Displaying items by tag: Law

Theresa Villiers MP asked Sajid Javid, ‘Now that thousands of people are allowed to gather together at a football match to shout and cheer as much as they want, is it not time that we allowed congregations in church to sing hymns together?’ The new health secretary replied, ‘I can tell you that that is certainly what I would like to see; it is my intention to allow that to happen as soon as possible. When it does, I hope we can sing a hymn together.’ During the debate, one exasperated comment was, ‘As a member of the parliament choir, I want to meet with other members in a socially respectable way to sing the music that inspires us and to lead our lives as close to normality as we can. What we want is a road map and a timescale.’

Government proposals to ban all forms of conversion therapy for LGBT people could ‘restrict individual freedom’ and ‘criminalise Christians and common church activities’, said Peter Lynas, director of the Evangelical Alliance. A public petition to make the practice illegal in the UK, which gained more than 250,000 signatures, was debated in the House of Commons last week. The equalities minister said that the Government was committed to outlawing the ‘abhorrent’ practice, and would shortly be bringing forward plans to do so. Mr Lynas argues that, while electro-shock treatment and corrective rape should be ended, the lack of a clear definition of conversion therapy by the Government was challenging: ‘Many lobbying for change are seeking an expansive definition that we could not support.’ Current proposals could restrict individual freedom and impinge on essential religious liberty, potentially criminalising Christians and common church activities. 

In recent years, Algeria, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, among others, have distributed hundreds of millions of euros to finance the spread of Islam in Europe. On March 9, the Danish Parliament voted 79 to 7 to approve a new law banning foreign governments from financing mosques in Denmark. The measure is aimed at preventing Muslim countries from promoting Islamic extremism in Danish mosques and prayer facilities. Denmark joins a growing list of European countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland - which have taken varying degrees of action to prevent foreign governments from financing the construction and upkeep of mosques on their territories. Denmark's legislation, sponsored by the ministry of foreign affairs, came into force on 15 March.

Mary, a former resident of Marianvale Home for mothers and babies in Newry, said, ‘My baby was taken from me. We have been asking the Executive to set up an inquiry for years. Ministers have brushed us aside.’ Her statement echoes the cry of women and babies in near-identical institutions who suffered arbitrary detention, forced labour, ill-treatment, and the removal and forced adoption of their babies. These criminal acts were carried out by both Catholic and Protestant churches and organisations. They enforced a regime of praying, knitting and scrubbing floors. Women were treated as prisoners, not expectant mothers. There were over a dozen of these institutions, where 7,500 women and girls gave birth. The last one closed in the 1990s. Two UN committees have recommended that the government should establish an inquiry into these abuses.

The following is based on prayers by Suzanne Ferrett. God is changing the face of the Church and resetting society values. Pray that across our nation, every shift and change which is taking place will move us closer to the way He created us to live, aligning the lives of individuals, families, and communities with His heart, His values and the plans within His word. For those changes to last beyond the limits of our current lockdown, forming a new foundation on which society will rebuild. God is re-aligning this nation. Pray for righteousness, justice, honesty, truth, mercy, godly discernment, and divine wisdom to be the foundations upon which this nation will build. Pray also for the Lordship and Sovereign will of God over all trading negotiations taking place, so that this nation will be aligned and connected for trade according to God’s design. May the complexities of new arrangements be understood and smoothed.

The Tory MP for Loughborough asked Mr Johnson during PMQ: ‘Local church leaders have contacted me about access to churches for services, to help tackle loneliness. Please could I ask that religious faiths be allowed to let people into their places of worship, observing social distancing within their premises, and that wedding venues be allowed access for bookings?’ The Prime Minister said he understood the urgency many people feel about the need to reopen places of worship, but highlighted the risks it could cause to the public if done prematurely. ‘We are not there yet. It is vital that the people of this country understand the continued need to push down on the infection rate.’

Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis has been warned by campaign group Right to Life that if the government introduces abortion that surpasses what is legally required, the group will take legal action. The current proposals would allow abortions on demand for any reason up to either 22 or 24 weeks, but abortions for disabilities, including Down's syndrome and cleft lip, would be available up to birth. A poll has shown that 58% of Sinn Féin voters and 54% of DUP voters want their country’s new abortion laws to allow a termination only when the mother’s life is at risk. Only 5% of all voters support introducing abortion through the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, as outlined in the proposed framework.

Jack’s law gives working parents who suffer the loss of a child two weeks of paid leave. But while it offers a cushion for the immediate loss, many believe it is not long enough and might even backfire. Carrie, who lost her baby to brain cancer, said, ‘I had to put on a false face, which was exhausting. All sorts of things triggered my grief during the day. As a parent who has lost a child, you never stop grieving. I am concerned that these two weeks will be seen as the official and “correct” amount of time that people need to get over their loss. Nobody can complete grieving within two weeks. Parents will still be arranging a funeral. It is only after that they can begin to grieve. While I appreciate the cost of providing any leave, further support needs to be available once parents return to work, much as it is on return from illness.’

Islamic scholar and Christian Dr Antony McRoy said that there is something wrong in the basic philosophy of de-radicalisation programmes for terrorists; the London Bridge killings by Usman Khan are evidence of that. McRoy says that we are treating them as criminal offenders like serial car thieves or bank robbers, but we need to think a bit more like serial murderers or serial sex offenders who obviously have got something psychologically wrong with them. ‘But it's even more complex than that. These people are motivated by an ideology which says that the infidel, anti-Islamic West, is basically an agent of Satan, oppressing the Muslim world.’ He argues that the governments putting these programmes together represent a regime that its participants cannot get behind. ‘The people it is supposed to address are not going to take it seriously. These schemes cannot be effective without the supernatural intervention of God’ - like the transformation of the apostle Paul.

Homelessness is not a crime. The 1824 Vagrancy Act, which makes rough sleeping and begging illegal in England, is needlessly pushing vulnerable people further from help, according to a report from Crisis. The Government is reviewing the act as part of its rough sleeping strategy. Leading figures from across the political spectrum and the police, including former Met Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe, have called for the repeal of the act, branding it out of date, inhumane and unfit to deal with the modern challenges of addressing rough sleeping and begging. Although some changes came into force on 7 November and further changes are being considered, this outdated and damaging act has not been repealed. Please pray for it to be completely abolished, and soon. See