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Christian Concern - Christian Weekly News. Every Friday Christian Concern will bring you stories of fundamental significance to Christians and our Nation. To equip you to pray and act. To put the hope of Christ at the centre of our Nation. Please visit our website at: www.christianconcern.com Christian Concern is pleased to be leading the Not Ashamed initiative. In this edition: Action Alert: Civil Partnerships in churches Reaction to BBC assisted suicide programme Other campaign actions needed Awake, Arise at your church? Family conference Action Alert: Respond to Government Consultation on Civil Partnerships in Church Christian Concern has responded to an Equalities Office consultation on whether to allow Civil Partnership registrations to take place on religious premises. We strongly oppose such a move. Please see our consultation response here. Action: You can take part in the consultation here and let the government know your views on the proposed new policy. Our consultation response provides some helpful information. In particular, please emphasise that: Marriage is a unique institution between a man and a woman which provides the perfect setting for raising children. Homosexual unions cannot be compared to marriage and do not provide a child with a mother and a father, which is in the child’s best interests. Attempts to promote homosexual unions as comparable to heterosexual marriages will undermine marriage, the family and society. Although the consent of faith groups for registrations on their premises is required under the proposed reforms, this may not be retained in the future given the current push for the implementation of full homosexual ‘marriage’ and the increasing protection being afforded to homosexual rights under the Equality Act by the Judiciary. Permission often leads to coercion. The promotion of sexual orientation rights through the Equality Act and in other ways has led to a dramatic curtailment of freedom of belief in the UK, and this needs to be reversed. Big Reaction to BBC Assisted Suicide programme Newsnight debate on assisted suicide (selected highlights) Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali comments on the Today programme Dr Peter Saunders expresses his concern on the Vanessa Feltz show There has been a big reaction to the BBC 2 screening of a man taking his own life. This was the first time an assisted suicide has been shown on terrestrial television. Approximately 900 people complained to the BBC and many of these were Christian Concern supporters. Thank you for standing with us on this important issue. Members of the House of Lords have also complained following the screening. Christian Concern: Peers join critics of Assisted Suicide programme Christian Concern: BBC plan to screen an assisted suicide The BBC are now pushing ahead with another documentary, called'A Living Death', which will question the viability of long term care for those in ‘low-awareness states’. ACTION: Please keep the pressure on. Please contact the following Ministers and ask them to stop the continued promotion of assisted suicide by the BBC. Andrew Lansley - Secretary of State for Health mb-sofs@dh.gsi.gov.uk Paul Burstow - Minister of State (Care for the Elderly, Dementia etc.) mscs@dh.gsi.gov.uk Anne Milton - Minister of State Public Health (Ethics) publichealth.minister@dh.gsi.gov.uk Jeremy Hunt - Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport enquiries@culture.gov.uk Please communicate that Terry Pratchett’s documentary should not have been shown because: As the UK's public broadcaster, the BBC has a duty to be impartial. This film, backed by the celebrity endorsement of Terry Pratchett, romanticises, glamourises and idealises assisted suicide. It is not an accurate portrayal, is one-sided and shows the BBC as a cheerleader for assisted suicide; The airing of this film breached both BBC Guidelines and the World Health Organisation Guidelines on portraying assisted suicide and is therefore reckless and irresponsible; This film disguised the impact of assisted suicide and runs the real danger of encouraging further suicides amongst those who are sick, elderly or disabled, documented as the Werther effect, suicide contagion, or copycat suicide, which is well recognised in the medical literature. Further Campaign Actions Please see these further actions that can be taken to support our campaigns: ‘Equal and Free’: Please contact the House of Lords to support Baroness Cox’s Bill here. ‘Right to Know’: Use the online facility here to encourage your MP to back steps to ensure that women considering abortion have access to independent counselling and advice. ‘Equalities and Conscience petition’: Encourage others to sign this petition, calling on the government to address the growing challenges to the exercise of Christian conscience in our nation. Download petition sheets here. Awake, Arise - at your church soon? Equipping the church to engage with society Our local ‘Awake, Arise’ conferences have been well received. We seek to empower Christians with the framework and practical tools to respond with the love and truth of Christ to the challenges that our society faces. We’re now taking bookings for Autumn 2011 and Spring 2012. Would your church be interested in holding an event? We can guide you through the process. For more information, please contact us here. Awake Arise – Families Conference, 2nd July Religious Freedom Christian Today: Restoring the balance of rights in the UK Telegraph: Christian sacked after abortion leaflet row Daily Mail: California School District cancels fundraiser selling memorial bricks after two women submit their tributes with Bible verses printed on them Family & Social Guardian: Internet porn regulation: Coalition 'suppressed Ofcom report' Daily Mail: The classes where children as young as THREE learn to pole dance Daily Mail: Equalities office where women earn 8% more than men AlphaGalileo: Teens look to parents more than friends for sexual role models Guardian: BBC1 boss: EastEnders' Dot is an example of an ordinary Christian on TV Guardian: Hit songwriter takes a pop at sex-driven imagery Daily Mail: Mother outraged after middle school children forced to take 'oral sex' survey ADF: Married to marriage: 62% of Americans say it’s one man, one woman, nothing else Abortion BBC News: Concern over morning-after pill scheme in Wales Irish Times: Expert group to ascertain if abortion law changes needed European Life Network: New Threat to Ireland's Pro Life position from Council of Europe John Smeaton (blog): Polish women are standing up for a total abortion ban Religion Law Blog: Whether its Murder or Your Right to Choose depends of when you do it Life Site News: New Zealand gov’t facing charge of genocide for Down’s testing scheme Life News: Chile a Model for How America Can be Pro-Life on Abortion Life News: North Carolina Becomes Third State to De-Fund Planned Parenthood End of Life Terry Pratchett documentary on BBC 2 Andrea's Blog: Assisted Suicide on the BBC - A New Low Christian Concern: Do we really want agents of death in Britain? BBC Radio 5Live: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali debates on assisted suicide Peter Saunders (blog): Twenty facts we did not learn from Terry Pratchett’s BBC ‘documentary’ on assisted suicide in Europe Daily Mail: Anti-euthanasia backlash hits BBC after 900 viewers complain about Terry Pratchett documentary showing death at Dignitas Telegraph: BBC flooded with complaints over Choosing to Die documentary Christian Today: BBC under fire for showing assisted suicide Telegraph: Why is the BBC so keen on people topping themselves? Guardian: Choosing to die misses the depth of life Independent: Dominic Lawson: Why the disabled fear assisted suicide Daily Mail: I'm terminally ill... and this saccharine portrayal of assisted suicide appals me Telegraph: Sir Terry Pratchett defends BBC assisted suicide film amid backlash Other headlines Life Site News: We must fight to maintain a total ban on assisted suicide and euthanasia Peter Saunders (blog): New BBC Radio Four Programme - Are we in for more bludgeoning of disabled people? Peter Saunders (blog): Papageno and Werther effects – public policy lessons for the prevention of suicide Peter Saunders (blog): Using organs from euthanasia victims now an established procedure in Brave New Belgium Sexual Orientation Andrea's Blog: Homosexuals can change - let’s speak the Truth in Love Christian Concern: French National Assembly rejects homosexual marriage U.TV: Group defends 'gay therapy' amid protest U.TV: Protest against ‘gay therapy’ event Belfast Telegraph: Row over 'gay conversion' conference held at church BBC News: Protesters picket NI 'gay cure' event Evening Standard: Gay couples urged to become foster parents to halt care crisis Daily Mail: EastEnders sparks uproar with gay bedroom scene before the watershed Life Site News: No white flags here: Defending true marriage CNN: Super Bowl hero warns of 'anarchy' if NY approves gay marriage Anglican Mainstream: Graphic homosexual sex flier given to kids at state-supported “youth pride” event Islam The Times (£): Are Sharia courts depriving women of their legal rights? Lapido Media: Top Muslim women’s advocate backs Cox’s Equality Bill Telegraph: Police 'covered up' violent campaign to turn London area 'Islamic' Telegraph: Islamophobic crime fell in London last year – MCB spins the opposite Telegraph (blog): Extremist IFE sponsors a man who "calls Jews 'germs' and 'monkeys'" The National: British tourist fined for insulting Islam in shop AP: NY congressman to examine violent Islam in prison International Persecution ICC: Prisoner for Christ; An Iranian Christian Rejoices in Suffering Daily Express: Christians fear for their lives in Arab spring The National: Arab Spring is 'threat to Christians' says UK Archbishop Christian Today: Call for Bible ban in Pakistan concerns Christians Eternal Perspective Ministries: Horrors in Sudan: an Urgent Plea for Prayer from Make Way Partners Christian Today: Warning to Western churches after al-Qaeda call to attack sacred places Events Awake, Arise – Special Focus: Islam Date: Friday, 17th June 2011 - Sunday, 19th June 2011 Understanding and Engaging with Islam Location: Hoddeson, Herefordshire Main Speakers: Jay Smith and Sam Solomon For more details and to book a place, visit this page. 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