Stop Marriage Redefinition

Fact

The third reading of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill has taken place. Most MPs favour it. There is substantial opposition in the country. It will soon be taken to the House of Lords where considerable opposition will be mounted.

Pray & Act

• That Peers may be convicted of the wrongness of this Bill, which is being rushed through without mandate, proper consultation, on the basis of broken promises and lack of concern for children. (MPs voting can be found at www.theyworkforyou.com)
• For the empowerment of all who are actively lobbying Parliamentarians to oppose this controversial Bill.
• Write to your MP, even if you have already done so.  Express concern about children and also threats to freedom of speech.
• Sign the C4M petition if you have not done so and get others to do the same – http://c4m.org.uk

Protect Children from Pornography

Fact

An Independent Parliamentary Inquiry into Online Child Protection recommends “The Government should launch a formal consultation on the introduction of an Opt-In content filtering system for all internet accounts in the UK” and that “public Wi-Fi provision should also be filtered in this way”.  Baroness Howe has introduced a Bill in the House of Lords based on these recommendations.  It will soon reach committee stage.  There is huge evidence of widespread availability of pornography to young children and there is significant pressure to maintain ‘Opt-Out’ rather than ‘Opt-In’ for internet pornography.

Pray & Act

• For the cleansing of the visual memory of the many children who have already seen pornography.
• For the protection of all children and young people from these depraved and corrupting influences.
• For strong Parliamentary support for ‘Opt-In’ and for the introduction of legislation soon.
• Write to your MP.  Press for an ‘Opt-In’ clause to limit the availability of internet pornography to adults.

Defend Children in Care

Fact

Girls in care across the country are being sexually assaulted, drugged and terrorised by ruthless, highly organised gangs.  Last year in Rochdale and recently in Oxford, men have been jailed for horrific attacks on girls.  Police and social services have apologised for their failure to protect the young.

Pray & Act

• For the healing of those who have been so terribly hurt.
• For more effective protection of thousands of young people now in ‘care’.
• Write to the Minister for Children & Families, Edward Timpson MP, Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT.  Press for a full public inquiry into these scandals & an undertaking to do more to protect the young.

For the Sake of our Children

The Maranatha Community is determined to drive children to the top of the political agenda and to warn of the increasingly perilous future for the children of Britain.

For that reason the Community presented ‘The Big Question – What on Earth are We doing to our Children?’ at a meeting in the House of Commons six months ago. It has had a profound impact and a second impression will shortly be published.

It has been warmly welcomed by countless leaders, such as Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool; Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester; Rt. Rev. Terence Brain, Bishop of Salford; Jim Dobbin MP; Fiona Bruce MP; Andy Hawthorn of the Message Trust and many others.

If you want to speak out for our children do please obtain a copy of this important book – cost £5 + p&p and is available from the Maranatha Online Bookshop or tel: 0161 747 5672.

Make sure it is brought to the attention of friends and your church.

DEFEND MARRIAGE NOW

Fact:

The family unit is a characteristic of every civilisation. Marriage is undoubtedly the most important and oldest social structure known to humanity. The marriage-based family comprising husband and wife, children and a network of relatives is the basic building block for our society. A highly organised campaign by powerful pressure groups is seeking to change the meaning of the word ‘marriage’ itself. Incredibly the politicians are doing this without any mandate, without proper consultation and against huge opposition in the country. They are rushing through hastily drafted legislation to sweep on one side the established definition of marriage.

The third reading of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill is on 20th & 21st May in the House of Commons. Although a large majority of MPs voted for the Bill at the second reading IT IS NOT TOO LATE for this Bill to be defeated. If it is voted in by MPs it will then be taken to the House of Lords. This gives further opportunity for opposition to be expressed.

They have not told us whether or how they are going to change the meaning of other words such as ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ and ‘mother’ and ‘father’. Although it is currently being considered in Parliament, they have, so far, totally failed to define the crucial terms ‘adultery’ and ‘consummation’ for their new regime.

In this new situation the State will inevitably have to introduce some form of propaganda into our schools to feed to our children and to seek to explain to them this absurd new concept. To make matters worse the State will inevitably force teachers, against their conscience, to teach children, what many of them consider to be a lie, probably on pain of losing their jobs. The proposals are being presented in the name of ‘equality’. This is grossly mislead. The reality is that the proposed legislation gives no additional rights whatsoever to those already given in civil partnerships.

If future anomalies and confusion are to be avoided far more time needs to be spent on this controversial proposal, which has split the nation. MPs need to be told of the folly of what they are doing. There has been no public demand for this legislation and once again, many politicians have failed to recognise the deep chasm which divides them from the public. The membership of their parties in their constituencies is in most cases pathetically small – considerably less than the membership of local churches. We have now reached the stage where the majority of the public often choose not to vote in elections.

There is still time for MPs to have second thoughts about this miserable Bill. A vast section of the public now opposes it. Significantly, many of them have suffered abuse and vilification by militant supporters of the proposals.

Between now and next week MPs are vulnerable to influence by electors. Hopefully, the House of Lords will save the nation from the consequences of this malign legislation which future generations will regret.

DEFEND MARRIAGE NOW

Action:

This is what you can do NOW to oppose this pernicious proposal:

• TODAY email your MP here, expressing your concerns, or write to them at The House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA.
• Ensure there is an avalanche of individual emails and letters to every MP by next Monday, 20th May. Write again even if you have already written.
• THIS WEEKEND arrange for a group of your friends to lobby your MP at his/her constituency office.
• IMMEDIATELY write a letter to your local press opposing the proposals and demanding a referendum. Get others to write as well.
• TODAY sign the Coalition for Marriage petition (http://c4m.org.uk/) if you have not already done so. Get others to do the same.
• THIS SUNDAY make sure that the congregation of your church is informed about what is happening.
• OVER THE WEEKEND Encourage your church itself to write urgently to your MP.
• THIS WEEKEND send a petition letter to your MP with local signatures.
• NEXT MONDAY leave a telephone message at your MP’s office in Westminster (0207 219 3000) urging him/her to oppose the legislation.
• ABOVE ALL, PRAY FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING – BOTH AT HOME AND AT CHURCH. ESPECIALLY PRAY FOR THE CHILDREN OF OUR NATION.

NOTE: There are national prayer gatherings outside Parliament next MONDAY AND TUESDAY, 20 & 21 MAY (12-2pm & 5-7pm). Also Sunday 2nd June is being set aside in many churches as “Prayer for Marriage Day”.

The Maranatha Community strongly supports the ‘Coalition for Marriage’

Further information available from the Maranatha Website: (or hard copy from our office)

Trumpet Call (February 2012) ‘Marriage – The Battle is on’
Trumpet Call (December 2012) ‘A Huge Mistake’ – 18 Facts
Trumpet Call (February 2013) ‘We must not be silent on this issue’ – 34 questions

Maranatha Submission (March 2013)
‘The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee
Also
“The Big Question – What on Earth are we Doing to our Children?” (December 2012) presented in Parliament. (Available from the Maranatha online bookshop)

Maranatha Parliamentary Consultations
2004 ‘Survival of the Marriage-based Family – Does it Matter’, House of Lords
2006 ‘Family and Marriage – An Overview’, House of Commons
2008 ‘Future of the Marriage-based Family’, House of Commons
2012 ‘Equal Civil Marriage Consultation’

The Maranatha team has a continually growing pool of research information which is being used to brief Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Supplementary information on same-sex marriage is being produced next week by our researchers for submission to selected Parliamentarians.

AN APPEAL – ACT TODAY

TWO DAYS AGO Muslim mobs burnt hundreds of Christian families out of their homes in Lahore, Pakistan. The authorities totally failed to protect these innocent people and the mayhem has extended to Karachi and Multan. It is of the utmost urgency that world opinion is NOW mobilised to make it clear to the Pakistan Government that this situation is intolerable. If they fail to act it will damage their country immeasurably. Blasphemy laws must be changed.

                    

The Punjab government should have given the Christian community protection and failed to do so. Once again, the violence was rooted in uncorroborated rumours (spread in a mosque) that Christians had broken the iniquitous blasphemy laws operating in Pakistan. The cruelty of Shari’a law is leading to gross injustice and terrible human suffering for Christians. It is also being used to settle private scores. Huge numbers of Christians now fear for their safety. Many of them have fled from the areas. Last weekend Christian homes were ransacked and set on fire. AN APPEAL IS NOW BEING MADE FOR THE DIRECT INTERVENTION OF THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT TODAY AND FOR CHRISTIANS TO BE COMPENSATED. YOU CAN HELP BY DOING THE FOLLOWING -

• EMAIL the President of Pakistan: His Excellency, Asif Ali Zardari at www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/index.php?lang=en&opc=2&sel=6 to complete the email form. Also write to him at President House, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad, Pakistan
• WRITE to the High Commissioner of Pakistan in London, Mr. Wajid Shamsul Hasan, High Commissioner for Pakistan, 34-36 Lowndes Square, London SW1X 9JN. Also email the Head of Chancery, Syed Shozab at the High Commission in London syedshozab@yahoo.com
• EMAIL the UN Commissioner for Human Rights Mrs. Navanethem Pillay, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Palais Wilson, 52 Rue de Paquis, CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland. Email: registry@ohchr.org
• WRITE or email the General Secretary of the Muslim Council of Great Britain Dr. Abduljalil Sajid, PO Box 57330, London E1 2WJ or email:admin@mcb.org.uk
• EMAIL your own Member of Parliament, details available from www.parliament.uk

POINT OUT THAT HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE EXPRESSING GRAVE CONCERN ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN PAKISTAN.

NOTE: Following meetings yesterday with Pakistani church representatives in England, the Maranatha Community has today been in touch with the leaders of the seven major political groups in the European Parliament urging them to condemn what is happening and to press for justice. Urgent appeals have also been made to the Foreign Secretary and British Church leaders.

Persecution, Hatred and Murder in the Name of Allah

As Christians we declare our love for our Muslim neighbours and friends. We respect their beliefs and seek harmony and peace in all our relationships with them. We are, however, now deeply concerned about the growth of violent Muslim extremism and the radicalisation of young Muslims which is taking place in the United Kingdom today.

FACT (1)

• All over the world Christians are being persecuted and slaughtered for their faith by Muslim extremists. Muslims are urged to adopt Jihad and impose Shari’a law on ‘infidels’. This is given little coverage by the media in the West.
• In this country Muslims who convert to Christianity are often severely persecuted and experience violence and even death threats. Some have had to flee for their lives to other locations. Others have even been burnt out of their houses and expelled from their families.
• In this country a number of British-born Muslims have recently been convicted of planning terrorist outrages in this country, which, if successful, would have led to death and mutilation of innocent people on a huge scale.
• In this country Islamic television stations have broadcast calls by Muslim teachers for the murder of those who insult the Prophet Mohammed. The words “IT IS YOUR DUTY TO KILL ALL THOSE WHO INSULT THE PROPHET” have been broadcast in England to Muslims – not by foreign stations but by British ones. People based in this country have told British citizens that “THOSE WHO CANNOT KILL HAVE NO FAITH” and “ALL MUSLIMS SHOULD BE TERRORISTS…DISRESPECT DEMANDS DEATH”.

In this country the problem is becoming increasingly widespread. Ordinary people are outraged at what is happening. Some channels are also breaching the rule that they must keep recordings of all output. This raises the possibility of other inflammatory material being broadcast undetected.

• Birmingham-based Noor TV was criticised by Ofcom for ‘serious breaches’ over a show which said “THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT ABOUT IT THAT THE PUNISHMENT FOR THE PERSON WHO SHOWS DISRESPECT FOR THE PROPHET IS DEATH. NO ONE DISAGREES ABOUT THIS”.
• Manchester-based DM Digital was criticised by Ofcom for what amounted to “direct calls to action and were likely to incite or encourage crime or lead to disorder”. “UNDER GUIDANCE FROM ISLAMIC TEXTS IT IS EVIDENT THAT IF A MUSLIM APOSTATISES, THEN IT’S NOT RIGHT TO WAIT FOR THE AUTHORISED COURT; ANYONE MAY KILL HIM…AN APOSTATE DESERVES TO BE KILLED AND ANY MAN MAY KILL HIM”.
• Birmingham-based Peace TV was criticised by Ofcom who said “It is potentially offensive for any service to broadcast comments suggesting that it is acceptable to apply a ‘penalty’ and kill any individual for renouncing their faith” after a speaker said “I TEND TO AGREE…THAT A MUSLIM IF HE BECOMES A NON-MUSLIM AND PROPAGATES HIS NEW FAITH AGAINST ISLAM, THAT IS THE TIME THIS PENALTY (DEATH) IS APPLIED”. The station is co-owned by Dr. Zakir Naik who has been banned from entering the country by the Home Secretary (a decision upheld by the High Court) as his presence is deemed ‘not conducive to the public good’. He put a statement on line saying “EVERY MUSLIM SHOULD BE A TERRORIST”.
• Nottingham-based Takbeer TV was criticised by Ofcom for breaching their code twice in 18 months for programmes subjecting the Ahmadi’s sect to abusive treatment. They said they had a ‘DISEASE’ and ‘MONSTROUS’ intentions.
• Leeds–based Asian Fever radio station was fined by Ofcom after a presenter last December, referred to homosexuals, saying “TORTURE THEM, PUNISH THEM, BEAT THEM…”.

FACT (2)

• To incite a crime is itself a criminal offence. To call for someone to be killed is incitement to murder. To target people because of their religious belief or sexual orientation is a hate crime. These are grave offences, made worse by the fact that they have been broadcast.
• No criminal charges have so far been brought against the broadcasters and the stations concerned are all still on the air.
• The Office of Communications (Ofcom) is a statutory body established to regulate broadcasting in the United Kingdom. Its powers are set out in two Acts of Parliament: the Office of Communications Act 2002 and the Communications Act 2003. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers over television and radio stations, whose licences it has power to revoke. It has a statutory duty to represent the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition and protecting the public from what might be considered harmful or offensive material.

ACTION

In view of the growing concern about the damaging influence of some of the contents of Muslim broadcasting, action needs to be taken now to deal with this problem and, if necessary, to shut down the offending stations. There is no doubt that if any Christian broadcasting station were to act in this manner it would be dealt with immediately.

• Write to your MP now at the House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA. Ask him/her what they are prepared to do to stop any more inflammatory messages inciting violence. Point out that this is damaging to relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. Tell them that this kind of behaviour is intolerable and offensive. Warn them that if allowed to continue, it could easily lead to a serious backlash.
• Write to Ofcom now. Urge them to take stronger action to prevent incitement to violence. Ask them whether they have discussed this matter with the police and whether it ought to be brought to the attention of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Ask them how Ofcom can square its action (or lack of it) with proper fulfilment of its statutory duties and fairness in terms of its dealings with other broadcasters. You can write to the Chairman (Colette Bow) or the Chief Executive (Ed Richards) or the General Counsel (Polly Weizmann), a lawyer. There address is Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA.
• Write to Imam Dr. Abduljalil Sajid, Chairman of the Muslim Council of Britain, PO Box 57330, London E1 2WJ or email:admin@mcb.org.uk Point out the dangers of what is happening. Emphasise that it is impeding work for peace and reconciliation between Muslims and non-Muslims in the United Kingdom. Emphasise the love Christians have for their Muslim neighbours.
• Inform your church. Encourage other Christians to pray for this situation and to act.
• Pray for all the Muslim broadcasters and stations.

Above all pray for peace, harmony and the love of Jesus in our land and in our communities.

Dr. Zakir Naik, Peace TV

Abdul Qadir Jilani on DM Digital Radio

Muhammed Farooq Nizami, Noor TV

Same Sex ‘Marriage’ – Government presses ahead

FACT

Women and Equalities Minister Maria Miller has announced in Parliament the government’s plans to push through legislation on same-sex ‘marriage.’ Ahead of the parliamentary debate, David Cameron had already announced his intention to support same-sex marriages in churches. Mrs Miller announced a ‘quadruple lock’ intended to ensure that churches which do not wish to conduct same-sex ‘marriages’ would not be forced to, but Conservative MP Anne McIntosh drew attention to similar protections for churches in Denmark which were later ruled as illegal.

MPs were told that the biggest official “listening exercise” ever undertaken on a government proposal found that a narrow majority support the highly contentious move!. This result is based on around 228,000 responses, the vast majority of which came via anonymous online forms submitted to the Government. Yet when the Coalition for Marriage submitted their petition before the consultation deadline it had been signed by more than 500,000 people who opposed plans to redefine marriage to include gay couples, and this petition has been ignorred. (The Coalition for Marriage petition has now been signed by over 620,000 people).

In addition, participation in the consultation was not limited to UK residents. David Burrowes, the Conservative MP, said: “If they want to rely on those figures it is wholly disingenuous. It makes the consultation a sham in terms of justifying this on the back of numerical support, given that 500,000 people were ignored and they have accepted all-comers from around the globe.”

Such legislation would not only radically alter the institution of marriage but also the future shape of our society. Marriage is unique. Throughout history and in virtually all human societies marriage has always been the union of a man and a woman. Marriage reflects the complementary natures of men and women. Although death and divorce may prevent it, the evidence shows that children do best with a married mother and a father. This proposal put before parliament is nothing less than a redefinition of the word ‘Marriage’, thereby completely devaluing the it.

Writing recently the Chancellor, George Osborne, suggested that pushing policies such as same-sex marriage was important for the Conservatives’ election success. However, a recent ComRes poll indicated that 18% are less likely to vote Conservative as a result of the plans with only 7% more likely to do so.

It is important that the Conservative Party recognises that this move is not a vote winner but a vote loser. It is also important that MPs understand the full implications of changing the definition of marriage and are urged to vote against it.

ACTION

• For the sake of our society, please pray that these destructive social changes are not successful.
• If you haven’t already, please contact your MP and tell them about the issues at stake with regard to same-sex marriage.
• Please contact Lynton Crosby, the Conservatives’ recently hired election strategist. Send an email marked for his attention to this address: mfullbrook@ctfpartners.com, and point out that those less likely to vote Conservative as a result of this policy outnumbered those more likely to do so by more than two to one.

Please give us your thoughts and comments here. (Comments are moderated before being published).

The Big Question: What on Earth are we Doing to our Children?

An important book, written by members of the Maranatha Community, has been recently launched. “The Big Question – What on Earth are we Doing to our Children?” presents a comprehensive overview of research into a wide variety of concerns about children.  It points to one conclusion – that the future for the children and young people of Great Britain is in serious question.

It is well established that the current adult generation has saddled future generations with serious debt.  More importantly, however, the evidence of this book points to vast numbers of children and young people growing up without any sense of identity or purpose.

• The number of 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEETs) in England has reached 938,000. This represents 15.6% of this age group. (Department for Education, 2011)
• The estimated cost of hospital treatment for underage drinkers in England is thought to be about £19m a year. (Alcohol Concern, 2010)
• 21,955 under 18’s accessed specialist substance misuse services in the UK in 2010-11.  128 were under the age of 12 years and 315 were aged 12-13 years.  (National Drug Treatment Monitoring System 2012)
• Nearly  a quarter (24%) of children live with only one parent and nine out of 10 of those households were headed by lone mothers (The Office for National Statistics, 2012)
• Forty eight percent of all children born today will experience the breakdown of their parents’ relationship. (Centre for Social Justice, May 2012)
• 39% of school teachers claim to have been abused with sexual swearing and 75% of pupils are aiming sexually abusive swearing at each other. (A Serious Business: NUT & University of Warwick Survey, 2006)
• There were 50,552 children on child-protection registers or the subject of child-protection plans in the UK by the end of March 2011. This has increased from 32,492 in 2006. (NSPCC Inform, 2012)
• A 50% increase in the number of people over the age of 65 is forecast – 12.9 million by 2030.  Today there are 5.3 people of working age to help pay for every citizen who is 70-plus. By 2030 that will have dropped to 3.7. (Daily Telegraph 27 August 2012)

Video introduction by Dennis Wrigley

This book was the subject of a Parliamentary Consultation on Tuesday 4th December which was chaired by Fiona Bruce MP. Speeches were given by

• Rt. Rev Peter Forster (Bishop of Chester)
• Dr Linda Stalley (Co-Leader of the Maranatha Community and retired GP)
• Dr Trevor Stammers (specialist in Bioethics and Medical Law)
• Adam Wisdih (a Student – giving a young person’s perspective)
• Dennis Wrigley (Co-Founder and Leader of the Maranatha Community)
• Dr Tani Omideyi (Founder of Liverpool Lighthouse & LJM Group)
• Annmarie Moran (Principle Author of “The Big Question” and educational consultant)
• Sheldon Thomas (Gangs Consultant/Co-Founder & CEO of Gangsline-T.A.G)
• Juan Fernandez-Arias (Co-Leader of the Maranatha Community)

Click below to hear the full consultation

“The Big Question – What on Earth are we Doing to our Children?” is available from the Maranatha Community Bookshop, price £5 + p&p.

Please leave us your thoughts and comments.

September Trumpet Call

For 17 years ‘Trumpet Call’ has been an effective Christian witness in our land. As part of the Maranatha Community, the ‘Trumpet Call’ network now embraces thousands of Christian activists in all the churches. Working with our team of researchers we collaborate with other agencies, with whom we have friendly relationships. ‘Trumpet Call’ goes to tens of thousands of Christians across the land. Many members including Priests, Pastors and Ministers, copy hundreds to members of their churches. A huge number of issues now call for a Christian response. The Gospel demands that we are salt and light in our nation and in our communities. Your participation in ‘Trumpet Call’ is greatly appreciated.

Click here to download this edition of Trumpet Call, which highlights:

• Major National Event at Wembley
• The Maranatha Lecture
• Special Training Courses
• The Big Question – What on earth are we doing to our children ?
• Protecting our children from drugs
• Protecting our children from pornography
• Protecting Marriage and Freedom
• Protecting the young from government-funded filth
• Persecution of Christians overseas
• De-Christianising Britain

This Trumpet Call lays out the facts and gives suggested actions for you to take. Please pray and act now, and leave comments (which are moderated) here.