February 24, 2011

Health Authority calls for change in suicide law

by Jan Harris

West Midlands NHS Strategic Health Authority has called for changes to the UK law on suicide, to make it fit for the 21st century. Pauline Smith, the end of life care lead for NHS West Midlands has expressed concern that the current law, which makes it illegal to help someone commit suicide in the UK, […]



February 11, 2011

Vatican bans confession app for iPhone

by Jan Harris

The Vatican has ruled that an app for the iPhone, that allows Catholics to confess their sins, cannot be used as a substitute for confessing in the presence of a priest. Although the app’s creator, Little iApps, received an imprimatur from the US Catholic Church to publish the software, a Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, […]



February 7, 2011

Creationists apply to open UK school

by Jan Harris

The Everyday Champions Church which rejects Darwen’s theory of evolution, is applying to open a school in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Although the school will teach evolution as a theory, the church states on its website “we believe that the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our every day lives”. A fundamental […]



February 4, 2011

Quaker imprisoned for protesting against Trident

by Jan Harris

Bingley Magistrates’ Court yesterday sentenced Sylvia Boyes, a 67 year old Quaker, to fourteen days in prison after she refused to pay £700 in fines for her actions at Faslane Naval Base in Scotland in summer 2009. Mrs Boyes was charged with Malicious Mischief, Breach of the Peace and Aggravated Trespass after she painted “Scots! […]



February 1, 2011

Holy Grail code merely graffiti?

by Jan Harris

Historian AJ Morton claims that the secret code on the Shepherd’s Monument at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire is just 19th century graffiti and is not a clue to the location of the Holy Grail. The Shepherd’s Monument features a relief of a woman watching three shepherds pointing to a tomb, below which are the letters […]



January 7, 2011

YWCA Changes Name to Platform 51

by Jan Harris

YWCA England & Wales has adopted the name ‘Platform 51’, putting it out of step with the headquarters of the 155 year-old charity in Geneva, Switzerland, and its branches in 120 countries around the world. On its website Platform 51 says: “Our original name no longer stood for who we are or what we do […]



December 10, 2010

Sacred tree destroyed in Glastonbury

by Jan Harris

Glastonbury’s hilltop Holy Thorn Tree has been destroyed by vandals, who hacked away the crown of the tree leaving a six-foot stump. The tree on Wearyall Hill, which is linked to the beginning of Christianity in the UK, is visited by millions of Christians each year. St Joseph of Arimathea, the Virgin Mary’s Uncle, is […]



December 2, 2010

Vatican denounces China for Bishop ordination

by Jan Harris

The Vatican has warned China that the ordination of Father Joseph Guo Jincai as a bishop without papal consent is damaging Catholicism. The state-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association took the decision to go ahead with the ordination on 19 November and Chinese authorities are believed to have forced Vatican-approved bishops to attend the ceremony. Pope […]



December 1, 2010

Lord Carey launches “Not-Ashamed Day”

by Jan Harris

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey today launched “Not-Ashamed Day”, marking the start of a Christian Concern-backed campaign which aims to promote the rights of Christians to express their beliefs in public and in the workplace. However the campaign has been criticised for not being based on hard evidence. Lord Carey will unveil a leaflet […]



November 30, 2010

Muslims at more risk in suburbs

by Jan Harris

Although anti-Muslim violence is generally considered a big-city issue, research by the University of Exeter points to the suburbs and small market towns as posing a serious problem. The isolation of mosques in these areas and failure to acknowledge that anti-muslim incidents occur are causing Muslims to feel under siege in their own communities. The […]



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FEATURE: Roman Religion

Explore the core beliefs of Roman Religion, beyond the mythology, in our section Roman Religion.