Freedom and responsibility

In recent months a great deal has been said about freedom - particularly in light of the emerging freedom of persons in Northern African countries such as Egypt, and most recently Libya.

However, this freedom is in danger of succumbing to a new form of tyranny. Tyrants are smart. They prey upon the desperate and the idealistic. Without the 'free' even knowing it they find their 'freedom' replaced with new forms of oppression and abuse.

Southern Africa has gone through this cycle more than once. Perhaps the most vivid example is to be found in the once 'freedom fighter' Robert Mugabe and the abuses that he has inflicted upon the people of Zimbabwe. I was born in the beautiful country. However, I have been a citizen of South Africa for some time now. Sadly, the liberators of this new home, many of whom received my vote, and my energy before and after the end of apartheid are turning out to be self obsessed tyrants in the making.

Perhaps we, you and I, need reminding that freedom is not the end. Rather it is just the beginning of what we desire (and need). Freedom is the moment where we pass from one kind of labour into another, from working for liberation to working for reconstruction and restoration.

The following quote from Victor Frankl was particularly inspiring in this regard:

"Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness." (Victor Frankl).

[Photo from file - April 27, 1994 - a long line of people line up towards a polling station in the black township of Soweto outside of Johannesburg in the nation's first all-race elections.]
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Dr Dion Forster is an ordained Minister of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. He is a theologian and author. He was formerly the Dean of the Seminary of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, John Wesley College. He currently serves as a consultant and spiritual adviser / Chaplain to the Global Day of Prayer and Unashamedly Ethical movements and their founder, Graham Power. You can read Dion's blogs on www.dionforster.com.

Majority of scientists believe religion and science can coexist, says new survey

A recent five-year long study released by Rice University has found that despite popular public perception, a majority of scientists believe that religion and science are not always in conflict.

The study included in-depth interviews with scientists at universities whose fields range from biology and chemistry to social sciences like political science and economics, reports the Huffington Post.

“When it comes to questions about the meaning of life, ways of understanding reality, origins of Earth and how life developed on it, many have seen religion and science as being at odds and even in irreconcilable conflict,” said Rice sociologist Elaine Ecklund.

Instead the majority of scientists Ecklund and her colleagues interviewed accepted both religion and science as “valid avenues of knowledge.”

In the 275 tenured and tenure-track faculty members from 21 different research universities in the United States who were interviewed, only 15% believed religion and science were always in conflict, while an equal percentage saw the two as never being in conflict. The majority, 70%, said religion and science are only sometimes in conflict.

The scientists interviewed were pulled from a broader survey of 2,198 scientists, with about half of those saying they identified with a particular religion, while the other half did not.

“Much of the public believes that as science becomes more prominent, secularization increases and religion decreases,” Ecklund said. “Findings like these among elite scientists, who many individuals believe are most likely to be secular in their beliefs, definitely call into question ideas about the relationship between secularization and science.”

Ecklund also discovered that the way scientists view the compatibility of religion and science is influenced by how they view religion itself. Those scientists who find no compatibility between the two disciplines are more likely to have a narrow view of religion, identifying it only with the more conservative strains of Christianity.

"For some scientists, maybe a particular strain of evangelicalism is conflict with science, but spirituality and other religions are not," Ecklund stated.

Those scientists who believed religion and science were compatible most often cited the example of Francis Collins, the physician and geneticist who is the director of the National Institutes of Health. Collins openly speaks about his Christian faith and has written a book entitled: “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.”

The 5,000 page report is entitled “Scientists Negotiate Boundaries Between Religion and Science,” and it was published in the September issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Sex before marriage ... why wait?

In a recent article written for Relevant Magazine, blogger and author Ally Spotts tackled the rather difficult and emotive issue of Christians having sex before marriage. Spotts began by saying that while Christians are supposed to wait until marriage for sex, they don’t do a very good job of it, since statistics show that up to 80% of Christians in their 20s admit to engaging in premarital sex.

Spotts confesses that she is one of those Christians, despite the fact that the abstinence message was drummed into her from a young age. Spotts believes that one of the reasons she and so many other Christians failed to wait, despite their best intentions, is because she spent too much time wrestling with all the wrong questions. Spotts insists that while she knew she was supposed to wait, she didn’t really know why and because of this she spent a lot of energy struggling with issues like, ‘How far is too far,’ instead of ‘Why am I supposed to do this?’

Spotts is convinced that dealing with the wrong questions sent her in the wrong direction and as a result she spent years nurturing insecurities and growing in confusion and guilt. She adds that even when she did ask the right question (why am I doing this) the trite answers given to her were rarely satisfying. Spotts then began to work on finding out for herself why God would ask Christians to be abstinent outside of marriage when sex itself is declared a ‘good’ and healthy act.

Spott summarises her findings as a list of reasons why God asks us to wait for marriage for sex:

“1. It Builds Trust. Trust that your spouse is the kind of person who can control his or her sexual urges. Trust that your spouse values his/her sexuality enough to guard it until marriage. Trust that your spouse values you and your needs above anyone else. Trust that your spouse understands the concept of self-sacrifice and delayed gratification.

Trust takes time to build. You might as well start now.

2. It Builds Friendship. Sex in addition to friendship creates a really lasting bond in a relationship—one that is hard to break. Sex without friendship is fragile and explosive. It’s like an expensive vase set on an unsteady table. Just give it the slightest bump and it will tumble and break.

How are you working to be friends first?

3. Happiness Isn't Everything. If the purpose of my relationships is happiness, then any time I feel unhappy or uncomfortable the temptation will be to end my relationship. If the purpose of my relationship is holiness, then I’ll see every discomfort as an opportunity to work toward becoming more whole.

Are your relationships making you happy, or are they making you whole?

4. You Are Valuable. Strong physical boundaries speak to your value. You are worth more than a movie ticket or a cup of coffee or a couple of dinners out. You are not that easily accessible. It takes more than that. Let your physical boundaries speak to the value you place on your sexuality.

Are you communicating the right message about your value?

5. Lust Is Not Manageable. If you think you can entertain lust in a dating relationship (or as a single person) and stop when you get married, you’re in line for a rude awakening. Lust does not have a light switch.

Do you want to get rid of lust now or later?

Whether you waited for marriage, are sorting out your sexual history or just need a reminder your wait is worth it, we can address the questions of sex directly, with honesty. Let’s start asking the right questions.”

(You can read this article in full at www.relevantmagazine.com).

Budget airline plans to offer inflight porn apps

Budget airline Ryanair has raised public concern after announcing plans to develop apps to enable passengers to view adult film content during flights.

The British based airline wants to design the apps to allow passengers to log into and pay for adult movies via their iPads or smartphones.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “I’m not talking about having it on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see. It would be on handheld devices.

“Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn’t we?”

Ryanair is also thinking of similar apps to allow in-flight gambling.

Morality in Media (MIM) is planning to mobilise opposition to Ryanair's plans.

"We will stop this outrage before it gets started," insisted Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of MIM.

"Ryanair, which hopes to expand its market to US destinations as well, is creating an unsafe environment for every individual who travels on their planes.

"Can you imagine how uncomfortable most women passengers and female flight attendants will feel with several men viewing pornography in the small space of an airplane?” Hawkins added.

"In an office workplace, this would constitute a clear case of sexual harassment."

Aid finally arrives for Bangkok flood victims

After weeks spent living in unsanitary conditions, including filthy chest-high water, victims of the floods in northern Bangkok have finally been sent aid.

A relief caravan of 32 trucks laden with fresh water arrived in flood-deluged neighbourhoods that are still overflowing with uncollected rubbish and are without electricity or running water. 80 garbage trucks and vehicles carrying water filters and food trucks were also in the convoy.

During the floods water bubbled out of sewers and those residents who could not escape in time were left living in severely unsanitary conditions that also attracted swarms of mosquitoes. No major disease outbreaks have been reported as yet, according to Reuters.

Thai officials dropped purifying balls into flooded areas in an attempt to fight possible disease.

Thai government officials also sent 100 trucks carrying floating toilets to be used until floodwaters drain, along with 1,000 portable toilets and 60 trucks carrying medical personnel. Evacuation busses to assist moving flood victims to safer areas were also sent into the area, according to the TNA.

"It's definitely a big challenge because of the quantity or mass of water that's coming through. I don't think we've ever had to deal with such large amounts of water," said Rekha Hanvesakul, a doctor at BNH Hospital in Bangkok who was shocked by the conditions.

Deadly attack on churches in Northern Nigeria

Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri has accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect people following a spate of violence in the north of the country.

Churches were the targets of these attacks in towns like Damaturu, Maiduguri and Patiskum, with at least nine churches being attacked in Damaturu alone and over 100 people being killed. It is believed that the religious extremist group Boko Haram is behind the attacks.

The Bishop said that priests were forced to run for their lives when St Mary’s Catholic Church came under attack by militants.

“The church was completely burnt to ashes,” he said. “It was one of the biggest churches in the diocese.”

The Bishop added that local politicians were using the extremist groups for their own personal agendas.

“Religion is a very sensitive issue and the politicians can whip up hatred and suspicion very easily,” he said.

He urged the Nigerian government to beef up security, and make a “concerted effort” to restore law and order.

“If security had come earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. The police have let the people down.”

Human Rights Watch has condemned the sectarian violence as an “indefensible attack on human life”.

Recently discovered Da Vinci ‘Christ’ painting to be revealed

A Leonardo da Vinci painting is due to go on public exhibition for the first time since its discovery in 2005.

The painting is entitled ‘Salvator Mundi’ (Saviour of the World), and shows Jesus with his right hand raised in blessing while his left hand holds a transparent globe.

The painting disappeared in the 17th century and was found hundreds of years later in a private collection. Experts believe it is the most precious art acquisition of the century, with the net worth being estimated at around $200 million. There are only 15 paintings by Da Vinci still in existence, including his more famous works ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper’.

Now that the 500-year-old work has now been properly cleaned and restored, it will be on display at London's National Gallery in a special exhibition for the next year.

"As a painter, Leonardo aimed to convince viewers of the reality of what they were seeing while still aspiring to create ideals of beauty – particularly in his exquisite portraits – and, in his religious works, to convey a sense of awe-inspiring mystery," the exhibition description states.

The painting will also be featured in a special CNN series called ‘Leonardo - The Lost Painting.’

(Image from CNN).