love for all people.

World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

Financial support is received from; the UK Government, the European Union, charitable trusts, corporate supporters and also more than 100,000 individuals, who sponsor children in poor communities overseas. Lives are also transformed through the Alternative Gift Catalogue and events such as the 24 Hour famine

World Vision works to change the root causes of poverty through campaigning, church partnerships, education and influencing policy makers.

In whatever we do, we place a special emphasis on ensuring the needs and rights of children are met, because they are often the hardest hit by conflict, disaster and chronic poverty.

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LA Times – Pakistan militants attack U.S. Christian aid group, killing six
All of the dead were Pakistanis employed by World Vision, which has been helping victims of a devastating 2005 earthquake in the country’s north.

The Long War Journal – Earlier today, armed fighters attacked an office operated by World Vision International, a Christian charity that has been aiding victims of the devastating earthquake in 2005. The aid group has sought to provide schooling, jobs, food, and other basic needs for Pakistanis impacted by the earthquake and other natural disasters.

UPDATE: From World Vision:-

World Vision: Pakistan attack “brutal and senseless”

World Vision is today mourning the brutal and senseless deaths of six members of staff in the Mansehra District of Pakistan, killed in an unprovoked attack by gunmen.

The international humanitarian organisation is seeking to confirm reports that gunmen first set off bombs or grenades, then opened fire on the office, located 65 kilometres north of the capital, Islamabad, at 9.20am local time today.

In addition to the four men and two women killed, seven employees have been hospitalised with injuries.

No threatening letters were received prior to the attack.

World Vision’s relief and development work in Pakistan is conducted by local citizens.

All of World Vision’s operations in the country have been suspended indefinitely.

World Vision remembers those staff who have died as dedicated people seeking to improve the lives of people affected by poverty and disasters.

Since 1992, World Vision has primarily focused on relief interventions in Pakistan. The work expanded in 2001, when the agency began collaborating with other aid groups in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Punjab Province with emergency relief assistance and community development initiatives.

After the devastating October 2005 earthquake, World Vision expanded its operations in Pakistan.

There is a furore over the Israeli governments announcement of plans to build hundreds of homes in east Jerusalem. To make matters worse the timing of the announcement coincided with the official state visit of US vice president Joe Biden, to begin indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian authorities.

Telegraph:-

Israel’s controversial announcement that it had approved construction of 1,600 new apartments coincided with Mr Biden’s arrival in the country for a round of meetings with Israeli officials.

In a strongly-worded statement, Mr Biden criticised the decision to announce the plan during his visit.

“The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now,” he said.

“We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them,” he added, warning that “unilateral action taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations.”

Although ministry officials said the announcement was procedural and unconnected to the visit, a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed he had been blindsided by the news. Mr Netanyahu tried to contain the damage at a late-night dinner with Mr Biden, but it was too late and Mr Biden issued his statement after the dinner.

Relations between Israel and the Obama administration have been chilly precisely because of the settlement issue, and one of Mr Biden’s main goals had been to try to repair ties. Mr Biden is the highest-level member of the Obama administration to visit Israel.

Did you notice this comment:-

Mr Netanyahu tried to contain the damage at a late-night dinner with Mr Biden, but it was too late and Mr Biden issued his statement after the dinner.

If you are wondering why they met during a “late-night dinner” and not earlier in the day, then the answer lies in my post from yesterday:-

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday addressed a Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit in Jerusalem and encouraged Christian Zionists around the world to stay the course in their defense of the Jewish state.

It would appear that Benjamin Netanyahu decided to meet with the CUFI earlier in the evening, rather than meet with Biden.

On top of this, the Middle Eastern press has been unimpressed and rather subdued about Biden’s visit:-

BBC

Press commentators in Israel and the Palestinian territories have given a subdued response to the visit of US Vice-President Joe Biden to Israel shortly after a new round of indirect negotiations between the two sides was announced.

Israeli papers recognised that the visit was aimed at reaffirming relations with the US, but some acknowledged that the spirit of the trip was undermined by the news that Israel had approved the construction of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian press, already cool on the prospect of indirect negotiations, were also unenthused by Biden’s visit, with two papers saying he was more interested in Iranian issues than Palestinian ones.

It certainly looks as if the Obama administration is a spent force in the Middle East currently, and these incidents were designed to snub.

Following is Netanyahu’s Address to the Christians United For Israel Jerusalem Summit, and notice the opening comment relating to Jerusalem, which I happen to completely agree with:-

Welcome to Jerusalem, the undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish state and the Jewish people.

Your presence here today represents a profound transformation in the relationship between Christians and Jews. This transformation has its roots in the 19th century when the early Christian Zionists came to the Land Israel and when they began exploring the land of the Bible, when they began to yearn for the Jewish restoration in this land, the restoration of our numbers, the restoration of our sovereignty.

In fact, Christian Zionism preceded modern Jewish Zionism, and I think enabled it. But it received a tremendous impetus several decades ago when leading American clergymen, among them most notably, Pastor John Hagee, a dynamic pastor and leader from Texas, began to say to their congregations and to anyone who listened, it’s time to take a stand with Israel. It was time to take a stand with the sole democracy in the Middle East. It was time to take a stand against the lies and the slander and the vilifications. It was time to defend the Jewish state’s right to defend itself.

Today, Christians by the thousands, by the tens of thousands, by the hundreds of thousands, by the millions, by the tens of millions – today they have heard this call, and they stand with Israel. I salute you, the people of Israel salute you, the Jewish people salute you.

Time after time, through thick and thin, you have stood shoulder to shoulder with our state, and I have come here tonight to thank you for your unwavering friendship. And today that friendship is more important than ever because Israel faces unprecedented challenges to its security and its legitimacy.

No security challenge is more important to our common future than preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. I have said before and I’ll say again, that the greatest threat facing mankind is the specter of a militant Islamic regime acquiring nuclear weapons, or the specter of nuclear weapons acquiring a militant Islamic regime. The first is dangerously close to happening in Iran, and the second may or may not happen in Pakistan. I believe that with the right policies both can be averted.

If Iran develops atomic weapons, the world would never be the same. We would witness a cascade of terrorism across the globe as terrorists would operate under an Iranian nuclear umbrella. Look at how much havoc, how much terror they sow now, when there is no such umbrella, and understand what can happen if Iran, their patron, sponsor, supplier and supporter, if that Iran had nuclear weapons. Equally, the region’s vital oil supplies could be severely threatened and efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East would collapse as one regime after another would rush to acquire nuclear weapons of their own. Worst of all, if nuclear weapons would be given to terrorists, or to terrorist states, a 65 year-old era of nuclear peace would be endangered for the first time.

Remember that for the tyrants in Tehran, Israel is only the little Satan. In their eyes, America is the Great Satan. America is their ultimate target. Yet for Israel, the threat from Iran could not be clearer. Iran’s leaders openly call for Israel’s destruction. They brazenly deny the Holocaust and they hope, and they say so just about every other day, they hope to wipe Israel off the map of the Middle East.

We must not allow such a regime to threaten the peace of the world, the peace and security of all humanity. All responsible members of the international community must do everything in their power to stop Iran from developing atomic weapons.

As we speak the United States is leading an international effort to impose sanctions on Iran. We believe those sanctions must have teeth. And to have teeth, they must bite deep into Iran’s energy sector. Simply put, they should prevent Iran from importing gasoline and from exporting oil. I believe that such measures might convince the regime to choose between continuing the weapons program and between assuring the regime’s future. But there must be tough, biting sanctions.

I said that we face great challenges to our security, but we also face unprecedented challenges to our legitimacy. Now this assault on our legitimacy comes in many forms – it comes from the so-called human rights bodies in the UN which would deny Israel its legitimate right of self-defense, it comes by falsely charging Israel’s political and military leaders with imaginary war crimes, and it comes by the outrageous waging campaigns to boycott, divest and sanction Israel. You are all familiar with that.

But I think that there is an even greater assault on our legitimacy. I think it is the attempt to perpetrate one of the greatest lies of history — to deny the connection between the people of Israel and the land of Israel; to cast the Jewish people as foreigners in the land of our forefathers. Make no mistake about it. The attempt to deny our history in this land is an attempt to deny our future in this land. That is why to defend our past is to defend our future.

I ask you all to join us in this battle to defend the truth. Remind them of Abraham and Isaac, remind them of Joshua and Samuel, remind them of David and Solomon. Remind the world that the land of the Bible is not in the heavens but right here on earth. And that the people of the Bible, are on the land of the Bible.

Let me tell you how I remind foreign officials of this connection of the Jewish people to our history and to this land. You see, they visit my office. And I say, Would you come and look at this little signet ring that I was given on loan from the Department of Antiquities? It was found next to the Wall of the Second Temple, but it dates back to the First Temple. It goes back some 2800 years ago, to the period of the Kings. It is a signet seal of a Jewish official, and it has a name written in ancient Hebrew, which I can read. The name is: Netanyahu. Netanyahu Ben-Yoash. I say, that’s my last name. My first name, Benjamin, dates back 1000 years earlier, to Benjamin the son of Jacob, who also walked these hills. That is our connection. And nobody can deny the connection of the Jewish people to the Jewish land.

Israel faces great challenges. We must prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We must repel the assault on our legitimacy. We must find a way to achieve peace with our neighbors. We must all pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

After centuries in exile, I have come here to assure you, the people of Israel have come home and no force on earth will ever make us leave our home again.

Of course the Obama administration could always attempt to impose a solution on Israel, however, given the above, I doubt that the US has the power or the influence to do so.

Previous post here.

Cross-post by Polycarp:-

The King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, has signed a bill into law legalizing abortion on demand for the first fourteen weeks of pregnancy.

The law, which was recently passed by the Spanish Congress and Senate, also declares abortion as a “right,” allows minors as young as 16 to obtain abortions without their parents’ consent, and requires abortionist and homosexualist education in the nation’s schools.

The king, a professed Catholic, ignored pleas from a number of theologians and pro-life activists to withhold his signature from the bill, which would have prevented it from being promulgated and applied

via the totally unbiased LifeSiteNews.com: ‘Catholic’ King of Spain Signs Abortion Bill into Law.

Internet link from the Catholic News Agency:-

Nearly one million Spaniards marched in cities across the country on March 7 defending the right to life of the unborn and demanding that the government revoke Spain’s new law on abortion recently passed by the Senate and signed by King Juan Carlos.

If you haven’t come across the Rev Fred Phelps of the US Westboro Baptist Church, then your life is all the better. To give you a hint, his website is called “GodHatesFags”.

Anyway, for those who do know about these despicable folk, you may be interested to know that the US Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the father of a fallen Marine can collect damages ($5m), from the Westboro Baptist Church, who picketed his son’s funeral with vulgar placards celebrating the death of American soldiers.

The predicament of course, is around the issue of freedom of speech. What implications on this freedom would a judgement in favour of the father have?

The issue of freedom of speech is such a double edged sword as always, and Heresy Corner articulates this issue more lucidly than I’m able:-

Heresy Corner:-

Interesting legal news from the US, where the Supreme Court has decided to hear the case of Snyder v Phelps. The Phelps in question is the Rev Fred Phelps, of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church whose USP is picketing military funerals with signs reading “God damn America”, “God Hates Fags”, and the like. Last year, you may remember, Jacqui Smith gave them some much-needed publicity by banning Phelps and other members of his family/congregation (the two are more or less the same) from Britain – after the Westies had expressed a desire to call down God’s wrath on the sinful people of Basingstoke.

Back in 2007, the Westies were sued by the father of a Marine killed in Iraq who had been offended by the sight of the placards at his son’s funeral. He told the court that he “became angry and tearful when he thought about the protest and that the memory of it had caused him to vomit.” The jury awarded him $10 million in damages for “intentionally inflicting emotional distress” – which makes you wonder about the low level of libel awards in Britain, doesn’t it? – a sum reduced by the judge to a mere five million. The Westies appealed – and won, on the grounds that they have a constitutional right to proclaim their hatred of gays, celebrities and US soldiers as loudly as they want.

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Can you believe this is the second most shared “news” item on the BBC website currently, and the fourth most popular read:-

It may not be immediately obvious to everyone, but one family are convinced they can see the face of Jesus on the lid of a jar of Marmite. Claire Allen, 36, said she was the first to notice the image on the underside of the lid as she was putting the yeast spread on her son’s toast.

I liked this comment  from Clair Allen:-

“People might think I’m nuts, but I like to think it’s Jesus looking out for us.

Indeed.

No wonder the general populace in general view us as “eccentric”, or as “oddities“.

Should the Reverend Frank Wainwright have apologised, and was this a “controversial comment” as highlighted in this Telegraph report.

Is it no longer prudent for Ministers to publicly declare that they believe Holy Matrimony is designed for a man and a woman, for fear of offence?

Finally, is it not striking that a short sermon from the “Shires” can become national news, especially if the talk dares drift into the issue of gay marriage?

Telegraph:-

A Catholic priest has apologised for joking during a sermon that true marriage can only be between Adam and Eve – not ”Adam and Steve”

Reverend Frank Wainwright, 48, a Deacon at St Gregory’s Church in Cheltenham, Glos., made the controversial comment during a Sunday service.

He was preaching on the theme of marriage when he claimed that same-sex civil partnerships are not considered as marriage by the Catholic church.

But his ”flippant joke” sparked five complaints from his congregation and has been branded as homophobic by gay and lesbian rights groups.

Rev Frank Wainwright, who lives in Cheltenham, Glos., apologised for causing any offence and claimed he is not ”homophobic”.

He said: ”The sermon was about marriage and I have no idea why all this has come up but someone has obviously complained.

”The comment is obviously not homophobic and it was just intended as a joke. My duty is to preach what the church preaches that marriage is between a man and a woman.

”I have plenty of gay friends and I have no problem at all with them but as a Catholic minister I must preach that marriage is between a man and woman and nothing else.

”I’m sure there are gay members of my congregation and I imagine it’s one of them who complained but it certainly wasn’t the thrust of my sermon.

”I can see why people are upset by the comment because it was flippant. I totally accept that I have caused offence and I am apologising for that.”

Rev Frank Wainwright delivered the 15-minute sermon on marriage at St Gregory’s Church on January 17 this year.

He told his 200-strong congregation: ”Sometimes in our families we have situations that either surprise us or are not ideal.

”For example if your 15-year-old daughter comes home and says ‘I’m pregnant’ even if it’s a shock and we disagree the first thing we should do to that person is hug them and let them know they are still family.

”Sometimes within the church we have to hold our heads above the parapet and say what we believe as Catholics and sometimes in saying that we will be marginalised and put down.

”For example, in adoption a child has a right to want a mother and father.

”That marriage is between a man and a woman and it’s a life-long commitment and usually only ended by death, as it was in the beginning and ever shall be.

”Marriage is between Adam and Eve – not Adam and Steve.”

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One day the “nationals” will pick up a positive story relating to a profound and deeply moving sermon….nah perhaps not.

Previous posts here, here, here and here.

Telegraph:-

Lilian Ladele’s situation does not raise legal points of “general public importance”, according to the highest court in the land.

She is now considering whether to try to take her case to the European Court of Human Rights, as she believes it shows that the right to religious conscience has been “trampled” by the rights of homosexuals.

It comes just days after senior bishops and peers warned that clergy could be sued if they refuse to perform civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples in church, as an amendment approved by the House of Lords now permits.

There were already fears that Christians enjoy less legal protection than minority groups after the Appeal Court ruled last month that British Airways had not discriminated against an employee by banning her from wearing a cross.

Miss Ladele, speaking via her lawyer, said: “I am naturally disappointed by the Supreme Court’s rejection of my application for appeal. I am actively discussing with my lawyers the possibility of an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

“When the rights of different groups clash, as they have in my case, surely there must be a proportionate attempt to balance those competing rights. In my case, one set of rights was trampled by another set of rights. That cannot be right in a free and democratic society. I believe my case raises important issues of liberty that deserve further consideration by the courts.”

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I’m sure there will be a fair amount of activity online as a result of this decision, and if there’s anything interesting I’ll post the link here.

Update: First out of the blocks is the Christian Institute, which is unsurprising as they are backing Ladele.

Next out of the blocks is PinkNews.

And now the British Humanist Association, who are rather pleased with the result as you can imagine.

I enjoyed reading this one:-

BBC

A British soldier has described how he picked up a Taliban hand grenade which landed at his feet and threw it back towards the enemy.

Rifleman James McKie was on a tiny rooftop in Sangin. He and two of his platoon could hear the bullets fired by the Taliban below bouncing off the roof.

The 29-year-old soldier had just finished firing back when the grenade thrown by the insurgents bounced off his platoon commander and landed just a foot away from him.

He heard a small pop, “like a fire-cracker,” before he saw the grenade land.

The young soldier, originally from New Zealand, made a split-second decision that was to save his life and those of his two comrades on that roof. He picked up the grenade, and threw it back.

“I saw the grenade, and my first thought was that I knew I had to get it away from us. And my second was ‘I hope this doesn’t hurt too much’,” he says, with a wry smile.

“As I picked it up, my thoughts were for the other guys with me – Capt Graeme Kerr and Rifleman Holtman. We had lost Cpl Green the day before.

“I didn’t want to go through that again, and I wasn’t prepared to see another guy from our platoon get hurt. I’d rather that it was myself than someone else. So I got my body behind the grenade and managed to throw it off.”

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For some unknown reason it reminded me of this one:-

A group of Somali pirates has been captured after attacking a French navy ship by mistake, apparently thinking it was a harmless cargo vessel.

Classic!