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Marriage helps you live longer

Sharon Labi and Carmel Melouney, The Australian | Marriage is helping Australians live longer according to new data released this week.

Federal Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot has released an analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data which clearly shows that married people have lower death rates than non-married people in almost all age groups, for both men and women. Similar results have been found in the UK. Please click here for more details and graphs.

“It seems that longevity and marriage are directly linked and marriage is good for your health,” Mrs Elliot said. “Whenever I travel around Australia, I am continually surprised to meet couples who have been married for more than 70 years – it is simply marvellous and re-assuring.

VICTORIAN EUTHANASIA BILL CALLS FOR FALSIFIED DEATH CERTIFICATES

Australian Prayer Network (APN) Newsletter | Debate on the Victorian Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008, resumed this past week but has again been deferred until November 10 when the next round of debate will take place. Voting on the Bill is expected to be close. The Bill seeks to allow doctors, who noramally care for patients, to kill them instead. Many Christian lobby groups have been lobbying strongly against the bill, which devalues life and could put the lives of vulnerable sick, disabled and elderly people at risk.

There are problems with some of the provisions in the bill. Instead of recording the cause of death as the ingestion of poisons, death would be deceptively recorded as the illness that prompted the request for death. This amounts to the falsification of death certificates. Under the bill a request for death may also be granted to somebody who is NOT suffering a terminal illness. The bill also imposes a penalty, of up to a $100,000 fine, and/or imprisonment for up to five years, for anybody who attempts to resuscitate a person who has ingested drugs to end their life.

The use of euphemistic words to downplay the dreadful proposal of legalising killing have been rife in the Victorian euthanasia debate. Margaret Somerville, founding director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law at McGill University in Montreal, writes about the tactic of using a choice of language to alter the perceptions of others about what is ethical and unethical. She says the euthanasia debate taking place in many Western democracies is a good example of this.

"Its proponents contend that euthanasia is just a "merciful act of clinical care", the "last act of good palliative care", or "physician-assisted death" - they avoid the use of the word suicide as surveys have shown people are less accepting of that. Compare this euphemistic, soothing language with an equally accurate description: "euthanasia is physicians killing their patients."

PETITION - to disallow Medicare funding for second trimester and late abortions

To the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in Parliament assembled:
Whereas,

• item 16525 of the Health Insurance (General Medical Service Table) Regulations 2007 provides for the payment of Medicare funds for the performance of second trimester abortions, that is, abortions as late as 26 weeks of pregnancy;

• Medicare funds have, since 1994 paid $1.7 million for 10,000 second trimester abortions;

• babies as young as 21 weeks gestation have been born alive and subsequently flourished;

• Medicare funds may be used to abort babies through the partial birth abortion method and also for abortion procedures in which the baby is born alive but then deliberately left to die; and therefore we, the undersigned petitioners, pray that the Senate will disallow item 16525 of the Health Insurance (General Medical Service Table) Regulations 2007 and thereby stop the funding of second trimester and late abortions

Click here to download the Petition

Post to Senator Guy Barnett,
33 George Street, Launceston TAS 7250 by 1 September 2008
Please do not use the back of forms – For additional forms contact 03 6334 1755

Jodie Percival delighted her baby, Finlay, survived an abortion

Archives 5th June 2008 - AAP | A MOTHER who decided to abort her son because he may have inherited a life-threatening kidney condition is overjoyed that he survived the procedure. Jodie Percival of Nottinghamshire, England,  said she and her fiancee made the decision to abort Finley when she was eight weeks pregnant.

Ms Percival's first son, Thane, died of multicystic dysplastic kidney – which causes cysts to grow on the kidneys of an unborn baby - and her second, Lewis, was born with serious kidney damage and survives with only one, the Daily Mail reported. "I was on the Pill when I became pregnant. Deciding to terminate at eight weeks was just utterly horrible but I couldn't cope with the anguish of losing another baby," Miss Percival, 25, said. A short time after the abortion, Ms Percival felt a fluttering in her stomach. She went to the doctor for a scan and discovered she was 19 weeks pregnant, the Daily Mail reported. "I couldn't believe it,' Ms Percival said. "This was the baby I thought I'd terminated.

"I wrote to the hospital, I couldn't believe that they had let me down like this. "They wrote back and apologised and said it was very rare.'"
Another scan a week later confirmed the baby also had kidney problems, but doctors told the couple the baby was likely to survive, so they decided he deserved another chance at life. In November, Finley was born three weeks premature. He had minor kidney damage but is expected to lead a normal life.  "I just couldn't believe that this child had got through it all and looked so perfect," Ms Percival, a hairdresser, told the Daily Mail. "He may need an operation but as only one of his kidneys is affected he can survive. "I still struggle to believe just what he has fought through. Now he's here I wouldn't change it for the world."

Priest defrocked for child sex abuse

26/08 News.com.au | THE Anglican Church has defrocked a Brisbane priest convicted of child sex abuse. The church today confirmed it had deposed Robert Francis Sharwood from his holy orders. Sharwood, 62, of Brisbane, was jailed for 12 months in November 2006, after being found guilty of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in Brisbane more than 30 years ago. He was released from jail in November last year. Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Philip Aspinall removed Sharwood's licence to operate as a priest in the diocese in 2002, however, he remained an ordained minister. The church's professional standards board, presided over by Justice Debra Mullins, recommended in March after a public hearing that Sharwood's holy orders be removed.

Deadly bacteria found in hospitals

26/08 News.com.au | THREE major Sydney hospitals have tested positive to the potentially deadly golden staph bacteria. Fairfield, Westmead and Concord public hospitals were each found to have the bacteria, while Royal Prince Alfred and Royal North Shore hospitals were cleared, Channel Seven reported today. Infants, the elderly and patients with suppressed immune systems are commonly the most susceptible to picking up the bacteria.

... "It does cause people to die,'' College of Surgeons spokesman Richard West said. About 12 per cent of intensive care unit patients contract some kind of infection during their hospital stay, Dr West said. ''... A number of them will die from the infection,'' he said.

Children need role models not super models

15/08 Australian Christian Lobby Newsletter | Concerns over the increasing sexualisation of children in Australia rose to the fore again this week with news of a Victorian teacher’s sexually charged poses on the ‘Make Me a Supermodel’ television program. Click hereto read a news report.

ACL, along with other groups such as the Australian Family Association, is concerned that children are again being sent the wrong messages, at a time when they are already being forced to contend with a culture that gives the repeated message that people’s value mainly lies in their sexual attractiveness. In a media release put out on Tuesday, ACL Victorian Director Rob Ward said that teachers should be acting as examples for students, not adding to negative messages in a program which is all about flaunting your sexual attractiveness.

PRAYER POINT: Mr Kim Beasley

Please Pray for the China Olympics 8 – 24 August

01/08 Saltshakers Media Release| The eyes of the world will be upon China this month but most will be blind to the persecution faced by many of our faithful brothers & sisters in Christ.

Pray that God will use the Olympics for His Glory and turn this event around, that instead of everyone looking at the Olympics, their attention will be turned to the plight of Christians there, the religious persecution going on and the general lack of freedom in the country.

Pray that God will sweep over China with a mighty outpouring of His Spirit, creating a new Christian revival there.

Aussie charity banned for 'aiding terror'

01/08 Richard Kerbaj for the Australian | AN Australian charity that distributes humanitarian aid in the Middle East has been banned by the Israeli Government for allegedly bankrolling Palestinian terrorists. Human Appeal International has been accused by the Israeli Defence Force of supporting the Palestinian organisation Hamas. However, HAI's Sydney-based director, Bashar al-Jamal, refused to concede that Hamas was a terrorist organisation.

Israel's ban of HAI emerged a week after another charity group, Muslim Aid Australia, whose headquarters are also in Haldon Street, Lakemba, in Sydney's Islamic heartland, was raided by Australian Federal Police. The AFP is investigating MAA's links to Interpal, a British-based aid network proscribed by Canberra and Washington.

Mr al-Jamal, whose organisation has been previously linked to Hamas by the US's Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2003, invited Australian authorities to examine his organisation's books, declaring he had nothing to hide. He also downplayed Israel's proscription, of which he was unaware before The Australian contacted him.

David Claydon to speak at Salt Shakers Annual Dinner

Rev Dr David Claydon is the speaker at our annual dinner on Saturday 13 September.

David is currently involved in analysing Islam and is involved in the Dealing with Diversity project, looking at the effect of Islam in Australia.
He has been involved in Scripture Union and in evangelism worldwide and will look address the topic "Worldwide Challenges for the Church".

PLEASE BOOK NOW for the dinner - we look forward to seeing you on the night! - Just phone the office on 03 9800 2855.

Date: Saturday 13 September 2008

Start: 7pm: soft drinks and savouries - 7.30: Dinner
Where: The Quest, 137 Mountain Hwy, Wantirna (Mel. 47F9)

Cost: $50 per person, $95 per married couple

Brief Bio

David Claydon - With his wealth of experience he is well qualified to address the topic ‘ Worldwide Challenges for the Church':
David Claydon was born in Jerusalem in the midst of both the Second World War and the local triangle battle between Palestinians, Zionists and the British Protectorate Government.  David’s father worked for the Protectorate government and he and David’s mother were killed in the triangle war. After a few years in an Arabic orphanage, David was rescued by a missionary family and then by an aunt.  His exciting story is told in the biography “Never Alone”.

David was sent to Australia on a troop ship and in due course was educated and with a scholarship to university gained his economics and education degrees. Later he gained a degree in theology and a Doctorate in Ministry. After teaching economics David headed up Scripture Union at first in NSW and then federally and then pioneered SU ministries in the South Pacific. After serving as Rector of St Matthews, West Pennant Hills for 6 years, he was asked to head up the Church Missionary Society (CMS). In this role he became the President of the United Mission to Nepal and Canon of the cathedrals in both Sydney and Cairo. During his childhood years he developed an interest in Islam and and is now considered to be well informed on Islamic issues.

Through both SU and CMS he has developed contacts around the world and is often a consultant on international religious affairs. Following retirement from CMS he was appointed International Director of the Lausanne movement and ran the 2004 Forum in Thailand. He is now Chair of Dealing with Diversity which is the Heads of Churches group which meets with Politicians to help them better understand the Islamic agendas.

David is an author and editor of a number of publications. He is moderator of the Evangelism and Missions curricula for the Australian College of Education and is an international speaker.

(Mrs) Jenny Stokes

Research Director
SALT SHAKERS 
PO Box 6049, Wantirna, Victoria, 3152
Ph (03) 9800 2855
Mobile: 0413 084 146
Email: jenny@saltshakers.org.au
Web: www.saltshakers.org.au

St. Stephen’s Uniting Church

197 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Telephone: (02) 9221 1688
Facsimile: (02) 9230 0316
E-mail: office@ssms.org.au

MEDIA RELEASE

“All People That on Earth do Dwell"

A PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION/EXHIBITION

25th September-5th October, 2008
To be held at:
St Stephen's Uniting Church

$300 prize for winner
In each of the following sections:
Senior Amateur
Junior Amateur
People’s Choice

For
Entry forms and competition rules
Phone: (02) 9221 1688
Email: office@ssms.org.au

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:  18th August, 2008

Training tomorrow's leaders

There is a great need in this nation to assist those students and recent graduates who demonstrate a high potential to become influential leaders for Christ across strategic areas of our nation including politics, law, media, science, education, arts and philosophy.
The Compass program, an eight-day course in Christian worldview, aims to address this need.

The inaugural program kicks off this Sunday with 40 students at the University of Queensland. For more information and to register interest for 2009, please go to www.compass.org.au .

Lyle Shelton
National Chief of Staff , Australian Christian Lobby