COMMUNITY Managing
asylum: seeking a Christian perspective Managing
asylum: seeking a Christian perspective As
a General Election nears, the asylum issue is being hotly
debated and Christians need to consider it carefully. Speaking
in Westminster Abbey in February, Nicholas Sagovsky, the
Abbey's Canon Theologian, said: “In the present
situation, where we have a political auction to buy the
sympathies of voters by talking tough about asylum
seekers, the churches have a key role to play –
reminding politicians of all parties that asylum seekers
are people too, and that there are many within the
electorate who wish to welcome them hospitably.” He
added: “The vicious rhetoric against asylum seekers
from some sections of the popular press causes immense
distress; but so too do Government announcements which
may be aimed at the press and be completed misunderstood
by frightened asylum seekers.” One way church
people can help is by rebutting false statements which
appear in the media (especially the national and local
press). There
are myths that need to be challenged. It is good that we
now seldom hear of “bogus asylum seekers.” The
fact that an asylum seeker's claim for refugee status
fails no more makes him “bogus” than an
applicant for a driving licence is bogus when he fails
his first test. Consider, too, the term “illegal
immigrants”. While behaviour may be illegal, people
are not. The Refugee Convention recognises that
applicants for refugee status should not be penalised
simply for the manner of arrival (illegal entry). There
will always be some seekers whose claims fail, not
because they are dishonest but because they do not match
up to the requirements of the Convention. We
can support the case for managed migration but we must
surely welcome everyone who meets the rigorous standard
of the Convention. Migration
is a global process, beyond the control of any individual
government. Another point worth noting is that migration
is a far greater stimulus to development than development
aid. Remittances (to their former home country) by
migrants were estimated to be 100 billion dollars in 2000,
about twice the official level of global development
assistance (51 billion dollars in 2001). For
Christians, the heart of the matter will continue to be
that, whatever policies may be adopted from time to time
in relation to economic migration, the commitment to
welcome those who flee their own countries to escape
persecution and oppression is not negotiable. What
are your savings being used for? For
some years now we have had access to “ethical”
channels for our savings and investments. Best
known are the unit trusts which lay down, and publish,
criteria for selecting companies or projects in which
they invest shareholders' money. These criteria can be
negative (for example, no arms manufacturers) or positive
(like companies involved in generating sustainable energy). The
Co-operative Bank attracts customers by its ethical
policies. Less well-known is a bank with no High Street
presence which only works with organisations that benefit
people and the environment, from housing initiatives to
organic farms. Triodos
Bank, which began in the When
the future of the only local shop and Post Office in the
village of North Nibley looked threatened, residents
joined together to save this vital part of their
community. With the help of Triodos, they formed an
association to buy and run the shop. A
similar association was formed in Ascott-under-Wychwood,
Oxfordshire, where the development combined residential
housing with a new shop. The Christian Action and
Resource Centre in More
off-beat is Dinky Diapers, in In
Last
year, Cafedirect, whose fairly-traded coffee is now a
familiar sight in supermarkets, raise £5 million through
a share issue sponsored by Triodos Bank. Small
projects helped by the bank include numerous organic
farms and even a guest house in Contact:
Triodos Bank, Brunel House, 11 The Promenade, The
Masters If
Bernhard Langer has a favourite golf course it is
probably the Augusta National, venue of the The
2005 He
won the tournament twice – in 1985 and 1993. He
made a reference to God after both wins but in a rather
different way! When
the Masters is over, the winner has to do a live TV
interview in the He
replied, 'I was trying not to look but I saw it for the
first time at the ninth and I thought, “Jesus
Christ, I am playing well and I am four shots behind!” When
he got home, he was amazed at the reaction and the
letters he received from a lot of people saying that he
had offended them, and that he should think twice before
using the name of God so casually. The
1993 Masters finished on Easter Sunday. As usual Bernhard
was taken into the He
said later, “ In saying those words, which
went round the world on live television, I hope I was
able to make up for my shortcomings in 1985 by saying
something more positive. Having the opportunity of
sharing with the world my faith in Jesus Christ was, for
me, a unique situation “In
1985 when I said 'Jesus Christ', I didn't mean anything
by it. I wasn't a Christian at the time and I just said
'Jesus Christ' without thinking – it was just an
expression of surprise that everyone used. Don't forget
too that English isn't my first language and that in
those days my English was a lot worse than it is now.
Now, as a Christian, I would see it as being
disrespectful to the name of God, but at that time
without thinking I just said it on national television”. The
contrast between the two is striking. The
difference came ironically a week after the first Masters
win when Bernhard went to a Bible Study on the golf tour.
As he recalls it was a life-changing day, “I was
amazed to realise that the only way to have eternal life
was through Jesus Christ – that He died for our sins.
And that it was not through worthy deeds or good
behaviour that one received eternal life, because we can
never live up to God's standard. We will always fall
short. “Jesus
Christ stopped me in my tracks with his words, 'You must
be reborn to enter the By
Stuart Weir of Christians in Sport
www.christiansinsport.org.uk A
bug's life Bugs
are in big trouble these days. 50% of invertebrate
animals are in numerical decline. At least 230 species
have become extinct in recent years. The
Invertebrate Conservation Trust is the first organisation
in Buglife
is looking for more supporters to help it protect the
habitats that invertebrates need, including urban oases.
If you could help give bugs a home, visit www.buglife.org.uk Bat
patrol Did
you know that people commit crimes against bats? The
police want your help to catch them. Operation
Bat is a new police initiative aimed at tackling the
number of crimes against bats. It provides a
standard operation procedure for the police to deal with
bat-related offences. Anyone
wanting to report a bat crime (and anyone wanting to know
what even constitutes a crime against a bat) should
contact the local police station and speak to a Wildlife
Crime Officer. Or contact the Bat Conservation
Trust helpline on 0845 1300 228. What
is that in your pond? It's
Spring, and things in the garden are growing – fast.
But what is trying to get out of your pond? Some
pond plants are not native to the Visit
www.ornamentalfish.org |