Key Quotes for 2012

A world perspective in bite-size chunks
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Last update: Wednesday 25th March
 
The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years became the surprising bestseller of 2011. People across Norway queued in the streets overnight to get their hands on it and bookshops sold out within hours of its launch. The new edition topped the book charts there nearly every week between its publication in mid-October and the end of the year. Stine Smemo Strachan, from the Norwegian Bible Society, said: ‘We only printed 25,000 to start, but by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies – it’s just incredible’.
Religion/SpiritualityEvangelicals Now - March 2012
 
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly vote on January 25 on the Resolution for ‘Protection of human rights and dignity by taking into account previously expressed wishes of patients’ reaffirms and strengthens the stand taken by the Committee of Ministers a decade ago and is a clear statement against euthanasia by a European political institution representing 47 member states. The Resolution strongly affirms that ‘euthanasia, in the sense of the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependant human being for his or her alleged benefit, must always be prohibited’.
Social IssuesEvangelicals Now - March 2012
 
In February, Mayor of London Boris Johnson backed the right of parents to smack their children. He told BBC Radio 5 Live that he believed the current law was ‘confusing’ and warned that parents were ‘anxious’ about disciplining their children. The law on smacking in England and Wales allows parents to smack their children, but legislation in 2004 restricted the defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’.
FamilyEvangelicals Now - March 2012
 
Margo Macdonald MSP announced in January that she is going to try again to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland, just over a year after her last failed attempt. She has unveiled a new consultation on the issue and among her proposals is a suggestion that ‘licensed facilitators’ would need to be present when someone is at the point of ending their own life to ensure that lethal drugs are ‘taken correctly’.
Social IssuesEvangelicals Now - March 2012
 
A report advocating the introduction of assisted suicide has been criticised as biased and failing to protect vulnerable people. The new report from the Commission on Assisted Dying found that allowing assisted suicide for people with less than a year to live is feasible, if the person to be killed is assessed by two doctors. Questions have been raised about its impartiality, because major groups who do not support the introduction of assisted suicide did not contribute, and it was funded by prominent euthanasia campaigner Sir Terry Pratchett.
Social IssuesChristianity - March 2012
 
Writing in The Guardian, secularist Julian Baggini considered the present tensions between religion and secularism. While arguing against traditions such as the presence of bishops in the House of Lords, he suggested: ‘Something has gone wrong with secularism in Britain. Secularism, in the political sense, is not a comprehensive project to sweep religion out of public life altogether. Rather it is – or should be – a beautifully simple way of bringing together people of all faiths and none together, not a means of pitting them against each other.’
Religion/SpiritualityThe War Cry - 25 February 2012
 
The cost of a Church of England funeral will rise from £102 to £160 and the cost of a wedding from £296 to £415. Clergy will be given the right to waive fees, but critics felt this was not enough. ‘The poor don’t want to be patronised,’ said Canon Simon Killwick, in Moss Side, Manchester. ‘They want their church to be affordable to them.’
MoneySalvationist - 25 February 2012
 
The finance ministers of the eurozone want to put Greece under even tighter surveillance in return for a £108 billion bailout, even after Athens delivered on several key demands yesterday. Representatives of the 17 countries that use the euro hailed the strong assurances that the country had found a further £270 million in cuts. But Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, who also chairs the finance ministers’ meetings, said better surveillance was still needed before new aid could be released.
MoneyThe Sentinel - February 16, 2012
 
Military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities would be “a path to disaster rather than a solution”, former United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix warned yesterday. Dr Blix, who led the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the 2003 war, told the New Statesman it was not “evident” that Tehran was seeking a military nuclear capability. And he warned there was no imminent threat from Iran that would justify pre-emptive action, which he said would be counter to the UN charter.
Disasters/WarThe Sentinel - February 16, 2012
 
Primrose Hill in London, home to celebrities such as Kate Moss and Jude Law, is divided by plans to erect a giant statue of Christ to mark the Olympic Games. The towering figure of Christ the Redeemer would stand at the spot which is popular with residents and tourists for giving the best-known vista of the capital. Some residents are outraged, complaining that the overt Christian symbolism is a step too far for what is essentially a secular event.
Religion/SpiritualitySalvationist - 11 February 2012
 
The chief executive and other directors of Network Rail became the latest top bosses to waive lucrative bonuses when they decided to give the money to safety improvements instead. The executives were facing increasing political pressure not to receive any extra money amid controversy over bonuses for banking and other bosses. The issue was due to be discussed on Friday at a Network Rail meeting, which has now been postponed, potentially leading to the six executives sharing hundreds of thousands of pounds in bonus payments on top of their salaries.
MoneyThe Sentinel - February 7, 2012
 
A mayor who refused to judge a Hallowe’en pumpkin competition because it conflicted with his Christian beliefs has been found guilty of breaching the council’s code of conduct. Tom Wilson declined to attend the event after consulting fellow members of his Baptist church. Pagan groups complained to the council and a council committee found that he had ‘behaved in a manner which could have caused the council to breach equality enactments’.
Religion/SpiritualitySalvationist - 4 February 2012
 
About 500 million Chinese citizens are online – that is a quarter of the world’s social network users and double the number of Internet users in the United States. As with most countries, China’s netizens are dominated by the younger generation – nearly 60 percent of 10-29 year olds are online while older demographic groups have been slower to adopt the Internet. In line with the high rate of adoption of modern communications, and access to international best practice, China’s 1.3 billion people have more than 900 million mobile phones in operation, 350 million mobile Internet users and 300 million registered micro-blog users, most of them very active on Sina Weibo and its competitors. Sites like Sina Weibo, Youku and Renren ensure a vigorous social networking culture in the country.
World IssuesChina Daily European Weekly - February 3-9, 2012
 
A large-scale review of NHS data has uncovered further evidence that people are more likely to die if they are admitted to hospital at weekends. Patients are 16 per cent more likely to die if they are admitted on a Sunday than a Wednesday, and 11 per cent more likely to die if they are admitted on a Saturday. For every 100 deaths following admissions on a Wednesday, 116 occur for admissions on a Sunday – a “significant increased risk”, the researchers said.
HealthThe Sentinel - February 3, 2012
 
About 1.7 million people attend Church of England services each month, according to figures released by the denomination for the year 2010. The statistics also revealed that the number of marriages in the Church of England has risen by 4 per cent, and at least 1,000 programmes under the Fresh Expressions initiative – which offers people a different form or style of church – are reaching into communities.
Religion/SpiritualityThe War Cry - 28 January 2012
 
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