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NEWS

Christian MPs push forward family debate

Earlier this week, members of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship raised a debate on family policy. Unusually the debate was sought on a non-confrontational cross party basis, as the MPs attempted to influence not only the Government, but colleagues in general in relation to a range of issues relating to parenting and the family.

"Parliament and politicians have been presented for so long to the public as only being able to deal with issues of importance in a confrontational manner, that people can be unaware that there are many matters on which we share each other's concern," explained fellowship chairman Alistair Burt MP.

"We all support and believe in our robust democratic system which ensures our parties provide choice in the solutions offered to problems, and we do not have to agree on the same answers. But Christians want to be reassured that issues which really matter to them are raised by Christian MPs from all parties prepared to work together, in much the same way as many agencies work when engaged in dealing with society’s problems.

"That families are under acute pressure in our times is undeniable. Marriage is at its lowest level in the UK since records began. Evidence is increasing of the poor outcomes in terms of education, health and behaviour for children who have unstable backgrounds, and we have the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe with consequent unhappy outcomes for too many children. No-one, from any party or non-party political background can view this without compassion and not want to try to address it.

"We hope this debate will be the first of a number, and that the way in which we debate and put our case will be welcomed on all sides."

CARE welcomes UN consensus on the Family

CARE has warmly welcomed the UN General Assembly Resolution agreed by consensus recently, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. This is a major development in the global debates on family policy.

The GA Resolution: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family, was presented by the Government of Qatar with the support of 148 nations. Calling for the recognition of the Family as the fundamental group unit of society, the Resolution comes as the conclusion of a year-long series of meetings co-ordinated by the Government of Qatar which included Governmental meetings in Benin, Azerbaijan and Latvia.

The Doha Declaration reaffirms a series of vital statements in the foundational documents of the United Nations. These significantly include the recognition of the:

inherent dignity of the human person recognised and protected throughout all stages of life
special safeguards and care for the child both before and after birth
importance of the Family as the natural fundamental unit of society, with the primary responsibility for nurturing and protecting children in their growing years
the institution of marriage to be upheld, preserved, defended and strengthened with husband and wife as equal partners within a committed and enduring marital relationship
the prior right of parents to choose the kind of education given to their children.
liberty of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions

In addition the Declaration calls for governments to take effective measures on these significant statements.

CARE's International Director, Charlie Colchester, attended the final meetings in Doha:

"This is a fantastic achievement and a major step in supporting the vital institution of the Family in the first years of the 21st Century. It was a great tragedy that a small minority of nations (including the European Union member states) felt unable to join in the celebrations yesterday and criticised this democratic and representational global process. These 148 nations have demonstrated that it is possible to reach consensus across cultural, national, religious and political boundaries."

The government of Qatar has committed to establishing an Institute for the Study of the Family, which will work with partners around the world to realise the achievements of the Doha Process. It will seek to turn the commitments made by 148 Countries in the Doha Declaration into practical programmes and research to underpin family life and marriage. CARE is committed to supporting the work of this important Institute.

Church of Fools reopens - for individuals only

Church of Fools, the UK's first 3D online house of worship, has re-opened - as a place for private prayer and reflection.

Visitors will be able to choose a cartoon 'double', then walk around, kneel, pray, shout 'Hallelujah', play a hymn, even ring the church bells. However, they will not see, or be seen by, other visitors to the church.

Initially conceived as a three-month experiment, the fully interactive version of Church of Fools, was launched in May this year and ran until September.

"Since our pilot project ended, we have continued the interactive part of the church in 2D - through conventional chat rooms and bulletin boards," explains project leader Simon Jenkins. "But the demand to re-open the 3D environment has been overwhelming. A new version of the multi-user, interactive church will be built if funding is forthcoming."

Jenkins is hopeful that visitors will use the church for personal reflection and prayer - like Radalyn from Georgia, USA, who, during the pilot project, often left her character alone in the church at prayer while, in real life, she worked nearby.

"Radalyn used the church as a meditative retreat, an oasis in her day," said Jenkins. "We think there's a real need for a sacred space like this on the web. Meanwhile, we continue our search for funding for the next interactive phase of the project."

Built by specialmoves of London, and initially conceived as a three-month experiment, the church was sponsored by the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the National Christian Resources Exhibition, where it was launched in May. The Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, preached at its inaugural service.

The project, developed by leading UK web magazine shipoffools.com, attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world during its pilot phase - more than half of them under 30 years old and 60 per cent male.
www.churchoffools.com
www.shipoffools.com
www.specialmoves.com

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		NEWS Christian MPs push forward family debate Earlier this week, members of the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship raised a debate on family policy. Unusually the debate was sought on a non-confrontational cross party basis, as the MPs attempted to influence not only the Government, but colleagues in general in relation to a range of issues relating to parenting and the family. "Parliament and politicians have been presented for so long to the public as only being able to deal with issues of importance in a confrontational manner, that people can be unaware that there are many matters on which we share each other's concern," explained fellowship chairman Alistair Burt MP. "We all support and believe in our robust democratic system which ensures our parties provide choice in the solutions offered to problems, and we do not have to agree on the same answers. But Christians want to be reassured that issues which really matter to them are raised by Christian MPs from all parties prepared to work together, in much the same way as many agencies work when engaged in dealing with society’s problems. "That families are under acute pressure in our times is undeniable. Marriage is at its lowest level in the UK since records began. Evidence is increasing of the poor outcomes in terms of education, health and behaviour for children who have unstable backgrounds, and we have the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe with consequent unhappy outcomes for too many children. No-one, from any party or non-party political background can view this without compassion and not want to try to address it. "We hope this debate will be the first of a number, and that the way in which we debate and put our case will be welcomed on all sides." CARE welcomes UN consensus on the Family CARE has warmly welcomed the UN General Assembly Resolution agreed by consensus recently, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family. This is a major development in the global debates on family policy. The GA Resolution: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family, was presented by the Government of Qatar with the support of 148 nations. Calling for the recognition of the Family as the fundamental group unit of society, the Resolution comes as the conclusion of a year-long series of meetings co-ordinated by the Government of Qatar which included Governmental meetings in Benin, Azerbaijan and Latvia. The Doha Declaration reaffirms a series of vital statements in the foundational documents of the United Nations. These significantly include the recognition of the: inherent dignity of the human person recognised and protected throughout all stages of life special safeguards and care for the child both before and after birth importance of the Family as the natural fundamental unit of society, with the primary responsibility for nurturing and protecting children in their growing years the institution of marriage to be upheld, preserved, defended and strengthened with husband and wife as equal partners within a committed and enduring marital relationship the prior right of parents to choose the kind of education given to their children. liberty of parents to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions In addition the Declaration calls for governments to take effective measures on these significant statements. CARE's International Director, Charlie Colchester, attended the final meetings in Doha: "This is a fantastic achievement and a major step in supporting the vital institution of the Family in the first years of the 21st Century. It was a great tragedy that a small minority of nations (including the European Union member states) felt unable to join in the celebrations yesterday and criticised this democratic and representational global process. These 148 nations have demonstrated that it is possible to reach consensus across cultural, national, religious and political boundaries." The government of Qatar has committed to establishing an Institute for the Study of the Family, which will work with partners around the world to realise the achievements of the Doha Process. It will seek to turn the commitments made by 148 Countries in the Doha Declaration into practical programmes and research to underpin family life and marriage. CARE is committed to supporting the work of this important Institute. Church of Fools reopens - for individuals only Church of Fools, the UK's first 3D online house of worship, has re-opened - as a place for private prayer and reflection. Visitors will be able to choose a cartoon 'double', then walk around, kneel, pray, shout 'Hallelujah', play a hymn, even ring the church bells. However, they will not see, or be seen by, other visitors to the church. Initially conceived as a three-month experiment, the fully interactive version of Church of Fools, was launched in May this year and ran until September. "Since our pilot project ended, we have continued the interactive part of the church in 2D - through conventional chat rooms and bulletin boards," explains project leader Simon Jenkins. "But the demand to re-open the 3D environment has been overwhelming. A new version of the multi-user, interactive church will be built if funding is forthcoming." Jenkins is hopeful that visitors will use the church for personal reflection and prayer - like Radalyn from Georgia, USA, who, during the pilot project, often left her character alone in the church at prayer while, in real life, she worked nearby. "Radalyn used the church as a meditative retreat, an oasis in her day," said Jenkins. "We think there's a real need for a sacred space like this on the web. Meanwhile, we continue our search for funding for the next interactive phase of the project." Built by specialmoves of London, and initially conceived as a three-month experiment, the church was sponsored by the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the National Christian Resources Exhibition, where it was launched in May. The Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, preached at its inaugural service. The project, developed by leading UK web magazine shipoffools.com, attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world during its pilot phase - more than half of them under 30 years old and 60 per cent male. www.churchoffools.com www.shipoffools.com www.specialmoves.com © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.