tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91399460830832036212024-03-05T07:42:42.177+00:00 Unitarian Chief Officer Blog 2009 - 2019Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-91459626771942595612018-03-06T15:04:00.000+00:002018-03-06T15:04:00.889+00:00Keep faith Schools Admissions Cap<br />
Chief Officer Derek McAuley joined religious leaders, parliamentarians, education experts, and public figures in signing an open letter calling on Education Secretary to keep the faith school admissions cap.<br />
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“We represent a diverse range of educational, religious, political, academic, and other stakeholders from across British society, and our views on the merits or otherwise of faith schools are diverse too. However, we are all in agreement that our state schools, of whatever character, should be open, inclusive, diverse, and integrated, and never exclusive, monocultural, or segregated.<br />
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The Government rightly identifies the promotion of mutual understanding and tolerance for those of different religions and beliefs as one of the most important roles for schools. As we are all aware, children are blind to the differences and immune to the prejudices that so often divide society. The duty of the education system, therefore, should not be to highlight and entrench such differences in the eyes and minds of young people, but to emphasise instead the common values that we all share.<br />
Removing the 50% cap on religious selection at faith-based free schools runs entirely counter to this ambition. It is difficult to bring to mind a more divisive policy, or one more deleterious to social cohesion and respect, than one which allows schools to label children at the start of their lives with certain beliefs and then divide them up on that basis. <br />
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The Department for Education is yet to respond formally to its consultation on these proposals – opposed by 80% of the public, including 67% of Catholics and 71% of Christians overall. All the evidence shows categorically that the cap has achieved its stated aim. It is not too late to maintain it.”<br />
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See the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2018/03/06/lettersthreats-local-councils-will-not-solve-britains-housing/" target="_blank">letter </a>printed in the Telegraph:<br />
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For f<a href="https://humanism.org.uk/2018/03/06/religious-leaders-parliamentarians-education-experts-and-public-figures-sign-open-letter-calling-on-education-secretary-to-keep-faith-school-admissions-cap/" target="_blank">urther information and list of signatories</a><br />
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<br />Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-48006939188359684132017-12-01T17:02:00.002+00:002017-12-01T17:02:39.864+00:00British Unitarianism and the Lutheran Reformation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VrAg0vhP8YK5CR_25uysn88e53zLNgm2W_PARXG2zDNm_manGj-YKDDZwdlkUV6ewb2hPvre1dQM2lQMxmrR_UUQ_0o7U6O2iT9NmWhViWP1mtKu1_xdLJqTawzby26PjyHh7-x_Dfny/s1600/Westminster+Abbey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VrAg0vhP8YK5CR_25uysn88e53zLNgm2W_PARXG2zDNm_manGj-YKDDZwdlkUV6ewb2hPvre1dQM2lQMxmrR_UUQ_0o7U6O2iT9NmWhViWP1mtKu1_xdLJqTawzby26PjyHh7-x_Dfny/s400/Westminster+Abbey.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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On 31 October 2017 I was honoured to be invited to attend a Service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 500th Anniversary of the 95 Theses and the Start of the Reformation. To experience Anglican and elements of Lutheran worship in the Abbey brought both joy and surprise and will live long in my memory. </div>
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It is not usual that Unitarians and Free Christians get invited to such ‘grand’ public events as ecumenical partners are drawn from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland from which the General Assembly has been excluded. I have however over recent years met regularly with the General Secretary of the Lutheran Council of Great Britain and other paid leaders of smaller faith groups and was pleased to be invited by him to attend. </div>
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I did have an allocated seat in the front row of the North Choir so had an excellent view of those leading the Service and sat immediately beside the truly excellent choir. Archbishop Welby preached. I was seated next to my good friend Paul Parker, Recording Clerk of British Quakers who wondered what George Fox would have thought of it all! He also caught me checking in on Facebook although I was not so crass as to actually use twitter during the Service. It was fun to join the tail end of the procession as we left. </div>
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The focus was on what increasingly unites the Churches. Part of the Service involved the Anglican Communion affirming its support for the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification which was signed by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation in 1997. In 2006 the World Methodist Council adopted the Declaration and the World Communion of Reformed Churches signed a statement of association in 2017. The significance is that there is a common understanding of justification by faith which was, of course, one of the dividing issues underpinning Luther and the Reformation. </div>
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Unitarians can rightly claim to have their roots in the Radical Reformation with a desire, as for example, the Hibbert Trust later stated, for ‘Christianity in its most simple and intelligible form’. Joseph Priestley saw the Church as being corrupted and for Reformation to continue. Lutheranism has had a minor influence of the development of Unitarianism. Rev Andrew Hill has written that the Transylvanian Unitarian leader David Francis had been a Lutheran Bishop and that Lutheran pietism influenced George de Benneville and early Universalism. German Unitarianism has its roots in break-away German free -thought congregations; however, the only seceding Lutheran congregations have been the Icelandic and Norwegian Unitarian churches of the North American prairies. </div>
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One effect of the Lutheran Reformation that remains a powerful influence is our focus on every individual as well as recognition of gifted leaders. H. John McLachlan wrote ‘For it [Unitarian tradition] has taken over from Protestantism Luther’s concept of the “priesthood of every believer” and it has sanctified the right of individual conscience and promoted a sense of moral obligation amongst its members which makes them, or should do so at least, good citizens of the community’ (TUHS, vol XV1 No 3 sept 1977, p128). This lies at the centre of Unitarian life today and is a legacy of the Reformation which merits recognition.</div>
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(Published with the permission of “Waymark” the newsletter of St Mark’s Unitarian Church, Edinburgh)</div>
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-57142457665437752732017-10-05T10:33:00.000+01:002017-10-05T10:33:25.426+01:00Open letter in support on UN Nuclear Ban Treaty<br />
I was pleased to give support to the following peace initiative reflecting the General Assembly's longstanding condemnation of nuclear weapons and support for disarmament:<br />
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As the United Nations open the historic Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty for signatures, church leaders in the UK have signed an <a href="http://christiancnd.org.uk/2017/09/21/open-letter-in-support-on-un-nuclear-ban-treaty/">open-letter, coordinated by Christian CND,</a> calling for the government to sign up.<br />
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The text of the letter is:<br />
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At the United Nations today a ground-breaking Treaty banning nuclear weapons opens for signature. The Treaty is the result of multilateral negotiation and is supported by more than 120 states. Unfortunately the United Kingdom is not among those set to sign the Treaty.<br />
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We believe that nuclear weapons pose a threat to the survival of humanity. History has shown us the complete devastation these weapons deliver and the human suffering they cause. The Bible teaches us that we are stewards of the earth, with a duty to protect all life. Nuclear weapons are the antithesis of this teaching.<br />
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Jesus describe peacemakers as blessed and the prophet Isaiah wrote of “beating swords into ploughshares”. The world stands closer to nuclear war now than it has done for a generation. At this time, while the world debates use of sanctions, diplomacy or military force, the Treaty represents a unique opportunity for the nuclear weapon states to walk together towards a total ban.<br />
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Successive UK governments have pledged their support for a world free of nuclear weapons. We believe that this Treaty offers a significant step towards that aim. By signing the Treaty the UK can show moral leadership. We urge the government to reconsider its position on the Treaty and join the international consensus in signing it.<br />
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Rt Rev Dr Derek Browning – Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland<br />
Bishop Stephen Cottrell – Bishop of Chelmsford<br />
Rt Rev Dr Derek Browning<br />
Derek McAuley – Chief Officer, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches<br />
Revd Loraine N. Mellor – President of the Conference of the Methodist Church<br />
Alan Yates – Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed Church<br />
<br />Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-41848206921783437002017-08-07T13:41:00.003+01:002017-08-07T13:41:33.308+01:00Religious Freedom and Blasphemy LawsThe following article in <a href="http://www.faithinitiative.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Faith-ISS-29_LO-RES-FOR-WEB2.pdf">Faith Initiatives </a> (no29 October 2013) is based on a talk I gave to a joint <a href="https://iarf.net/">International Association for Religious Freedom</a>/<a href="http://www.worldfaiths.org/">World Congress of Faiths</a> conference in Horsham, Kent in August 2013. I am circulating it now four years on to make it more widely available.<br />
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Religious freedom is one of the challenges of the age as we seek to appropriately balance rights and responsibilities. British Unitarianism is currently commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the achievement of its legal religious freedom with the passage of the Unitarian Relief Act. This highlights the concept of Blasphemy and the challenges it presents to religions and law-makers. In seeking to explore the issue of blasphemy I have found the definition used by the Pew Research Centre is of value, namely “remarks or actions considered to be contemptuous of God or the divine”.<br />
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Unitarians in Great Britain in July 2013 marked the 200th anniversary of the passing of what is known as the Unitarian Relief or Toleration Act. It was only in preparing a worship pack (1.) on these events for the General Assembly that the significance of the long-standing Unitarian opposition to laws on blasphemy became clear to me. The legal penalties against those holding Unitarian views were grounded in the Blasphemy laws. The Blasphemy Act of 1698 explicitly held the denial of the Holy Trinity by someone who had made profession of the Christian religion as a crime. This was repealed by the 1813 Unitarian Relief Act.<br />
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Unitarianism had emerged as an intellectual movement within both the established Church of England and Dissent (Presbyterian, Baptist and Independents). The legal penalties were rarely pursued although Dissenters still faced limitations upon their liberties; two of the most important, the Conventicle Act and the Five Mile Act, which places restrictions on religious activities, were abolished in 1812. The Unitarian toleration Act built upon these moves and was spear-headed by Williams Smith MP, the leading Dissenter in the House of Commons. Indeed, the legislation was popularly known as “Mr William Smith’s bill” (2). William Smith was chairman of the Dissenting Deputies from 1805 to 1832 and a leading opponent of slavery. (As an aside he is perhaps now best known as the grandfather of Florence Nightingale).<br />
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Smith has been accused of accepting an Act which would protect “respectable Unitarians” leaving the “wilder Deists outside” (3.). This is a challenge for all liberals; are you prepared to give others the rights you desire? At the time Smith was challenged that he had not gone far enough. He justified his position by claiming that he had set himself a limited objective which if he had not restricted himself to it would not have been achieved. As he said the Act enabled every denomination of Christian to preach their respective tenets without let or hindrance, “none, legally daring to make them afraid” (4). He publicly acknowledged that his religion did not need the protection of Blasphemy legislation; “let Truth stand or fall as she is able to support herself”.<br />
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Laura Tomes has argued that the “criminalisation of blasphemy is, historically, the attempt to secure doctrinal conformity in speech. Laws against blasphemy maintain fixed parameters by which to locate the religious “other” and serve to demarcate the speech and practices of the other from that of “true” believers.” (5.). She argues that blasphemy is not an inviolate standard but a boundary that has shifted according to the various meanings invested in it by religious communities. As theological constructions, laws against blasphemy have therefore been adapted and re-interpreted to fit changing social and cultural contexts. She highlights that English canon law criminalizing blasphemy was seen as an extension of seditious libel – an act of violence against the King and government. With the Reformation, the 1697 Blasphemy Act “judged the refusal to adhere to the doctrines of the Church of England as an offence against the statutory law of the realm”. By 1813 it seemed that the Church of England was more relaxed about implications of accepting the existence of “Unitarian” thinking. <br />
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In England and Wales prosecutions for blasphemy declined during the nineteenth century. It was re-defined from an act of sedition to one of incivility. In 1967 in a purge of obsolete offences it was further re-defined as purely a common law offence; indeed there had not been a prosecution since 1922. The remaining common law offence of Blasphemous libel, having been subject to debate from the 1970’s and some controversy (the private prosecution of Denis Lemon, Editor of “Gay News” over the publication of a poem), was abolished in 2008 as part of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act. Significantly this followed the 2006 Racial and Religious Hatred Act which legislated against hatred of persons on religious grounds.<br />
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Laws penalising Blasphemy, as well as Apostasy and Defamation of Religion, are widespread and are regularly in the news. Pakistan, India and Greece have in the past year pursued prosecutions. The Pew Research Centre’s Forum for Religion and Public Life has found that in 2011) 32 (16%) of the countries and territories of world have anti-blasphemy laws (6.). They found that such laws were particularly common in the Middle East and North Africa (13 of the 20 countries in that region). In Asia-Pacific (9 of 50 countries) and in Europe (8 of 45 countries) the percentage was less and in Sub-Saharan Africa it was only 2 of 48. It is surprising that in Europe these included what we would regard as “liberal” states (Denmark, Netherlands, Germany) as well as more “traditional” (Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta and Poland).<br />
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Blasphemy legislation is used to violate religious freedom; which is, of course, guaranteed under article 18 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A recently published report by the British All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Freedom entitled “Article 18 : an orphaned right”, whose launch event I attended on 26 June 2013, states that “While the UN has declared that everyone has a right to freedom of religion or belief, it has done relatively little to make this a reality”(7.).<br />
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It is used to harass political as well as religious dissent and also abused to settle personal disputes. Whilst there has been a lot of media attention of cases where those of other faiths are accused of blasphemy it is also used as a tool to suppress alternative, and also sometimes ironically, the majority traditions within a religion in a particular country. An accusation of blasphemy is particularly pernicious and dangerous. It is hard to refute and the legal system finds it difficult to address. The public can easily be inflamed by emotive rhetoric. Justice is rarely done even if the accused is cleared.<br />
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Unitarians are in many ways inheritors of the English Enlightenment tradition. It is therefore important to read defences of religious freedom from other perspectives. James Clark Kelly has gathered the views of Jewish, Christian and Muslim thinkers in his valuable book “Abraham’s Children” (8.).Those of each tradition were asked to write persuasively to those of their own tradition but also to those outside. I was particularly struck by the words of Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesia’s first democratically elected President and who served as chairman of the world’s largest Muslim organisation, the Nahdlatul Ulama for fifteen years, with the title “God Needs No Defence”:<br />
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“Those who claim to defend God, Islam, or the Prophet are thus either deluding themselves or manipulating religion for their own mundane and political purposes, as we witnessed in the carefully manufactured outrage that swept the Muslim world several years ago, claiming hundreds of lives, in response to cartoons published in Denmark. Those who presume to fully grasp God’s will and dare to impose their own limited understanding of this upon others are essentially equating themselves with God and are unwittingly engaged in blasphemy”. (9.).<br />
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He argued that religious understanding is a process and that “anyone who is sincere in understanding his or her faith necessarily undergoes a process of constant evolution in that understanding, as experience and insights give rise to new perceptions of the truth”. Severe blasphemy and also apostasy laws has the effect of narrowing the bounds of acceptable discourse within the Islamic world. This was of course what took place within the Christian world.<br />
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I would argue that it is only from within a tradition that real change can take place and that religious liberals must work with and think critically about the religious tradition to which we belong. We must be careful and respectful when we address issues of deep theological sensitivity. This does not mean acquiescing whilst the human rights of individuals and collectively of peoples are trampled upon. It means engaging with the others in ways that reject stereotyping. This will not be without controversy as early Unitarian thinkers found when they critiqued the Christian tradition from which they emerged and found they could be accused of Blasphemy. Those of other faiths find a similar challenge. The position of atheists or those with no religious belief is equally to be acknowledged. <br />
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Derek McAuley is Chief Officer of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches and a Committee member of the British Chapter of the International Association of Religious Freedom. He has recently been elected as a trustee of the Inter Faith Network of the UK. It is based on a talk to the IARF/World Congress of Faiths conference in Horsham in August 2013.<br />
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Notes<br />
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1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(2013) McAuley, Derek, “<a href="http://www.unitarian.org.uk/docs/publications/2013_200_Aniversary_of_the_Unitarian_Toleration_Apr13.pdf">200th Anniversary of the Unitarian Toleration Act 1813</a>”, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, London<br />
2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(1971) Davis, Richard W. “Dissent in Politics 1780 – 1830”, Epworth Press, London, p. 190<br />
3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Henriques, quoted in Davis (1971), p. 193<br />
4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Norfolk Chronicle, 24 July 1813 quoted in Davis (1971), p.194<br />
5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(2010) Tomes, Laura, “Blasphemy and the Negotiation of Religious Pluralism in Britain”, Contemporary British Religion and Politics, pp. 237-255 http://academia.edu/1516981/Blasphemy_and_the_Negotiation_of_Religious_Pluralism_in_Britain<br />
6.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(2102) Pew Forum “<a href="http://www.pewforum.org/Government/Laws-Penalizing-Blasphemy,-Apostasy-and-Defamation-of-Religion-are-Widespread.aspx">Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and defamation of Religion are Widespread</a>”, 21 November <br />
7.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(2013) All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Freedom, “Article 18: an orphaned right”<br />
8.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(2012) Clark, Kelly James “Abraham’s Children: Liberty and Tolerance in an Age of Religious Conflict”, Yale University Press, New Haven and London<br />
9.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Abdurrahman Wahid in Clark, Kelly James (2012) p. 212.<br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-83978241793928315052017-01-12T14:51:00.002+00:002017-01-12T14:51:39.217+00:00Celebrating the Declaration of Religious Freedom and ToleranceUnitarians and Free Christians in Great Britain and Ireland join our Hungarian co-religionists in celebrating the Declaration of Religious Freedom.<br />
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On January 13, 2017 the Hungarian Unitarian Church honours the 449th anniversary of the Declaration of Religious Freedom and Tolerance, an edict which might be considered as the first legal guarantee of religious freedom in the Christian Europe.<br />
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449 years ago, in 1568, on January the 13th, the Diet of Torda (Transylvania) proclaimed:<br />
„His majesty, our Lord, in what manner he – together with his realm – legislated in the matter of religion at the previous Diets, in the same matter now, in this Diet, reaffirms that in every place the preachers shall preach and explain the Gospel each according to his understanding of it, and if the congregation like it, well. If not, no one shall compel them for their souls would not be satisfied, but they shall be permitted to keep a preacher whose teaching they approve. Therefore none of the superintendents or others shall abuse the preachers, no one shall be reviled for his religion by anyone, according to the previous statutes, and it is not permitted that anyone should threaten anyone else by imprisonment or by removal from his post for his teaching. For faith is the gift of God and this comes from hearing, which hearing is by the word of God.”<br />
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The Hungarian Unitarians are celebrating this special day with events in Torda and Kolozsvár. The celebrations start in the morning in the Unitarian church of Torda with a worship service led by rev. Márton Csécs, minister of the Torockó Unitarian congregation and an address delivered by Zoltán Balog, the Minister of Human Resources of the Hungarian Government. The service will be followed by a visit to the Museum in Torda, which hosts the famous painting by Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch, commemorating the event.<br />
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The celebrations will continue with an evening worship service in the 1st Unitarian church of Kolozsvár, with rev. Csaba Mezei, Unitarian minister of 2nd Congregation of Kolozsvár as preacher, followed by an address by Lajos Mile, the Consul General of Hungary. A concert featuring the Flauto Dolce quartet and the Choir of the János Zsigmond Unitarian College will enhance the festivities.<br />
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The day will be closed with a reception at the Unitarian headquarters.<br />
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In 2015, the General Assembly of the Hungarian Unitarian Church voted in unanimity to recommend to Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists around the world to join in the proclamation and celebration of January the 13th as Day of Religious Freedom.<br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-55295662733225032942016-10-13T16:31:00.001+01:002016-10-13T16:31:40.223+01:00The International Vision of British Unitarians - 2016 Channing Lecture<br />
This blogpost is based on the William Ellery Channing Lecture which I delivered at Golders Green Unitarians on 23 April. 2016.<br />
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Channing was the foremost American Unitarian of the 19th Century and when I was recently in Boston I was pictured alongside his portrait which is one of only two that have been displayed in the new headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association.<br />
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My lecture had the title “The International Vision of British Unitarians”. The UUA has a project “Heritage and Vision at 24” using new technologies to tell their story. The intention is “to expand on our storied past, and connect it in a living stream to our dynamic present and our exciting future”. This inspired me to look for some stories of our international engagement that would do the same.<br />
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I would suggest that in taking forward this international vision that the work of British Unitarians can be characterised in four ways; Mission, Solidarity, Generosity and Inclusion. I have drawn from a period of our history; 1890s to the 1920s when we were strong yet it was a time of great change.<br />
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<b>Mission</b><br />
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India remains a key part of our international story right from the foundation of the Madras Church by the former slave, William Roberts to Rev Margaret Barr working in the Khasi Hills from 1933 until her death in 1973. I told the story of the first visit by a representative of the BFUA to India in the 1890s. Rev Dr Jabez T. Sunderland had only intended spending a quiet summer and autumn in England in1895 before travelling to Egypt. He was prevailed upon by the “men from the B&FUA” to go as their representative on a four month trip to India reporting to the Annual Meetings in May 1896.<br />
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We remember today that Hajom Kissor Singh as the founder of the Khasi Unitarians in 1887 when he rejected the Calvinistic Methodism brought to his homeland in North East India by Welsh missionaries. He was given a volume of the works of William Ellery Channing and found he was a Unitarian. He began to hold services in his home and slowly gathered a small group. Sunderland visited and ordained a former Methodist evangelist as their first minister.<br />
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Yet at the time the more significant work he undertook was to develop closer relationships with the Brahmo Samaj, the liberal theistic Hindu group established by Raja Rammohan Roy, with whom English Unitarians had had a long association. Sunderland also spoke to huge audiences including on education to 6000 people at the National Congress of India; the forerunner of today’s Congress Party of India.<br />
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As a result of Sunderland’s visit the B&FUA appointed a missionary; initially only a visit by Rev James Harwood and then a three year appointment of Rev S Fletcher Williams. The latter believed that the best way to spread liberal religion in India was to support the Brahmo Samaj and his most enlightening experience was to join the Brahmos in conducting a religious service at the Albert Hall in Calcutta for several months each Sunday which drew Brahmos, Christians and Muslims in a united congregation. <br />
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Today our work with India continues especially in the Khasi Hills and Unitarian talent and money has gone to support the causes close to the heart of Rev Margaret Barr, however, our links with the Brahmos are weak.<br />
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<b>Solidarity</b><br />
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My second theme is solidarity, meaning support and assistance to existing Unitarian groups. The links with the Transylvanian Unitarians go back to earliest day of the B&FUA. This story was the support and advocacy given the Transylvania in the post-World War One era and is I believe the most important contribution of British Unitarians to public affairs certainly in the last century. It shows a high degree of political mobilisation and sophistication due to the leadership of B&FUA Secretary, Rev W. Copeland Bowie. The campaign was widely covered in “The Inquirer” of the day whose role as a campaigning tool at the time has not again been recognised.<br />
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The end of World War one say the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the harsh military occupation of Transylvania by Romania. Reports were received that the Unitarian Bishop Joseph Ferencz had been imprisoned – it seems held hostage for the good behaviour of his community - and British Unitarians began to use all their political muscle to raise their concerns. By the end of 1919 “The Inquirer” was reporting on expulsions from Kolozsvar, “pillaging and executions” and of historic significance to Unitarians, the destruction of the memorial stone in Deva to the memory of Francis David – what we would call cultural genocide today.<br />
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In November the Rev W H Drummond was sent by the B&FUA to Transylvania and was the first Englishman to visit after the end of the War. He returned via Paris where he reported to the British and American delegations to the Peace Conference. His three page report was published in full in “The Inquirer” and reproduced as a supplement. Such was the Unitarian influence that on 30 January 1920, Rev Copeland Bowie was invited with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Rev F B Meyer to meet the Romanian Prime Minister of Romania at the Carlton Hotel. When Transylvania was transferred to Romania under the Treaty of Trianon safeguards were given on minority rights and violations remained a concern to Unitarians.<br />
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Today we recently joined ICUU in supporting the Unitarian Church in Burundi when its leader and members suffered as a result of political unrest. Rev Fulgence Ndagijimana has fled to Canada seeking refuge and his family are in the US British Unitarians raised funds for the Church and I used political contacts to raise his persecution and imprisonment directly with the Foreign Office. Others in Canada and the US did the same.<br />
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<b>Generosity </b><br />
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The third feature of British Unitarian international engagement is that of generosity. In five years the Special India Fund raised the equivalent of over £530,000 at todays value. An appeal for the “Starving Children in Europe” was launched by the B&FUA for a collection at the services on Sunday 28 December 1919 and raised £2,569 which is about £131,000 at 2016 prices. This was at a time of “home” demands, including an appeal for £20,000 (£1million) to support the “Stipends of Ministers and the Education of their Children” and £10,00 for the National Unitarian War Memorial – “The Florence Nightingale Convalescent Home” in Great Hucklow..<br />
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Today the Unitarian Clara Barton Red Cross Fund has raised what must be fast-approaching £100,000 for emergency and crisis relief and locally Unitarians are active fundraisers for many causes.<br />
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<b>Inclusion</b><br />
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The story here is a desire to bring together religious liberals in an inclusive way and led in 1900 to the establishment of an International Council of Unitarian and other Liberal Religious Thinkers and Workers (Now IARF).. Great international congresses took place before the advent of World War One. It had been intended in October 1914, had war not intervened, to have a World Pilgrimage of Religious Liberals funded in part by the B&FUA, which entailed a group of diverse western theists journeying round the world but especially to encounter the East.<br />
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Today we continue to participate and lead in IARF both globally, regionally within the Europe and Middle East region and nationally in co-operation with others such as the World Congress of Faith, Religions for Peace and the Interfaith Network. Having led the way the interfaith scene is now much fuller and rich.<br />
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In conclusion I feel that the tension – I hope creative tension – between the various themes still raise issues for us. The International vision of British Unitarians was not about expanding Unitarianism across the globe but more a commitment to promoting liberal religion. This is a staggeringly open and inclusive perspective for the time and indeed for today.<br />
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<br />Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-77806177320115367542016-10-07T12:00:00.000+01:002017-01-30T09:09:00.288+00:00Unitarian Congregational Growth and Change 2. My last blog has produced some positive feedback so I would like to follow it up with more advice for congregational leaders on growth and change. I hope it is also encouraging for ordinary chapel and church members who may worry about the future. This draws upon work carried out in East London by <a href="http://www.theology-centre.org/">The Centre for Theology and Community (CTE)</a>.<br />
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They have found that attitude rather than theological tradition is the key determinant of growth. Our tendency has been on occasion to see churches with rigid doctrines that are growing and then excuse ourselves by saying that we demand more from those who commit to us; it is harder to be free-thinkers. So it is not all about evangelical churches with their Alpha courses. Growth is actually happening in churches with very different theologies and liturgies. On this evidence I see no reason why Unitarian and Free Christian churches should not grow. But as the report observes “the degree of intentionality behind growth is related to the likelihood of growth. Those [congregations] that have seen significant growth, it seems, have made structural changes in terms of leadership or “models” of church”.<br />
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These growing churches have a clear vision of their goals, and engage in “conscious self-reflection” on what it means to be both faithful and effective in their local context. There is no one-size-fits-all pattern to follow, however, three factors seem important:<br />
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•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Pursing a deeper common life of worship and prayer<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>An enterprising use of assets, including property, for mission<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A commitment to working for the common good with others in the local community<br />
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Attitude must underpin these approaches. Unitarians should be able to apply these factors to their local situation and I know some congregations are already doing so. This is where we can draw upon our own tradition of reason; we have never been afraid to look at the evidence and learn even if it challenges long held beliefs.<br />
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So let us not dismiss growth as simply an obsession with “bums on seats” but an opportunity to change lives. As Canon Archie Richie has written “an empty church cannot embark on any of the activities we rightly value; worshipping God, growing together, showing hospitality and acting for social justice”.<br />
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We certainly have the skills locally to reflect on changes in the demographics of local areas and how we can connect to the people who now live there. If we do not do this the evidence is that, especially in urban areas undergoing rapid social change, we will slowly fade away. Community organising has proved to be one way to change the focus in a congregation – especially in developing new leaders through action.<br />
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So are we “missing a trick?" “Next Steps” has reinforced that our 2020 congregational growth programme should be expanded and more new or rekindled congregations established, what others call “church planting”. Without this all the evidence from many studies is that decline will not be reversed. So are we willing to reflect, learn, change and adapt.<br />
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This blog first appeared in The Unitarian (October 2016) as "A View from Essex Hall"</div>
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-49666249622705800442016-10-04T15:55:00.000+01:002017-01-30T09:09:17.818+00:00Unitarian Congregational Growth and Change 1.<br />
One of the most useful aspects of the recent Conference in the Netherlands organized by the <a href="http://www.icuu.net/">International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU)</a>, the global Unitarian body, was the opportunity to share practical experiences of congregational life. Congregations remain the way that our Unitarian faith is expressed in most parts of the world; recognizing of course that for some the online experience is now part of the mix.<br />
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We had the one-to-one chats over coffee and meals and drinks; we do this’ what do you do? Really! There were more formal networking opportunities and also a day of workshops and a day of more substantial learning sessions. There were excellent programmes for individual personal development which should enhance leadership capacity around the world.<br />
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I was particularly struck by the similarities as well as the differences between the UK and The Netherlands, who were represented by the <a href="http://www.vrijzinnigen.nl/">Vrijzinnigen Nederland</a> (VJ) a liberal religious group about the same size as British Unitarians; but with fewer groups. I already have good contact with them and their director Wies Houweling has been to a British Unitarian Annual Meeting.<br />
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In one session I heard about a self led congregation and the phrase “professional amateur organisation” was used, which I interpreted to mean that all that was done, although there was no paid “professional” leader, was of the highest quality. This congregations has grown from 60 to 100 members; with Sunday attendance from 10 to 40. They asked the members initially “if we change, do you want to be part of it?”<br />
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Over more than ten years they have changed the:<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Role of the Board (ie the committee)<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Role of the community – which is seen as a source of creativity as everyone has a special gift<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Role of Sunday services (which is seen as the most important change)<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The building – especially the symbols used<br />
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A positive approach was adopted to change but quality was key. Other learnings were that nothing is permanent and that renewal never stops. Infact; knowing that those activities that are going well will not last should make us look to the future and new ideas. Another lesson is to resist the temptation to compare yourself to others and that in the end you must find your own solution. Also, look to your roots for keys to the future.<br />
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This was reinforced by another session on the Dutch experience where it was emphasised that the liberal religion should be about connecting rather that separation as with orthodox religions with their focus on maintaining group identity. In a group we talked about how locally Unitarians can play a leadership role in connecting people. We of course often do this is individuals. The challenge is to reach out to other religious people and other groups; often simply to get them around a table when they would not otherwise be able to do so. So are their issues in your community that needed to be talked about but are not?<br />
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I shall be developing our relationship with Vrijzinnigen Nederland further as we have much to share and learn from each other. Their connections especially with other liberal groups and in the academic arena are particularly impressive and raise issues for us. So lots to do all round.<br />
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This blog first appeared in The Unitarian (September 2016) as "A View from Essex Hall"</div>
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-87176629041762163932016-07-29T11:18:00.001+01:002016-07-29T11:18:58.038+01:00Unitarians promote same sex marriage in Church<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFUmHqIUVrrg9Um27bAF3cHJOIP_encJV8g2rfNQVTahEzz5aNJzHjL0YLF919ktyVDPdmSY5B1a3ugEcLbZNRgAQfsdF4PUWcXGiPhcR1YfWhyphenhyphenLCjO3NElhWolt49ThVwrq94267mwcv/s1600/marry+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFUmHqIUVrrg9Um27bAF3cHJOIP_encJV8g2rfNQVTahEzz5aNJzHjL0YLF919ktyVDPdmSY5B1a3ugEcLbZNRgAQfsdF4PUWcXGiPhcR1YfWhyphenhyphenLCjO3NElhWolt49ThVwrq94267mwcv/s320/marry+church.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">British Unitarian and Free Christians have used London Pride to promote same sex marriage in Church with the production of an inspiring and colourful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM4m8M4rGFs">video</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unitarian congregations across the country from city centre churches to chapels in small towns have been registering their buildings for same sex marriage. In many counties and cities we are still often the only registered religious building where same sex marriages can be conducted. We did not marry anyone on the day of London Pride! Hopefully we highlighted that if a couple wished to have a religious or spiritual ceremony that this is now possible in a Unitarian Church</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A list of Unitarian buildings registered for same sex marriage is available on the General Assembly's <a href="https://www.blogger.com/website%20https://www.unitarian.org.uk/pages/same-sex-marriage">website</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The video was filmed at London Pride when thirty-five Unitarians and Free Christians from across London and the South East celebrated Pride on Saturday 2 July 2016. The banners included "Unitarians marry in Church" and "You can marry in a Unitarian Church".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">An initiative of the London District and South East Provincial Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches the film was produced by West Creative. The production of the film was supported financially by the General Assembly. Thanks to Ed Fordham for all his hard work to organise the group.</span><br />
<br />Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-33974669814671069302016-07-28T16:33:00.000+01:002016-07-28T16:35:56.382+01:00"The Light of the Spirit" - Chalice Meditation No 6.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by John Hewerdine</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was a joy to share in worship at last week's conference of the International Association of Unitarians and Universalists (<a href="http://www.icuu.net/">ICUU</a>) at the Mennorode Centre, Nunspeek,The Netherlands,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rev Kate Dean, Minister of <a href="http://rosslynhillchapel.org.uk/">Rosslyn Hill Chapel</a> in Hampstead, London introduced us to one of the Chalice Meditations.</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.misterdavidkent.com/ChaliceMeditations.aspx">Chalice Meditations </a>are a collection of sung meditations, with music by David Kent and words provided by Unitarian ministers from all parts of the UK.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">David describes the Chalice Meditations as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"</span><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I was inspired to begin this project, my aim was to produce a prayerful resource that could be useful to congregations, regardless of their size. These pieces are written to be sung repetitively and to be easy to pick up for choirs and congregations alike.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The meditations can be sung in unison or in parts, unaccompanied, or backed by piano or guitar."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b2b2b;">We sang very movingly on several occasions at morning worship Meditation No 6. "</span>The Light of the Spirit" by Rev Sarah Tinker</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"The light of the spirit is shining in you,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The light of the spirit is shining in me,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The light of the spirit is shining within,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So blessed we may be"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sheet music, vocal guide and backing tracks are available - do go and <a href="http://www.misterdavidkent.com/ChaliceMeditations.aspx">listen</a>.</span><br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-1553297870657398412016-07-27T17:26:00.001+01:002016-07-27T17:26:10.951+01:00150th Anniversary of birth of Beatrix Potter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDYV5o9_wYQ7PB-Usi5zQJvhvYOOlsR9Vrsb9p-WQPBLVUKP5nKAFqfzQnvXgi3WmniGwdA8OEQk97StUeRAQ20N9-L0WJPcEnM1lFmTyt2h2AzyvkNBdO_wKEHGuRjDntHvm1lrFxqI8/s1600/Young_Beatrix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDYV5o9_wYQ7PB-Usi5zQJvhvYOOlsR9Vrsb9p-WQPBLVUKP5nKAFqfzQnvXgi3WmniGwdA8OEQk97StUeRAQ20N9-L0WJPcEnM1lFmTyt2h2AzyvkNBdO_wKEHGuRjDntHvm1lrFxqI8/s1600/Young_Beatrix.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow 28 July 2016 marks the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, the well known author, illustrator and conservationist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">She was brought up in a wealthy Unitarian family with a Manchester background. Rupert and Helen (Leech) Potter were active Unitarians and their close friends included Rev James Martineau, Unitarian theologian and philosopher, and Rev William Gaskell, husband of the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. Their social life revolved around the Unitarian community surrounding Manchester.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unitarians across the North West will be celebrating over this weekend:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stalybridge Unitarian Church, where Beatrix Potter opened a bazaar in 1912, will be open on 28 July and 29 July from 1.30 to 4.30 pm with an exhibition. Refreshments will be available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">John and William Leech gave a plot of land on the edge of the Gorse Hall estate to build the church, which is situated on Forester Drive, Stalybridge. Donations from the Leech and Potter families enabled the church to open free of debt in 1870. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs Jane Leech, Beatrix Potter's grandmother.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hyde Chapel Gee Cross will be open to visitors on 28 July, 29 July and 30 July from 1.00 to 4.00 pm with a display showing the Potter family connection with the Chapel. Helen and Rupert Potter were married here in 1863 and members of the Potter, Leech and Ashton families are buried here. Light refreshments will be available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dukinfield Old Chapel, where members of the Leech family are buried will be open on 29 July from 1.30 to 4.00 pm and 30 July from 11.30 to 4.00 pm. On 31 July there will be a service at 2.00 pm when Rev Dr Ann Peart, former Principal of Unitarian College Manchester, will talk on "Beatrix Potter's Manchester Connections". There will be an exhibition and "well dressing". Refreshments will be available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cross Street Chapel in Manchester's city centre, where her ancestors worshipped, will be open from Friday 29 to Sunday 31th July with a small exhibition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Image in public domain.</span><br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-19510382362742908362016-07-13T17:59:00.000+01:002016-07-13T17:59:11.199+01:00Theresa May inspired by Joseph Chamberlain Birmingham Unitarian?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Joseph Chamberlain has been in the news this morning as an inspiration for the new Prime Minister, Theresa May. Labour MP Gisela Stuart has written in The Daily Telegraph "<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/12/meet-joe-chamberlain-the-lost-tory-leader-who-ideas-drive-theres/">Meet Joe Chamberlain, the lost Tory leader whose ideas drive Theresa May</a>." In today's Times we see one of May's key advisers Nick Timothy described as a "Chamberlain Conservative". He has <a href="http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2012/12/nick-timothy-our-joe.html">written of the legacy of Chamberlain </a><br />
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Historian Alan Ruston in "On The Side of Liberty" boldly asserts "Joseph Chamberlain was a Unitarian born and bred, a fact of which he was openly proud...He was attuned to those aspects of the Unitarian faith that were commonly emphasised in the second half of the nineteenth century; the values of individualism, self-reliance, moral earnestness, and social action" (page 49).<br />
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He was a radical never a conservative and certainly not a Tory; although he left the Liberal Party over Irish Home Rule to become a Liberal Unionist.<br />
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Garvin has written "Chamberlain's inward life until he was nearly forty was directed by his religious upbringing..We may find here the germ of his assertive independence: of his anti-official or anti-orthodox initiative throughout his political career; or of his executive force as a leader of social reform" (quoted by Ruston page 51).<br />
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How Theresa May will measure up to his radical heritage and practical administrative skills time will tell?<br />
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His two sons Austen and Neville both reached high political office; the latter of course Prime Minister.<br />
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"<a href="https://www.unitarian.org.uk/news/side-liberty-unitarian-historical-miscellany">On the Side of Liberty</a>" was launched by the Lindsey Press in April 2016 and is available from Essex Hall (020 7240 2384) or from all good online booksellers<br />
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He features in the <a href="http://uudb.org/articles/josephchamberlain.html">Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography </a><br />
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Image with permission on the National Portrait GalleryDerek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-45495429353718996622016-06-16T18:03:00.001+01:002016-06-17T13:34:02.072+01:00Hajom Kissor Singh and the Khasi Unitarians <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the books I picked up at the second hand bookstall at the General Assembly Annual Meetings was “TŌ Nangroi: A Romance of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills” by Rev Magnus C. Ratter and published by the Lindsey Press in 1932. I always look out for publications that I have not seen before. We have a recently established archive of the Lindsey Press at Essex Hall, initiated by Howard Hague, however I did not think it was there. When I checked I was right. It is also not on the catalogue of Dr Williams’s Library. So it must be a rare book indeed. It was certainly out of print by 1945 when two chapters were reprinted in “Khasi Calls: An Adventure in Friendship” also by the Lindsey Press. I have added my copy to the archive.<br />
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Its significance is that it tells the tale of the Khasi Unitarians in North East India when they had been in existence for less than fifty years. In an address recently at Rosslyn Hill Chapel I spoke about international Unitarianism and included these Unitarians who live in the Khasi Hills in the states of Assam and Megalaya. I recalled that their Unitarian story really began with a Khasi man named Hajom Kissor Singh. He was born in 1865 at Cherrapunjee - "the wettest place on earth". <br />
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I said “As the missionary schools were considered best, he not only got his education there, but he was also converted to their faith. Even as a child he showed interest in religious matters and his reading soon led him to asking questions about some aspects of Christianity. The idea of the trinity bothered him. He was looking for a religion more like the religion Jesus taught so he left the Calvinist faith. He read a book by William Ellery Channing and got in touch with a Unitarian Minister in Calcutta. Unitarianism was exactly what he was looking for. He was a Unitarian even before he knew the name. Hajom Kissor Singh spent the rest of his life walking over the hills establishing nearly 40 Unitarian congregations which are still there - many in very remote villages. British Unitarians then offered support. Much later in the 1930s Rev Margaret Barr went to the Khasi Hills and devoted her life to the community; but never as a missionary. She was an educator and community builder. The General Assembly India Fund continues to offer support as does the Unitarian Women’s League.”<br />
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Reading “TŌ Nangroi”, which means “Progress Onwards”, gives a real sense of the achievement of Hajom Kissor Singh. Rev Ratter spent eighteen months in India from 1930. Whilst a British delegation had visited in 1928 it had been many years since the previous visits. As one man elderly greeted him “Good gracious, I’ve not seen a white Unitarian these thirty years!”. In one of the hill villages it had been 37 years since the visit of the American Unitarian, Dr Sunderland. The book gives a fascinating description of the life of the Khasis and of their religious practices. <br />
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Reflecting on the work of Hajom Kissor Singh I now realise the scale of what he did. We can glibly say that he was the founder of the Khasi Unitarians but this does not really convey the true nature of the man and his role. This Ratter captures well writing so soon after his death when his influence remained. <br />
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Looking more widely are their any lessons for us on church growth?. After all he went from zero members to 200 in ten years, continued to build and gain public recognition and leaves a legacy of a thriving Church today:<br />
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1. He was a remarkable man of “outstanding ability and keen spiritual perception” yet paid attention to his own development needs; for example, he studied theology under the postal guidance of Miss Emily Sharpe in 1893.<br />
2. He sought outside help and advice yet growth could only come from within. For most of the period described there was no resident external minister to lead or assist despite their pleas for help<br />
3. He did not act alone; at the same time as he found Unitarianism another man, U. Heh Pohlong, the Khasi minister of an orthodox church at Nongtalang, was similarly exploring Unitarianism and had already formed a group. David Edwards, a trained worker, soon joined them and latter became the first ordained minister.<br />
4. Conviction led to action but he started with one woman and two men in the original church in Jowai.<br />
5. The generosity of external supporters in the US and then Britain supported their work.<br />
6. The importance of women in leadership roles.<br />
7. Caring for each other was as important as seeking new adherents.<br />
8. Conflict and “quarrels” arise when “little-minded men” met “big issues.”<br />
9. What was achieved was not without opposition, ridicule and disappointment – Ratter implies that his biggest may be the failure of Western Unitarians to send him a teacher - perhaps a rebuke to his British readers and a spur to action. His personal life was full of tragedy too.<br />
10. His service-book was crucial to the preservation of the Unitarian Union; to Ratter it was a “unique and truly great achievement”. His writing was therefore of immense significance.<br />
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Some thoughts whilst you are washing the dishes! (as Rev Patrick O'Neill always said)<br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-13203894759959037722016-06-09T12:42:00.001+01:002016-06-09T12:42:35.681+01:00Fleeing Persecution: Asylum Claims in the UK on Religious Freedom groundsThe All Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion and Belief launched its latest report in Parliament on 7 June 2016 which I was pleased to attend. "<a href="https://freedomdeclared.org/news/asylum-report/">Fleeing Persecution: Asylum Claims in the UK on Religious Freedom grounds</a>" was jointly produced with the Asylum Advocacy Group.<br />
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I was impressed by the positive approach and realism underpinning the report and the work of the APPG and the Asylum Advocacy Group. It is recognised that some applications are not credible, which need to be identified as well as genuine claims that are not being accepted and that Home Office staff have to make incredibly nuanced and difficult decisions.There is a clear desire to work closely with the Home Office to improve the support and training of their staff to improve the quality of decison-making. Bishop Angaelos, who also spoke at the CCJ event I attended on 27 May, was, as usual, forthright and well informed.<br />
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Prof <a href="https://www.essex.ac.uk/law/staff/profile.aspx?ID=819">Geoff Gilbert</a> of the School of Law and Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex pointed out that persecution on religious grounds was often seen as an identifier for other characteristics and was easy to be over-looked. He reaffirmed the significance of the 1951 Convention on Refugees but that as there was no international refugee Court decisions were made on a country by country basis although jurisdictions did influence each other. He saw the development of the concept of "cumulative discrimination" over the next few years.<br />
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The parallels drawn with the experiences of LGBT asylum seekers was interesting and merits further exploration. The same issues with credibility seems to recur.<br />
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The <a href="https://freedomdeclared.org/news/asylum-report/">report</a> can be found at Freedom Declared website of the GroupDerek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-18868175495374445392016-05-27T14:58:00.000+01:002016-05-27T21:42:25.747+01:00City Breakfast Seminar on Relgious Freedom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2fb5dAdgqvw8Fjajap_PVww93-vRUS-gX2efe-7t5Iq22BtjYpTl6r5fIFdpr_iErP15hsrTed8RXGxHEvLPfVVBS19cR8_FRy-XAMULw83W30ig1yucYZYWuNKO0PZDGqHGX12ZW7zM/s1600/group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2fb5dAdgqvw8Fjajap_PVww93-vRUS-gX2efe-7t5Iq22BtjYpTl6r5fIFdpr_iErP15hsrTed8RXGxHEvLPfVVBS19cR8_FRy-XAMULw83W30ig1yucYZYWuNKO0PZDGqHGX12ZW7zM/s320/group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a pleasure, though an early start today, to attend a breakfast seminar arranged by the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) on "Religious Freedom - Is it on the decline? What is its future?"<br />
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Three speakers gave their personal perspectives to a large audience; His Excellency David Saperstein, (Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom for President Obama) Christina Odone (Director of Centre for Character and Values, Legatum Institute, ex-editor of the Catholic Herald) and His Grace Bishop Angaelos OBE (General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK), Vice President of the CCJ and Vice President of the Jewish Leadership Council, Henry Grunwald kindly chaired the seminar.<br />
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David Saperstein answered the question as "Yes" and "No" by quoting from Pew reports that 78% of the world's population suffer serious restrictions on religious freedom, which has slowly risen yet three quarters of all countries don't restrict freedom. He highlighted the important role of the Reports of the State Department in "naming and lifting up the plight of the oppressed" with a new report being published in two weeks. He ended by stressing the importance of of the interfaith community working together and that they can make a difference.<br />
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Christina Odone suggested that believers in Britain were "being harassed and held in contempt because of their faith". She saw a conflict between people of faith and those she saw as "liberals". This extreme conservative approach, smacked to me of the same intolerance against people of faith she spoke about. We need to break down stereotypes and draw on the well-known words of Pastor Neimoller, as Bishop Angaelos actually did, about doing nothing when they came for those of other groups and having no one to protect us when they came for us.<br />
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During question time Ambassador Saperstein noted the challenges of civil rights in tension and reminded the audience of past discrimination against various groups with "no Catholics or blacks" signs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtlJQqeaiotFbnwzuqHUiokvDnQNoTeJwKW2_-Try5ykbV0_6o1F2CEptz6MUICKyLjPAJEbLovmgk5Bff2zblkZUpDstdqloWvpBjm1T69MZM5bXsg_AseOt_DW4OZV2YlcZHy52LrzZ/s1600/Bishop+Angaelos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtlJQqeaiotFbnwzuqHUiokvDnQNoTeJwKW2_-Try5ykbV0_6o1F2CEptz6MUICKyLjPAJEbLovmgk5Bff2zblkZUpDstdqloWvpBjm1T69MZM5bXsg_AseOt_DW4OZV2YlcZHy52LrzZ/s320/Bishop+Angaelos.jpg" width="180" /></a>Bishop Angaelos is a fine example of what can be achieved by someone from a small community of faith committed to working together with others of like-mind but conscious of the demands of modern media, He said that the situation of religious minorities in the Middle East was complex and building up over the decades. He urged religious leaders not to be tribal and speak only for their "clan". In the question time he saw the need to be reactive and responsive to changes in society or religion would become irrelevant.<br />
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The meeting was hosted by Investec and thanks to them and CCJ trustee Zaki Cooper for organising the event.Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-27118449830995057652016-05-23T10:44:00.002+01:002016-05-23T10:44:38.318+01:00What is a Unitarian? New video "What is a Unitarian?" is a new video produced for the General Assembly which explores how British Unitarians see their faith today.<br />
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For more <a href="https://www.unitarian.org.uk/pages/faith">information</a><br />
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In the last six days it has been viewed 518 times so is clearly popular.<br />
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Thanks to Sarah West of <a href="http://www.westcreative.org/">West Creative.</a><br />
<br />Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-82907031393644627262016-05-19T11:51:00.001+01:002016-05-19T11:51:48.531+01:00"The Vanguard of the Age" - the wall paintings of Edward Armitage at Dr Williams's Library<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparatory sketch of James Martineau</td></tr>
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There are many hidden treasures at Dr Williams's Library in London's Gordon Square but the most notable must be the wall paintings of Edward Armitage RA. The mural was painted in what was then the dining hall of University Hall (now the lecture hall of Dr Williams's Library) in memory of Henry Crabb Robinson. It was commissioned by his friends and completed by an advisory committee. </div>
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Edward Armitage RA was a prominent figure in the Victorian art world and a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy. <br />
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It shows Crabb Robinson surrounded by his most distinguished literary and artistic friends. These include Wordsworth, Coleridge, Mary and Charles Lamb and Blake. Crabb Robinson had travelled in Germany and this accounts for the portraits of Goethe, Tieck, von Schiller and Herder. In total there were 47 portraits. At the end Armitage added a self-portrait with palette and brushes in hand.<br />
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The entire mural was covered over in the mid-1950s under whitewash and wallpaper and is known from engravings. It was fascinating to see some of Armitage's preparatory sketches and two of the engravings in the exhibition expertly curated by Jane Giscombe, a conservator at Dr Williams's Library. Tom Sawyer's evening lecture gave an insight into the murals and was, of course, delivered in the Hall in which we were acutely aware they remain "hidden" surrounding us! Descendants of both Armitage and Crabb Robinson were in the audience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady Byron talks to Rev F W Robertson</td></tr>
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As a prominent Unitarian Crabb Robinson had many friends from the Unitarian community and these feature strongly illustrating their contribution to literary, cultural and political life. Mrs Barbauld and Lady Anne Byron are two Unitarian women included; both influential in the development of education. Other Unitarians are Gilbert Wakefield; scholar and "political fanatic", Mark Philips MP, Thomas Thornley MP, Edwin Field; lawyer and law reformer; and three Unitarian ministers; Revs James Martineau, Lant Carpenter and John James Tayler.<br />
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The exhibition at Dr Williams's Library can be viewed by appointment by telephoning 020 7387 3727. Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-10044952168992165492016-02-26T16:22:00.000+00:002016-02-26T16:22:11.342+00:00"I am Thomas" - Thomas Aikenhead Unitarian Martyr<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I am Thomas - a brutal comedy with songs", created by "Told by an Idiot", the composer Iain Johnstone and poet Simon Armitage is now on tour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It tells the tale of Thomas Aikenhead - the last person to be executed in Britain for blasphemy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amongst other statements overheard, he denied the Trinity and was reported, tried, sentenced to death and publicly hanged. He is remembered as one of the Unitarian martyrs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It provides a salutary tale when freedom of speech is still challenged in so many parts of the world and blasphemy remains a crime.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have not seen it yet but hope to do so when it comes to London in late April at Wilton's Music Hall.</span><br />
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<br />Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-21782163316002327682016-02-03T16:27:00.000+00:002016-02-03T16:30:13.283+00:00Unitarians "the awkward squad" <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot of me asking a question to the Panel</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The British Academy, the UK's premier body for humanities and the social sciences has been promoting consideration of the role of "Faith" and last week held a debate on the intriguing question "Who cares if Britain is not a Christian country?". It actually turned into a discussion of the role of the Church of England as the Established Church in England (but not of course in Scotland where the Church of Scotland is established nor in Wales or Northern Ireland which disestablished their Anglican churches).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Professor Iain McLean in his discussion of marriage law indicated that the Unitarians succeeded the Quakers as the "awkward squad" in the late 1700's. Unitarians were thought to be much more dangerous; they dressed like everyone else! (see from 58:50)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I managed to get called to ask the final question which asked about whether the Church of England would be willing to include multi-faith elements if it becomes more of a sect as speakers had suggested. This prompted the usual pithy and slightly humorous responses to the final question. This is found at 1:23:46.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-71803093416216413982016-01-29T11:53:00.000+00:002016-01-29T14:51:26.773+00:00“Conscientious Objection 100 years on” - Richard Durning Holt’s Diary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week I attended a Reception at the Houses of Parliament arranged by Quakers in Britain to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Military Service Act. Rev Feargus O’Connor of the Unitarian Peace Fellowship was able to join me. We were reminded of the significance of the introduction of conscription and of the conscience clause in the Act providing for conscientious objection to military service which was a fundamental shift towards individual freedoms. Conscientious objection is now recognised as a universal human right but not yet implemented across the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Richard Durning Holt (1868-1941) was prominent among those Liberals who tried without success to oppose the legislation. He was a member of a famous Liverpool Unitarian family and was Liberal MP for Hexham between 1907 and 1918 and prominent in Liverpool affairs and later nationally for the first three decades of the twentieth century. Another Unitarian opponent was H G Chancellor, MP for Haggerston. <a href="http://unitarianchiefofficer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/unitarians-and-world-war-one.html"><span id="goog_393575923"></span>Unitarians and World War 1<span id="goog_393575924"></span></a> is a previous blog entry of mine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Holt’s diary records his opposition and his disappointment at the outcome. It is held at Liverpool City library and an edition was published in 1988 by “The Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire” (Vol CXX1X) by David J. Dutton. With the title “Odyssey of an Edwardian Liberal: the political diary of Richard Durning Holt” it offers some interesting insights on the passage of conscription Bill in early 1916.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dulton points out that Holt felt that” the War was demanding unacceptable measures of encroachment by the state” (page 41). He was committed to the late 19th Century Liberal, and indeed nonconformist approach, to support for peace and voluntaryism along with restricting the role of the State.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 January “The years opens with a gale and every prospect of political disturbance for the Prime Minister has let it be known that he has adopted the policy of conscription towards which the Tories have been pressing him for the past twelve months.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9 January “On Wednesday and Thursday we debated the Conscription Bill, Sir J. Simon, who resigned the Home Secretaryship on the question, leading the opposition. They was a good deal of excitement and I thought the opponents made out a case (I was one of them) but sentimentality and fear of defeating the Government carried the day and we were defeated by 403 to 105. I told for the minority and also spoke I had hoped for a better show but several of our friends failed us at the last moment including dear J.W. Wilson, Chas. Hobhouse who was very strong against conscription most unaccountably went back on us, made an inconclusive speech and abstained.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">16 January “Came home on Thursday. We debated the Conscription bill on Tuesday and Wednesday when the Irish deserted us and some others and the division was 431 to 39. I did not speak but voted of course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4 February “The little group who had opposed conscription formed themselves into a permanent organisation – Sir J. Simon, chairman, Whitehouse, secretary, J.H. Thomas, the railway men’s representative, Leif Jones and R.D.H. committee.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He records that on 25 February 1918 he had attended what Dutton calls an “important” meeting at Essex Hall to support Lord Lansdowne’s proposals for peace by negotiation (17 March 1918).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He paid the price. The public did not share his views and neither did his local party and he was “forced” to seek another seat at the forthcoming General Election. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Throughout his life Holt was active in Unitarian affairs. In 1903 he spoke at the National Triennial Conference held in Liverpool proposing a resolution condemning the Education Act. In 1918 he records that he was elected President of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association “an office I always coveted for the childish reason that I was the first whose great-grandfather (Richard Potter, MP for Wigan) had held it” (11 June 1918). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Out of Parliament, having been defeated in 1918, he chaired a public meeting of the Liverpool District Missionary Society with Dr Estlin Carpenter and Sir Alfred Booth speaking in support of the League of Nations idea at the Royal Institution (19 January 1919). He chaired a meeting at the Unitarian Memorial Hall in Manchester which passed a resolution demanding that the Versailles Treaty be referred to the League of Nations (6 February 1923). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An early diary entry sets out his Unitarian beliefs. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reflecting on the year end (31 December 1900) he notes:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I trust and believe that the future will show an increase in and a strengthening of our own views of simple Christianity which I believe to be the true basis on which to establish the community. I know I have expressed my meaning badly: I don’t want any established church – Unitarian or otherwise. What I mean is that in the main it is the belief that what God wants of man is that he do right, i.e. love his neighbour, and not that he profess particular theological opinions or requires a consecrated place or an ordained priest, which will bring with it a great improvement in our social and political conditions”.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 16.64px;">Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament</span>Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-31099099739934221492015-12-23T14:20:00.000+00:002015-12-23T14:20:04.971+00:00The Christmas Bombings - "Cross Street Chapel has just gone up" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year we remember the 75th Anniversary of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-35094565" target="_blank">Christmas Bombings</a> in Manchester of 1940 , when the historic C<a href="http://cross-street-chapel.org.uk/" target="_blank">ross Street Chapel</a> was destroyed, along with the Assize Courts, the Royal Exchange and the Market Place.<br />
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Yet in the midst of destruction the congregation at Cross Street gathered to worship affirming a faith in the future - the message of Christmas.<br />
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I found this photograph recently in the Essex Hall archives. The Chapel was rebuilt in 1959 and then formed part of an innovative redevelopment in 1997. I am proud to be associated with the Chapel.<br />
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James Edward Holroyd was a Ministry of Information press officer on that fateful night in 1940 and later wrote of his experiences in "Lancashire Life" (December 1980), republished in "A Lancashire Christmas" in 1990. He operated from the basement of the "Manchester Guardian" building in Cross Street and recalls <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/the-scott-trust/2015/jul/26/a-history-of-the-scott-trust" target="_blank">John R. Scott</a>, head of the Guardian - a newspaper with strong Unitarian connections - and MOI chief regional officer appearing from time to time. It was he who uttered the sad words "Cross Street Chapel has just gone up!"<br />
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Holroyd wrote;<br />
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"At about 1.30am on Tuesday the all-clear sounded, and I climbed a vertical internal ladder to the MG roof. A never-to-be forgotten Christmas Eve had been ushered in by a city ringed anew with fire. The Royal Exchange opposite, and Woolworth's beyond, were still burning, as were the much-loved Victoria buildings with their sequence of Aesop's fables carved in stone. The Market Place area - that remaining bit of city history - was an inferno, to be destroyed completely save for the miraculous preservation of the old Wellington Inn block." (p31/32)<br />
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The congregation and the City soon responded and as Holroyd says "Meanwhile, beneath the reeking pall of smoke, subdued Christmas celebrations went on; "Robinson Crusoe" was at the Place, Sargent conducted the Halle's "Messiah" at the Odeon...<br />
<br />Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-40188352606994252302015-11-08T09:16:00.000+00:002015-12-23T12:05:01.536+00:0070th Anniversary of Unitarian attendance at National Service of Remembrance 2015 marks the 70th Anniversary of the first attendance of a representative of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches at the National Service of Remembrace at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.<br />
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Rev John Clifford, President of the General Assemblance will attend today.<br />
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This is how "The Inquirer" (17 November 1945) reported on the invitation to Rev Mortimer Rowe, General Secretary with the comment that this was the first occasion when Unitarians had been officially represented at the Ceremony.<br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-26754915557301643352015-10-28T16:11:00.000+00:002015-10-29T10:50:36.223+00:00The Suffragettes and Essex Hall<br />
I went last weekend to see "Suffragette", Sarah Gavron's political costume drama set just before the First World War when the campaign for the women's suffrage developed into civil disobedience.<br />
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Essex Hall, the centre for British Unitarianism, played a part in the Suffragette campaign hosting many public meetings - look carefully at the photograph opposite. Located just across the road from the offices of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in Clements' Inn (now LSE), it was a convenient location and every Thursday evening public meetings were held either there or at Steinway Hall. Ticket prices ranged from 6d to 2s 6d but there was free admission on the night for women.<br />
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Essex Hall was the scene of the meeting on 10 September 1907 when Mrs Pankhurst explained that the WSPU was no longer to have a constitution resulting in many supporters leaving to form the Women's Freedom League. This more left-wing grouping was not only committed to democratic organisation but to furthering the cause of labour.<br />
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In December 1909 the mainly Anglican, Church League for Women's Suffrage, held its inaugural meeting at Essex Hall and in July 1912 it was the venue for the inaugural meeting of the Women Teachers Franchise League.<br />
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By 1912, as shown dramatically in the movie, the suffragettes had turned to smashing windows, cutting telegraph cables and placing bombs in pillar boxes and then even arson. Annie Kenny told a crowd at Essex Hall on 30 January 1913, with the Police present and taking an account of the meeting which is to be found in the Public Record Office:<br />
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"It is the duty of every suffragette and suffragist to go on attacking every pillar-box throughout the country and break every window without being caught".<br />
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Her speech at Essex Hall on 3 April 1913 resulted in her being arrested for incitement to riot.<br />
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The American newspaper "The Gazette Times" on 1 May 1913 reported on a "Plot to Spirit Mrs Pankhurst from London" with a Miss Macauley (no relation) telling a packed meeting at Essex Hall, "From now on it will be war - real war". They highlighted:<br />
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"That the belligerent suffragettes are not daunted by the capture of their stronghold and the arrest of their leaders was evidenced by the attendance, which far exceeded the capacity of the hall. Hundreds of women, unable to squeeze in, remained outside the gates throughout meeting". I believe that the large hall at Essex Hall held 600 people, including in the gallery.<br />
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Rev Mortimer Rowe in "<a href="https://www.unitarian.org.uk/sites/default/files/1959_StoryEssexHall.pdf" target="_blank">The Story of Essex Hall</a>" (Lindsey Press, 1959) highlights that Essex Hall was a popular meeting-place, especially of progressive or left-wing movements, He mentions that the Fabian Society used it for their public and other meetings and describes a particularly rowdy prohibition meeting in the 1920s but he soon moves to denominational affairs. Of the Suffragettes nothing...<br />
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Yet Unitarians had from the very beginning been supporters of women's suffrage. Alan Ruston in a review article in the Transactions of the Unitarian Historical Society (April 2002) has noted the involvement of at least 27 men and women with Unitarian connections listed in "The Women's Suffrage Movement: A reference Guide, 1866-1928". The Rev Robert Spears was present at the very first meeting on women's suffrage, he reported in The Inquirer on 19 June 1999. <br />
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A final piece of fascinating information. I was aware that the Bahai leader, Abdul Baha, has spoken at Essex Hall in 1913. Indeed two weeks ago a Bahai couple from Paris visited Essex Hall on a tour of various locations in central London with which he was associated. Infact, he lectured on "The Equality of Women" at a meeting sponsored by the Women's Freedom League, as was reported in "The Suffragette" periodical. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/056FI2Pq9RY" width="480"></iframe>Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-55380935896766083912015-10-19T16:33:00.003+01:002015-10-19T16:33:46.907+01:00Marriage Law Reform in England and Wales<br />
The reform of marriage law in England and Wales seems finally to be on the agenda. Last month I met with the Law Commission to discuss the reform of marriage law and contribute to a national scoping study. The Law Commission is a statutory independent body created by the Law Commissions Act 1965 to keep the law under review and to recommend reform where it is needed. The aim of the Commission is to ensure that the law is fair, modern, simple and effective. For many years there has been no appetite for reforming marriage law; it has been put in the “too difficult” box.<br />
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Changes have, of course, been made over the years, not least the introduction of same sex marriage, but marriage is still fundamentally governed by the Marriage Act 1949, as amended. On this occasion it seems likely that further work will be requested from the Law Commission with a consultation paper leading to final proposals and perhaps draft legislation<br />
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The scoping study is therefore an important first stage in the process of reform of the law governing how and where people can marry in England and Wales. Their work does not cover Scotland as marriage is a responsibility of the Scottish Parliament. They wish to consider what issues exist within the current law, and possible avenues for reform. They were asked to undertake the work by the Government following the Government’s consultation on allowing the solemnization of marriage by non-religious belief bodies. This arose out of support in Parliament for such a change in the law when the issue was raised during consideration of the legislation on same-sex marriage. The Law Commission’s work is, however, wider than that of the consultation.<br />
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As part of the scoping study, they were interested to hear from different faith groups as to their experiences of the current law, any concerns they would like to raise, and any possible reforms they would like to see and that’s why they approached the General Assembly. So off I went to the Home Office.<br />
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It was made clear that they would not be making recommendations for reform at this stage but that they wished to explore issues such as:<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>who should have the authority to solemnize marriages,<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>where marriages should be able to take place,<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>what forms marriages should be able to take,<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>what is required by way of prior notice and subsequent registration, and<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>how the law deals with ceremonies that fail to comply with some or all of the legal requirements.<br />
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The work will not include who can be married, so there will be no consideration of changing the age of consent or the restrictions on marrying within prohibited degrees; the question of whether or not religious groups should be obliged to solemnize marriages of same sex couples nor of the rights or responsibilities which marriage imparts, such as the financial entitlements of surviving spouses or the consequences of divorce.<br />
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Aside from consideration of same-sex marriage there has not been any substantive recent discussion on possible marriage reform at the General Assembly Annual Meetings. I managed in the limited timescale available to ask for views from Ministers and Lay People in Charge. There was a remarkable (for Unitarians!) unanimity of views, particularly on moving towards a celebrant rather than a building based system, as in Scotland and indeed Ireland.<br />
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When I met the Law Commission I was able to explain the distinctive nature of Unitarian and Free Christian marriage belief and practice emphasising its diversity. In many ways the religious/non-religious boundary central to the current law is not helpful to our approach which seeks to make the wishes of the couple central to the marriage ceremony within our inclusive framework. There is also a need for greater simplicity in the administrative processes which would help authorised persons.<br />
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The Commission plan to produce a paper at the end of the year with their findings. At the latter stages, of course, the General Assembly will have more opportunities to make a more formal response.<br />
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To many Unitarians and Free Christians our involvement in the solemnization of marriage is an important contribution to our local communities, offering a service to all rather than simply to our membership. It is something I am sure we value and wish to maintain.<br />
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That we were invited to join in discussions on the future of marriage law affecting England and Wales is another endorsement of our position as a small yet influential faith group often leading the way on social change. This is, of course, an important role that the General Assembly plays on behalf of local congregations. I look forward to seeing this issue progressing to legislation.<br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9139946083083203621.post-41594996545582126932015-09-24T12:14:00.000+01:002015-09-24T12:14:02.241+01:00Controversy over Charles Darwin's Religious ViewsThe religious views of Charles Darwin have been in the news over the last few days. They even prompted a "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033clpm" target="_blank">Thought for the Day</a>" this morning on BBC Radio 4 Today by Bishop Tom Butler. Like Bishop Butler, I do not consider the text of the letter that has come to light to mean he was an atheist as, for example, The Times described him.yesterday in a short item.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UzN_gqk2Mx51hXziH-jRzGbvFW6w2weQ54fdlL4sRngtgc5aNoZhUVmqXb7WKr7E13hC6nr-nhIApPcXGCmjI4v9qOYNou0IW_KD9TKhPj0JFqihpeTlSEuXWs8A45aCK3cLPdnKcwtY/s1600/darwin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UzN_gqk2Mx51hXziH-jRzGbvFW6w2weQ54fdlL4sRngtgc5aNoZhUVmqXb7WKr7E13hC6nr-nhIApPcXGCmjI4v9qOYNou0IW_KD9TKhPj0JFqihpeTlSEuXWs8A45aCK3cLPdnKcwtY/s320/darwin.jpg" width="201" /></a>The letter was in response to Francis McDermott, a barrister and committed Christian. Darwin’s reply, penned on 24 November 1880 – exactly 21 years after the publication of On the Origin of Species – was to the point:<br />
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"Dear Sir,<br />
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I am sorry to have to inform you that I do not believe in the Bible as a divine revelation & therefore not in Jesus Christ as the son of God.<br />
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Yours faithfully<br />
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Ch. Darwin"<br />
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It is not wise to determine the religious views of any individual by a few words. Rev Cliff Reed, a retired British Unitarian minister, has traced the evolution of Darwin's religious thinking throughout the course of his life. The results of his work, in the Lindsey Press publication "Till the Peoples All Are One": Darwin's Unitarian Connections" (2011) may surprise many readers.<br />
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The book can be obtained from Essex Hall or all major online booksellers.<br />
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Derek McAuleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076664847232870186noreply@blogger.com1