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METHODIST CHURCH
STATEMENTS and response to .....
November 2007
Methodist Response to
Queen’s speech
Anthea Cox, Coordinating
Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice, says;
'The Government wants to make
education, housing and health care the centre of its work over the new
Parliamentary session. Methodists care passionately about these issues and
welcome the opportunity for debate.
'The Methodist Church welcomes
the introduction of the Climate Change Bill. Earlier this year we responded to
this bill in its draft form. As a nation the UK must achieve real year-on-year
cuts in carbon emissions. The urgency for action is underlined by a report
published by the UN today stating that carbon emissions from industrialized
countries are at a record high. We argue that long-term targets should be
revised in the light of the findings published this year by the International
Panel on Climate Change. In addition we must not use the purchasing of carbon
credits overseas to buy out our own responsibility at home.
‘The Human Tissues and
Embryos Bill will prompt further debate on abortion and the ethical and moral
issues around early human life. The Methodist Church will seek to listen, learn
and speak with great care on this sensitive issue.
‘We take a keen interest in
the proposals to combat terrorism. The Methodist Church previously opposed
extending the time for which people can be held before trial to 90 days but we
recognise the need to consider how a balance can be achieved between providing
adequate powers to address terrorism and ensuring the right to liberty and
justice for all.’
19 September 2007
A quarter of a
million problem gamblers is too many
The Methodist Church has said that
it is relieved by the results of the Gambling Commission’s prevalence study,
published today. The study shows that the number of problem gamblers is the same
as the previous study in 1999 and the number of people gambling is, if anything,
slightly lower.
The Methodist Church has also welcomed the
finding that attitudes to gambling are more negative than positive.
Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social
Justice said; “While we are relieved that the number of problem gamblers has
not risen, there are still far too many. This authoritative study gives a clear
picture of the situation before the implementation of the Gambling Act on 1
September this year.
“The Government have always said that the Act
provides greater safeguards for people who are vulnerable to problem gambling;
it is now for them and the Gambling Commission to implement the Act so as to
ensure that these predictions come true. We want the next study in three years
time to show a fall in the number of problem gamblers. We remain concerned about
the increase in online gambling and betting; the study clearly shows that these
are high risk for problem gambling”.
The Methodist Church is calling for
increased funds for help and treatment for problem gamblers and for a major
programme to raise awareness of the risks of gambling. With the Salvation Army
it has produced “Against the Odds”, which gives the facts about gambling,
discusses a Christian response, lists sources of help and suggests what people
can do if they are concerned about gambling.
9 August 2007
Methodist response to
Government crackdown on gambling adverts
Speaking in response to today’s announcement that
gambling firms that do not meet UK regulatory standards will be banned from
advertising in the UK, Alison Jackson, Secretary for Parliamentary and Political
Affairs, says:
“We welcome this announcement and the
tough line the Government is taking. Internet gambling is growing fast and there
is a high risk for people playing online of becoming addicted to gambling. Play
is continuous and repetitive; it takes place in your own home without any
outside distractions, and stakes are made by credit card, making it easy to lose
track of how much you have lost.
“We support the Government's wish to
get international agreement in the regulation of Internet gambling; this move
should contribute to that. While we do not want to see more gambling
advertising, such sites will continue to operate and be accessed by people in
the UK. They should be properly regulated, which is why we hope that other
jurisdictions will follow the example of the Isle of Man who have tightened
their own regulations to a standard that enables them to beat this ban, and
therefore advertise in the UK.”
9 August 2007
Methodist Church
welcomes call to release Guantanamo detainees
The Methodist Church have welcomed the UK Government’s
decision to request the return of five former British residents being held in
Guantanamo Bay.
The announcement overturns the previous refusal of the UK
Government to intervene in their case.
The Methodist Church is gravely concerned about the
continued use of Guantanamo Bay to hold people without due legal process. At the
beginning of July, the Methodist Church, the Church of England and the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference in England and Wales wrote to the Home Secretary, Jacqui
Smith, urging her to allow the return to the UK of eight former British
residents detained at Guantanamo Bay including those named in yesterday’s
statement from the Government.
The letter was signed by the Revd Graham Carter (the
former President of the Methodist Conference), the Rt Revd Tom Butler (Bishop of
Southwark) and the Rt Revd William Kenney (Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham).
Steve Hucklesby, Methodist Secretary for International
Affairs, says, “This is great news and we hope that these five people can be
returned to the UK soon. Most of the British residents detained at Guantanamo
have been there for five years now and we are concerned for their mental health
and general well-being. Their continued detention has placed stress on their
families in the UK. Their imprisonment without due legal process is an
unacceptable violation of their rights.
“We continue to be deeply concerned about Guantanamo Bay
and would like to see it closed. We appreciate the need for adequate security
measures but these must not violate fundamental human rights.”
1 August 2007
Methodist
response to report on the Draft Climate Change Bill
Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and
Social Justice, has welcomed the publication of the Report of the Joint
Committee on the Draft Climate Change Bill:
“We are pleased to see that this report raises many of
the concerns that we expressed in our joint submission to the consultation. It
particularly addresses the concerns we raised about the target to reduce the
UK’s carbon emissions by 60% by 2050, and suggests that this figure may be
inadequate to prevent the dangerous rising of global temperatures. We’re glad
to see that this has been taken in to account and hope that the Government
endorses the proposals for enforcing such targets and providing clear lines of
accountability.
“Climate change is something that affects us all, but
some much more drastically than others and it is often the poorest communities
worldwide that are most vulnerable. We are encouraged by today’s report, but
it is important to remember that we all need to take responsibility for how our
lifestyles affect our planet and our fellow human beings. We are grateful that
the Churches have been able to contribute to the consultation. The Methodist
Church’s ongoing commitment is to support individuals, communities and
organisations in working to meet the immense challenges posed by climate
change.”
The Methodist Church, The United Reformed Church, The
Baptist Union of Great Britain and The Religious Society of Friends made a joint
submission to the consultation on the Draft Climate Change Bill. The submission
emphasised the urgent need for action and called for justice for those most
likely to be adversely affected by climate change.
11
July 2007
Methodist
response to renewed consultation on casinos
Anthea
Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life & Social Justice, says;
“We’re
delighted to hear this news. Our concerns about casinos have always primarily
been about the harm they can do to people who develop gambling problems but we
were never convinced about whether they were a realistic way of regenerating
urban areas. We look forward to the Government’s review in September and are
pleased that the Government has listened to the concerns raised by churches and
other groups.”
31 May 2007
Methodist
response to plans to label alcoholic drinks
Rachel Lampard, Methodist Secretary for Parliamentary and
Political Affairs: “The Methodist Church welcomes the initiative to include
health warnings on bottles of alcohol, a move for which it has long campaigned.
Under an agreement between the Government and the drinks industry, alcohol
packaging will contain information about the number of units a glass, can or
bottle contains along with guidelines for maximum daily consumption for men and
women.
“Better labelling will not be sufficient in itself to
tackle excessive drinking and the damage it causes. But giving people
information about the number of units of alcohol they are consuming is a crucial
part of helping them to make informed decisions about sensible drinking. This is
particularly important at a time when many alcoholic drinks are becoming
stronger. Some Methodists choose to abstain from alcohol, while others drink
moderately, but all are opposed to excessive drinking. ”
4 December 2006
Baptist,
Methodist and United Reformed Church leaders statement on Trident
“Our churches urge the British Government to work
tirelessly to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction. The end of the Cold
War gave us hope that this aim is achievable. Replacing Trident would send the
wrong message to aspiring nuclear powers. Each Trident warhead is capable of
delivering destruction several times that of the Hiroshima bomb, therefore the
proposed reduction in the number of warheads is largely academic. Replacing
Trident with a new system with a potential lifespan to 2050 flies in the face of
commitments that the UK has made under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Revd Jonathan Edwards
General Secretary, The Baptist Union of Great Britain
Mr. Dudley Coates
Vice-President, The Methodist Church
Revd Elizabeth Caswell
Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed
Church
17 November 2006
We must challenge
racism, but all are welcome in communion
Speaking in response to Trevor Phillips’
call for churches to refuse communion to supporters of the British National
Party, Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice,
said;
"The Methodist understanding of
communion is as a means of grace and a means of conversion. Communion is
therefore offered to all who are looking for a deeper relationship with God.
This should in itself cause people to challenge their attitudes. We would refer
people to 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 where Paul suggests that if people come to
communion and don't allow themselves to be challenged in this way, then it is
God who will judge them. We would welcome everybody into Methodist churches.
There is no room within the Church for racism under any circumstances, and we
will always challenge these attitudes but we will never turn people away."
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BOLTON
AND ROCHDALE METHODIST
DISTRICT