On 26 January 2015, Rev. Libby Lane was ordained as the first female Bishop in the Church of England at a ceremony in York Minster.
Share your thoughts and ideas on this major change in policy here.
On 15 July 2014, the governing body of the Church of England voted to approve qualified women to become bishops. On 26 January 2015, Rev. Libby Lane was ordained as the first female Bishop in the Church of England at a ceremony in York Minster. Share your thoughts and ideas on this major change in policy here.
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Here Hartley Harris writes a review of the Young Atheist's Handbook This book is an account of one person's struggle to free himself from the shackles of the closed-mindedness of religion. It is the tale of how one comes to lose God. Alom Shaha describes his development from a child in a Muslim family to becoming an atheist adult. This book isn't about deep theology or philosophy, although there are references to such work, but it is more so a personal account of how he came to the point of being able to call himself an ex-Muslim. He addresses the contradictions of culture, faith and morality, and evokes the challenge of separating them in a world which often assumes they must go together. Shaha is open about the difficulties and freedoms that describing oneself as an atheist brings. The stories from the author's childhood held my interest, and gave an engaging framework on which to pin the explanatory content. He covers the main arguments for atheism while putting them into the context of his own Muslim upbringing. It is especially intresting that the author comes from a Muslim background but grew up in a Christian environment. This offers him some interesting vantage points. For example, the anti Muslim standpoint prevalent in the west since 9/11 is thoughtfully discussed. I didn't realise that the Koran, being written in Arabic, was indecipherable to the vast majority of those who hope to use it. Shaha explains how he came to the realisation that there is no place for God in a rational person's view of the world. He does not preach, but gently explains how he came to think and behave the way he now does. The book was intellectually engaging, but felt somewhat basic. While it doesn't really hold anything new for a non-believer, basic arguments are covered for someone considering their position on matters of personal faith. This is very much a humanist book, not an atheist one. You can find out more about Humanism by clicking here for 4 short animations narrated by Stephen Fry. While I didn't agree with all the views Shaha expressed, it did not detract from the book. Overall, I see it as a steppingstone to deeper works like that of Richard Dawkins. A six-month Guardian multimedia investigation has, for the first time, tracked how some of the world's big-supermakets, Tesco, Aldi, Walmart and Morrisons, are using suppliers relying on slave labour to put cheap prawns on their shelves. Slavery is back and here's the proof. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch Click below to watch the film which includes interviews and animation which tells the story of these modern day slaves. Warning: some may find elements of this film distressing. • More on this story: trafficked into slavery on Thai trawlers To find out more about the issues surrounding modern day slavery, check out the charity Anti Slavery who havelots of actions you can do. Here are the resources we discussed in our recent lessons. You may wish to use them in preparation for your exam. These resources will be useful for Full Course Religion and Life Issues, as part of the topic on Equality and Prejudice. This is also part of the Year 9 Course on Humanity and Ethical Issues today.
Against all Odds: the Game which gets you to think about what it means to be a refugee To go over the keywords and facts about Asylum, have a look at the website from the London based charity, the Refugee Council Read the article 'Sudanese pregnant mother sentenced to death for ‘apostasy’' which was published on 14 May, 2014. What, if anything, should the international community do, if international laws regarding Freedom of Religion and The Right to Family Life, conflict with one community's interpretation of religious laws? Click here for some excellent revision resources including revision notes AND revision crosswords. If you have suggestions for other revision sites, click comment and leave a link to them. Check our @aldenhamRS on twitter for more resources and ideas to help you. Read this article
about the use of drones during combat operations. What do you think? should combat be 'hand to hand'? Or should we be able to fight 'remotely'? What implications does drone warfare have? Read the article about Cameron’s article in the Church Times and the Humanist letter in response, published in the Telegraph. Write a thoughtful paragraph in response to the article, letter and the comments which have been posted. Write in word first and then proof-read your comments. Use imaginative vocabulary and think carefully about what you write, before you copy and post your article for approval into the comments section. In a debate about Immigration, with whom do you agree? Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, or Nigel Farage, Leader of the UK Independence Party? Click here for more details and to watch clips of the live debate, which aired on television on 26 March 2014.
What are your opinions about people coming to the UK? Should immigration be more tightly regulated? Why? What benefits do immigrants bring to the UK? Pope Francis: has his revolution even started? One year on, everyone agrees Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air for the Catholic church, but there is less clarity over who he really is. Is he liberal or conservative – or is he something altogether more unpredictable? Have a read of Paul Vallely's opinion piece in the Guardian about the Pope and his work so far. What do you think are the good things about the current Pope? What are his weaknesses? As always, we look forward to hearing your views. Forced Marriage: Warning to Schools and a Pakistani Refuge rescuing UK girls from forced marriage3/3/2014 Read these two articles about Forced Marriage and then give your own opinions about the issue. Why are forced marriages against the law? Should young people be free to marry whomever they choose? What are advantages of getting married as a young adult? Article One: Forced marriages: School holidays prompt warning Teachers, doctors and airport staff need to be alert to the problem of forced marriages over the school holidays, the government has warned. Article Two: The Pakistani refuge rescuing UK girls from forced marriageAlmost half of forced marriages involving Britons come from the Pakistani community. Amid calls from charities for the government to do more to keep track of how many children are forced into marriage during school holidays, a shelter in Pakistan is providing refuge for some of those who have managed to escape. 14 January 2014 Read this article from the BBC about An Afghan citizen has been granted asylum in the UK for religious reasons - because he is an atheist. Should the UK let people seek refuge and safety in this country? Many people are concerned about why people come to the UK and the risks they will take to get here. Have a look at this video where the leader of the UKIP speaks in support of supporting Syrian Refugees Have a look at the Amnesty Campaign website entitled When you don't exist' When should the UK permit people to seek safety in the UK? Should there be restrictions on which countries let in refugees and why? Look at this video which really challenges many perceptions about what it means to be a refugee. What makes it so challenging? What makes it so powerful? Listen to this report from BBC's David Botti, who reports that Incidents of religious hostility are on the rise in all parts of the world except for the Americas, according to an international study by the Pew Research Center. The proportion of countries with a high or very high level of social hostility involving religion in 2012 was the largest in six years. The BBC's David Botti looks at the report to find out which areas are worst affected and what form the hostility takes in different parts of the world. What do you think accounts for hostility towards religion? Why do you think there hasn't been the same religious hostility in the Americas? As always we look forward to hearing your ideas and comments. UK set for first Scientology Church wedding after Supreme Court rules it a ‘place of worship’ have a read of this Independent article about the Church of Scientology and the UK's Supreme Court, which ruled this week that their chapel's could be deemed as places of worship for the purpose of weddings for followers of Scientology. Do you think that the UK should impose stricter limits on where people get married? Or do you think people should be able to get married anywhere? Is the Church of Scientology a religion, or a cult? Who do you think decides what religion is? Have a read of this article by James Kirkup entitled 'Make young vote to counter pensioners' power'
A report by the think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research said this week said they think that 'Young people should be legally forced to vote in their first general election'. Do you think young people should be forced to vote? Why do you think so many people choose not to vote? What are the advantages and disadvantages of making voting in your first election compulsory? We look forward to reading your comments. Mrs Richards In class recently we learned about the Seven Laws of Noah which are copied below. Remember these laws were given as part of the covenant between God and all humanity. Write a comment below to answer one of the questions: * Do you think these laws are relevant to all of humanity and why or why not? * Which of these laws do you think is the most important? Perhaps you think none of these laws are important! *Are these laws well known today or not and why? *How do you think these laws could become better known? * Why might the covenant with Abraham be better known? In your comments give reasons for your answers and try and respond to what other people have written. You must write at least 2 sentences. The Seven Noachide Laws 1. Do not worship idols 2. Do not murder 3. Do not steal 4. Do not commit acts of sexual immorality 5. Do not blaspheme - insult religion or holy things 6. Do not commit acts of animal cruelty 7. Establish law courts Originally in Christianity, only men could serve as Priests and Bishops. The first women were ordained as Priests in the Church of England in 1994. Add your comments below to say whether or not you think men and women should both be allowed to serve as Priests? Do you think that women should be allowed to become Priests but not Bishops? The Church of England Synod had intense discussion and debate about the role of Women and whether or not they can be Bishops. Click here to read about the Ordination of Rev. Libby Lane in January 2015. What Christian teachings could be used to justify a position either for, or against women Priests and Bishops? |
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