UK Churches urged to live-stream services on social media
A plan has been suggested to enable people who are ill, too nervous to attend church, or who have family commitments on Sundays to take part in church services. It will help mums and dads throughout the country who might have preferred to go to church on Sunday but have sacrificed their spiritual needs to stand in the cold and wet on football and rugby sidelines to support their children's sporting endeavours. They will now be able to stay in touch with their church community while continuing to support their children's Sunday morning activities. Many clergy and parochial church councils impose strict controls over taking photographs or videos at services, including weddings. But the mood against media is undergoing a profound shift with the nation's young people growing up digitally literate from early childhood. The sacred can be found in the social as well as in the sanctuary. See THE MILL GATHERING:
Scotland’s Assisted Suicide Bill Defeated
‘In every free democratic society there are limits placed on human freedom in order to protect the common good and vulnerable people. It is right that the law is not to be changed to accommodate the wishes of a small number of desperate and determined people at the expense of the rights of others.’ These were the comments of Dr Gordon Macdonald after a bill proposing to introduce assisted suicide was defeated on its first reading at Holyrood last Wednesday. He added, ‘Legal and medical experts consistently warned that the proposed Bill was deeply flawed and would be difficult to enforce in practice. We thank God that the Scottish Parliament rejected this dangerous legislation and voted in favour of protecting the lives of thousands of vulnerable people.’ See article 4 below.
USA: Foreign aid bill for Armenia
Questions of aid for Armenia will be among a broad range of US assistance issues addressed by members of the House as they start drafting the foreign aid bill for fiscal year 2016. As in the past, the specific text of the measure will not be made available until after the subcommittee’s consideration. The Armenian National Committee of America will be sharing details on issues of concern to Armenian Americans as they become available. ANCA is urging friends of Armenia across America to reach out to their legislators and visit a website to voice opinions on: 1) ending military aid to Azerbaijan until it agrees to pull back its snipers, cease its aggression, renounce violence, and commit to a purely peaceful resolution of regional conflicts; 2) releasing $40 million in US economic assistance to Armenia; 3) focussing on addressing difficulties in providing humanitarian and resettlement aid to Armenians fleeing from Syria.
Yemen: Humanitarian crisis and ethnic cleansing
Thousands of tonnes of food aid for Yemen have been diverted from the port of Aden because of heavy fighting between Saudi-backed forces and Shia Muslim Houthi fighters. The city has been cut off from supplies for months, creating a humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of desperate people. Aden has no running water or electricity, and food shops are empty. Yemen imports 90% of its food, and an estimated 16 million people (more than 60% of the population) need humanitarian assistance. Elsewhere ethnic cleansing is happening. Fewer than 100 Jews are believed to be living in Yemen, and the number could soon drop to zero, as Houthi rebels expand their control of the country. The Houthis are Shia Muslims, supported by Iran, and their chant is ‘Death to America. Death to Israel, Allah curse the Jews’. Most Jews fled some time ago to Israel. The remnant are under virtual house arrest and victims of persecution. See:
