A foreward to its report ‘A New Inquisition: religious persecution in Britain today’ argues that prosecutors and police are interpreting laws in favour of ethnic and religious minorities. The report cites cases such as the prosecution and then dismissal of the case against Liverpool proprietors Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang. The couple were accused of religiously aggravated hate crime after discussing the relative merits of Christianity and Islam with a Muslim guest.

The report calls for a public enquiry into whether religion-based groups in the criminal justice system are driving a campaign of bias against the majority population defined as ‘white’ or ‘Christian’.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman has said the claims are ‘without foundation’.

Source: Daily Telegraph (19/7/2010)

Presumably Gateshead Council must have thought the girl should have had her religious freedom curtailed by the foster mother. They had claimed that the foster mother, who cannot be named, failed to ‘protect and preserve’ a teenage girl’s faith when she converted from Islam to Christianity.

The foster mother has now been exonerated by a court in Leeds.  The court decided that the 16-year-old was responsible for her own beliefs and decision to be baptised. The woman, who had previously fostered more than 80 children, had another child taken away from her, and lost her income and her house. She is now free to seek damages against the Council. I think she should!

Meanwhile, the administrator who’s been blamed for the woman’s trouble, is in trouble herself. Maggie Atkinson went on to become Children’s Commissioner for all of England. Officials are debating whether to eliminate her £138,000-a-year job for unrelated reasons.

Source: OpenHeaven

He went on to say that the Labour Party looked “ridiculous” for creating a culture which marginalised Christians. He said his party needed to apologise for the culture that saw nurses being attacked for wearing a cross.

I have only just heard about this but it seems Mr Burnham made the comments earlier this month in Methodist Central Hall at a hustings hosted by the Christian Socialist Movement. Speaking at the event, which all the Labour leadership candidates attended, Mr Burnham also said that the Party had recently “lost its way” in relations with the churches.

How sad that it is not until they have lost power that there are starting to wake up.

In contrast, right at the beginning of their term in office, the new government are singing a very different tune.

Earlier this month Government Minister Eric Pickles said Christians should not be “sidelined” for their faith. In an interview with the Sunday Express he said: “I am determined to ensure that Christians are not seen as some kind of strange sidelined religion.

“Religious tolerance is immensely important. Religion has a valued and important role in binding our society together and is a vital part of the cultural fabric of the English and British nations.

“Labour tried to force Britons to turn their back on faith and heritage in the name of political correctness.”

This sounds a great deal better. I will watch to see how this is worked out.

See Christian Institute.

Look what I got! Click on it to see it full size in all its horror.

Is this a ghost in my cup? A ghoul in my grounds? A demon in my mug? Should I have commanded it to be gone in Jesus name? Loudly in Sainsbury’s? I think he was winking at me. What do you think? What could his diabolical intent be?

It reminds me of an article someone showed me about a woman who roasted a chicken. When it was lifted, cooked, from the baking tray the remnants stuck to the tray was said to look like the face of Jesus. A neighbour gave her verdict, “I looked and it was Jesus all right!” Presumably she had seen Jesus before.

Well my foaming coffee looks like something from the Ghostbusters film.

Can’t see it? Oh you of little faith.

It tasted no different.

Oh no it is inside me now…

Being in the Lakes always means something extra to me as it was while living in Grasmere for a summer season that I became a Christian in 1975. I always feel I am returning to my Christian roots when I come here.

I have been on some great walks and trail runs. The run from Hawkeshead Hill around Tarn Hows and back is as good as it gets as far as I am concerned. It has enough variety to fill the senses. It was warm summer rain the first time I ran it which made it a bit slippery for my Asics road running shoes so I got a pair of Asics Lahar trail running shoes (on offer - nice). The Lahar are excellent with the same gel cushioning as a road running shoe but with very good tread. The Lahar are also waterproof (Gore-Tex lined) so running through wet grass does not soak the feet. I can recommend them. They should be good too for next winter as my “Nimbus” were too slippery for the snow last winter - couldn’t run for weeks!

The facilities at Hawkeshead Hill for a retreat are ideal. The accommodation is compact but enough for one (or for a couple as it has a double bed) and the prayer garden is so good for reading, praying and thinking.

At the foot of the garden is the old baptistery which has been in use since the 1700s. Water flows into it all the time with the water flowing out at the other end. When is is to be used it is rinsed out and a stone placed over the outlet to allow it to fill. I wonder how many believers have dedicated their lives to Jesus over the years by being baptised there?

But today it was raining so I mooched about the shops of Keswick. Many others had decided to do the same.

I was in an outdoor equipment and clothing shop and noticed a couple doing something odd. I tried not to stare. It took me a while to work out what they were doing, he would hold a small rucksack while she would hold next to it (for a brief moment) a waterproof jacket. Then another, then another. How odd.

And then I understood. She was seeing if the colours of the jacket and the rucksack went together!

I didn’t know people did that. Who cares about fashion up a mountain? Is it me out of step?

Men, don’t you just hate it when women say that? There is no way to answer that correctly.

So I decided I could play that game too. I said, “Can you notice something about me that is different, something I am wearing?” She looked and looked. She took her time and eventually said she did not know.

“I am wearing an invisible hat,” I said, “does it suit me?”

She won’t try that again in a hurry!

I am not complaining though, I think it is a wonderful sound. A downside though is that once it wakes me up, it can then stop me getting off to sleep again.

I have often intended to record the dawn chorus from our home but have never got round to it. We live with many trees around us so it a good one, and the blackbird recently has been sounding great.

If you don’t have a dawn chorus near you you can try Birdsong radio. It is great. There are those moment when it is just the thing for relaxing. I had it on in the office yesterday.

This is the birdsong radio I prefer as the sound player on the other one does not seem to work with my machine.

Powered by Birdsong Radio

Buying abortion is not like buying toothpaste. It is a serious surgical procedure that impacts upon the mental health of the patient with many suffering from some sort of depression afterwards.

According to one study, women who had had abortions had twice the level of mental health problems and three times the risk of major depressive illness as those who had given birth or had never been pregnant. This study caused the American Psychological Association to withdraw their previous official statement denying a link between abortion and psychological harm. These serious consequences were not hinted at in the advert.

Even those selling financial services have to have a ’small print’ statement.

Abortion is not a simple solution to a late period.

I know that Marie Stopes is an abortion agency, yet abortion was never mentioned in the advert. Marie Stopes in its own press release is presenting it as a commercial for abortion services. A vulnerable person could turn to them for advice regarding their late period without realizing that they are turning to an agency that sells abortions. I think the advert was deceiving.

To see some of my previous posts re abortion just put ‘abortion’ in the search window.

On Saturday 22nd May they left Iran and arrived safely in another country.

Maryam and Marzieh have sent a message of thanks to Christians who have been praying for them. “We are most grateful to everyone who prayed for us,” Marzieh said, “I have no doubt that God heard the prayers of His people.” Maryam added, “I believe our arrest, imprisonment and subsequent release were in the timing and plan of God, and it was all for His glory. But the prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal.”

How awful for the Christians that remain there and are not allowed freedom to serve the risen Jesus.