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Christian faith isn't practiced in the head and in the heart only. Faith is lived out in a like-minded community of believers, whether at a school, a social service agency, or a church. Freedom of religion means the right to hold beliefs, yes, but also the right to live according to those beliefs and to associate with others who do so as well. Unfortunately, the California courts are far from understanding this.

4. Cardinal says Catholics' beliefs could send them to court

"I fear that faced with current legislation, speaking in defense of life, of the rights of the family, is becoming in some societies a crime against the state, a form of disobedience of the government, a discrimination against women," Lopez Trujillo told Famiglia Cristiana, a Catholic Italian weekly. Reuters quotes Trujillo saying, "The Church risks being brought in front of some international court if the debate gets any more tense, if the most radical opinions are heeded."

Last week, another cardinal asked Amnesty International not to lobby for abortion rights in countries where it is illegal. The church seems a little worried it may be prohibited from speaking and acting according to its beliefs.

5. British Medical Association opposes doctor-assisted suicide

Last year, the British Medical Association voted to adopt a neutral stance on doctor-assisted suicide.

The BBC reports, "The decision has now been overturned after 65 percent of the 500 doctors at the BMA's meeting in Belfast voted against assisted dying." Dr. Andrew Davies said, "My worry is that a right to die will become a duty to die, a duty to unburden their families."

Anglican Communion | Religious freedom | Education | Homosexuality | Politics | Evangelicals & politics | War & terrorism | Catholicism | Church life | Abuse | Crime | Film | People | More articles of interest

Anglican Communion :

1. Episcopal feud over gay bishops widens | Three conservative Episcopal dioceses that oppose consecrating gay bishops voted Wednesday to reject the authority of the denomination's presiding bishop, but stopped short of a full break with the Episcopal Church. (Associated Press)
   
   
2. Virginia churches plan diocese exit | Two of Northern Virginia's largest and most historic Episcopal churches — Truro and the Falls Church — informed Virginia Bishop Peter J. Lee yesterday that they plan to leave the diocese and that as many as two dozen other parishes may follow suit. (Washington Times)
   
   
3. 3 Episcopal dioceses seek release | San Joaquin, two others ask to be placed outside U.S. church jurisdiction. (Los Angeles Times)
   
   
4. Three dioceses appeal to distance themselves from Episcopal Church | Signaling a widening of the fractures within the Episcopal Church over homosexuality, three theologically conservative dioceses began efforts yesterday to separate themselves from the church. (New York Times)
   
   
5. Anglicans select Fairfax rector as bishop | The Rev. Martyn Minns, rector of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, was elected a bishop today by the Anglican province of Nigeria with the mandate to oversee a cluster of expatriate Nigerian parishes in the United States. (Washington Times)
   
   
6. Gay Episcopal priest named as possible Newark bishop | Propelling the Episcopal Church in the United States closer to a possible schism with the global Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Diocese of Newark nominated a gay priest on Wednesday as one of four men to be considered for bishop. (New York Times)
   
   

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June (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50