Archives for May 2007

You always know where you stand with Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the outspoken leader of Scotland's Catholics. Maybe that's because he was born and raised in Northern Ireland (and he was born on St Patrick's Day, no less). Now he has suggested that any Catholic politician supporting abotion laws should reconsider their position before receiving communion, and he is encouraging Catholic voters to reject pro-choice candidates. This most recent intervention in Scottish politics, which has been interpreted as a "threat" by some commentators, was contained in a sermon delivered today in Edinburgh marking the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act. Money quote:

In making this call, I speak most especially to those who claim to be Catholic. I ask them to examine their consciences and discern if they are playing any part in sustaining this social evil. I remind them to avoid cooperating in the unspeakable crime of abortion and the barrier such cooperation erects to receiving Holy Communion. As St. Paul warns us “whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. I would be failing as a pastor not to highlight the gravity of this situation not just to law makers but to anyone: mother; father; boyfriend; counsellor who in any way leads a mother to abortion.

Some in the media have interpreted the cardinal's comments as an indication that he will excommunicate any politician who supports abortion. This is not so. The cardinal is merely restating the canon law position as it faces Catholic legislators. Under canon law, procuring an abortion brings with it "automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication" (Canon 1398). The offense of "being a conspiring or necessary accomplice" in an abortion may be taken to include those legislators who vote for abortion rights (and many others, as the cardinal notes). In this sense, a Catholic politician supporting abortion is already in effect excommunicated -- they have excommunicated themselves -- even if that person continues to receive bread at communion.

The real question now facing Cardinal O'Brien is whether he is prepared to follow through and instruct his priests to deny communion, in practice, to any Catholic politician who is known to support abortion rights.

The Conservative Party in Northern Ireland has issued a challenge to Ian Paisley Jr (MLA for North Antrim) to seek urgent counselling for his apparent homophobia. Conservative Future Northern Ireland Chairman Ben Archibald has said:

Mr Paisley's comments are just the latest in a stream of ridiculous hate-filled comments about LGBT people . . . He describes same-sex relationships as 'immoral, offensive and obnoxious', which many of his constituents might find a rather neat description of himself. His sneering approach to issues which really don't concern him one jot- I assume- is indicative of the intolerance of the man and the deep-seated bitterness permeating his political being. He really should seek sympathetic professional advice; or resign his seat.

Cameron-era Conservatives sound nothing like Thatcher-era Conservatives.

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The corgi died at a breeding farm and was minced then cooked with apple, onion and seasoning. The diner was the performance artist Mark McGowan who is a committed vegetarian. He ate the corgi on live radio as a protest stunt to raise awareness of animal issues and to challenge the alleged unwillingness of the RSPCA to question the Duke of Edinburgh's treatment of animals.

Some animal rights campaigners have supported the stunt, claiming that foxes and other animals are no less capable to experiencing suffering than a house pet. Some people will be repulsed (to coin a phrase) by the idea of eating dogmeat, even though they have no difficulty eating the flesh of other animals. Are meat-eaters morally inconsistent? What makes the consumption of one animal's flesh emotionally or morally less demanding than the consumption of another animal's flesh? And is this stunt likely to succeed in raising those kinds of questions, or will it merely bring ridicule to animal welfare causes?

Mark McGowan's "stunts" are really morality tales of a kind. Here's another example of his work, and here and here and here and here.

It would interesting to see what kind of morality tale Mark McGowan would perform in Northern Ireland if he could be persuaded to stage one. We could, of course, engage in a fantasy stunt of our own.

Which issue of importance in Northern Ireland would you encourage Mark to focus on -- and what kind of stunt would you dare him to perform to raise awareness of that issue? Legal suggestions only please.

Plainly, it's not only churches who have to deal with homophobia. Ian Paisley Jr has told Dublin's Hot Press magazine that he is "repulsed" by gays and lesbians and believes homosexuality is "wrong". If Mr Paisley is replused, it won't come as any surprise to anyone. In 2005, he was formally censured by the Northern Ireland Policing Board for "homophobic" comments (he described same-sex relationships as "immoral, offensive and obnoxious").

If Mr Paisley was merely a social commentator or a tabloid columnist expressing a view, that would be one thing. But he is now a junior minister in the Northern Ireland government serving in the very department which bears responsibility for promoting equality and bringing forward the Single Equality Bill.

When a politician takes on ministerial responsibilities, certain consequences follow. He or she no longer speaks on contentious matters as a priviate individual; their public comments have added weight and significance given the role they have voluntarily assumed. Sometimes a minister will have to bite his or her tongue and defend a policy they do not find particularly agreeable. If that policy forces an issue of conscience, a politician may resign from the government in order to voice their opposition from outside the government. Perhaps these moral dillemmas now present themselves to Ian Paisley Jr. If a minister in a similar department of state in Westminster (or even a lowly Parliamentary Private Secretary) made a similar statement, one would expect that the minister's statement of apology or letter of resignation would be on the Prime Minster's desk the next morning. In fact, under the circumstances, an apology may be insufficient.

This debacle is the first clear case of a conflict between a DUP minister's personal religious and moral beliefs and his role as a member of the executive. It's also a significant moral test for any Assembly committed to the development of a tolerant and inclusive Northern Ireland.

Will Mr Paisley issue and apology and agree to keep his personal views to himself? Would that persuade anyone concerned by his comments that Northern Ireland's equality agenda is safe in his hands? Is it even conceivable that his father, the First Minister, would require an apology, let alone a letter of resignation? If Ian Paisley Jr simply avoids further comment in the hope that the story will disappear in the next news cycle, will other ministers or members of the Assembly allow the matter to end there? Do Ian Paisley Jr's comments amount to a violation of the Ministerial Code of Conduct, which includes a commitment to "operate in a way conducive to promoting good community relations and equality of treatment"? And what would it say about a government if it chose to do nothing at all in the face of such comments by a minister?

We will soon learn the answers to these and other questions; and the answers, when they come, will tell us a great deal about the moral climate of our new Assembly.

Programme Planner: On this week's Sunday Sequence we'll be examing the Presbyterian Church's controversial report on homophobia (which some critics regard as "homophobic") .

This was the first day of filming for the second programme in our Blueprint natural history series. Carole O'Kane is producing Programme 2, with Jim Creagh taking over as cameraman. Brian was back on sound and Peter, our community service volunteer, was out on the road with us.

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A bank holiday treat for those commenting on other posts on evolution, creationism, sexuality and diploma mills. Here's Ali G pulling all those themes together in his own inimitable (street) fashion. His guests include the now incarcerated American creationist "Dr" Kent Hovind, founder of Creation Science Evangelism Ministry. Don't watch this if you have a heart condition.

You've another chance to see my television interview with Bishop Gene Robinson tonight on BBC1 Northern Ireland. Last week, Dr Rowan Williams announced that he would not be inviting Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop elected in the history of the Anglican Communion, to next year's Lambeth Conference, even though he accepts that the bishop's consecration was entirely legal.

In this interview, recorded in advance of that announcement, Bishop Robinson makes it clear that he would certainly accept the invitation to attend the Conference and talks about the possible implications for the Anglican Communion if he were to be snubbed by Lambeth Palace.

You can watch the interview on BBC1 Northern Ireland at 10.20 pm.

P.s., The picture is a screengrab from the television coverage of Bishop Gene's consecration. He tells me in this interview that he was wearing a bulletproof jacket under the vestments he's seen wearing here. He also reveals details of a plan to ensure that his consecration would go ahead in the event of an assassination attempt.

On today's Sunday Sequence, we aired the findings of an investigation into a conservative Christian Bible College with strong connections to Northern Ireland which has been offering doctoral degrees at cut-price rates and sometimes for merely weeks of study. You can read a BBC News summary of the story here and listen again to the programme online here.

The European Theological Seminary and College of the Bible International (ETSCBI) was founded in 1993 by the self-styled "Professor Dr" Gordon Beck. It is an unaccredited college and its degrees are not recognised by any UK or Irish university. (This "college" should not be confused with an institution of the same name, the European Theological Seminary in Germany.)

I interviewed a "graduate" of ETSCBI who says he registered for a PhD degree in May 2001 and "graduated" the following September on the basis of a dissertation he wrote in just six weeks.

Is the PhD certificate subsequently awarded to that student worth the paper it's printed on? We enlisted the help of a theological expert, Professor Stephen Williams, who give his assessment on the programme. He said the dissertation was "perhaps" of undergraduate level, and failed certainly as a Masters or Doctoral degree.

The founder and president of ETSCBI, Gordon Beck, who is also the convenor of ETS's board of examiners and runs the organisation's affairs from his home on the outskirts of Belfast, responded to some serious allegations in respect of the quality of the degrees his "seminary" is handing out. He argued that ETSCBI does not pretend that its degrees are equal to state-funded university qualifications, even though I put to him some statements in the college's current prospectus which appear to suggest that his organisation operates at the same scholarly level as UK universities. Mr Beck also told the programme that his organisation has no treasurer or accounts. Mr Beck confirmed that he has had no formal academic education, has never taught at any UK college or university prior to starting his own "seminary", and his own doctorate was obtained from an unaccredited American college that is not recognised by either the UK or the US governments.

Trading Standards have told Sunday Sequence they are now carrying out an investigation into the qualifications offered by the European Theological Seminary and College of the Bible International. Our programme will be handing over all the information we have compiled to Trading Standards investigators.

If you have any information about ETSCBI , you can contact the progamme by e-mail at: [email protected]. Perhaps you paid for a degree from ETS and are now concerned about the credibility of that qualification: get in touch with us; we want to hear your story.

On one of the recent special editions of Arts Extra I presented from Washington DC, I spoke to the Belfast theatre director Des Kennedy about his plans for the new Tinderbox/Solas Nua production of "Scenes From the Big Picture" by Owen McCafferty. McCafferty's play has never been produced in Belfast -- even though it's a chronicle of Belfast lives. That's because it is an enormous production, involving 21 actors.

Des Kennedy's production was reviewed last Monday by the Washington Post. The reviewer was clearly bowled over by it:

With this absorbing, exquisitely acted production, two-year-old Solas Nua affirms its status as the most vital new troupe in town. The company, whose name is Gaelic for "new light," has found in its area of specialty -- contemporary Irish drama -- a wonderful, fertile focus.

Theatre Flash! Prime Cut Productions tell me they will be staging the Irish premiere of Scenes from the Big Picture in the Waterfront Hall's Studio from Friday 7 September until Saturday 29 September. That Owen McCafferty's masterpiece is finally to be staged here, and with a company as accomplished as Prime Cut producing it, is extremely good news for Irish Theatre. I recommend that you book your seats early; better still, take 21 friends with you. I'll see you there. Tickets are available from the Waterfront Hall Box Office from 1st June 2007 on: 028 9033 4455 (Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm).

You can hear Richard Harries (Lord Harries of Pentregarth) , the former bishop of Oxford, in an extended interview on tomorrow's Sunday Sequence, from 830 am. And speaking of Oxford, Stephen Bates of the Guardian will also be on the programme with latest on the Wycliffe Hall controversy and the fall-out following Rowan Williams's decision to exclude Gene Robinson from the next Lambeth Conference.

The Bishop of Harare, the Rt Revd Nolbert Kunonga, a staunch supporter of Robert Mugabe, is also on the list of Not Welcomes at the next Lambeth Conference. I doubt many will regret that non-invitation.

Lionel Shriver and Olivia Nash -- now that's something for everyone, right? They're my guests on the first of a new series of The Book Programme on Saturday at 11.30 am. We'll also be talking about the growing library of books assessing the legacy of Tony Blair. And you can add your own recommended reading on our website here. The novelist Colin Bateman, one of my guests later in the series, has already added a shamless plug on the site. Thanks Colin!

Another priceless moment of TV history courtesy of YouTube. I had no idea that Woody Allen once interviewed Billy Graham. His opening question: "What's your favourite commandment?" There follows a good-humoured contest of wits. I'd say the result is a draw -- with Graham agreeing to go to see one of Allen's films if he agrees to come to a tent revival meeting. I wonder if they ever managed to keep those appointments. Anyone know?

In what many will see as a further sign of the normalisation of politics and religious life in Northern Ireland, the Stormont education minister Caitríona Ruane (pictured) of Sinn Fein has been invited to attend this year's Presbyterian General Assembly -- the annual conference of Northern Ireland's largest Protestant denomination. The "Presbyterians Talk Education" event takes place on Tuesday 5 June at 7.30 pm.

P.s., Since we're talking about education, it's probably a good time to note the almost-comprehensive misspelling of Caitríona Ruane's name across the media. For the record: it's spelt "Caitríona", not "Catriona".

Richard Turnbull, the embattled principal of the Anglican evangelical training school Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, is in the news again. Stephen Bates has a piece in today's Guardian under the headline "Theologian damns most Britons to hell". He reports comments from Dr Turnbull's speech given last October to the annual conference of Reform, a conservative evangelical pressure group within the Church of England. A video of that speech is available here. Money quote:

We are committed to bringing the gospel message of Jesus Christ to those who don't know [him] and in this land that's 95% of the people: 95% of people facing hell unless the message of the gospel is brought to them.

Dr Turnbull speaks about the strategic importance of evangelical control of theological colleges, and the need to "capture" those colleges -- comments which assume new interest given his recent experience at Wycliffe Hall. He also takes some time to explore the meaning of "evangelical identity", prompted, it seems, by concerns about a degree of drift in the meaning of the term "evangelical". One of evangelicalism's defining doctrines, he argues, is "substitutionary atonement", a view of the cross that has been increasingly dividing evangelicals in Great Britain. Perhaps Dr Turnbull has been noticing some of that semantic drift amongst his staff at Wycliffe, since he warns his audience of the need to be aware of liberalism "in our own midst". I wonder if his colleagues at Wycliffe Hall are comfortable with the claim that ninety-five per cent of the British population is destined for hell. Who's included in that figure? Even granting that hell exists, how would one arrive at an estimate like that?

Meanwhile, the Church Society's News Service claims the reports in the Guardian amount to an attack on Dr Turnbull. Nevertheless, Stephen's articles give all appearance of being well-sourced reports.

Update: Stephen Bates has more on the Wycliffe Hall debacle here. He writes:

"Dr Turnbull may be a much misunderstood man manager. He may be tackling a disgruntled workforce. But in such circumstances and in his current position as head of a theological college with a distinguished tradition, it was surely ill-advised and maladroit of him to sign last December’s much criticised Covenant for the Church of England, with its sectarianism and obduracy towards those within the church with whom it disagrees.

"Whether his appointment as vice-principal of the Rev Simon Vibert, a man who has co-written a Latimer Trust paper arguing that a woman should not teach men about faith or lead a congregation, will lead to further difficulties remains to be seen. Such gestures do tend to breed insecurity and destabilise an institution – unless that is you are a conservative who believes that other evangelicals are in fundamental error and accordingly of no account. In all this, is Wycliffe Hall a microcosym for the Church of England over the next few years?"

Not so fast. It was a shark. And scientists from Queen's University helped to break the story.

AN Wilson is amazed at the apparent liberalism he detects in Pope Benedict's new book:

“Everyone is free ... to contradict me.” These words alone will make many jaws drop, for their author, who describes himself modestly as occupying “the episcopal see of Rome”, is the only writer alive today whose job definition includes the word “infallible”.

It's either endgame for the Anglican Communion (as we know it) or a clever compromise that will help to hold the Communion together. Rowan Williams has decided not to invite Bishop Gene Robinson, the gay bishop of New Hampshire, to the next Lambeth Conference -- and is also snubbing Bishop Martyn Minns of the traditionalist Convocation of Anglicans in North America, who was consecrated a bishop on 5 May in Woodbridge, Virginia, by the Nigerian primate, Archbishop Peter Akinola.

Gene Robinson is, understandably, hopping mad; he regards the Archbishop of Canterbury's decision as a "an affront to the entire Episcopal Church".

Martyn Minns's response, in careful Anglican language, hinted that things are about to get even worse for the Communion:

Depending on the response of The Episcopal Church to the Primates’ communiqué by September 30, the situation may become even more complex. One thing is clear, a great deal can and will happen before next July.

Traditionalists like Martyn Minns, and arch-traditionalists like his consecrator Peter Akinola, will not be satisfied merely by the "official absence" of Gene Robinson at the Lambeth Conference. I say "official absence" because the Communion's Secretary General sugested today that Gene Robinson may still be present at a non-voting guest at the next Lambeth Conference.

Whether or not he makes it to Lambeth, Gene Robinson has already made it to BBC Northern Ireland, and you've another chance to see my interview with him on Sunday night on BBC 1. Until then, this will entertain you . . .

A fine essay by Anthony Gottlieb in this week's New Yorker. He is exploring the rise of unbelief in the world today -- and has interesting things to say about the literature of "new atheism". How many "unbelievers" are there in the world? Money quote:

Reviewing a large number of studies among some fifty countries, Phil Zuckerman, a sociologist at Pitzer College, in Claremont, California, puts the figure at between five hundred million and seven hundred and fifty million. This excludes such highly populated places as Brazil, Iran, Indonesia, and Nigeria, for which information is lacking or patchy. Even the low estimate of five hundred million would make unbelief the fourth-largest persuasion in the world, after Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. It is also by far the youngest, with no significant presence in the West before the eighteenth century. Who can say what the landscape will look like once unbelief has enjoyed a past as long as Islam’s—let alone as long as Christianity’s? God is assuredly not on the side of the unbelievers, but history may yet be.

"Unbelief" is a strange expression. I suppose it's a more inclusive term than "agnostic" or "atheist", even though all agnostics and atheists believe in something. Even stranger is term "persuasion". But at least it allows Gottlieb to avoid describing unbelief as a subset of religious belief. Some unbelievers maye have the zeal of an evangelical, but it's surely mistaken to regard atheism is a "religion". Right?

The debate doesn't get much bigger than this: the future of our planet. This week's edition of Sunday Sequence comes live from the Friends of the Earth all-Ireland conference on Climate Change here at the Tí Chulainn centre, in Mullaghbane, County Armagh.

On Sunday morning we'll be debating one of the biggest challenges facing the world today with leading environmental campaigners, policy makers, science specialists, faith groups and other commentators. Jonathan Porritt, the UK government's sustainable development tzar is our special guest, along with Friend of the Earth's internatonal chief Tony Juniper, the climate change "sceptic" Ruth Lea, and many others. We'll also have special reports on what local activists are doing about climate change in Northern Ireland, how churches and other faith groups are approaching the problem, and what the priorities of the policy makers and legislators should be. All that and a live studio audience -- we can expect some sparks to fly.

Is climate change a bigger threat than international terrorism? Is it an environmetal ticking bomb? And if it is, where are the bomb disposal experts? Join us live on BBC Radio Ulster from 8.30 on Sunday morning.

Christopher Hitchens rarely pulls his punches. This is his reaction to the news that the televangelist Jerry Falwell has died.

Update: This could well be the most stinging criticism spoken of the recently deceased in the entire history of public speech. Of the late Jerry Falwell, Hitchens told Fox News's Sean Hannity this week, “If they gave him an enema he could have been buried in a matchbox.”

Also: Frances FitzGerald writes on Falwell's relationship with Reagan in the New Yorker.

It's not every day that the president of the Evangelical Theological Society is converts to Catholicism. Francis Beckwith is a leading American conservative Christian academic and commentator. He is a professor at Baylor University, an historically Baptist liberal arts college in Texas, and is a leading figure in the Intelligent Design movement. Ten days ago, he was received into full communion by the Catholic Church and resigned as president of the Evangelical Theologial Society -- much to the surpise of many evangelicals in the United States.

Dr Beckwith was in fact raised within the Catholic tradition and in the final days of Pope John Paul's pontificate he wrote articles (such as this) inviting Evangelicals to recognise the late Pope as a great theologian with much to teach evangelicals. In 2005, he wrote:

Over the past few decades, Catholics and Evangelicals have forged cultural and political alliances and, as a result, have begun to learn from one another, oftentimes discovering that some of our beliefs about the other did not correspond to reality. This is not to say that there are not real theological differences. There are. But we have so much more in common than we realized before. For this reason, we should enthusiastically plumb the many resources in the other’s tradition with which we can nurture our souls and sharpen our minds. There is no better place for Evangelicals to start than in the works of John Paul II, a good and faithful servant who did well.

Apparently, I am part of a BBC counter-spin operation . That's news to me.

Today is Alan Johnston's 45th birthday. He was abducted on 12 March by a group calling itself Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) who have since released a video showing Alan's BBC ID card and demanding the release of Muslim prisoners in British jails. Alan was named broadcast journalist of the year by the London Press Club in a ceremony held last week.

In lieu of a birthday present, you might consider signing the online petition calling for Alan's immediate release. You can also add the Alan Johnston button to your blog or website.

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Stephen Bates has an interesting piece on an alleged evangelical take-over of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. The college has long been associated with evangelicalism; its previous principal was the Northern Irish theologian Alister McGrath, who is one of the world's leading evangelicals. Evangelicalism, of course, represents a very wide array of theological views, from "biblical fundamentalism" to "liberal evangelicalism". Some evangelicals support the ordination of women, some believe that is a betrayal of biblical revelation. Some are theologically progressive on issues of human sexuality, others maintain a strict traditionalist line.

But McGrath's successor Richard Turnbull seems to be farther to the right of the evangelical spectrum than some of his colleagues. Turnbull is a former chartered accountant whose his management style appears to have prompted some staff members to leave Oxford. So far, the resignations include the director of pastoral studies, the director of studies, tutors in liturgy and evangelism and the college's vice-principal and tutor in New Testament studies.

A few days ago, I published a copy of the Presbyterian Church's report on homophobia. This report will be debated at the church's annual General Assembly in June. In commissioning the report, last year's General Assembly instructed its Social Issues and Resources Panel to engage in "direct contact with homosexual people". (You join the online debate about the report here.)

The panel made contact with Colin Flinn from cara-friend, a voluntary counselling, befriending and information organisation for lesbians, gay men & bisexuals, and they had a number of meetings. Since he was not permitted to see a draft of the panel's report at any stage, Colin Flinn's first sight of the document was on this blog. His personal response to the Presbyterian Church's report is published below.

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If you were listening to Radio 4 this morning, you'd have heard a very powerful documentary on Limbo, presented by Olivia O'Leary and produced in Northern Ireland by Ophelia Byrne (who is the project manager for our Blueprint natural history series). The programme includes some extremely haunting stories from women who have experienced the dark side of this theological concept. If you missed it, you listen again here.

One of the most influential figures in American political and religious life, Jerry Falwell, has died. He was 73.

Falwell was a natural leader, and had an astonishing ability to mobilise supporters around a clearly articulated vision. In 1979 he founded Moral Majority, which helped transform America's religious right into a powerful political force (and arguably got Ronald Reagan elected in 1980). He also founded his own megachurch and thriving university.

One of America's most strident culture warriors, his views were often regarded as outrageous by even those who shared his basic religious commitments. After the 9/11 attacks, Falwell was a guest of Pat Robertson's 700 Club TV programme and declared that the terror attacks were the judgment of God on America:

The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad . . . [T]he pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way — all of them who have tried to secularize America . . . I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.

Those comments offended more people than Falwell intended. He later apologised. But Falwell's complusive homophobia was merely one aspect of a deep-seated cultural paranoia. In February 1999, he argued that the Teletubbies character Tinky Winky could be a covert gay role model, because the character was purple, had an inverted triangle on his head and carried a handbag. This comment was at least less offensive than his unrenounced claim that Aids was the wrath of God against gay people.

A supporter of segregation in the 1960s and a defender of apartheid into the 1980s, Falwell claimed that Archbishop Desmond Tutu was "a phony" and for decades offered theological justification for those racist social and political systems. He eventually came to see the error of his way on segregation and apartheid -- and his earlier anticatholicism was similarly moderated in the context of the Moral Majority movement.

One of Falwell's most recent forays into American politics was his claim the selection of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2008 would "motivate conservative evangelical Christians to oppose her more than if the devil himself were running".

You can read a Fox News obituary of Jerry Falwell here.

You also read an extraordinary list of Jerry Falwell quotations here. These include this:

I had a student ask me, "Could the savior you believe in save Osama bin Laden?" Of course, we know the blood of Jesus Christ can save him, and then he must be executed.

And this:

Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them.

Your assessment of the religious and political legacy of Jerry Falwell?

You can watch John Sweeney's Panorama film "Scientology and Me" here. Sweeney is the first to acknowledge that his remarkable outburst in this documentary -- notwithstanding the pressure he was facing in that moment -- is completely unprofessional and unacceptable.

I've some sympathy for him, given the frankly weird behaviour of some of those following him around. The bizarre series of events culminating in this emotional collision began when Sweeney questioned whether Scientology is a "cult" rather than a "religion".

In forming your view on that question, you may wish to view this: World in Action's 1967 documentary about the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

Meet Shambo, the six-year-old Friesian bull, who is part of a herd kept by the Skandavale Temple in Llanpumsaint, Carmarthen, in south west Wales, and recently tested positive or bovine tuberculosis . The monks have kept their sacred bull away from other animals, but the government vets are adamant that it is impossible to guarantee bio-security since

There is still a potential risk for anyone who comes into contact with an animal that has tested positive for bovine TB that that person could possibly catch infection.

Britain's Hindu community is now rallying in opposition to any scheduled slaughtering of the animal and thouands of people have signed an online petition. Cows are considered sacred within the Hindu faith: they are not worshipped, they are protected and honoured. Nevertheless, thousands of cows are commercially slaughtered legally in India each year.

David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, has been quick to make it clear that he has no jurisdiction in Shambo's case; it's a matter for the new Welsh Executive.

Can anyone think of a compromise that would save Shambo's life without compromising EU guidelines on bio-security?

A picture of the Archbishop Peter Akinola, the Anglican primate of Nigeria, and Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, taken in happier of times. Peter Akinola's decision to defy Rowan Williams and go ahead with the installation of Martyn Minns as "Missionary Bishop" of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (“CANA”) is tantamount to a declaration of independence. Akinola has described The Episcopal Church as a "cancerous rump" and he ragards this recent action as emergency surgery.

As Stephen Bates of the Guardian said on today's Sunday Sequence, Rowan Williams has never appeared weaker. His authority is hemorrhaging away as ghe curtain rises on every new scene in this ecclesiatical tragedy.

Meanwhile the new Church of Ireland primate, Archbishop Alan Harper, delivered his first presidential address to the Church of Ireland General Synod this week. This was not widely reported -- it was rather overshadowed by the historic events of Devolution Day in Northern Ireland. Archbishop Harper's speech considered mostly domestic Church of Ireland administrative affairs, but perhaps it's worth noting that he managed to get through his entire 13-page speech without recourse to the words "Anglican" or "communion". A portentous oversight?

John Sweeney's Panorama film "Scientology And Me", to be screened on Monday at 8.30pm, on BBC1, is explosive television.

Scientology is an extremely secretive movement and Sweeney's documentary appears to have spooked some of the organisation's leaders. They have released an "attack video" in advance of the Panorama film, including this scene (now posted on YouTube) in which Sweeney loses his temper with Scientology representative Tommy Davis. Sweeney's response to the video is published here.

Update: Panorama's editor responds to the controversy surrounding John Sweeney's outburst.

Last year’s Presbyterian General Assembly commissioned a special report on homophobia which is likely to be the subject of some debate when this year’s Assembly meets in June.

The report, by the Social Issues and Resources Panel, has not yet been published, but I have obtained a copy of the document (reproduced below) and I expect some people will soon be asking if this report is not itself homophobic (albeit inadvertently).

Before going any further, it should be acknowledged that this new report represents a considerable step forward in the Presbyterian Church’s discussion of homosexuality. The panel encourages the church to create a “PCI Safe Space” which may be phoned or visited confidentially by those wishing to talk about their sexuality. It also calls on the church to express “repentance” for those occasions when gay people have been treated in ways that lack “grace” (though, even here, I wonder if this falls short of repenting of “homophobia”). Church members are encouraged to watch their language – to avoid phrases such as “Love the sinner, hate the sin”, “sodomy”, or “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve”, because these expressions “lock the door to effective pastoral care” (they are also, though the report doesn’t say it, extremely offensive and potentially homophobic comments). And the panel helpfully challenges some dangerous myths about homosexuality (e.g., that gay people are a greater threat to children than heterosexuals.)

Why then the suggestion that this report may itself be challenged as a “homophobic” document?

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He's going and 27 June is the departure date. The historians are already lining up to give their verdict. After an unpopular war in Iraq, the public's also divided about his legacy: he's Saint Tony to some; Tony B-Liar to others. But when the dust settles and we gain some historical perspective, how will we look back on the Blair years? For what it's worth, I've a feeling that history will be kind to Tony Blair.

A treat for those who, like me, are fans of Malcolm Gladwell's books. The author of The Tipping Point and Blink gave a fascinating lecture at the inaugural New Yorker Conference, “2012: Stories From the Near Future,” which took place on May 6 and 7. Watch it here. Gladwell argues that intellectual stubbornness the key to real problem-solving.

Another day, another moment of history. Ian Paisley was quoting the Bible inside Stormont on the same day that the Northern Ireland Humanists were outside the building distributing books in the furtherance of a "godless" political system.

I was moved to recall a verse from the Bible myself this week while reading the current edition of the Humanist Association's magazine, Humani, which they kindly mailed to me. The verse that came to mind was this: "A house divided against itself cannot stand" (Matthew 12:25).

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I know there's an apostrophe. Just as we discover that the presidential hopeful has Irish roots, the Secret Service announces that he is to be given special protection. I'm sure there's no connection. But no presidential candidate has been given protection this early in a campaign before.

The Humanist Association of Northern Ireland (Humani) kept their word early this morning and presented copies of Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion to party representatives at Stormont. Daithí McKay of Sinn Fein, Stephen Farry of Alliance, Thomas Burns of the SDLP and Dawn Purvis of the PUP accepted complimentary copies of the book from Humani director Brian McClinton. Sammy Wilson of the DUP apparently refused a copy of the book, saying, “I don’t want any of that nonsense”.

In their press release today (see below), Humani interprets this response as a rejection of "equality" by the DUP. I suppose it is just possible that Sammy Wilson doesn't think much of the book.

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It's taken a long time to get to this moment, but thiswas perhaps the most significant day in the entire political history of Northern Ireland. We now have a power-sharing government that is truly inclusive.

Ian Paisley's speech began with a paraprased Bible text. The full version (in his favoured Authorised Version): "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1). He returned to the Bible at the end of his speech, in an optimistic flourish, with words from the book of Ecclesiastes:

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to break down and a time to build up.
A time to get and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to cast away.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time of war and a time of peace."

Then this conclusion:

I believe that Northern Ireland has come to a time of peace, a time when hate will no longer rule. How good it will be to be part of a wonderful healing in our province. Today we have begun to plant and we await the harvest.

Martin McGuinness also turned to poetry in his first speech as joint head of the new executive. In his case it was not a biblical poet but a fellow Derryman, Seamus Heaney:

Ireland's greatest living poet, a fellow Derry man, Seamus Heaney, once told a gathering that I attended at Magee University that for too long and too often we speak of the others or the other side and that what we need to do is to get to a place of through otherness. The Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers is a good place to start. This will only work if we collectively accept the wisdom and importance of Seamus Heaney's words.

The British and Irish prime ministers have just arrived at Stormont, where Assembly members are about to meet them. Senator Ted Kennedy is here, too, representing President Bush. Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness are readying themselves for their shared moment of history. Your thoughts?

I was very saddened tonight to learn that George Dawson has died. He was only 45 years old and had been ill for a short time.

I first met George five years ago, soon after I began presenting Sunday Sequence. He's been a very frequent contributor to the programme since then -- either as chairman of the Caleb Foundation, a director of the Evangelical Protestant Society, Grand Master of the Independent Orange Order, or, since 2003, as a DUP Assembly Member. He's also joined me a few times on Talk Back when I've presented. In every case, he would walk into the newroom studio in Broadcasting House, a confident, wide smile on his face, and we'd banter one another before the green light went on. He was a natural broadcaster and a brilliant debater: put him in any discussion and you could be sure the sparks would fly.

I last saw George outside the TV green room on the day the Assemlby election results poured in. He'd been on air with Noel Thompson as part of the BBC's live Assembly coverage, discussing the implications of the DUP's wins that night -- and he'd a lot to smile about. We met in the corridor: I joked with him about the colour of his TV make-up and he gave as good as he got in return, then agreed to take part in our live discussion the following Sunday morning. On that Sunday's programme, he enjoyed a joke with Ken Newell, the former Moderator, about the "miracle" of power-sharing -- and he was so looking forward to being at the Assembly tomorrow to see the miracle take shape. I've no doubt that George would eventually have played a very significant role in the new government, probably capitalising on his expertise in business.

My thoughts tonight are his wife, Vi, and their two young children. I don't know what George would have made of the theology of the 19th century English preacher with whom he shared a name; but a prayer composed by his namesake seems particularly appropriate tonight:

A Prayer for Comfort
by George Dawson (1821-1876)

Grant unto us, Almighty God, in all time of sore distress,
the comfort of the forgiveness of our sins.
In time of darkness give us blessed hope,
in time of sickness of body give us quiet courage;
and when the heart is bowed down, and the soul is very heavy,
and life is a burden, and pleasure a weariness,
and the sun is too bright, and life too mirthful,
then may that Spirit, the Spirit of the Comforter, come upon us,
and after our darkness may there be the clear shining of the heavenly light;
that so, being uplifted again by Thy mercy,
we may pass on through this our mortal life
with quiet courage, patient hope, and unshaken trust,
hoping through Thy loving-kindness and tender mercy
to be delivered from death into the large life of the eternal years.
Hear us of Thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

So asks Madeleine Bunting. There are many important questions to be asked about the role of religion in the world today, and about the philosophical integrity of the claim the God exists. But ...

This isn't the kind of debate that the New Atheists are interested in (with the possible exception of Dennett, who in an interview last year was far more open to discussion than his book would indicate); theirs is a political battle, not an attempt to advance human understanding. But even on the political front, one has to question whether all the aggression isn't counterproductive.

He created a political sensation in United States three years ago when he stood down as governor of New Jersey and revealed at a press conference that he is a "gay American". Now Jim McGreevey is planning to be ordained as an Anglican priest.

Governor McGreevey will begin a three-year Master of Divinity programme at General Theological Seminary in New York in the autumn. This is also the alma mater of Gene Robinson, the gay bishop at the centre of the Anglican Communion's ongoing battle over sexuality, and was the venue for my recently televised interview with Bishop Robinson.

Governor McGreevey, a life-long Catholic of Irish descent, lives in New Jersey with his partner, the Australian-American business executive Mark O'Donnell, an is a recent convert to Anglicanism. Is this a future Anglican bishop in the making?

The front page of this week's Church of Ireland Gazette is given over to a debate about whether Anglicans are "Protestants". There's even an accompanying editorial snappily titled "No Anglican Papacy". It's a curious focus for the Gazette on the Sunday before Devolution in Northern Ireland. Our programme's main feature this Sunday considered the future relationship between faith groups and the new Assembly; whether Ian Paisley's role as First Minister was inconsistent with his role as Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church; whether our new government should develop the kind of "structured dialogue" with faith groups we've seen in the Republic; and whether we needed a "Faith Tzar" in Northern Ireland.

Later in the programme, we debated the semantics of the Anglican-Protestant rift with two Anglican priests who are divided over the usefulness of these cultural labels. The man in black was Christopher Woods -- dressed in full Roman collar -- who describes himself as a Catholic in the "Anglican tradition". The man in the sports jacket and tuck-in grey clerical collar, Ron Elsdon, was happy to be described as a Protestant and Evangelical.

After the on-air discussion, I told Ron and Christopher that I felt a bit like Miles Monroe, the central character in Woody Allen's Sleeper , who is revived out of cryostasis in the year 2173 to find a world changed beyond all recognition. In my case, the world features a power-sharing government headed by Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, and a Church of Ireland Gazette editorial crying "No!" to papacy. It's a funny old world.

It's official . . . I'm a goddess. No, really. If you were a god, which would you be? Take the test here. These, I'm embarrassed to say, are my results:

On today's Inside Politics, Ian Paisley tells Mark Devenport that he wouldn't meet the Pope if there were to be a papal visit to Northern Ireland, and he wouldn't expect Martin McGuinness to meet the Queen when she next visits.

The FMIW ("First Minister-in-waiting" -- that seems to be the language everyone's using) also explains why he hasn't yet shaken hands with the DFMIM ("Deputy FMIW"). That would, apparently, be a merely "theatrical" gesture. Politics is, of course, a highly theatrical business and Dr Paisley is one of the larger characters on our political stage. Meanwhile, historians of the handshake tell us that this quaint social ritual originated as a gesture indicating that no weapons are held in a person's hands. As theatrical gestures go, I can't imagine a more potent political symbol of the new Northern Ireland than Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness reaching out to each other, across the floor of the Assembly, on Devolution Day.

Politicians are often asked, particularly during election campaigns, to name their favourite book. Their answers are then picked over for clues to their personalities -- and their obsessions. You can imagine election stategists debating which book they should claim is the favoured choice of their candidate. Then there's the danger that a reporter might ask the candidate what he or she particularly likes about the book that apparently set them off on a journey of public service. To avoid the fumblingly incomprehensible answer candidates may have to give at this moment, a good strategist will have given them talking points that read like a GCSE English cheat-sheet. The bigger danger, of course, is to allow the candidate to busk both answers.

This appears to be what happened in the case of the former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, now running for the Republican presidential nomination. Asked to name his favourite book, Mr Romney answered, "Battlefield Earth", the science fiction book by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Quite apart from the literary qualities of this book -- it makes The Da Vinci Code read like a previously unpublished novel by Dickens -- this choice has clearly unnerved some of the electorate who are already slightly nervous about Mr Romney's membership of the Mormon church. The candidate quickly backpeddled with a clarification to the effect that L. Ron Hubbard's book is actually merely one of his many favourite books, but his Number One Favourite Book is, obviously, the Bible. He may think this has saved the day, but we can now predict follow-up questions on which version of the Bible he prefers and whether the Book of Mormon is, as it claims, "another testament".

Predictably, it's all become a bit of a debacle, with media pundits now reading the episode as typical of the former governor's serial flip-flopping. If he can't decide what his favourite book is, how can he decide foreign policy?

I'm currently making the next series of The Book Programme. One of the regular items on that programme is called "Speaking Volumes". This is where I make a house call to a well-known local personality to find out which books they keep on their shelves.

I've visited artists, musicians, writers, and TV stars in my quest to read them all like a book. I dropped in on the artist Nicola Rusell on Friday morning. Over coffee we talked about her love of impressionism and the art of the middle and far east as she flicked through some of her favourite art catalogues and history books.

Nicola's political subjects include Bill Clinton (Favourite Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude) and Mo Mowlam. She also painted Bill Sillery, former headmaster of Belfast Royal Academy, who, while interviewing me for a place at the school many moons ago, asked me to name my favourite book.

Northern Ireland's First Minister-in-waiting, Ian Paisely, has been cracking lots of jokes in "set-peice" photo-ops with the Deputy First Minister-in-waiting, Martin McGuinness. But do the jokes feel like embarrassing conversation fillers on a first date? That's how they sound to Danny Kennedy, the Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader, who is clearly not amused. In a statement just released, Mr Kennedy warn the DUP Leader not to think he can "joke his way into government".

So what do you think? Does Danny Kennedy have a point? Or is the Doc right to believe that laughter is the best medicine?

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It was only a matter of time before someone would find an Irish link to Obama. If he makes it to the White House, he could end up with a "homested" in county Offaly.

The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival could not have had a better first night. Two thousand people leapt to their feet the second Duke Special's set ended. We'd already been treated to an absolutely stunning performance from Foy Vance and the extraordinarily inventive Julie Feeney (if you've ever wondered what would happen if you fused the music of Kate Bush and Björk, you need wonder no longer) .

Then Peter Wilson and his band took to the stage and the music soared even higher. Peter described how, as a child, he practised singing with a hairbrush in front of a mirror in his bedroom and marvelled at his place on the stage with the Ulster Orchestra. Then he began to sing and earned every second of the shared billing.

It was a great night for the Ulster Orchestra -- who won the appreciation of an entirely new audience -- with brilliant orchestrations courtesy of Andrew Skeet. David Brophy, principal conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, held it all together, at times bouncing on his feet like a punk rocker. The evening was introduced by Radio Ulster's very own man in black, Ralph McLean, and was broadcast live on Ralph's show, with Declan McGovern overseeing a seamless production. But don't take my word for it. Do yourself a favour: click here and listen to the concert online. Do I sound excited by this? I loved it.

After 40 years and 500 murders -- including an estimated 20 killings since its "ceasefire" 13 years ago -- the UVF has announced that its war is over. From midnight tonight, the Loyalist paramilitary group "will assume a non-military, civilianised role".

According to the International Decommissioning body headed by General John de Chastelain, the UVF has yet to meet the requirements set out in government legislation. Their arms will remain, "beyond use", in a number of dumps under the control of the UVF's leadership.

Most commentators have welcomed the UVF statement as a step in the right direction. A single step is not,of course, the complete journey. Many will now wish to see actions following these words: cooperation with the decomissioning body, an end to recruitment, and a winding up of the "paramafia" role still being played by some UVF members.

Day One of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and it couldn't have a better start: Duke Special has left the deep forest for a concert with the Ulster Orchestra at the Waterfront Hall. It's really happening for Peter Wilson right now -- and about time too. He's an extraordinary talent who deserves the success that seems now to be coming his way. He's also been using that new-found acclaim to comment on the politics of arts funding in Northern Ireland.

Guest blogger Neil Gloverhas more from the Scottish election.

George Hargreave’s Scottish Christian Party might have grabbed the headlines ahead of Thursday’s election but we have another Christian party who probably deserve a bit more attention.

The Christian Peoples Alliance (don’t tell Lynn Truss about the missing apostrophe) have focussed their campaign on four issues: Poverty, the war in Iraq, the renewal of Trident and the family.

This may be a Christian party but in Glasgow they have a Muslim candidate. Abdul Dean says says he would prefer living in a country which is “serious about its Christianity, rather than a country given over to secular fundamentalism.”. We will find out how this mix of economic socialism and moral conservatism has appealed to Scottish voters on Thursday.

She is a 17 year-old pregnant woman -- a citizen of the Irish Republic -- and has been told that the child she is carrying will not survive birth. Should she be premitted to leave Ireland, where abortion is illegal, to have her pregnancy terminated in Britain?

Guest bloggerNeil Glover writes from Scotland.

Here in Scotland we are adapting to some features which have long been part of the Northern Irish political landscape: the single-transferable vote; the possibility of power being in the hands of a non-London based party (the Scottish National Party) and having another of our parties lead by an ordained minister. The party in question is the Scottish Christian Party and their leader is the Rev. George Hargreaves (pictured).

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