Tuesday 16 February 2016

Blasphemous Play

Back in November 2015 a blasphemous production was shown as part of the Queer Arts Festival in Belfast.
Below is the content of correspondence sent to the five public bodies that funded this vile event. 

We write on behalf of the Government and Morals Committee of the Free Presbyterian Church to express our outrage that public money has been used to fund a blasphemy against our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Committee felt it needed to express protest at the blasphemy in the play, "The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven" performed on November 15 at the Outburst Queer Arts Festival in Belfast. In this play the Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed as a transsexual. The preview of the play on the Outburst festival website described how in the play there is a "revolutionary queer ritual in which bread is shared, wine is drunk and familiar stories are re-imagined by a transgender Jesus."

The Bible reveals Christ as the "King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s" and the eternal "Son of God" and the title "Queen of Heaven" is only used in the Bible in the book of Jeremiah to describe a heathen goddess whom God condemned.

Furthermore the Bible teaches that homosexuality and transgender activities are sinful. Among those that 1Corinthians 6:9-10 informs us shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven unless they repent are the “effeminate” and the word is almost certainly a reference to homosexual prostitutes who dressed as women.

We do know that God has made us male and female in his own image. In Genesis 1:26, the Bible says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Maleness and femaleness are God’s choice, determined at conception. This may not be politically correct but this is the historic teaching of Christianity. Therefore Jo Clifford the playwright must have known that his play would cause offence. Indeed it would be our belief, although we know that the playwright denies it that the play was written with the intention of causing offence. It has certainly done that because many evangelical Christians and others from other communities have been outraged at this play.

Your organization/department has been involved in funding this play. Did you know beforehand that this play was part of what you were funding?

If you did not, would due diligence not have obliged you to have found out?

Under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act public bodies have obligations relating to promoting good relations between people of different religious beliefs, ethnic origins, and political opinions.

Surely funding the LGBT lobby to portray the Son of God as something other than who He is does nothing to promote good relations. Indeed we contend that you have funded the LGBT lobby to make a mockery of Christ.

Christians do not react as some Muslims do to such a blasphemy (ie with violence) but does that mean we are fair game?

We feel the mockery of our Saviour just as much as they do their revered figures, but we are not a violent people. However we do demand that government and government funded organisations do not facilitate and promote attacks upon our Saviour.

I think the least that should be done is that funding to this festival be reviewed and that they be asked to repay the money they were given to produce and promote something of deep offence to Christians.

Yours Faithfully

David McLaughlin (Rev)
Gordon Dane (Rev)

Thursday 11 February 2016

No to Abortion changes!

We welcome the outcome of yesterday's debate within the Northern Ireland Assembly that no change will be made to the current abortion law in Northern Ireland.
We commend each MLA who voted against it.

Below is a report by the Christian Institute:

The Christian Institute has welcomed as ‘heartening’ Stormont’s refusal to weaken legal protections for the unborn in Northern Ireland.
Late last night MLAs voted 59 to 40 against amending legislation to allow abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. They voted 64 to 32 against allowing abortion in cases of sexual crime.
During the debate, politicians from different parties expressed concern about the proposals.

‘Abortion on demand’

DUP MLA Emma Pengelly said medics had advised that there is no such term as “fatal foetal abnormality”, a point echoed by SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly.
Kelly also warned that changing the law in this way could pave the way for “abortion on demand”.
Abortion is not good healthcare for women Callum Webster
Before the debate, Attorney General John Larkin QC raised concerns that changing the law in this way could breach obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Vital protection

The DUP has asked the Health Minister Simon Hamilton to set up a working group to look into the issues raised by severely life-limiting disabilities.
The Christian Institute’s Northern Ireland Officer Callum Webster said that the existing law, permitting abortion only when the mother’s life is at risk, is a vital protection for women.
“It is heartening that the majority of MLAs have voted to uphold the sanctity of life today at Stormont. There has been a media campaign to undermine the legal protections afforded to our unborn children, but thankfully politicians have resisted that co-ordinated pressure.

Overwhelming opposition

“Abortion is not good healthcare for women. Instead we need to look at improving perinatal hospice care provision for babies with very limited life expectancies”.
Mr Webster added: “The Government’s own consultation last year showed that the public overwhelmingly opposes weaker abortion legislation – in fact less than one per cent favoured changing the law.
“The Assembly has stood up for the people of the Province and against those who wish to sell abortion as a positive choice whilst devaluing the lives of the most vulnerable in our society.

Lasting trauma

“I have had the privilege of meeting many women who have a different story to tell about abortion than the one popularised by the pro-abortion activists.
“Women like Lesley McAskie who was raped at 13 years old. A truly horrific experience but one made even worse by the lasting trauma of aborting her child.
“Women like the late Hilary McDowell – born with multiple disabilities and given a life expectancy of just 3 weeks – who went on to become a highly successful writer and broadcaster.

‘Precious hour’

“Women like Charlene McCabe, whose little girl Myla had Edwards Syndrome, a severe genetic disorder that would have been covered by these amendments. She told me that the time she had with Myla was the most precious hour and 55 minutes of her life – time she would never forget.”
“We know doctors are not infallible and they know that themselves. I have spoken to a couple right here in Northern Ireland who were told their son had a fatal foetal abnormality and were pressured to abort. The diagnosis was completely inaccurate.
“And what about the voice of the unborn? The children whose lives are on the line because someone decides that their life is not worth living. I was able to meet Gary, conceived through the awful trauma of rape but whose mother refused to abort him – a decision for which he is grateful beyond words.
“And these are just a few examples. Today, these people, and many more like them, can take comfort in the knowledge that their voices have been heard and that people like them are recognised for their value as human beings and for the incredible contribution they make to society.”

http://www.christian.org.uk/news/mlas-block-push-to-weaken-protections-for-unborn/

Tuesday 9 February 2016

Proposed amendments to the Justice (no 2) Bill
In 2015 the Department of Justice held a consultation regarding the criminal law on abortion. 
This focused on two aspects - Lethal foetal abnormality and sexual crime. The response was reported as follows -  
• There were 712 individually written responses. 579 of these opposed change, 133 supported change;
• There were 65 responses from representative organisations and interested groups.
47 of these supported change, 18 were against;
• there were 921 letters opposing change written in support of seven lobby campaigns which may have been organised by individual churches or faith groups;
• There were 23,622 petition signatures opposing change. The petition, called Project Love, was organised by Every Life Counts Ireland. It was made up of 18,000 postcards, delivered to the Department by Precious Life; a further 2,197 sent directly to the Department and 3,425 signatures to the electronic version of the petition on a website called CitizenGo.org.

Despite the overwhelming public opposition, at the end of last month proposed amendments were made by the Alliance party and the Green party to implement these changes to the Justice Bill.
It seems they are intent on riding roughshod over the views of the people to fulfil their own liberal agenda.

While we acknowledge the pain and the trauma of both parents and the women involved in each of these cases, the Bible teaches us that every life is important before God. David could say in-
Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works;”

It is our Christian duty in obedience to the commands of God to preserve life and not to end it.
Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill. 

If a child develops cancer or some handicap then both the parents and the medical profession will rightly do all that they can to preserve the life of their child and provide the best level of care that is possible, why should this be different if the child is still in the womb?

Why should we as a society make such excellent provision for those who are disabled to integrate into normal life and at the same time end the lives of those whom we fear may be born disabled?

The amendment states-
(a) a pregnancy is terminated by a registered medical practitioner where a diagnosis has been made of a foetal abnormality which is likely to prove fatal, and
(b) the diagnosis was made by two suitably qualified registered medical practitioners who are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that—
(i) the condition of the foetus is likely to cause death either before birth, or during birth, or, (ii) if a live birth should occur, there is no medical treatment which could be offered to alter the fatal nature of the condition or improve the chances of survival.

What if the medical Practitioner gets it wrong?
They did in the case of Dale Eakin –
Remember - one of main arguments for the abolition of capital punishment was the risk of an innocent person being executed.

Who defines the scope of “a foetal abnormality which is likely to prove fatal”?
 According to the Department of Health abortion statistics for England and Wales in 2014-
3,099 abortions (2%) were carried out under ground E (risk that the child would be born handicapped).  
When those figures are broken down 662 abortions were due to an assumed diagnosis of Downs syndrome, others for spina bifida, cleft lip and cleft palate.

 In the case of Rape-
 Rape is a crime, as is incest and yet why should the innocent unborn child be the one to suffer. The child is as much a victim as the mother; the taking of the life of the child only compounds the damage that has been done.
One victim made the comment that the birth of the child was the only light to come out of such a dark event. Another woman who had suffered this terrible crime made the comment that she had got over the rape but not the abortion.  
Figures released by the Rape Crisis Network Ireland in 2013 showed that in 90 cases of pregnancy through rape only 17 women and girls chose to have a termination. In the 2014 report, 40% of those who became pregnant went on to give birth and parent their children.

Dangers of abortion.
Abortion for many has left them suffering from depression and a sense of guilt that they may never get over. This is confirmed by a number of studies- 
· A study in Finland revealed a six-fold increased rate of deaths from suicide among aborting women. (BMJ 1996; 313:1431-1434)
· A study conducted in Wales on 408,000 women between 1991 and 1995; found that women who had induced abortions were 225 percent more likely to commit suicide than women admitted for normal delivery. (BMJ 1997; 314:902)
There is also the risk associated with future pregnancies after induced abortion to be considered as well.

Regardless of the liberal agenda within society, if we depart from the laws of God then it will be to the detriment of our land. 

Therefore we urge that the abortion Law in Northern Ireland remain as it is.
The Lord Jesus Christ said regarding the children-
Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.



Saturday 6 February 2016

Latest turn in the Ashers Baking Company case!

Reported in the Belfast Newsletter 3/2/16


A high profile appeal by Christian bakers who were found to have discriminated against a gay customer has been dramatically halted to facilitate an intervention by Northern Ireland’s top legal adviser.

Attorney General John Larkin QC has made a last-minute request to make representation in the case about any potential conflict between the region’s equality legislation and European human rights laws.

The McArthur family’s refusal to bake the customer’s order for a cake bearing a pro-gay marriage slogan was ruled unlawful last year.
Northern Ireland’s Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said: “It is most unfortunate this issue has arisen only two days before this hearing.
“Although we have all tried to see if we could proceed with the case given the amount of work that has been done.
“It seems to us that it is simply not possible to do that without running into some risk of fairness in the hearing.
“We are not going to proceed with the hearing today.”
Gay rights activist Gareth Lee, a member of LGBT advocacy group Queer Space, had wanted a cake featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie with the slogan Support Gay Marriage for a private function marking International Day Against Homophobia in May 2014.

He paid in full when placing the order at Ashers’ Belfast branch, but two days later the company phoned to say it could not be processed.
The high-profile case was heard over three days last March.
Delivering her reserved judgment two months later, District Judge Isobel Brownlie found Ashers directly discriminated against Mr Lee who had been treated “less favourably”, contrary to the law.
Ordering the bakers to pay agreed damages of £500, the judge said religious beliefs could not dictate the law.

The Northern Ireland Equality Commission, which monitors compliance with the region’s anti-discrimination laws, took the landmark legal action on behalf of Mr Lee.
Mr McArthur said the bakery treated Mr Lee like any other customer.
The appeal, which has been adjourned until May, was being heard before three of Northern Ireland’s most senior judges.
Afterwards, Dr Michael Wardlow - chief commissioner with the Equality Commission, expressed disappointment at the delay.
He said: “We came here today for this very important case and we were looking forward to hearing the arguments.

“We are very disappointed that at this very late stage another argument has come in and that has to be resolved.
The reality is it could take months.”
Throughout the brief hearing Mr Lee sat in the front row of the public gallery beside representatives of the Equality Commission.
Three rows behind were Ashers directors Karen and Colin McArthur with their son, the firm’s general manager Daniel McArthur, and his wife Amy, plus Simon Calvert from the Christian Institute, which has garnered public support and financial backing for the bakers.
Also in court were Democratic Unionist MLAs Paul Givan and Edwin Poots, a former Stormont health minister.

Much of the hearing was dominated by complex legal argument around how the so-called “devolution issue” could be handled.
Robin Allen QC, representing the Equality Commission, said it was up to the court to decide whether to “salami slice” proceedings.
He added: “I dive into these waters with some degree of trepidation.”
However, Sir Declan Morgan said there was a danger of “losing track” of the argument if the case was split in two with any arguments from the Attorney General being heard at a later stage.
He added: “We all have life jackets on.”

Outside the court, Mr Calvert spoke on behalf of the McArthur family.
He said: “The court has adjourned the hearing essentially because of the importance of the issues at stake. The Attorney General has raised a number of issues. We were neutral as to whether those issues came in but the court wants to hear them.
“It just confirms that this is a really important case and the court and all the parties want to make sure all the issues are properly rehearsed in court and we will be back on May 9 to do that.”
The hearing has been adjourned.