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In David Cameron's message Jesus
is more like Gandhi figure - a good teacher who led a sacrificial life. CS
Lewis was well aware of this common misunderstanding when he said that if you
examine Jesus's claims about himself you can only come to one of three
conclusions - that Jesus was bad, or that he was mad, or that he is God.
The 'Jesus was just a good teacher' view is simply not an option.
I do not doubt David Cameron's sincerity in wanting the Christian faith to play
a central role in the life of this country - and I welcome it.
Unfortunately by not understanding the Christian faith he risks alienating not
only non-Christians but Christians as well.
By contrast and to many people's surprise President Obama, who is normally studiously equivocal
in matters of faith, gave a good Easter message this year - one which from a
theological point of view David
Cameron would do well to study. Of course it may be that Obama's
speechwriters have simply seen an opportunity to present the President as orthodox in the face
of a Republican contender from the Mormon sect, but nevertheless I welcome what
he has said (see below).
Extract from David Cameron's
Easter Message Easter week is a very important moment in the Christian
calendar, so I would like to extend my best wishes to everyone here in the
United Kingdom, and across the world, at this special time of year. This is
the time when, as Christians, we remember the life, sacrifice and living legacy
of Christ.
The New Testament tells us so much about the character of Jesus; a man of
incomparable compassion, generosity, grace, humility and love. These are the
values that Jesus embraced, and I believe these are values people of any faith,
or no faith, can also share in, and admire. It is values like these that
make our country what it is - a place which is tolerant, generous and caring. A
nation which has an established faith, that together is most content when we are
defined by what we are for, rather than defined by what we are against. In the
book of Luke, we are told that Jesus said, "Do to others as you would have
them do to you" - advice that when followed makes for a happier, and better
society for everyone
Extract from Barak Obama's Easter Message: Yesterday,
many of us took a few quiet moments to try and fathom the tremendous sacrifice
Jesus made for all of us. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the resurrection of a
savior who died so that we might live. We rededicate our time on Earth to
selflessness and to loving our neighbors. We remind ourselves that no matter who
we are, or how much we achieve, we each stand humbled before an almighty God.
Keep Cornwall Whole
The three main London-based parties are
failing to stand up for the integrity of Cornwall's border. Join me in
petitioning the government to ensure that Cornwall's eastern
parliamentary boundaries continue to follow Cornwall's border with Devon.
We must reject the proposal to introduce a Devonwall constituency.
Visit http://keepcornwallwhole.org
for more information;
write to David Cameron and Nick Clegg and cast your vote at: 38degrees
Marazion & the Miscarriage of Justice - A
triumph of judicial incompetence over common sense
Astonishingly the court of appeal has upheld the judgement made against the Marazion
guesthouse owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull. This honest,
hardworking, elderly Christian couple have found themselves as the unwitting
targets of a scurrilous neo-liberal campaign. At a time when Britain
quite rightly criticises undemocratic countries for suppressing their
citizens' rights to practise their religion, it is of great concern that a
British judge has now deemed it unlawful for the Bulls to practise mainstream
Christianity in a manner consistent with their conscience.
Any fair-minded person -
regardless of their religious belief or sexual orientation - will recognise that Judge
Rutherford failed to be even-handed. For him to imply that there
is a fundamental human right that guarantees an individual access to another
person's bed is patently absurd! To suggest that this 'right' is a
moral imperative of such magnitude that it even over-rules
someone's right to exercise their faith in their own home is utterly
scandalous.
The judge's patronising tone towards what he described as old-fashioned views
strongly suggests that he is far too heavily influenced by militant
anti-Christian propaganda to be objective. It needs to be emphasised that the claims
of sexual discrimination in this case do not bear close scrutiny. For
this reason alone the case should have been dismissed as frivolous from the
outset.
The spectacle of two honest members of our
community being targeted by guerrilla-style activism
is distressing enough. To see the wheels coming off our justice system by
its lending credence to this scurrilous nonsense is truly lamentable.
I welcome the news that the Bulls will appeal against this misdirected ruling.
A Fresh Start
with the Cornish Democrats
The dreadful state of British politics was highlighted in 2009 with the Daily
Telegraph's revelations about MPs expenses.
Each of the major London-based
parties was found to be guilty, and the British public felt extremely angry -
with good reason.
Unfortunately the expenses scandal is only one symptom of a much broader erosion of the
time-honoured principles of integrity and honesty in public office.
We need a fresh start in
the political life of this country. Without it public cynicism
will grow and democracy will suffer. The Cornish Democrats firmly believe that the
traditional values we cherish in Cornwall and in the West of Britain are
the right foundation for a proper parliamentary democracy.
We are all sickened by the warped 'new values' of the metropolitan
political elite, and we long for the restoration of decency, integrity and probity in
public office.
The people of Cornwall deserve better. The people of Britain
deserve better.
And Cornwall can lead the way. Let our distinctive voice be heard
in Westminster. Let us show the rest of Britain that decency is
not dead. Let us show that modern clean politics which are built on sound
principles CAN succeed and WILL succeed.
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The
Cornish Democrats is a UK political party registered with the
Electoral Commission.
For clarification - The Cornish Democrats are not connected with any of the
following organisations:
Mebyon Kernow, the Cornish
Democrat weblog, Andrew George, the Cornish Liberal Democrats, the
national Liberal Democrats, any local Lib Dem association, the
Cornish Democrats of New Hampshire.
Jonathan Rogers MA, MSc, MBA contested the Westminster
Parliamentary seat of the St Ives constituency in the 2010 British
general election. The St Ives constituency includes the towns of
Penzance, Helston, St Ives, as well as The Lizard, Penwith and the
Scilly Isles.
The homepage of the Cornish Democrats is www.cornishdemocrats.com
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