Army veteran pleads not guilty to praying silently near a Bournemouth abortion clinic
Adam Smith-Connor, an army veteran and father aged 49, has pleaded not guilty to charges related to breaking a local “buffer zone” regulation by standing near an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, eyes shut, head bowed and hands clasped, praying silently. He has been charged with breaching a public spaces protection order covering the clinic and surrounding residential area. The order forbids expressions of approval or disapproval of abortion in the vicinity, such as prayer and crossing oneself. Emerging from Poole magistrates court after entering his plea yesterday, he made a statement filmed for ADF UK, the Alliance for Defencing Freedom, which is supporting and defending him in court. He said he was being prosecuted for a thought crime and for praying for his son who was aborted, which he bitterly regrets. ADF-UK is part of ADF international which has offices in Europe and the USA. In the UK, the company was incorporated in 2015 and is based in Westminster. ADF also represented Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was similarly arrested outside a clinic in Birmingham but cleared of all charges last year. She attended Mr Smith-Connor’s court appearance yesterday. The case has attracted global interest including the Washington Times.
Catholic campaign to lift faith based schools admissions cap
Four Catholic Bishops in England are supporting a campaign to lift the faith based admissions cap on new free schools with a religious designation. The campaign has been launched by the Catholic Union, which says the cap, introduced by the Coalition Government in 2010, has made it impossible for Catholic Bishops to sanction new Catholic free schools, as it would lead to pupils being turned away on the basis of their Catholic faith. The bishops supporting the campaign are the Chairman of the Catholic Education Service, Bishop Marcus Stock of Leeds; the archbishop of |Birmingham, Bernard Longley; the bishop of East Anglia Peter Collins; and the bishop of Lancaster Paul Swarbrick. Almost 600 people have signed a letter to the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, asking for the cap to be lifted.
Orthodox man loses extradition appeal to Israel on riot charges
Efraim Fishel Grinfeld, an ultra-Orthodox man from Clapton in London, has lost his appeal against extradition to Israel, where he faces charges in connection with a riot outside an electrical shop in Jerusalem, in 2008. He and others are alleged to have used violent tactics including obstructing the store entrance, menacing customers, damaging property, and assaulting employees. Mr Grinfeld argued that he was not involved in the violence and was instead reading psalms during the incident. His case against extradition was based on human rights violations in Israeli prisons and the negative impact on his wife and eight children. But the High Court rejected his appeal saying the pending charges outweighed family-related concerns.
Move in Lebanon to ban Barbie film on religious grounds
Reuters reports that Lebanon’s culture minister, Mohammad Mortada, is seeking to ban the Barbie film on the grounds that it promotes homosexuality and sexual transformation and contradicts values of faith and morality by diminishing the importance of the family unit. He has asked the country’s general security agency to take the necessary action to prevent the film’s screening. The report says there is a perceived “wave of bigotry” with accusations that Hezbollah, the Christian far right, and other top religious leaders are taking part in a focussed campaign against LGBT people.
Jewish education charity offers young people £600 a month towards rent
The Jewish Learning Exchange, a charity based in London offering education about Judaism to young people, is offering new recruits a rental allowance of £600 a month, so long as they sign up to courses. They pledge to spend six hours learning with a rabbi each week, and to attend Friday night dinners and Shabbat lunches. Led by Rabbi Amrom Nemeth, the Learning Exchange provides education for 1,000 people per week. A recent gala dinner raised £3 million towards its work, based in Golders Green, north London.
Porsche apologises for airbrushing Jesus statue from car advert
Porsche has apologised for an advert which airbrushed out the Cristo Rei landmark statue of Jesus, in Lisbon. The shot appeared in a film to mark the 60th anniversary of its 911 sports car, but the statue’s absence caused complaints on Twitter and Porsche was forced to respond. A new video has been uploaded instead.
Uganda congregation smashes world record for continuous clapping
The congregation at mega Uganda church Phaneroo Ministries has broken the world record for the longest sustained applause. No sound other than clapping was allowed and it had to remain over 80 decibels. Anyone who stopped clapping was removed from the group. The applause lasted for three hours 16 minutes – referencing the Bible verse John 3:16. Uganda Public Service report on YouTube here
Text Jesus for free and be told you are his friend
An app development company in Los Angeles has created “Text with Jesus”, an AI driven app that allows the user to text any one of a number of Biblical characters, ask questions and receive replies complete with Bible verse. Stéphane Peter, the app’s French developer and the company’s CEO, told the Religion News Service that there are few limits for the questions that can be asked. Texting a number of Bible characters is charged out for a free, but texting Jesus is free. His answers are non controversial, emphasise love, peace, harmony and inclusion and he speaks in a warm way, engaging with the user as “my friend”. The answers always include a Bible verse after church leaders told the developer they would expect this. The characters chosen for engagement include Satan, an opportunity for which there is also a charge.
