October 27, 2011

Persecution of Evangelical Christians intensifies in Iran

by Jan Harris

There is growing concern that the harassment of Iranian Christians is reaching new levels, with Christian activities increasingly being classified as ‘actions against the security the state’. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which works for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, has received reports that an official campaign to convert Christian prisoners to Islam is [...]



October 26, 2011

World population could reach 15 billion this century

by Jan Harris

Sometime on 31 October the world’s seven-billionth person is expected to be born, on a planet where resources are already stretched to breaking point. However, the United Nations has warned that we are heading for a world population of 15 billion by the end of the century, even though population growth has slowed since the [...]



October 25, 2011

Church of Scientology denies investigating South Park creators

by Jan Harris

The controversial Church of Scientology has vigorously denied claims that it investigated the creators of cartoon series South Park following the screening of episode called ‘Trapped in the Closet’. The episode, which poked fun at the Scientology belief system and lampooned its most prominent member, Tom Cruise, was aired in the USA in 2006 but [...]



October 24, 2011

Bible burning disrupts Mass in St Peter’s Square

by Jan Harris

Yesterday’s Mass in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square was disturbed by a man who shouted “Pope, where is Christ?” from the upper colonnade and then set fire to a bible. He was talked down by Vatican officials while Pope Benedict XVI continued the Sunday Mass seemingly unperturbed by the incident which occurred towards the end of [...]



October 21, 2011

Government criticised for protecting gay people but not Christians

by Jan Harris

The outspoken former Tory MP Anne Widdecombe is expected to accuse the government of ignoring the plight of Christians and yet threatening to cut aid to countries which persecute homosexuals. In a speech at the annual conference of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) tomorrow, Miss Widdecombe is expected to claim that [...]



October 20, 2011

Protesters deterring visitors to St Paul’s Cathedral

by Jan Harris

The previously supportive authorities at St Paul’s have finally asked anti-capitalist protesters to disband the camp they have set up outside the cathedral. Thousands of protesters, angry at the way the global economic crisis is being handled, marched on the London Stock Exchange on Saturday. When police cordoned off the building, the protesters set up [...]



October 19, 2011

Physical abuse unchallenged in UK Islamic schools

by Jan Harris

Up to 500,000 students a day attend British madrassas but the physical abuse of pupils at these institutions is slipping through a loophole in the law according to a BBC investigation. Figures obtained by Radio 4′s ‘File on 4’ programme show that in the last three years more than 400 allegations of physical abuse against [...]



October 18, 2011

War on Want slams UK government’s food policy

by Jan Harris

In a new report, War on Want criticises governments in the developed world for food policies which destroy the livelihoods of small farmers and contribute to world hunger. 2009 was the first year in which over a billion people were officially classified as living in hunger and this wasn’t caused by natural disasters but by [...]



October 17, 2011

Man jailed after posting anti-Celtic Facebook comments

by Jan Harris

Stephen Birrell, who posted abusive comments on a Facebook page called “Neil Lennon Should be Banned” has been jailed for eight months after a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court. Sheriff Bull Totten said he wanted to out “a clear message to deter others”. Birrell’s sectarian comments were posted earlier this year, shortly after he was [...]



October 14, 2011

Catherine Tate is God in King James Bible celebration

by Jan Harris

The 400th anniversary of the King James Bible is being celebrated with two 24-performances of ‘Sixty-six Books’, a cycle of plays written in response to each book of the Bible. The performances, today and on 28 October, mark the opening of London’s new Bush theatre which has relocated from above O’Neills pub, to the Shepherd’s [...]



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Big Buddy is just one of many human stories from our new resident writer, Bobby Winters. Follow his exploration of faith and necessity through the living landscapes of Oklahoma in his new writing column, An Okie in Exile.

 

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