Action Australia

‘Living wills’ bill puts vulnerable patients at risk

27/05 Australian Christian Lobby | The ‘living wills’ bill currently before the West Australian Parliament does not contain enough safeguards and would put vulnerable patients at risk, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) said today. ACL West Australian Director Michelle Pearse said that while Advanced Healthcare Directives can be beneficial if suitable protections are in place for both doctor and patient, the current bill does not provide these protections.

10th anniversary of legalised abortion in Western Australia

26/05 Coalition for the Defence of Human Life | As the 10th anniversary of legalised abortion in Western Australia (26 May 2008) draws near it is timely to reflect on the over 80,000 children who have now been killed under this grievous law. Who can tell what contribution each of them may have made to our community? We will never know.

At 12 noon on Thursday 22 May we will gather outside Parliament House, Perth to�renew our determination to fight to restore legal protection to children before birth in Western Australia and to MAKE ABORTION HISTORY.
We will be joined by:

- Denise Mountenay, the founder and president of Canada Silent No More, a group of Canadian women who have had an abortion and have suffered negative consequences but who have been transformed by God’s forgiveness and healing, and who herald hope to other women suffering after abortion;

- Senator Guy Barnett, a leading defender of human life in the Australian Senate;

-� Eleven former and current MPs who will be presented with the inaugural William Wilberforce Awards for “consistent service to the defence of human life in the Parliament of Western Australia”.

I hope you can join us.

Richard Egan,
Coalition for the Defence of Human Life,
0416 148 008

If you cannot make it there, please pray for the rally.

Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love one another but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion. Mother Teresa

PRAYER FOR OUR CHILDREN - THAT THEY WILL BE VALUED & BE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO LIVE - “Rescue those being led away to death, hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say "But we knew nothing of this," does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? .” Proverbs 24:11

QLD: Sunshine Coast man on peak Islamic body

23/05 Sunshine Coast Daily | A Sunshine Coast commercial lawyer elected to head the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils hopes to encourage greater integration of Muslims into the broader community. Haset Sali, who practises at Alexandra Headland, was elected interim president of Australia’s peak Muslim body after a coup ousted the old leadership at the weekend.

Related Story - by Caroline Hutchinson in the Sunshine Coast Daily : Might there just be ONE God? - Is it just me or does everyone suspect there might be just one God? I’m Catholic and I love God very much. I don’t subscribe to every thing the Catholic Church has to say – but I’ve got my reasons for staying in the fold. I don’t know if it’s considered blasphemous, but I think I’ve believed in one God all my life; same mountain, different path to the top. Something like that ....

I’m baring my little Christian soul for a reason by the way. A friend of mine has just been appointed the interim head of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils. Haset Sali is his name and he’s one in a million. I’m sure he’d hate me to tell you, but I first got to know Haset through his generosity. Every now and then on the air at Mix FM we tell the story of someone doing it tough. Haset is often the first person to donate. He’s also one of the best known blokes I know, in business, in Alex, at the gym, in politics, even in Shepparton, Victoria, where I used to live, everybody knows Haset. To be honest, I hope he becomes even more famous. As the author of a new book, “The Holy Quran Simply: A Simple English Translation” and as a high-profile moderate Muslim leader.

Australian Federation of Islamic Council under fire

22/05 Radio Australia | The president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Council has been dumped as concerns are raised over the relevance of the group ... Presenter: Stephanie March ... Speakers: AFIC vice president Hafas Malas; Sydney based writer on Muslim Affairs, Irfan Yusuf.

MARCH: Ikebal Patel was appointed as President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils in February last year. His time as leader of the umbrella body of Islamic groups in Australia has now come to an end. Six state member councils have supported the vote of no confidence in the Fijian migrant. In May 2006, as the then treasurer of AFIC he spoke out about problems of internal mismanagement within the organisation.

Vice President of the Federation, Hafas Malas, says Ikebal Patel was removed from his position because of problems with his leadership style.

MALAS: We stood beside him, we supported him until 2006, until he became the office then he changed and started to do differently as any other people might.

MARCH: How has his behaviour changed?

MALAS: Well he started to have 'jobs for the boys'.

MARCH: Ikebal Patel has been replaced by Haset Sali, a Queensland lawyer who attracted attention last year when he compared the actions of controversial former Mufti of Australia, Taj Din al-Hilali, to those of Adolph Hitler. Reports have labeled Haset Sali as more moderate than his predecessor. But Sydney based writer on Muslim issues, Irfan Yusuf, says the change in AFIC's leadership will have little effect on Muslim communities in Australia. He says Federation members are out of touch with those they claim to represent.

ISLAM has been part of Camden's history

20/05 Camden Your Guide | ISLAM has been part of Camden's history since an offshoot of the religion was introduced to Australia more than 70 years ago. Its headquarters were right on our doorstep. Baron Frederick Elliot von Frankenberg brought an unconventional form of Islam known as Sufism to Camden in the 1930s, spreading the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, an Indian Sufi Muslim leader who founded the movement in 1910. Locally known as `the Baron', von Frankenberg was born in 1889 into an aristocratic German family. He became a disciple of Khan and shortly after immigrating to Australia in 1927, he bought a dairy farm known as Spring Hill on Burragorang Valley Road. It was in his lavishly decorated home that he shared with his Australian wife, Olive Pauline Ward Taylor (daughter of one-time Sydney Lord Mayor Sir Allan Taylor) that the Baron hosted his religious meetings.

PRAYER GLBT ISSUES - “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Tim 4:3-4)

Gays don't want marriage

13/05 John Heard for The Herald Sun | SAME sex-attracted men and women in Australia simply don't want gay marriages. This is the hard truth that undercuts some of the more recent, last-minute appeals for gay marriage, civil unions and other forms of gay "relationship recognition" in the ACT and elsewhere. Despite near-universal apathy, if not outright opposition, from various community groups, segments and leaders, gay marriage is too often assumed to be an issue for gay men and lesbians in Australia. It is not. The fact is, a mistaken view of the popularity of gay marriage with gay Australians continues to influence the debate

Churches need to do more to keep youth off streets

27/05 Melody Tan for Adventist Media Network | The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific has stated that churches must play a very important role in combating youth homelessness and at risk behaviours. Dr Barry Oliver welcomed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s launch of a green paper calling for ideas on how to tackle homelessness on Friday. “This is an extremely serious issue, but is not simply a government responsibility,” says Dr Oliver. “A church is meant to be a safe haven for people and we will be failing as Christians if we ignore the plight of these young people.” Dr Oliver believes churches have a responsibility to ensure homeless and at-risk young people in the local community are cared for and even provided shelter.“Of course, this should only be a short-term solution. Most importantly, we need to better equip these young people with skills to cope in society,” he says.

Dr Oliver also suggested that prevention may be the key to the problem. “If adults take the leading role in developing positive relationships with young people in the neighbourhood, it will build resilience and self-esteem among them,” he says. “It can even be as simple as learning the name of a young person at risk.” The Seventh-day Adventist Church is engaged in promoting and providing child resilience programs in schools, churches and communities to ensure young people do not fall into risk behaviour or remain at risk.

PRAYER FOR A HEART FOR COMPASSION FOR THE POOR - “He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need.” Proverbs 21:3

Aid, not abortion needed for world’s poor

23/05 An Australian Christian Lobby Campaign | ACL has become aware of renewed efforts behind the political scenes to divert Australia’s limited overseas aid money to funding abortions. In a misguided attempt to address maternal health, the cross party Parliamentary Group on Population & Development wants to overturn a ban on aid money going to abortion put in place by former Senator Brian Harradine. The group’s timing is ironic and insensitive in the wake of the cyclone disaster in Burma. The sneaky thing about this is that it can be done without the issue going before Parliament, as the change can be made by changing regulation.

ACL believes it would be better to address maternal health by helping improve developing nations’ health systems so mothers and babies can be offered adequate medical treatment. ACL is also concerned that money would be diverted from clean water and food aid programs to fund abortion, should the population group MPs get their way. ACL has established its Aid, not Abortion campaign on it’s Make A Stand website. Please click here and urge Federal politicians not to support this move.
Whilst overseas aid was increased by $500 million to $3.7 billion in the budget, ACL is one of many groups calling for the Government to meet its Millenium Development Goal commitments of aid funding at 0.75 per cent of Gross National Income. Currently Australia’s overseas aid giving is below 0.35pc of GNI with the Rudd Government aiming to lift it to 0.5pc by 2015. It is hard to see how abortion could ever take priority over giving food and clean water.

PRAYER FOR OUR CHILDREN - THAT THEY WILL BE VALUED & BE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO LIVE - “Rescue those being led away to death, hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say "But we knew nothing of this," does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? .” Proverbs 24:11

A Very Significant Victory

Dear friends

I bring you greetings from Perth and some terrific news. In what may be a world first, a cloning bill has just been defeated in WA. These clone and kill bills are bad news as they seek to destroy human embryos to obtain stem cells. But the WA government voted last night to defeat this bill, with 5 Labor MPs crossing the floor in a conscience vote. As Festival of Light put it, this is a major victory:

Defeat of cloning bill hailed as world first

"Festival of Light Australia has hailed the defeat in the Western Australian Legislative Council of a bill to allow human cloning as a ‘world first’ and a development of international significance. This vote on cloning has come after the dramatic scientific breakthroughs beginning in November 2007 when Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka turned ordinary human skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). This new science has developed so rapidly that it has now made cloning scientifically redundant because iPS cells are biologically indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells.”

Well done to all the faithful pro-life warriors in WA who fought so hard and long on this bill. And remember, despite many setbacks and discouragements, we can and do have some resounding victories as well. So keep on fighting the good fight!

Bill Muehlenberg
Culture Watch

Children 'safer with biological parent'

07/05 The Australian | CHILDREN with a step-parent or no biological parent are significantly more at risk than those with a single parent or both biological parents. An Australian study of more than 900 coronial inquiries into child deaths from violence or accident appears to bear out theories of the so-called Cinderella effect. Psychologist and researcher at Melbourne's Deakin University Greg Tooley said that despite sensitivities over the issue, the findings should not be ignored and child-welfare agencies needed to take it into account when assessing at-risk cases.

"It would be very good, I think, if an awareness of this were to lead to better targeted interventions," Dr Tooley told The Australian. It was possible that sensitivities over targeting children with step-parents might be getting in the way of agencies identifying it as a risk factor, he said. "It is certainly difficult to talk about because it is such a hot issue," he said.

Dr Tooley's study found that children with a step-parent were at least 17 times more likely to die from intentional violence or accident. A limited version of the study found that the rate could be as high as 77 times. It found the risk was higher if there were no biological parents, such children being at least 22 times more prone. Most at risk were children under five. Overall, Dr Tooley found that children with a single biological mother were no more at risk than children with both biological parents. But he did find that children of single mothers were three times more at risk of drowning. Dr Tooley said the findings appeared to back up theories that parents were biologically driven to be extremely protective of their offspring, less so than step-parents... Dr Tooley stressed that the findings were not about attacking step-parents, but simply identifying risk factors.

READ PDF REPORT AT THIS LINK

http://psych.mcmaster.ca/dalywilson/26-36.pdf

WA Human Embryo Cloning Laws Unethical and Unnecessary

01/05 Australian Christian Lobby | WA politicians seemed unaware that some of the world’s leading advocates for cloning human embryos had abandoned the practice in favour of a better and ethical means of procuring stem cells.

Australian Christian Lobby WA State Director Michelle Pearse today urged Upper House MPs to consider the full facts before deciding how they would vote on a controversial cloning bill before the House.

On Relationship Recognition

ACL submission to the Senate Inquiry into the sexualisation of children

01/05 Australian Christian Lobby | ACL has made a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the sexualisation of children in the contemporary media environment. ACL's submission details the pervasive nature of sexualised content and images in advertising, broadcasting and magazines, as well as sexualised clothing styles and slogans.  ACL cites evidence showing that this sex-saturated culture has a range of negative impacts on children's and adolescents' sexual development, relationships, achievements in other fields, and on their physical health.

ACL's submission calls for major changes to be made to advertising and broadcasting codes, and for a unified complaints system covering all areas of media to replace the slow, messy and confusing system that exists at present. ACL also wants to see children's interests being given priority in an independent regulatory system to oversee all media exposure and advertising that impacts on children and teenagers.

You can read ACL's submission here. Please note that, in order to demonstrate the prevalence of smutty outdoor advertising, this submission contains photographs of sexually explicit billboards that some readers may not wish to see.
Thank you to all those ACL supporters who made submissions to this Inquiry.

The submissions received by the Inquiry are listed here. A high number seem to be from parents and grandparents sharing their concerns about sexualising of society.

Will Californians submit?

29/05 Jan La Rue for One News Now | I was a Californian for 40 years, so I have to ask my former fellow citizens: Are you going to sit by and do nothing while four black-robed despots take away your right to govern yourselves? By one vote, the California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the expressed will of Californians to limit marriage to a man and a woman.
 
In 2000, a 61.4 percent majority of Californians passed Proposition 22, which limited marriage to a man and a woman and precluded California's recognition of same-sex "marriages" consummated elsewhere. In a decision derided by a dissenting California justice as "legal jujitsu," the Supreme Court majority held that the ban on same-sex marriage is an infringement of the fundamental state constitutional right to marry. 
 
California is now the second state after Massachusetts where homosexuals will be allowed to "marry." But unlike Massachusetts, California has no law that prohibits homosexual couples living in states that don't recognize same-sex "marriage" from marrying in the Golden State.  The California Supreme Court has opened the door to a legal battle royal across the nation.  Homosexual couples will flock to California to marry, return to their home states, and file lawsuits to force the recognition of their Land of Fruits and Nuts marriages — and the destruction of the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act.

.... Although there is no relief available in federal court, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has already announced he will do nothing to terminate the ruling, the people of California can still act. This November, Californians can vote for a constitutional amendment, The California Marriage Protection Act, that will prevent this ruling from being enforced.

.... And finally, all Americans who respect the rule of law should demand that Congress pass a constitutional amendment preserving traditional marriage, and send it to the states for ratification. It's the only way to protect state sovereignty and the will of the people from judicial tyranny.

New Zealand: Prostitution Reform Act fails to deliver

29/05 Maxim Institute Newsletter | Five years on from the radical decision to pass the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA), the Prostitution Law Review Committee has released its report reviewing how the law is working. The report shows that the Prostitution Reform Act has not achieved its primary goal of minimising the harm of prostitution to those involved, and is failing to offer the protection and assistance that these vulnerable people need.

Prostitution is, by its very nature, harmful. When passing the PRA, emphasis was placed on the protection it would offer prostitutes, with the objective that the Act "promotes the welfare and occupational health and safety of sex workers." The report shows that the law has neither reduced nor increased the numbers of those involved; its advocates are therefore claiming that it is working. However, this fails to acknowledge the myriad difficulties involved with it. Although the report suggests that the numbers of those working in the industry "have remained stable" in the period since 2003, accurate figures are notoriously difficult to obtain. Community workers dealing with those on the street also suggest a different story, claiming that the numbers they see are rising. While only a small proportion of prostitutes work on the streets, they are at a proportionately greater risk of harm than those working from indoor premises. Despite the Act, sex workers report being robbed, raped, ph ysically assaulted, threatened or held against their will.

Under-age prostitutes are always in particular danger of harm and it has been suggested that the legality of the industry means it is now harder for the Police to be stringent in finding under-age workers. Encouragingly, the report sets out "a model of best practice for assisting sex workers to exit the industry," and it acknowledges the harm done by street-based sex work to those involved in it and calls for them to be "encouraged to either move to a safer, indoor setting, or leave sex work altogether." The Committee highlights the role money plays as a driving factor for people working in prostitution, and it should be a real cause for concern that people might be driven to prostitution simply to make ends meet. In its survey, 73 percent of sex workers said they worked in the sex industry to "pay household expenses," and nearly a third of them gave "no other income" as the reason they began prostitution. Disturbingly, significant numbers cited "support for alcohol or other drug us e" as the reason they began prostitution; this was the reason for over half of street-based workers.

It is no great surprise that the Act has done little to protect those engaging in such a vulnerable and dangerous activity. It is meaningless to talk about choice in the face of an industry with so much abuse, addiction and mental health issues associated with it. We have a duty as a society to do more. Prosecuting those using prostitutes and helping those trapped in the industry to get out of it would be better than pretending that all of those involved are there through "choice."

France acts on pro-anorexia sites

29/05 SMH.com.au | French politicians called on Tuesday for stiff penalties of up to three years jail and heavy fines against "pro anorexia" websites and publications that encourage girls and young women to starve themselves. "Giving young girls advice about how to lie to their doctors, telling them what kinds of food are easiest to vomit, encouraging them to torture themselves whenever they take any kind of food is not part of liberty of expression," Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said in a speech in parliament.

"The messages sent out here are messages of death. Our country should have the means of finding and prosecuting those behind sites like this," she said, during a debate on a proposed law against incitement to anorexia. Aimed mainly at so-called "pro-ana" blogs and websites where anorexics share experiences and tips on subjects like appetite suppressants, the law would impose penalties of two years plus a fine of 30,000 euros ($47,450) for "incitement to excessive thinness by publicising of any kind."

The penalties would rise to three years in jail plus 45,000 euros fine in cases where a death was caused by anorexia.

The bill was adopted by the lower house of parliament on Tuesday and must go before the Senate before it becomes law.

Court allows partial-birth abortion in VA

23/05 One News Now | A federal court has struck down Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortions a second time, even after the legislature amended the law to comply with the first negative decision. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Tuesday that Virginia's ban – which is nearly identical to the federal ban upheld by the Supreme Court – is unconstitutional. Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, says the reasoning of the two judges who voted to overturn the law is baffling.

.... The two Clinton appointees said they overturned the law because there is no exception to protect an abortionist who accidentally delivers an unborn child up to his or her neck and then punctures the child's brain to end its life. "There is no question in the minds of most people who look at this issue objectively that one cannot 'accidentally' have a partial-birth abortion," Cobb contends.

Canada: Huron says yes to same-sex blessings

21/05 The Anglican Church of Canada | The diocese of Huron's annual synod, or governing convention, voted on May 26 to ask the bishop to give clergy permission to bless same-sex marriages. The margin in favour was 72 per cent in both clergy and lay houses (97 clergy in favour, 36 against; 227 lay people in favour, 87 against).

Bishop Bruce Howe, the diocesan bishop, said he "gave concurrence" to the motion based on the percentage in favour but he added he intended to consult with other bishops before acting on the vote. His ruling is in line with the bishops of the dioceses of Niagara, Montreal and Ottawa, that have held similar votes since the June 2007 meeting of General Synod.

Debate on the motion took two hours, with some 60 members speaking to the motion. Speaking to media after the vote, Bishop Howe said he would likely not announce his decision before the fall.

A century from now, we will be appalled that we allowed abortions at all

21/05 Rod Liddle for The Spectator, UK | Rod Liddle says the Commons vote securing the 24-week limit is no more than a craven politician’s fudge, designed to postpone the day when the law of the land finally catches up with the indisputable findings of science

An awful lot of people we know are being laid off at the moment, or finding their incomes substantially decreased. This is the credit crunch, the cusp of a recession and its impact was felt first and most onerously upon those hard-working and resourceful young men in the City’s banking institutions. Many are looking to ship out and find jobs elsewhere; some, suddenly stricken with the need to feel socially useful, are downsizing into strange occupations such as teaching. But others just want to carry on making money and are looking for an industry which is unlikely to be affected by the current financial crisis. But what, exactly, should it be?

The clear answer is that they should all retrain as abortionists, the abrupt termination of pregnancies being one of Britain’s most vibrant growth industries. There were a total of 193,737 abortions carried out in Britain in 2006, the latest year for which figures are available. That’s a tenfold increase on the number carried out in 1968, the first full year for which abortions were deemed legal by the state. Lately the yearly rate of increase has hovered at around 4 per cent, comfortably above the rate of inflation. It is likely to rise still more sharply in future years as Britain’s women fully embrace the notion that an unconfined number of sexual partners is the desirable norm

... As a leftie, I had always been persuaded that abortion on demand is the right of every woman, with no arguments brooked. ‘Persuaded’ is perhaps the wrong word; the rights of a woman to do whatever the hell she liked with her foetus was simply not something open to negotiation or debate ... But a dark foreboding nonetheless gnawed away at me — much as, on a personal level, it gnawed away at many of the feminists who advanced this totalitarian no-surrender hypothesis. It is still, if you are on the feminist Left, an unchallengeable shibboleth, which is why the debate today is so fraught — the god-botherers on one side, the liberal Left on the other.

I may be wrong about this, but it strikes me that in a century or so, or maybe even less, we will be appalled that we allowed abortions at all. I do not mean that we should not allow them now; it is merely a suspicion that the advance of our knowledge about the life of a foetus, coupled with an improved ability to prevent conception, will mean that we will be mystified as to how such a primitive and brutal procedure could have become state-sanctioned and commonplace. I can see politicians in 2108 erecting monuments and offering apologies to the unborn dead — divorced from the reality of where we are now, and why. Apologising, in the manner of Tony Blair, with hindsight for crimes which were not considered crimes except by a furious and vengeful minority.

The scientific case — as opposed to the dubious religious case — against abortion seems to me as good as proven; or, at worst, pointing in the direction of being proven. Announcing the government’s wish to stick by the 24-week limit which Britain currently has, the health minister Dawn Primarolo said: ‘No scientific evidence shows that the survival rates [of the foetus] have changed.’ You would guess that this is a politically expedient clutching at straws and carries with it the implication that they sort of expect the scientific evidence to change at some point in the future, that where we are now is a stop-gap, a temporary measure. It is only a matter of time — and not very much time, either‚ before the sentience of a foetus at 24 weeks becomes an established fact, beyond all dispute. And a little further on, 20 weeks, and then ten. There are plenty of scientists around — not all of them Roman Catholic — who will tell you that the foetus is a sort of sentient being which can experience pain as early as eight to nine weeks, when the major organs are all formed in an albeit rudimentary manner. The majority of neurobiologists seem to cleave to the view that between 20 and 24 weeks, with the establishment in the foetus of thalamocortical connections, the unborn child can certainly experience pain. It is a deeply pessimistic outlook to define a human being merely by his or her ability to detect pain, of course. There is other stuff that makes us human...

Calif. Court Says 'Yes' to Gay 'Marriage'

15/05 Alexander Sheffrin for The Christian Post | KeIn what was a day of shame for pro-family groups everywhere, the California Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Thursday morning to join Massachusetts as the second state to recognize same-sex “marriage.” In the court’s opinion, Chief Justice Ron George ruled that the ban on same-sex “marriage” was “discriminatory” and that “domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage.” The court's decision overturns state laws prohibiting same-sex nuptials.

Dozens of gay couples who gathered outside the Sacramento courthouse met the ruling with cheers and jubilation as pro-family advocates protested nearby. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who performed thousands of same-sex "marriages" in 2004 in defiance of state law, praised the ruling. "We had our day in court and we won. Real people won," Newsom said, according to San Jose Mercury News. "People feel their lives are affirmed."

But Matt Barber of the pro-family Concerned Women for America believes the ruling by the California Supreme Court was the “worst kind of judicial activism today” and represented a rejection of the court’s supposed role “as an objective interpreter of the law.”

"So-called 'same-sex' marriage is counterfeit marriage. Marriage is, and has always been, between a man and a woman,” he said in a statement shortly after the court’s decision.

Although pro-family groups were undoubtedly disheartened by the court’s decision, they were adamant that citizens would vote positively on a constitutional amendment to ban gay “marriage” during this year’s election in November.

Kenneth Copeland Takes Senate Probe Battle to Public

14/05 Lilian Kwan for The Christian Post | Kenneth Copeland is now looking to gain public support as he continues to question and protest a senator's investigation into the spending of six "prosperity gospel" ministries, including his. This week, his ministry launched a Web site to address concerns about the inquiry. The Grassley Investigation: Do Churches Still Have Constitutional Rights?" says an article on the homepage of www.BelieversStandUnited.com. ()

The site is in response to an inquiry led by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who last November sent letters to six prominent ministries asking that they provide financial records and answer questions regarding their organizational as well as personal finances. The senate probe was prompted by media reports and ministry watchdogs that alleged opulent spending and possible abuse of their nonprofit status.

Copeland, who has said his ministry fully complies with all laws, believes the inquiry is a violation of religious freedom, an invasion of privacy and a threat to the separation of Church and State. And information obtained by Grassley "could potentially be used in a manner that could harm or embarrass the Church, its preachers, members, partners, and friends," his ministry stated. According to the Web site, one of the ministries was asked to provide a list of the names and addresses of every minister whom the church has paid to speak or perform music at the church ....

Northern Ireland : Public opinion ignored as NI age of consent lowered to 16

02/05 Christian Institute | The Government at Westminster has today ignored the will of the people of Northern Ireland and its elected representatives by pushing ahead with plans to lower the age of consent ... The move comes in spite of a weight of evidence showing the plan is strongly opposed by the public and politicians of different parties across Northern Ireland.

Just yesterday a majority of MLAs signed a No Day Named motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly saying they were against the proposal. A public opinion poll published earlier this month showed that three quarters of the public (73 per cent) wanted the age of consent to remain at 17.

UK: Creator of Abortion Law wants Abortion on Request

02/05 Christian Institute | An architect of Britain's abortion law, Lord Steel, wants to scrap the need for two doctors to give permission for early abortions.

Under the existing law, introduced by Lord Steel when he was an MP in the 60s, two doctors must agree to a termination. Abortions are allowed for 'social reasons' up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

In 1966, when Parliament was debating the Bill, David Steel said: "[It is] not the intention of the promoters of the Bill to leave a wide open door for abortion on request." But speaking yesterday Lord Steel contradicted himself by saying he wants to create a regime of "abortion on request". He wants to remove the 'two doctors' rule for abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Last October Lord Steel admitted that abortion is being used as a form of contraception in Britain. He said he never anticipated "anything like" the current number of terminations when leading the campaign to legalise abortion. About 200,000 abortions are carried out each year in Britain and almost 7 million since the Abortion Act was passed in 1967.

..In March the Royal College of Psychiatrists changed its policy on abortion. They said that having an abortion can damage a woman's mental health and women should be told the risks before proceeding.

UK: More twelve-year-olds are having abortions

02/05 Christian Institute | The number of twelve-year-old girls becoming pregnant and having abortions is increasing, and "society just has to come to terms with that", a leading abortion provider says. In 2004 there were 15 girls aged twelve who had abortions, up from 10 in 2003, according to figures obtained from the Department of Health by The Sunday Times using freedom of information laws.

Among 13-year-olds, 142 girls had abortions in 2004, increasing from 138 in the previous year. Ann Furedi, of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, a nationwide abortion provider, told The Sunday Times: "This is a tiny number of girls. Children grow up very quickly in our society.

"They are maturing faster physically, psychologically and socially, and society just has to come to terms with that." The British Pregnancy Advisory Service is a registered charity heavily funded with public money. It latest published accounts show an annual income of over £23 million, but only £2,000 of that came from donations. Almost all its income comes from fees. It facilitates abortions for almost 50,000 women each year, nearly 80% under contracts with the NHS.

Dr Rhona Knight, a family doctor, disagrees that girls are simply choosing to have sex at earlier ages. She said: "The message given out is that the boys will use a condom or the girls can go on the pill, but they end up pregnant which is extremely sad.

"We need to empower these girls to realise that they do not need to have sex at that age.".

Northern Ireland : Majority of MLAs oppose lower age of consent in NI

02/05 Christian Institute | Most MLAs (55) have signed up to a 'no day named' motion at Stormont opposing plans to lower the age of consent from 17 to 16 in Northern Ireland. It is the most supported NDN motion currently at Stormont.

Earlier this month newspapers published a poll showing that three quarters (73 per cent) of the public oppose the plans. In February a report recommending keeping the law unchanged was voted through unopposed by MLAs.

Despite this opposition from the public and politicians the plan is being pushed forward by the Northern Ireland Office which has responsibility for criminal law.

Cllr Pat Ramsey MLA (SDLP, Foyle constituency) said: "The sheer number of MLAs signing up to this No Day motion confirms that if the Assembly was to be deciding on the age of consent, it would not be liberalising the present law. It would be voting to keep current legal protections in place for our teenagers. Why then is Westminster forcing this legislation upon us in view of the strong opposition of local people and their elected representatives? This is an affront to democracy."

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‘Jerusalem: The World’s Epicenter’
Jerusalem & Israel constantly dominate the headlines. Find out why and what it means for your future.

Presented by Kameel Majdali, PhD (Melb)
Director of Teach All Nations Inc.

WHEN: Monday, 5 May 2008 at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Christian Life Assembly, 374-378 Blackburn Road, Glen Waverley VIC

Melway Reference: 70 J3; Tel. 03 9802 5040

Coincides with:

§        The launch of the new book Melbourne to Jerusalem: A Pilgrim’s Progress in the 21st Century; copies will be signed.
§        Israel/Jordan Information Night: Learn more about the upcoming tour to the Middle East 10-25 November 2008
§        Presented by Teach All Nations Inc.  Israel@tan.org.au

Next Free Public Lecture: ‘What Does the Future Hold for Iraq & the Middle East?’ Monday 1 September 2008, same time & place.

NOTE: Salt Shakers has known, and worked with, Dr Kameel Majdali for a long time.

For those of you who live in Melbourne, you might remember the Trends conferences, conducted by Kameel when he was principal of Harvest Bible College.


Since leaving Harvest, Kameel has established a teaching ministry called 'Teach All Nations'.

And that is what he now does - travelling around the world teaching and training Christians in worldview issues.

His website is http://www.tan.org.au/

Kameel also hosts tours to the Middle East. He has a long association with the Middle East, having been born in Lebanon and then re growing up in the USA.

NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING - SATURDAY 10th MAY 2008

THOSE BEING HONOURED AND THANKED IN 2008

This year the National Day of Thanksgiving coincides with Mothers Day weekend, Saturday 10th May 2008. 

We wish therefore to honour all Mothers and thank those people throughout our respective communities who nurture, train, teach, mentor or care for babies, children and youth.

This would include but not be limited to: Full and part time workers and volunteers in Babies and Children's homes, Foster Carers, staff in Child Care and Pre-School facilities , staff and volunteers working in Youth Shelters, School Teachers and Chaplains, Youth Workers, Sporting team coaches and administrators.

Churches that have not previously been involved with the National Day of Thanksgiving will find our Church Kit helpful in understanding how they can become involved and the resources that are available to assist them in celebrating the day in their community. To order a kit simply write to info@thanksgiving.org.au advising us of the postal address to which you want it sent.  The Kit which includes an information booklet and DVD is free, and is posted to you at our expense.

This year we are providing Schools with their own kit as a way of encouraging them to understand how they can use the day in promoting thanksgiving to their students, but also, by undertaking acts of kindness in the community, showcase their values to the community at large.  Whether you are a Principal, Teacher, Chaplain, or a Parent wanting to encourage your child's school to become involved, we encourage you to email us at info@thanksgiving.org.au and ask for a School Kit to be electronically transmitted to you free of charge.  

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL CONFERENCE

under the theme -“Supporting the Messianic Community in Israel” will be held on Saturday 24th May 2008 at Creek Road Presbyterian Church, Cnr Creek and Fursden Roads, Carina, Qld

SPEAKERS:

Eliyahu Ben-Haim – was born in New York and raised in a traditional Jewish home. He became a believer in Jesus at age 30. In 1984 he moved to Israel with his wife and children, later becoming the Coordinator/Director of Intercessors for Israel, a National Prayer movement. Eliyahu is a key person in Israel’s growing Messianic community and has recently produced several DVDs in the “Praying through the Land” series.

Ken Legg – Founder/Director of Set Free Ministries, a Christian Training & Resource Ministry supplying materials to over 1,000 churches and groups. He is Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Christian Church, on the Gold Coast which he and his wife pioneered in January 2002. Ken has spoken at many Israel Awareness Groups throughout Australia and has authored 13 books.

Fraser Harding – together with his wife Jayne is joint Administrator of Prayer for Israel – Australia. Fraser has been involved with Christian pro-Israel activities for more than 20 years. He is a frequent speaker and writer on matters pertaining to Israel, from both a Biblical and a Current Events perspective.

DAY PROGRAM commences at 9.30am which involves teaching sessions by the above speakers as well as praise and worship.

EVENING PROGRAM commences at 7.00pm and includes Music & Song presentation with Susanna Galer; Dance led by the Jubilee Ministry Team; Message by Eliyahu Ben- Haim.

Conference brochures are available from our office. Please request same by email or alternatively call Fraser or Jayne Harding on (07) 5514 212.

Special discount available if you register by 24 April 2008 

PRAYER, NATIONS AND GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE 2088

Sunday 22nd - Tuesday 24th June 2008

Great Hall
Parliament House
CANBERRA

Speaker: Rev Mosy Madugba

Rev Madugba (M. Div. Bradenton) is the International Director of Spiritual Life Outreach, a multi-national indigenous missionary agency and evangelistic ministry headquartered in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and focused on Nigeria and the nations of Africa. He is also the International Coordinator of Ministers Prayer Network (MPN), a prayer and leadership network of Christian leaders across the nations of the world. MPN hosts the annual International Ministers & Christian Leaders Prayer and Leadership Conference (Global Prayerquake) that is attended by 10,000-15,000 Christian leaders. He was formerly Travelling Secretary of the Scripture Union for approximately ten years.

Sunday 22nd June   7.30PM  Worship Service
Monday 23rd June  7.30AM  Breakfast followed by 2 Day Sessions and 1 Evening Session
Tuesday 24th June 11.00AM  Leadership Forum 

Cost $195.00 per person which includes all sessions, breakfast, lunch on Day 2 and tea & coffee
Sunday evening worship service is open to all. Offering will be taken

Registrations:  For registration forms contact Parliamentary Prayer Network on ppn@ppn.org.au 

For further information:  www.ppn.org.au or ring 02 6287.3558

Organised by The Parliamentary Prayer Network 

Supported by The Australian Prayer Network
Source: Parliamentary Prayer Network

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