How far is too far?

Henry Potter poses some legitimate questions in this article, The right to offend. See how many agree with him.

Death penalty and religious belief

While reading Clive Smith’s article  The final act of Linda Carty’s tragedy in the Observer (in which he shows the potential of gross injustice in the case of the death sentencing) I could feel the anger boiling up in my veins at the injustice and inhumanity dished out under a justice system which still has this barbaric middle age practices, often inspired by faith in a vengeful God of the Old Testament. I am not an expert in the death penalty legislation (and it’s abolition in many parts of the world), but could I be wrong to think that societies with prevalence of ‘conservative’ religious belief, based on a literalistic reading of the sacred texts, are more likely to support death penalty legislation?

A disclaimer: this short post was written under the influence of anger

Can I add a post by email

Did you know with word press you can add a post by email. This is my try.

America through european eyes

Since recently I have been interacting with a number of people from over the ‘Pond’ I thought I would share this article.

Stephen Hill (an American journalist) wrote a very good piece in yesterday’s electronic edition of the Guardian in which he tries to show his American audience the background that gives rise to the bewilderment of many Europeans at the virulent opposition  by a large number of Americans to the health care reform in the USA. Here is what an Austrian tells Stephen:

“I don’t understand you Americans. You blow billions on a useless war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and billions more to bail out banks that nearly bankrupted the world economy, but you don’t ensure healthcare for your own people. Even Obama can’t make a difference. It’s as if your democracy doesn’t work any more.”

I am not sure that our American friends have the time or willingness to see why many of us here in Europe find it almost incredible that many Americans can’t notice that in pursuit for wealth and individualism the American society has lost it’s human soul. Many Americans probably see this European criticism as a sneer or a kind of ‘hard feeling’ towards America. But this is not true since most Europeans appreciate America and are in love with American ideals. Far from being enemies of America they actually are concerned and are afraid that American society is in danger of ripping itself apart and leaving all of us with our dreams and ideals shattered and in disarray.

Alpha Couse

Tonight my church starts an Alpha course and I will be going along as an helper/observer, even though I did not do Alpha myself. However as a theologian and practician I did engage with all the questions explored in the course. I remember that in the mid 1990s when Nicky Gumbel took over Alpha (I was at a Bible College at that time) I looked at the course with some sympathy but I also had some reservations, in particular about how it was ‘marketed’.

I have just finished Adam Rutherford’s last piece (11 posts in total) in the Guardian about his experience with Alfa course. Adam is a self declared atheist and I think he went along to Alpha with a specific agenda to discredit it, even though he does not seem to openly acknowledge this. Despite his disillusion with Alpha (and with Christianity) he seems to have taken one or two positive things from this course: it is more valuable to engage with and get to know people who hold different world-view than just opposing and shouting at them from an ivory tower.

Now it is my turn to assess Alpha in the flesh. One thing though I am sure about: I am not going to blog about it and about my experience. My personal opinion about Alpha: it might be a good way for some people to explore and even find their faith, and I would support the running of it, but I feel Alpha is just the beginning.

One of the commentators to Adam’s piece suggests an alternative course Living the Questions. I have come across some emails marketing this course, but I have not heard or seen any material (it appears to be a bit expensive to buy).

Griving with those that grieve

Today I attended a church service for those touched by suicide, at a local church, St Andrew’s in Deens, organised by the local hospital chaplaincy team with some of the local churches. The service was moving and touched some of the people present there. The first part of the service mentioned the process of grieving (with it’s 5 stages) then it lead the people to reflect on to the path of healing.

I think that this kind of ’services’ or events offer a great opportunity for the people in a community who are affected by loss to come together and not just support each other but also travel together through their hurt towards heling.

Healthcare: should it be run for profit or as a national service

Over the last two weeks I have been in conversations with some friends on a Romanian blog about American healthcare reform. Many of the commentators on the blog are Romanian immigrants in the USA and they seem to oppose Obama’s initiative to reform the system, in line to the conservative opposition. Just came across this video which might be of interest to some people.

Quote of the day – An Eschatological posibility for our universe

Keith Ward presenting a possible eschatological future for the universe from a Christian theistic perspective:

” This means that what we do in and to this universe has lasting consequence for the world to come. What we create and shape will be present, though transfigured by glory. What we destroy and frustrate will fail to be present as it could and should have been. In that sense, the future world will perhaps always bear the marks of the tragic, of the failure to be what should have been, of absence where there should have been presence, of pain never quite forgotten, even though transfigured by present joy. Nevertheless the goodness of that world will be overwhelming, and it will be the result of what took place in the ontogenesis of this world”.

Keith Ward, The Big Questions in Science and Religion, Templeton Foundation 2008, p. 52.

Discrimination and Racial Justice Sunday

This coming Sunday many churches in the UK will mark the Racial Justice Sunday, when we reflect on how our prejudices sometimes cause distress and pain to those that are different than us. I feel that too many churches don’t take this issue seriously enough. Minority ethnic people still face prejudice and discrimination, and many of them experience these in our churches. You can download resources for Racial Justice Sunday for free from CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland) website. (Just to say that I was part of the team that prepared this year’s resources, so you better use them!)

On a related issue: I wrote a post a while ago suggesting that a community radio station in Glasgow, radio Awaz, actively discriminates against Christians in Glasgow. The Sunday Times at the weekend published short article saying that Mahboob is calling for the cut in public funding on this radio station and he is now going to take his case to the European Parliament. I still think that Asian Christians (in particular those from Pakistan and Iran) suffer double discrimination in this country. This case though brings to the fore a religious dimension which complicates the issue.

I find it though puzzling that sometimes people who are discriminated against find it very easy to exclude and marginalise others.

‘The bible answer men’

Yvette Flunder on the “certainty” of faith! It sounds so true and very familiar to me and my faith journey even though I have not started as a Pentecostal fundamentalist, but as a Baptist Fundamentalist (and I remember being so proud of my ‘fundamentals’).