Middle East again - letter from Bishop of Jerusalem

A sensitive letter from the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem.

It reflects the pain of the Palestinian people whilst seeking reconciliation and the hope that Iran and syria will refrain from further involvement. A poignat paragraph is this one:

I am saddened to realise just how much the deserved prestige of the United States and Britain has declined as a result of politicians who seem to devalue human life and suffering. And, I am disturbed that the Zionist Christian community is damaging America's image as never before.

I often wonder why Western Christians are so arrogant as not to listen to their brothers and sisters in faith who are living through the experiences in Israel/Palestine. Far too many are caught up in the theological masterbation of rapture theology or in idolatry of the Western militray/industrial complex and it apologists in Government and Church.

The best way to be a friend of Israel is not to back it when it commits the sort of atrocities to which the Bishop refers. That is idolatry and a negation of the Judaeo-Christian tradition A good friend is at times called upon to be candid.

But who began the fighting?

A very different take on events in the Middle East than we are normally fed appears on Sean Madden's site.

I strongly recommend readers to visit this post. Sean is my favourite political poster from the USA although he now lives in Britain.

Jaw jaw not War war says Holy Land Bishop

A voice of sanity from the Middle East with a case that what the area needs is not more killing but proper talks on the Israeli/Palestinian dispute.

A Christian view from Lebanon

An important article by Lebanese Christian Martin Accad which deserves to be read. His anger is worthy of respect.

Many thanks to Pam BG for this link.

Richard Hall on the Middle East

An excellent posting on the current Israel/Lebanon crisis by Richard Hall.

Richard is at his powerful best in displaying moral arguments and pragmatic arguments. The following paragraph should speak to those who are not pacifists but have pragmatic concerns;

What Israel is doing serves to stoke the fires of Middle Eastern hatred of the West and provides plenty of propaganda for those who recruit young men to commit acts of suicidal violence. It is time to stop it, and it can be stopped. One word from George Bush could l could bring Israel to heel, because Israel is utterly dependent on the billions of dollars in receives in US military aid to maintain her armed forces. If Tony Blair has any influence at all in the White House (which I’m inclined to doubt), now is the time to prove it.

I advise anyone to read the whole posting.

Like Richard, I invite UK readers to support the campaign for an immediate ceasefire. You can get a message to Tony Blair by texting CEASEFIRE to 87099.

Really, that ceasefire is needed now.

Persistance for Peace

Great article from Preaching Peace on why persistance in opposing armed violence is worthwhile

I like juries

Especially this one.

I like the idea of disabling the instruments of death from whatever country!

Hope from the young

A touch of light in the darkness of Israel/Palestine. I really wish that Christians would concentrate on those like these who make moves in the direction of peace and reconciliation rather than the nonsense of those crackpots who get excited at the slaughter thinking the endtimes are around the corner

Another kidnapping - but ignored by the world

As with terrorism, Israel is not exactly above criticism with regards to kidnapping. Mordechai Vanunu took a heroic faith based stand against weapons of destruction long before Bush and Blair.

Sadly he was kidnapped by Mossad. This kidnapping did not take place in Israel but in another country, Italy. Vanunu who would have been a hero if he was an Iraqi, went on to serve 18 years in prison, 11 1/2 in solitary confinement. He still lives with sever restrictions.

A few years ago, I took up Vanunu's case with my MP. She kindly made representations to the Foreign Office. The response on four occasions was a combination of cleverly worded evasion and misrepresentation of my points.

It always seemed strange that the West which talks of freedom and the need to prevent nuclear proliferation, cast Vanunu adrift. Were I a cynic, I would suggest that there was much hypocrisy on this matter. After all we were prepared to go to war over WMDs of one country whilst ignoring the kidnapping of a public spirited whistleblower of another country.

Anyway, my point is that nobody in the Middle East is totally clean. Furthermore, I suggest that just as it would have been wrong for Italy to indulge in mass killing at a kidnapping on their territory, so to it is wrong to kill children and UN arms inspectors in Lebanon for what was not their fault.

Craig Murray and the need to get angry

Powerful article by Craig Murray the splendid former amabassador to Uzbekhistan. Craig Murray has long argued that the Uk Gov't and the US Gov't have a record of indifference concerning human rights. He is furious that British diplomats are being used to work flat out to stop an immediate ceasefire being approved by the UN with the result that for every hour they can delay peace, two children are dying.

I commend his fury. The British government has lost all moral authority. On one point I take a cautionary line. Whilst I could no longer belong to the labour Party which is now fully under gangster control, I do not go as far as to wish all Labour members to be seen as pariahs. Believe it or not, there are still some good people in the Labour Party. How they cope with the stench of their leadership is a source of wonder to me. Clothes pegs obviously have their uses.

George Galloway

I have just been reading speech at last Saturday's anti war rally. Frankly, whilst I regret that a wedding rehearsal made it impossible for me to attend the protest in Exeter, had I heard George Galloway's speech in London, I would probably have walked out on the protest.

His historical analysis has quite a bit to commend it. All tooo often, Europeans and Americans favour as late a starting point to current events and ignore the historical buildup. Like Galloway, I am suspicious of imperialism. Like him, I believe true peace requires justice.

However, whilst I accept that much of the analysis of Hozbollah has been simplistic, I have no intention of glorifying them. Because I criticise one gang of killers and their apologists/supporters in the White House and Downing Street, does not mean that I will in any way glorify another group of killers for Hizbollah have their share of blood on their hands.

The issue is to reject all the voices of violence and then to work for justice in a way that recognises that all the people of the Middle East are equally precious to God.

Former Israeli PM praises bombing of Brits in 1946

Read how former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pays tribute to the terrorist bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946 which killed 92 people including 29 British people.

The point is that terror has been used on all sides. I trust that Christian Zionists such as the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem who have had Netanyahu speak at their events, will now break all links with him.

When did the conflict begin?

A thought provoking article by Timothy Garton Ash.

Well worth digesting.

Can you hear what I hear?

Calls from UK Christian leaders for Tony Blair to support demands for an immediate ceasefire.

Are you listening Tony? Or do we have a Prime Minister who ignores his own people and listens only to his master George not to forget Rupert whose instructions he is travelling to receive at the weekend.

It is time to get a stop to the killing - now!

Truth and Reconciliation

An interesting idea from the South African Council of Churches to promote reconciliation in the Middle East.

I can't help but feel that was is proposed is nearer the spirit of God/Allah than the frankly satanic acts of the past week.

Perhaps this is something the churches should be pushing for. It certainly is an improvement on what our leaders in UK and US have been doing during the past week.

Greg Palast on crisis in Middle East

A cynical but I suspect accurate account of the current crisis in the Middle East by Greg Palast.

His new book is called "Armed Madhouse." This title sums up the world created by these 'clever' capitalists. It is a world that we need to take back.

And still they don't get it - Bush and Blair that is.

Another day passes and the tragedy of Lebanon continues.

Once more, Tony Blair, George Bush, Margaret Beckett and Condi Rice have failed to call for an end to the bombing which has killed over 100 children, left 200,000 children without homes to live in and devestated Lebanon's infrastructure.

Still come more of these images which can only be acceptable to the most heartless of people.

I keep being told that Blair and Bush are Christians. Well, what part od Matthew 5:9 don't they bother to get? Or are the words of Christ now written off? You know, the words when he said:

"Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called the sons of God."

People wonder why the church is dismissed as sanctimonoius hypocrites. Well, let's be clear when supposedly Christian leaders are too lazy to call for an end to the killing of children, we have our answer. Especially when one of the bloodstained brothers only days ago claimed his opposition to stem cell research was a pro life position. What nauseating hypocrisy! The message of God has been totally relativised by these modern day Pontius Pilate figures.

Pass the sick bag!

Fighting in Middle East is no solution

An interesting article that demonstrates how violence cannot solve the problems of the Middle East.

Robbie Burns on War

YE hypocrites! are these your pranks?
To murder men and give God thanks!
Desist, for shame!—proceed no further;
God won’t accept your thanks for MURTHER!

And at a time when far too many Christians are talking gobbledygook about events in the Middle East, I suspect that God would would say a loud Amen to Burns

Methodist Blogs

See John's roundup of the Methodist blogs.

Whilst there, John has some very interesting articles on art. Good viewing and reading!

Weekly Reviews

As of Sunday, this blog will include a review of the week published each Sunday evening.

Herod and Pontius Pilate live on as the children of Lebanon and Northern Israel die.

Only an idiot would pretend that the conflict in the Middle East has easy answers. Competing viewpoints cna point to wrongs they have suffered and indeed would probably look to differing starting points. I have tended to favour a two state solution whilst accepting that there will be a need to take seriously the feelings of those who would lose from such an outcome.

I have no rosetinted glasses when it comes to looking at the Israeli Government or Hezbollah. One can with an effort understand the perspectives of both but frankly neither are at the moment worthy of a shred of imagination. Both have danced the dance of death with a macabre enthusiasm.

But a time comes when enough is enough. In recent days we have seen a slaughter of children on a scale that would have filled King Herod with envy. More than a half of the dead in Lebanon are under 18 and some 200,000 children are without home and to all intent and purpose without any discernible future. Hezbollah's actions were wrong but there is no way that Israel's response has been proportionate in any way. In short, there are leaders on both sides who should be facing a war crimes tribunal.

But equally disturbing is the conduct of US and UK Governments. Whilst children have been suffering and dying in a disgraceful way as these pictures show the US and UK Governments have resisted calls for a ceasefire. Increasingly one wonders if they see these events as clearing the way for the next theatre of conflict in Iran. I don't know but the likes of Bush, Blair, Rice and Beckett have shown an indifference to the suffering of children that puts them on a level of indifference to suffering akin to Ponyius Pilate. These are leaders who have forfeited their right to any respect whatsoever. Indeed, I have reached the point where I refuse to listen to their weazle voices. Their hands are simply covered in blood.

What saddens me is that there was a time when I though Christian leaders would be a good thing. Sadly, we have got ourselves leaders who are either all too willing to shed the blood of children or who will excuse it in a manner that is frankly odious. After seeing these leeches discredit Christianity, I long for the election of decent compassionate atheists. It would after all be an improvement.

Meanwhile, for the sake of the children whose futures are being destroyed I urge you
to sign this petition for an immediate ceasefire and to badger your elected representatives to support such action and then to hold all those responsible be they the Herods or the Pilates to account

Nat West 3

City bankers are not exactly on my list of favourite people. However,that does not mean that they do not have the right to be treated fairly.

That right seems to have been denied in the case of the Nat West 3. I do not have a clue whether they are guilty or not but given that their alleged crimes were committed on British soil with the prime victims being also based here, then surely if there is a case to answer, it should surely be held in the UK. Now some commentators have suggested that the UK is slow in prosecuting white collar crime. If so, that is an argument for getting our system into order and not for the travesty that has happened.

The travesty is that these men are to face their trial in the US. This is as a result of a treaty approved by the UK Parliament in 2003. Worryingly, this treaty which was primarily a response to the terror attack of September 11th 2001 is a one way treaty. Evidence to back the extradition does not need to be examined by a UK court. There has, however, been no ratification in Washington of the clause to enable the UK such ease in extradition from the US. You would almost think that we have become an impotent 51st state of the Union.

I regret that the UK is adopting a position of total subservience to the US. 'Yo Blair' seems to roll over in a state of submissiveness to allow Shrub to tickle his tummy whenever required. It almost reminds me of our collie dog Orla. The difference is that Orla in her attitude of submissiveness is not in the habit of shafting whosoever gets in the way. Blair by his refusal to act has caused these people to be separated from their families for what will be a long stretch of time even before the trial now that a court has refused them permission to return whilst awaiting trial. Should they be convicted, they can look foward to a telephone number gaol sentence being imposed by the psychopaths of the US justice system. Children left behind will cry many a tear whilst Blair will visit the US to earn the mega bucks to pay off his mortgage on his sumptuous and extravagant home. I wonder if the children who weep, will one day be told of the day that Mrs Blair fresh from canvassing female MPs to send other womens' offspring to the dangers of Iraq, wept over her son going to Bristol University. Clearly, the children of others are dispensible.

Those children whose lives and tears have been sacrificed to Blair's attachment to all things American, might conclude with me that this episode is one of national shame and clear evidence that the British Prime Minister is devoid of the humanity to do anything for the people of this land when it conflicts with his increasingly perverse abandonment of moral standards.

My advise to readers is to look after yourselves for the Prime Minister most certainly will not do so.

What happens when we die?

The excellent Kim Fabricus offers this wonderful hymn which is full of resurrection faith

Brian Haw

A powerful tribute to that hero of the Christian faith Brian Haw by Sean Madden.

Read this tribute to a man who is a true hero for peace.

July 7th

As we remembertoday the dreadful events in London of a year ago, i can do no better than to refer readers to Kings Cross survivor Rachel North's posting of today.

I suggest that you read further into her excellent blog, particularly regarding he quest for answers as to why such terrible deeds were done.

The Deputy PM and a Gov't addicted to gambling.

Given the row surrounding John Prescott, Iain Dale reveals something of the true nature of Mr Prescott's American friend with this snippet from Pink News;

In the past, Mr Anschutz has donated large sums of money to Colorado for Family Values, an organisation with explicit homophobic views. He is also a major patron of the Republican Party and funded 'Amendment 2', a voter initiated ballot to overturn gay rights in the state of Colorado. He is also a major donor for the Institute for American Values, who campaign against single parent families.Voters approved 'Amendment 2' in 1992 which changed the state's constitution to explicitly ban laws that protected gay and lesbian people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation.The approval of the amendment by voters led for some activists to label Colorado as a “hate state”, and there were mass protests by LGBT campaigners outside of churches. However, in 1996, the United States Supreme court declared that the amendment was unconstitutional. "We find nothing special in the protections Amendment 2 withholds," said the then Justice Anthony Kennedy. "These are protections taken for granted by most people either because they already have them or do not need them."Condemning the decision for Mr Prescott to stay at Mr Anschut's ranch, the human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk: “It is highly inappropriate for the Deputy Prime Minister to accept hospitality from someone who is a hard-line homophobe and who clearly stands to benefit from casino franchises that are being dolled out by Mr Prescott's government.“I doubt that Mr Prescott would accept the hospitality for an owed racist or anti-Semite. Why then is he prepared to be hosted by a bigoted homophobes?” Commenting on the fact that Mr Anshutz, already owner of the Millennium Dome will be a major employer in an area with a large and growing gay community, Mr Tatchell said: “It's worrying that a homophobic tycoon like Anshutz is going to be a major employer in Greenwich, when quite obviously in his heart he doesn't believe that gay people deserve equal respect and rights.” Ben Summerskill, the Chief Executive of the gay lobbying and campaign group, Stonewall, told PinkNews.co.uk:“Given that his voting record is quite good I would be rather surprised if they found anything congenial to discuss over supper. I find it curious that John Prescott would think that he had anything in common with Mr Anshutz given that John is a particularly liberal person.”Mr Summerskill added with a laugh: “I think Mr Anshutz is unlikely to be turning away the pink pound should he win the license to open up Britain's first super casino.”A spokesperson for John Prescott told PinkNews.co.uk: “The Deputy Prime Minister has to deal with people that come within his remit. His remit was to meet Mr Anshutz to discuss the regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula and nothing else.”

So why has Mr Prescott had seven meetings with this homophobe? Increasingly, it seems that the UK Gov't sees gambling as a route to regeneration. Sadly, gambling is a sick industry that wrecks many peoples'lives. If our Government is so wedded to this addictive, destructive industry that it is prepared to get into bed with the peddlers of this fraud, then surely it is time to sweep them away.

Years ago we commemorated 2,000 years since the coming of Christ by erecting a wretched dome. Increasingly, it seems that this edifice is to be transformed into a temple to the worse forms of mammon. Shame on you, Mr Prescott!

Dr Who and the disappearing Ms Piper

Going to retreat, I caught a plane to Newcastle. I found myself reading Flybe's internal magazine which contained an interview with the delectable Billy Piper. My face lit up when I read how happy she was with her part as Rose in Doctor Who, indeed so happy that she hoped to go playing the role for a very long time.

Imagine my sorrow that on my return to Devon, I have been informed that her last performance in the role will be on Saturday.

Tears roll down my face as I ask but one question. Why? Oh why?

And the prisons are full

During my training, I spent some time at a prison acquiring experience of chaplaincy. The system was overstretched and officers had quite a job to attend to the needs of theinmates, many of whom were clearly damaged individuals. Since then, I read that things have got worse.

And yet the system finds room for the likes of Flt Lt Malcolm Kendall-Smith who was gaoled a few months ago in one of the most shameful perversions of justice I have ever known. The doctor, readers may recall, was sentenced to eight months in prison for refusing to return to Iraq. His reason was that he thought that the war there was illegal. Sadly in Orwellian Britain, he was denied an opportunity to challenge the legality of the Iraq War even though that was the basis for his defence. The result was that a man who should have been using his medical skills was locked away. And locked away he surely was! For now we read that so dangerous was the doctor that rather than be transferred to an open prison as had been expected, he served his sentence in a closed high security prison in the company of some of the most violent and dangerous offenders.

Now that he has been released, he is subject to a strict curfew that I guess ensures that he is in no position to repeat his crime of refusing to serve in Blair's wars!

The treatment of this man of principle is absolutely outrageous. Justice is incressingly a byword for deceit. The time has come for people of honour to resist the bargaining away of all that was once decent about our country. As I see a country in which our leaders ask us to comply with;

plans for a biometric state

Illegal wars

new nuclear weapons

crawling to sleaze King Rupert Murdoch

expanding gambling so mcu that the Deputy Prime Minister has seven meetings with a billionaire who seeks to turn the Dome that was meant to be a memorial to 2000 years since the coming of Christ ( even if the Faith Zone was sponsored by a couple of arms dealers) into a casino whose tables will hopefully one day be well and truly overturned

restrictions on protest etc

I can but conclude that the lunatics have well and truly taken over the asylum. When a peace loving doctor who has served the armed forces well, is treated so shabbily, it is time to say enough is enough. For surely, if we allow injustices against others, we may find that there is nobody left with the courage to defend us!

World Cup Blues

It seems that everyone in England seems to be losing a sense of reality. The defeat in a penalty shoot out with Portugal has really got the bile going.

It really is time for the country to grow up and to accept that England do not have an automatic right to win the World Cup. Sure, we have some of the best players that we have had for some time but plenty of other countries are also blessed with talent. Not all of them can win the World Cup at the same time except perhaps in the mind of a semi literatate Sun reader.

Don't get me wrong! England's efforts have been disappointing. In none of their matches did England look the real deal. Some of the blame for this must go to Eriksson for not getting the best out of his players. Certainly, the squad he chose was strange. Given that two forwards carried injury problems and were of doubtful match fitness, it was strange that he chose only two other forwards, one of whom although promising had not even played a Premiership match since joining Arsenal in January. And then there was the strange decision to play Wayne Rooney alone upfront with no real support. Surely this was a recipe for frustration on Rooney's part.

Personally, I think that extending Eriksson's contract after he nearly joined Chelsea was a mistake. That said whilst his teams have performed disappointingly in tournaments, in terms of percentage of games won, he was one of England's better managers. Of course nothing less would have been acceptable from a man paid a thoroughly obscene salary. And yet whilst Eriksson is rightly open to criticism, I can not but be concerned at the xenephobic element in press coverage. With these paragons of decency, Eriksson being Swedish rather than a Yorksire pudding eating yeoman of England, made him a marked man.

But what concerns me most is the public reaction to the events surrounding the Rooney sending off. Personally, I think the referee's decision was probably right although such decisions are never easy. Certainly, there have been plenty of incidents that show Rooney to have a problem with his temper. Yet both Eriksson and Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, seem to have failed to take the necessary steps to curb this dark side of Rooney out of deference to his unique footballing skills. And so, UK newspapers and Internet message boards, have again ignored this problem and concentrated on the involvement of his Manchester United team mate Christiano Ronaldo. I think it is fair to suggest that Ronaldo was guilty of grotesque gamesmanship. Indeed, there has been far too much of such conduct throughout the World Cup. But to single out Ronaldo is taking an easy option. The decision to send Rooney off was taken by an experienced referee who was perfectly capable of making his decisions without help from a posturing Ronaldo. Yet collectively, the English nation has taken leave of its senses. Time and again I have seen Premiership players get away with winding up opponents and using underhand methods to get them carded. We have tolerated this sort of thing in the finance obsessed world of football for a very long time.

The real reason why we have suddenly become obsessed with opposing such things is that England has become a nation of bad losers. It brings out the yob within us. Someone has to carry the can. In 1998, after being sent off in St Etienne, Beckham became the object of hatred. Papers spoke of hangman's nooses and the likes. He was viciously abused in the aftermath whenever he played. In 2004, after being knocked out of the European Championships, a hate campaign was launched against the Swiss referee. The yob's daily, the Sun, encouraged people to send messages to his website. Soon his career was over. Now the same Sun, has published a Christiano dart board. A pathetic campaign of hatred shows that yobbishness does not just belong to binge drinkers but is actively encouraged by cynical people in suits behind the safety of computers at the likes of News International.

If we are serious about promoting a culture of respect, we will reject this campaign. A nation committed to respect will encourage Ronaldo to continue his career in Manchester without playground bully suggestions of violence towards him.

The truth is simple. We are not the best football team in the world. Accept that simple truth, get over it and move on!

Ordinands Retreat

During my time away, I attended a retreat at Ushaw College Conference Centre near Durham. In these impressive grounds we are given a chance to relax ahead of ordination.

I have to confess that I was just a little shocked to see that the keys to my room bore the name "Margaret Clitheroe." This unfortunate lady was pressed to death during the reign of Good Queen Bess for her loyalty to the Catholic faith.

Anyhow our time was led by four Methodist ministers. They were Ruth Gee, Paul Wood, the footabll crazy Lucille Kaye and the rather zany Steve Wild. Their leadership,both in worship and in sessions where we explored ministry, was much appreciated by all of us.

It was good to spend time with those ministers with whom I had trained and to meet others. I met so many fine people in that week who are great advertisements to the Methodist Church, regardless of our different perspectives on some issues.

The memory that I will take away with me, was theHoly Communion service on the Thursday night. Ruth, Paul, Lucille and Steve served the elements to each of us by kneeling before us. I felt that this was powerful. It was a reminder that as we give to others, we can also receive. It was also a reminder that ministry is not about beating people over the head with dogmas as has all too often been the story of Christendom. It is about humbly serving others.