November 17, 2021

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IN an in-depth report today (Wednesday) Nigerian “lifestyle” website Naija Superfans, suggests that the “hopelessly naïveté of Christians in the UK, anxious to convert Muslims, lay a the heart of the bombing carried out in Liverpool on Sunday by Emad Al Swealmeen, above.

In reporting that Home Secretary Priti Patel accused the Church of England of aiding asylum seekers to “game” the British immigration system by helping hundreds to convert from Islam to Christianity and “pray to stay” in the UK, it said that people smugglers are using social media to urge migrants:

To follow Jesus to gain British citizenship.

Al Swealmeen, 32, who died in the bombing, was baptised and confirmed having apparently spoken “endlessly and passionately about Jesus”, but members of the city’s largest Anglican church admitted they “lost contact’ with him within months of the ceremony. He was one of around 200 asylum seekers to adopt the faith there over a four-year period.

A clergyman at Liverpool Cathedral previously raised concerns about asylum seekers cynically posing as Christians to boost their chances of being awarded refugee status.

Rev Mohammad Eghtedarian admitted in 2016 that “plenty of people” were lying about their intentions after it emerged that the Church of England had christened hundreds of asylum seekers under a scheme dubbed “Pray to stay.”

He said:

There are many people abusing the system … I’m not ashamed of saying that. But is it the person’s fault or the system’s fault? And who are they deceiving? The Home Office, me as a pastor, or God?

MPs are to demand a ­formal Parliamentary probe into whether fake Christian converts are duping the Church of England to avoid being deported back to strict Muslim countries they came from.

Patel said last night that Al Swealmeen, who changed his name to Enzo Almeni “shortly after finding Jesus,” exploited the UK’s asylum “merry-go-round” while a Home Office source said changing from Islam to Christianity is now”standard practice” among asylum seekers “to game the asylum system.”

Pledging to overhaul the asylum system, Home Secretary Patel declared last night:

The case in Liverpool was a complete reflection of how dysfunctional, how broken, the system has been in the past, and why I want to bring changes forward. It’s a complete merry-go-round and it’s been exploited by a whole professional legal services industry which has based itself on rights of appeal, going to the courts day in day out on legal aid at the expense of the taxpayers.

Naija Superfans said it emerged today that people traffickers have used social media sites such as Instagram to advertise crossings from France to the UK – and urge customers to consider conversion to Christianity to bolster their cases. Because the largest number of UK asylum seekers come from Muslim countries, they can also argue that their new faith would put their lives at risk if they returned to the home country.

One such advert, in Arabic, has a picture of Jesus and says finding God will lead to more successful asylum claims:

In the shortest possible time with the lowest cost.

 

The Home Office has previously said converting to Christianity does not automatically result in a successful asylum claim. The Church of England has said baptism is “open to all” and that it is up to the Government to vet asylum seekers, not them.

But Sam Ashworth-Hayes, of the counter-extremist Henry Jackson Society, said:

We know that people are willing to lie to win asylum up to and including faking religious conversions. This is incentivised by the asylum system, which does not do enough to root out fakes.

Malcolm Hitchcott, who with his wife Elizabeth took in Almeni for almost a year and supported his conversion to Christianity. In this report he described the terrorist as “lovely”. He believed Almeni was genuine and would “talk endlessly and passionately about Jesus”  and said he and his wife had loved him.

This report adds that the  Church of England has denied there’s link between their vicars converting Muslim migrants and the systemic abuse of the asylum system. The C of E said in a statement

We’re not conscious of any proof to recommend a widespread correlation between conversion to Christianity, or another religion, and abuse of the asylum system.

A spokesman  said:

It’s not the function of clergy to ascertain the legitimacy of asylum claims and to evaluate safety implications.

I would suggest that a better way for genuine Muslim refugees to gain British citizenship would be renounce Islam, become apostates and join organisations such as the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, which does a great job of supporting those brave enough to publicly dump religion and add to the ever-growing number of non-believers in the UK.

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October 21, 2020

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ROSARY beads must be working overtime in conservative Catholic circles since Pope Francis made clear in a new documentary that he believes  gay couples deserve legal protections for their relationships.

The filmmaker, Evgeny Afineevsky, asked Francis during an interview for the documentary about the place of LGBT Catholics in the church. Francis re-emphasised his belief that they should be made to feel welcome.

Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable because of it.

What we have to create is a civil union law.  That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.

While, no doubt, there will be much gnashing and wailing of teeth among conservative homophobes, the National Catholic Reporter rushed to assure it readers that the Pope’s views on the subject have been known for years:

Although the EWTN-owned Catholic News Agency reported that Francis’ words were a ‘departing’ from his previous teachings, the pontiff has previously spoken in favor of civil unions at least twice as a way to differentiate between Catholic marriage and relationships recognized by state authorities.

Mark Lowen, the BBC’s Rome correspondent, added:

The remarks have set tongues wagging among Vatican-watchers – and they mark Francis’s clearest support for the issue since becoming Pope.

But is this really a fundamental change by the pontiff  – or more an off-the-cuff statement by a leader of the Catholic Church who has been known to flirt with liberal sentiments in the past, only to fall back on traditional doctrine when push comes to shove?

As archbishop of Buenos Aires before becoming Pope, he was a staunch opponent of gay marriage, which was legalised in Argentina in 2010, and instead advocated civil unions for homosexual couples.

This is his first vocal backing as Pope – and will undoubtedly be welcomed by many on the more liberal wing of the church and criticised by the conservatives.

But any significant doctrinal change on such an issue would typically be presented in a more formal way and after much internal debate. There is, for now, little sign that either is imminent.

The news was welcomed by the UK-based Ozanne Foundation, chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Revd Paul Bayes and the Vice Chair, the Dean of St Paul’s, Very Revd Dr David Ison.

We warmly welcome the recognition by His Holiness, Pope Francis, that same-sex couples need recognition under the law, thus giving them and their children protection. This will bring hope to millions of lesbian and gay couples around the world, and will enable them to know that they have the Pope’s blessing to be in a family, and indeed to have a right to a family.

His words of comfort show a deep pastoral understanding of the pain that many LGBT have gone through, and provide a significant challenge to all those who see their faith as a reason to discriminate against LGBT people.

Image via YouTube

Jayne Ozanne, above, added in an email to me this evening:

Fr James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author of Building a Bridge (about LGBTQ Catholics) with whom we work closely, has also said: ‘This is a major step forward in the Catholic Church’s relationship with the LGBTQ community.  It shows Pope Francis’s overall pastoral and sensible approach to LGBTQ people, and it also sends a clear message to those bishops who have opposed such laws.’

The film, Francesco, also focuses heavily on human rights, an issue Mr. Afineevsky covered in his previous films, including the 2017 documentary Cries from Syria about the country’s devastating civil war. In a section on the rights of migrants, Francis said:

It’s cruelty, and separating kids from parents goes against natural rights. It’s something a Christian cannot do.

He condemned the Trump administration’s child separation policy at the US-Mexico border, saying

It’s cruelty of the highest form.

Afineevsky told America creating his film about the civil war in Syria felt like a “journey into the darkest side of today’s humanity” and that he wanted his next project to focus on love and light. A friend suggested he profile Pope Francis, and though he is Jewish. Afineevsky was intrigued by the idea, drawn by the pope’s interfaith outreach.

Pope Francis embraces humanity. That’s what this movie teaches, the importance of being united, of being kind, of spreading love.

Image via YouTube

Update 22.10.20: Contemptuously referring to the Pope only by his given name – Jorge Mario Bergoglio – Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, above, former papal nuncio to the US and a man greatly admired by Donald Trump, lashed out at Francis in a piece penned for far-right Christian website, LifeSiteNews.

In it his writes:

It appears that Bergoglio is impudently trying to ‘raise the stakes’ in a crescendo of heretical affirmations, in such a way that it will force the healthy part of the Church – which includes bishops, clergy, and faithful – to accuse him of heresy, in order to declare that healthy part of the Church schismatic …

And:

It is not surprising that in the documentary there is also an endorsement of the Democratic candidate in the upcoming American presidential election, along with a disconcerting condemnation of the policy of the Trump Administration, which is accused of separating families that want to enter the United States illegally, while the reality is that the President is confronting human trafficking and the trafficking of minors.

Thus, while conservative American bishops are forbidden from intervening in the political debate in support of President Trump, the Vatican allows itself to casually interfere in the elections in favor of his Democratic adversary, in union with the censorship by social and news media of the very serious accusations against the Biden family …

As Catholics, we are called to side with those who defend life, the natural family, and national sovereignty. We thought that we had the Vicar of Christ at our side. We painfully acknowledge that, in this epochal clash, he who ought to be guiding the Barque of Peter has chosen to side with the Enemy, in order to sink it.

Hat tip: BarrieJohn

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September 17, 2020

*** WARNING: This report contains a terrifying image of Andrea Minichiello Williams ***

CHRISTIAN, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhists leaders have put aside doctrinal differences over conversion therapies, and this week demanded in an open letter that the UK government delivers on its 2018 pledge to outlaw a practice inflicted on members of LGBT+ communities by mainly faith groups.

 

The group of signatories is headed by Paul Bayes, above, Bishop of Liverpool and chair of the Ozanne Foundation

Bayes was slammed in 2017 by UK hate group Christian Concern for telling the General Synod of the Church of England that conversion therapies were “spiritually abusive.”

In supporting a motion tabled by Jayne Ozanne to ban therapy for those with “unwanted same-sex attraction” he said:

LGBTI orientation and identity is not a crime, not a sickness, and is not a sin.

He added that “a therapeutic model” is therefore “not appropriate” and is “spiritually abusive”. He also said that people within the church should be given the choice to live in:

Faithful, permanent, stable same-sex sexual relationships.

Image via YouTube

Infuriated by the fact that the motion was passed, Christian Concern’s Andrea  Minichielllo Williams, above, shrieked:

This motion has effectively barred individuals from intentionally seeking help to move away from unwanted same-sex attraction. This sends a message that the Church believes there is no repentance or freedom available for those who experience same-sex attraction and the desire to act upon it. It is a denial of the gospel and the saving power of Jesus Christ.

In July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said conversion therapy “has no place in a civilised society”, but suggested that the government would have to do more research before banning the practice.

However, Bayes, along with vice chair and interfaith advisory board of the Ozanne Foundation, which works with religious organisations to support the LGBT+ community, has called for Johnson to “urgently” ban the horrific practice.

The open letter, published in full by PinkNews, says:

There can be nothing more important than safeguarding people’s lives, particularly at the start of their adolescent journey into understanding who they are. That is why we fully back the Prime Minister’s commitment, echoed recently by the secretary of state for health, to ban so-called “conversion therapy” once and for all.
As senior religious leaders we recognise the harm done by this discredited practice, which causes a person to attempt to change their sexual orientation or gender identity and condemns them for not conforming to certain stereotypes.

We also recognise that this is promoted and practiced primarily by well-meaning but misinformed people within our religions.
What is worse, it frequently impacts children and young people at a critical stage of their development, leaving deep scars that will affect them for the rest of their lives and undermining their ability to form loving and life-long relationships.

Let us be clear – this is not a matter of freedom of speech or of personal conscience. Conversion therapy objectively causes great harm – indeed it has been found to be torture.
This is not a matter of freedom of speech or of personal conscience. Conversion therapy objectively causes great harm – indeed it has been found to be torture
We cannot allow anyone to put themselves through this, no matter how much they may think they are doing “the right thing” according to their understanding of their holy texts. For they are misguided and the consequences are severe.

Survivors, we know, are frequently motivated to undergo such “therapy” because of a belief that who they are is ‘sinful’. Heartbreakingly, many carry a deep internal sense of shame due to their religious beliefs.

It is this internalised homophobia that causes such deep psychological damage. It must be countered by a far more positive message – central to all our religions – that recognises their unique individual worth, no matter what their sexuality or gender identity.

We know we are not alone in this belief – research has shown that the majority of those with a religious affiliation in the UK also support a ban, with only a small minority voting against.
Many are unaware of this horrific practice, which aims to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity to conform to certain stereotypes through a variety of interventions and religious rituals.
So, what should a ban look like? Well, we believe it must do three things.

Firstly, it must cover the full range of religious practices that people are tempted or coerced to undergo.

In the main the perpetrators are motivated by their religious beliefs

While conversion therapy outside a religious setting does still occur, it is rare. In the main the perpetrators are motivated by their religious beliefs, and the law must recognise and address that.
 Secondly, it must explicitly protect trans people, who are at the greatest risk of undergoing change therapy.

Thirdly, it must ensure that there are no “loopholes” that will allow those who practice conversion therapy to offer help in “changing” or “suppressing” behaviour, for this is just as damaging.

Why are we so set on a ban? Because only legislation will cause religious leaders to think twice – few will want to risk having a criminal record that would stop them following their vocation.It will also, importantly, enable victims to know that they will be understood and protected if they seek help.

The prevalence of conversion therapy has remained hidden in plain sight for a reason – speaking out is both traumatic and dangerous for victims.

Sadly, few do so as it ultimately risks them losing their entire support network – their friends, their family, their home and their work prospects. It is a trap few can escape.

We are therefore committed to working together with leaders across our religious organisations to ensure people are made aware of the significant safeguarding risks these discredited practices represent.

We urge them to adopt formal positions, such as the Church of England chose to do in 2017 when it called on the government for a ban on conversion therapy.

It is this work with religious groups that will ultimately enable us to eradicate this practice, but for that – we are clear – we first need a ban. We ask therefore that the prime minister make good his promise and urgently bring forward legislation.

Meanwhile, it is reported here that a petition launched by the vile Northern Ireland-based Core Issues Trust, demanding that Barclays Bank reinstate its bank account, has been signed by by over 66,000 people.

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Headed by “ex-gay” Christian fanatic Mike Davidsion, above, CIT was dropped as customer in July after what Davidson describes as:

A co-ordinated, aggressive campaign from activists who pejoratively label its work as ‘conversion therapy’.

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July 29, 2020

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IN 2017 retired UK priest John Kevin Murphy, above, was sentenced to three years for sexually abusing four young boys. Now it’s reported that he’s was jailed yesterday for a further five years after he pleaded guilty to 32 offences involving indecent assault and indecency.

All but one of the ex-priest’s six victims came forward to police after seeing media reports about him being jailed in 2017 for molesting other boys.

Arthur Gibson, prosecuting Murphy at Liverpool Crown Court, said:

The picture that emerges from the two cases is that for some 27 years the defendant was a predatory paedophile who used his position as a Catholic priest to groom and subsequently abuse at least ten children.

The court heard how Murphy, of Hillside Crescent, Horwich, had been ordained as a priest in 1962 and served in a number of parishes in the Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester until he retired.

The six victims, who were aged between eight and 16 at the times of the offences, were molested while he took them on swimming lessons and also while visiting the homes of their devout Catholic parents.

Some felt unable to speak out because they knew it would devastate their parents and one, who broke down while reading his impact statement, told the judge how he has a deep-seated anger towards his parents because:

Their devotion to their religion blinded them in the face of a monster using his job as a priest to abuse me and other children.

Judge Anil Murray, who had jailed him for three years in December 2017 for the previous offences, told the defendant:

Your offending has had a devastating impact on your victims for decades and they are still really seriously affected by what you did.

He said examples of this included loss of confidence, nightmares, loss of faith in the Catholic church and feelings of shame.

It is no exaggeration to say you ruined many lives. Youwere a priest at the time and you used your position of standing in society to commit these offences and cover them up … Because of your position in the church you were greatly trusted and respected, possibly revered, and you abused that trust.

He said that Murphy claimed in his pre-sentence report not being able to recall committing the offences or having an attraction to males.

You say you have no memory of these offences. I’m afraid I cannot accept that especially in the light of the evidence of a psychologist who said you do not present with any significant neurological impairment.

I cannot therefore accept your expression of remorse as genuine. You were effectively living a lie and using your good character and standing in society to commit these offences and got away with it for so long.

The abuse of the victims, some of them altar boys, occurred at swimming baths in Liverpool and Leigh, on camping trips and at the homes of the victims in Liverpool, Whiston and Ashton-in-Makerfield.

One told how he had been horrified when years later Murphy helped at his mother’s funeral mass and he consequently felt unable to visit her grave for ten years.

Lee Bonner, defending, said:

He is deeply sorry for the pain, harm and distress which his past conduct has caused.

He added that Murphy is frail and has various health problems including diabetes and a heart condition.

After his conviction in 2017 a Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool spokesman expressed:

Profound sorrow for the terrible crimes committed. The fact these crimes took place in the past, and a guilty plea was entered, in no way lessens the serious impact of them on the victims.

Image supplied

Meanwhile it’s reported from Australia that John Patrick Casey, above, a former Catholic priest and police chaplain, has lost his appeal appeal against his convictions of sexually abusing young boys in northern NSW.

Casey was in charge of a church in the Lismore Diocese when he molested two boys at his parish house in the mid 1980s. He was in his 30s when he fingered a boy’s anus as he washed him in the shower and ejaculated towards the head of another boy.

Now 72, and serving a minimum three-year jail sentence, Casey was employed as a police chaplain up until the day of his arrest in July 2015 after his victims finally came forward.

At the second of two lengthy trials, a jury found him guilty in 2018 of two charges including sexual assault of a person under 16 without consent and indecent assault of a person under 16 without consent.

Casey was found not guilty of four additional charges.

He was sentenced to four years and ten months jail.

He appealed against his convictions in the Supreme Court on the grounds there had been a miscarriage of justice, claiming the judge had not properly explained that the jury could take into account reasonable doubt, and that the prosecution’s pursuit of him was an abuse of process.

Casey will be eligible for parole in May 2021.

Hat tip: BarrieJohn

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June 10, 2020

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AUGUSTINE  Tanner-Ihm, above, ran into problems with an unnamed ‘monochrome’ church after he applied for a job as a curate.

Last week – in the midst of world-wide protests over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the UK’s racist Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that he did not believe Britain is a racist country – Tanner-Ihm, 29, used Facebook to reveal a shocking letter of rejection he received from the church.

The emailed letter said:

I am afraid that despite some of your obvious gifts, we do not think it worth pursuing a conversation with you about the curacy position at [redacted]. We are not confident that there is sufficient “match” between you and the particular requirements of that post. 

Firstly, the demographic of the parish is monochrome white working class, where you might feel uncomfortable. Second, we feel you would be best suited to a curacy with a more experienced incumbent than the one in [redacted].

On June 4 Tanner-Ihm said in the Facebook post:

I have often been quiet about personal experiences with racism but silence is compliance. Besides my family, many friends and teachers have usually said, ”Don’t be so dramatic or you’re taking this out of context. ”

Out of respect for my Church, I chose not to give the details of this email. But this email was extremely painful for me. It broke me. If you read my CV/resume you would see how my entire life has mostly been in white working-class communities.

As many Bishops and leaders in and outside the Church speak about how Black Lives Matter, I would challenge them to answer, ”Ok, What are you going to do now”?

Because too often there is no action following statements. How much money is the Church putting into fighting Institutional racism? Because at this rate, Black lives don’t matter if this one life doesn’t.

If you’re a praying person, please pray for my heart. That my heart and soul would not be hardened by experiences of sin. Pray that I may find love and peace for even those who cause pain. That I may have the patience that God has for me.

Today Premier Christian News reported Tanner-Ihm as saying he was deeply hurt because:

My UK experience has been mostly white working-class communities! I am from an adoptive family so my mother and father are white, my three brothers are white and most of my life has been in white working-class communities in Liverpool, East London, Dorset and the northeast of England.

Rt Revd Chris Goldsmith, the Church of England’s Director of Ministry , responded last week, saying:

We take very seriously any allegation that a curacy post may have been denied to someone primarily on the grounds of their ethnic heritage. We urgently want to seek clarity from the diocese which sent him the letter as to why it contains statements that are plainly unacceptable.

We recognise that the Church of England has a lot more work to do to become a place where our leadership is representative of the rich heritages of all the people of England.

The local church in question reportedly had more correspondence with the rejected applicant, which Tanner-Ihm summarised thus:

“We’re really sorry that you felt that way, how you interpret that email but know that we’ve had unconscious bias training and we champion any black and ethnic minority person in ordination and we definitely will fight for any discrimination that comes across our path. But we wish you well and we pray for your future”

Tanner-Ihm is now seeking opportunities outside the church. He said since sharing his story he has found lots of Asian and black clergy who have shared their stories with him and have offered support, which he has “appreciated very much.”

Tanner-Ihm had been  studying at Cramner Hall Theological College in Durham. He told Premier:

I think assuming about my experience as a black man being uncomfortable was at best trying to be pastoral and at worst just quite naïve   –  I’m trying to be incredibly gracious with that.

Yesterday Premier reported that the Mayor of Bristol –  the city where demonstrators tore down the statue of 17th century slave-trader Edward Colston – bitterly criticised the brand of Christianity espoused by the likes of Donald Trump.

Mayor Rees, Image via YouTube

Marvin Rees’ particular concern is with certain”white evangelicals” who seem to support Donald Trump no matter what. The Christian mayor said:

I don’t mind naming names. I mean, Franklin Graham, I don’t know, is some custodian of Billy Graham heritage in Christian circles, and yet is an apologist for the President of the United States now.

I’m absolutely horrified by that, I think that is absolutely shocking and I’m reminded of those stories, those Old Testament stories of prophets that just spoke positivity into the ears of Kings that were not following God’s will and were doing injustice, but they just spoke peace where there was no peace.

He added:

We are not supposed to go out there and be palatable and give the news that people want to hear. We’re supposed to go out there and tell the truth. That doesn’t mean go out there to be offensive. It means going out there and telling the truth. It means being a voice for the voiceless, the dispossessed, and the marginalised.

I’m proud of that Bishop in D.C. that just really challenged the President for turning up outside the church and holding the Bible just for a few minutes … holding the Bible is no sign, even quoting from it is no sign of having access to the truth.

Nsvertheless Rees said he wass proud of the way some churches have responded to racism in the last fortnight but that with others he is left thinking “is this the same faith?”

Rees is the first directly elected mayor of African heritage in Europe, becoming Bristol’s mayor in 2016.

Image via YouTube

Since the city’s statue of Colston, who made much of his money from the selling of African people into slavery, was torn down by protesters and thrown headfirst into the River Avon at the weekend, Rees has been particularly sought after for comment, telling news outlets that although he couldn’t approve of criminal acts, he felt no disappointment at its removal.

Rees’ wife is American and he feels we are living in a “global Presidency” that cannot be ignored in the UK.

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May 28, 2020

UNLESS you’re British, the name Dominic Cummings will probably mean nothing to you. But vast numbers of Brit know the ‘career psychopath’ and ‘jumped up oik’ as a Machiavellian creature who wheedled his way to become PM Boris Johnson’s de facto chief-of-staff and perhaps the most powerful unelected political figure in the country.

Image via YouTube

Cummings, above – a fanatical Brexiteer – became Big News for breaking the UK government’s lockdown rules, prompting a huge outcry from people who have been sticking rigidly to “stay and home” advice. The bumbling and incompetent Johnson, who’d be rudderless without Cummings, is resisting calls to sack Britain’s equivalent of Steve Bannon. So far 44 Conservative MPs have called for him to resign or be fired.

Enter the Church of England. On Monday, according to The Guardian, C f E bishops “fired a volley of unprecedented criticism” at Johnson over his defence of actions taken by Cummings. One suggested the church could decline to work with the government during the coronavirus crisis:

Unless we see clear repentance, including the sacking of Cummings.

More than a dozen bishops questioned the integrity of the Prime Minister following a press conference on Sunday, in which he refused to acknowledge that Cummings had breached lockdown rules when he travelled with his infected wife and their child to Durham.

The bishops said Johnson’s defence was “risible”, that he had “no respect for the people”, “lacked integrity”, and risked undermining the trust of the public.

Pete Broadbent, the bishop of Willesden, tweeted:

Johnson has now gone the full Trump.

Now its being reported that some of the C or E’s most senior bishops have been receiving hate mail and death threats after speaking out against Cummings.

Bishop of Worcester John Inge tweeted that he received an email warning saying:

Stay out of politics or we’ll kill you.

Image via YouTube

Helen-Ann Hartley, the bishop of Ripon, above, reported a similar threat, posting: “‘Stay out of politics or it will be the death of you’ was one of the emails I received today. Thank you to those who have sent supportive messages.”

She had earlier written about missing her father’s birthday during the lockdown as he recovered from radiotherapy.

Hartley said she was “following up” the hate email with police.

Christine Hardman, bishop of Newcastle, wrote:

I too received such an email. I feel concern for the person who sent it and will hold him or her in prayer.

The previous night she had posted that she was “deeply troubled” by the Prime Minister’s defence of his adviser.

We can forgive mistakes and poor judgement and can understand and admire loyalty but forgiveness and understanding need openness and we did not see this tonight.

Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool, added that he had also received abuse, writing:

Public life in Britain today. Many of us have received this sort of message. It doesn’t work.

Paul Butler, the bishop of Durham, tweeted:

There will be those in Durham who defend #Boris for his standing by #DominicCummngs. But most who have worked so hard to abide by the rules and guidance of the past weeks will feel hurt, angry, & let down. Trust has been broken. For the nation’s sake rebuild it quickly.

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January 29, 2020

UPDATE: January 30, 2020.  Glasgow has become the fourth UK city to axe Graham’s booking.

SHEFFIELD and London have followed Liverpool’s lead in saying an emphatic NO to his planned appearance in the city later this year.

He was due to speak at Sheffield Arena on 6 June but the venue operator said today it did “not endorse” his views.

The visit was cancelled after discussions with arena operators Sheffield City Trust.

Image via YouTube

Leader of Sheffield City Council Julie Dore, above, said:

All my life I have worked hard to fight discrimination and have worked with communities, especially in my time as leader, to make sure we have an inclusive, tolerant and cohesive city that embraces diversity.

Franklin Graham, who has demonstrated his intent on creating divisions with his discriminatory and repulsive views, could affect the long-established values that we all hold so dear in Sheffield.

More than 22 representatives of the city’s LGBT+ community had signed a protest letter against his visit saying Graham:

Has repeatedly publicly promoted his homophobic beliefs.

Councillors also wrote a cross-party letter to organisers warning the visit could lead to protests.

A petition calling for him to be barred from the O2 Arena was closed yesterday after the venue decided he was not welcome.

Image via YouTube

Meanwhile, Graham, above, has predictably played the “persecution” card, saying in a statement to Newsweek:

For some time I have been planning to come and preach the Gospel in eight cities across the UK in 2020. Hundreds of churches are working with the Graham Tour UK and praying for these events

Some people have said I am going to bring hateful speech to the UK, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m coming to the UK to speak about God’s love through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world – He came to save it. The Gospel is timeless, and Bible-believing Christians in the UK have proclaimed it for centuries.

The preacher then said that he believed that he and other evangelicals were being:

Discriminated against because of our religious beliefs. Cancelling venue contracts based on the demands of one very vocal group, without consideration for the views and rights of the Christians who contracted for the venue, including the views of thousands of other Christians who support it and who would be negatively impacted, does far more to harm and divide society than simply letting the events go on as planned.

It is wrong for venue managers and local officials to make a decision that disadvantages Christians. It is our hope that venues will allow contracts to remain unchanged.

In Monday the millionaire evangelist (net worth $25-m) used Facebook to deliver an open letter to the LGBTQ community on which he blathered on about “sin”:

It is said by some that I am coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true. I am coming to share the Gospel …  The rub, I think, comes in whether God defines homosexuality as sin. The answer is yes. But God goes even further than that, to say that we are all sinners – myself included. The Bible says that every human being is guilty of sin and in need of forgiveness and cleansing. The penalty of sin is spiritual death – separation from God for eternity.

January 27, 2020

RIGHT now, around 100 people are using one of Premier Christian’s News’ newfangled ‘prayer panels’ to ask God to iron the ever-increasing wrinkles out of Graham’s upcoming visit to the UK.

Franklin Graham. Image via YouTube.

They are reacting to a Premier report today that the anti-gay and Islamophobic hate preacher has been “dealt a blow” by having his planned mission in Liverpool cancelled by the ACC conference centre.

The panel reads:

Father God, we thank you for the ministry of Franklin Graham. We know that there are many who oppose him but we know that you have used him and are continuing to use him for good all over the world. We pray for a resolution in this situation. Amen.

He was due to visit the ACC on June 12 but the venue blew him off because of:

The divisive impact this event is having in our city.

A petition was launched against his visit, while the city’s Anglican bishop Rt Rev Paul Bayes has spoken out against him.

Concerns relate to Graham’s links to comments previously made about homosexuality and Islam which have been deemed “hateful”.

Most recently Graham warmly congratulated the Church of England for stating that sex belongs only within heterosexual marriage, and that sex in gay or straight civil partnerships “falls short of God’s purpose for human beings”. The statement last week has been described as “staggeringly stupid” and thousands are claiming that the church has turned itself into “a laughing stock.”

Image via YouTube

In a letter to the Guardian, my long-time friend Keith Porteous Wood, above, President of the National Secular Society, wrote:

The Church of England’s position that sex belongs only within heterosexual marriage highlights the need for church and state to go their separate ways. The church’s heartless, discriminatory and repressive stance will only accelerate its decline in public support and relevance – and the state should respond accordingly.

An organisation claiming that so many have no right to a sexual life should have no official ties to the state, no automatic right to seats in our legislature and no role in running state-funded schools.

But back to the Graham. In a statement, the ACC said:

Over the past few days we have been made aware of a number of statements which we consider to be incompatible with our values. In light of this we can no longer reconcile the balance between freedom of speech and the divisive impact this event is having in our city. We have informed the organisers of the event that the booking will no longer be fulfilled.

We are proud to represent all communities and will continue to move forward with our aim as a business to drive profile, major events and economic impact for Liverpool City Region.

With his UK tour just months away, the booking of London’s O2 Arena is also in doubt.

More than 8,400 people have signed a petition calling on event organisers cancel the O2  event. The petition says:

He persuades audiences that LGBT+ people don’t deserve to have families. He stands on stages in huge arenas warning people of the consequences of being gay, threatening impressionable young people with the ‘flames of hell’.

In short, he spends a lot of time and money telling the world that our love is a sin and encouraging those who want to hurt us. And now he is coming to the UK.

Asking signatories to help “send a clear message to this US hate monger that he is not welcome in London or the UK,” organizers say:

If enough of us act quickly, we still have time to pressure the management of the O2 to cancel this hate event.

The petition is addressed to Alex Hill,  Chief Executive and President of AEG Europe.

Dear Mr Hill, Franklin Graham is due to appear at the O2 Arena in 2020. Graham is a hate preacher. His message is deeply divisive, encourages violence and has been condemned by UK Christian leaders.

London is a proudly diverse city and the O2 should not be a venue that amplifies and facilitates hate,. We call on you to send a clear signal that AEG takes LGBT+ equality seriously and to cancel Franklin Graham’s event at the O2 Arena.

Graham has long been an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump’s, speaking out in the President’s defence in the face of criticisms from others within the evangelical community.

After the magazine Christianity Today, which was founded by the late Reverend Billy Graham in the 1950s, published an editorial calling for Trump’s removal from office in December, Graham defended the president against the criticisms.

Trump offered his thanks to the preacher while speaking at the launch of the Evangelicals for Trump coalition in Miami. He said:

I appreciate everything that Franklin has done over the last two weeks. Right, he fought very hard for us.

Hat tip: BarrieJohn

November 4, 2019

Image via YouTube

FOR three days in the West Midlands – ‘once a place that was once the engine-room of progress and enlightenment for the whole planet’ – a bunch of deranged creationists, including Ken Ham,  above, CEO of Answers in Genesis, gathered at the end of October to discuss increasing attacks on the Bible and faith, and warn young members of the audience that hellfire awaits non-believers. The irony, oh how it hurts!

The blurb for the the UK Creation Mega Conference said:

The Bible is under attack. Skeptical questions and arguments are frequently used to dismiss Scripture’s teachings regarding history, morality, and, most importantly, the gospel message. Are you prepared to ‘contend for the faith’ in a culture increasingly hostile to the message of Scripture?

Join Answers in Genesis–US founder and CEO Ken Ham for three days of apologetics teaching that will equip you to boldly contend for the faith in our increasingly skeptical age. You’ll discover answers that will strengthen your faith and embolden you to share the good news of Christ with others.

After it ended I went on a futile search for reports on the event which attracted 1,200 people who paid £58 to get into the Bethel Convention Centre in West Bromwich. There were none. Not even on the Answers in Genesis website.

But today I hit paydirt in the form of a post on Reddit by u/simulacrumofthought who coughed up the dosh to attend:

Three days of creationism, science denial, Noah, Jesus, Adam and Eve and associated fuckwittery.

Here’s what he wrote:

At the End of October I visited the Answers in Genesis Mega Conference in West Bromwich, UK. As an atheist and biologist, I went out of curiosity to see how much of a draw Ken Ham’s brand of science-denying stupidity is in the UK and to see what the speakers had to say. I was expecting a tsunami of moronic claims and I was not disappointed and, now that I have stopped laughing, I can say a little about it.

Image via YouTube

Stand-out talks included AiG’s science denier in-chief, Georgia Purdom, above, telling us all about the “Genetics of Adam and Eve”, the thrust of the piece being that all human-chimpanzee genetic comparisons made by people who know what they are doing are garbage.

[Editor’s note: Purdom has an entry in The Encyclopedia of American Loons].

Conclusion: we are not related to chimps, or any other animals for that matter. In fact we are not animals!

Stuart Burgess, an engineering professor from Bristol University, went on to tell us that the human body could not have evolved but, instead, had to be designed in his “Wonders of Creation” talk. All those crappy features of the human body (the back, eye, laryngeal nerve) that “evolutionists” use as evidence for evolution are, contrary to what we all though, examples of good design. I thought he was being a bit economical with the truth but the credulous audience loved it.

Image via YouTube

Then there was Prof. Steve Taylor, above, from the Mass Spectrometry Group at Liverpool University talking about “Dinosaurs, Dragons and DNA”. This one told the audience that the Earth is young – 6000 years young – and all the data points to it. He even claimed to have extracted C14 from ancient fossils to prove it so there should be some earth shattering publications coming up soon.

Image via YouTube

A UK geologist called Paul Garner, above, who seems to work for a creationist organisation, talked about “Dinosaurs: New Insights from Creationist Research”. The new insight being that, wherever you find a fossil dinosaur there is one certainty – the Noarchian flood put it there. He clearly gets confused with regards to the meaning of the word “insight”.

There was lots of other guff on show, piles of books and DVDs to be bought and it is three days I will never get back. The concerning part of it all was the fact that 1200 people turned up for this exercise in stupidity. Hundreds of children were present and they were left in no doubt that unless they believe the literal word of the Bible they are hell-bound.

Maybe it is just me, but I found it less than classy for Professors from UK universities to be telling children this. Similarly concerning is the fact that these blokes trade off their university credentials to lend gravitas to their claims, something that I am sure their institutions are really chuffed about.

The author, using the name “Magolomaniac” on YouTube, then directed Reddit readers to a great video report he made of the event:

October 27, 2019

Image via Warrington Guardian

UK PRIEST Fr Matthew Jolley, 32, above, has received a jail sentence of over three years for conspiring with an undercover cop to ‘do’ a boy of two.

Jolley was duped by the officer he first approached on the Grindr dating app in September. It took the priest less than 20 minutes to tell the officer – posing as a 36-year-old bisexual man – that he was sexually interested in young children.

Over the course of a number of depraved chats, Jolley, 32, admitted while he mainly liked girls, a “cute” boy would also be of interest. After telling the police officer he wanted to “do his two-year-old son” – who did not exist – the priest then sent an indecent image of himself.

The lurid conversation shifted from Grindr to Kik Messenger and later to Wickr – an encrypted platform for private chats. In these chats, Jolley revealed his sick fantasy of “sharing” the child with his dad.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Jolley began communicating with the officer while based in Belgium but planned to return to the UK for two weeks before travelling to Rome in October. On 26 September he arranged to meet the cop at a home in Halton, Cheshire.

When the priest arrived Jolley described what he wanted to do to the child – completely oblivious to the fact he was talking to an undercover officer. When the officer revealed his true identity the priest tried to make a run for it but was tackled to the ground and arrested.

On Friday, Jolley from Great Sankey, Warrington, was jailed for three years and four months and placed on the sex offenders register for life after pleading guilty to arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

Judge recorder Jeremy Lakser condemned the actions of the priest and told him:

It cannot be said it was an aberration, it was something you considered at length over a time. During that lengthy period it progressed so far as you believed almost to fruition. You are an ordained priest in the Catholic church.

I do not impose a more severe sentence for that reason but it goes without saying, although I do say it, that your words and actions and intentions seem to me to be wholly inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic church and you have done nothing but a great disservice to the church.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Louise Murphy praised the work of the task force which brought the predatory priest to justice. She said:

Through his online communications it was clear to see that he was sexually attracted to young children and would do whatever he could in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the undercover law enforcement officers who have been instrumental in building the case against Jolley. This case shows how well agencies can work together in order to protect the most vulnerable people in society. It also sends a clear message that anyone who commits such offences are not above the law and they will be brought to justice, regardless of who they are and what they do.

Image via YouTube

Meanwhile, it’s reported from Ireland that an ex-Catholic priest – paedophile Oliver O’Grady, 74, above – has been arrested in Portugal.

The ex-priest was nabbed under a European Arrest Warrant on the Algarve and is expected to be sent back to Ireland.

Sources say it may relate to a complaint made by an organisation dealing with child abuse who tipped off the authorities.

Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria confirmed they arrested him on Monday.

They added:

The Irish national was wanted by the Irish authorities on suspicion of a crime of child pornography. He has been remanded in prison after a court appearance pending his handover to the Irish authorities.

O’Grady was jailed for three years for possession of large amounts of child pornography in 2012. The images were found after the defrocked priest left his laptop on an Aer Lingus flight. The victims were as young as two.

He also raped and abused at least 25 children in California and was the subject of a 2006 documentary film called Deliver Us From Evil.

Limerick-born O’Grady emigrated to the US in 1971, after being ordained, and served as a priest in 
California.

Image via YouTube

In 1984, O’Grady  admitted to local detectives that he had molested children. But when “lieutenants” of Roger Mahony, above, who was then bishop of the Diocese of Stockton, promised to put O’Grady into therapy and keep him away from children, the detectives halted their investigation.

O’Grady went on to assault dozens of children across the Central Valley before he was finally convicted in 1993. By then, Mahony was a cardinal for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where he presided over more paedophile priests.

He was was jailed for 14 years for abusing two young brothers.

Last year a petition was launched calling for the removal of  Mahony’s red hat, withdraw him from active ministry and criminally charge him with covering for 34 alleged clerical sex abusers.

John Paul Norris, who launched the petition,  said the cardinal:

Controls the gay mafia and he needs to go.

The petition got nowhere. Mahoney, though now retired, still holds  the titles of Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles and retains his Vatican appointments.

Hat tip: BarrieJohn


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