Daniel Pelka, RIP

 Daniel was denied food, force-fed salt, held under the water in a bath until unconscious and regularly beaten. He was also imprisoned in a box-room and died alone in the dark from a head injury in March 2012. This happened in modern Britain. A sibling was the only one who helped him despite visible signs of injury while Daniel openly scavenged for food and drank filthy water. Society failed him. Why?

May Angels lead you into paradise;

may the Martyrs receive you at your coming

and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem.

May a choir of Angels receive you,

and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest.

Textbook Praises Islam, Denigrates Christianity

Photo: GETTY

From CP Opinion:

A world history book used in an Advanced Placement class is under review by a Florida school board over allegations it favors Islam at the expense of Christianity and Judaism.

State Rep. Ritch Workman told Fox News the Prentice World History textbook rewrites Islamic history and presents a biased version of the Muslim faith.

"The book has a 36-page chapter on Islam but no chapters on Christianity or Judaism," Workman said. "It's remarkably one-sided."

The textbook is being used in an Advanced Placement class in Brevard County schools. The book is on a state-approved list and has been used in the school system for the past three years without any complaints.

Workman said he received a copy of the book and he said it's clear the authors "make a very obvious attempt not to insult Islam by reshaping history."

"If you don't see it from the eyes of a parent, kids are going to take this book as gospel and believe that Christians and Jews were murderous barbarians and thank God the Muslims came along and the world is great," he said.

For example, Workman said a reference to Mohammed and his armies taking over Medina states, "people happily accepted Islam as their way of life."

"It leaves out that tens of thousands of Jews and non-believers were massacred by Mohammed's armies," he said. "It's a blatant deception."

The book indicates that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Messiah while stating as fact that Mohammed is a prophet, Workman said. Students are also given lessons on the Koran and the five pillars of Islam. 

"They don't do that for Christianity," he said. "That is offensive to me."

School board member Amy Kneessy told Fox News she has similar concerns.

"Some of the descriptions of the battles use the word 'massacre' when it's a Christian battle and 'takeover' when it's a Muslim battle," she said. "In young minds, massacre paints a very different visual picture than a takeover or occupation – when in fact both battles were very bloody."

Kneessy said she's also concerned that the book devotes an entire chapter to Islam.

"I don't want revisionist history," she said. "History is history."

Pearson, the publisher of the textbook, confirmed there is a chapter titled, "Muslim Civilizations."

"Pearson and its authors adhere to the highest editorial standards when creating course materials, which undergo a rigorous review process," Pearson spokeswoman Susan Aspey told Fox News. "A review of the book shows there is balanced attention given to the beliefs of Islam, Judaism and Christianity."

However, Workman said that statement is "patently unfair and untrue."

"They hired a Muslim cleric to write the Muslim section," he said. "The publisher told me."

Aspey said that's not correct.

She said, "academic experts did review the content, but they did not write it or edit it."

The Christian Post article demonstrates very well the trend in the West to show reverence to Islam, largely ignoring negative aspects of the ideology, while allowing Christianity and other religions to be fair game for criticism and ridicule. See here.

The world's Muslim population is expected to grow twice as fast as non-Muslims over the next 20 years according to a study "The Future of the Global Muslim Population" by The Pew Forum. There is plenty of evidence to show that as Islam grows in strength they demand more and more is given. Read "The Supremacist's Ideology Of Islam" here and the plight of Egypt's Christians, now a minority, here.

Good news!

 World Youth Day Copacabana beach                                                                      Picture: Independent

Some good news for the church for a change. 

People returning from church as congregations begin to dwindle at the onset of the Summer holiday period, conscious of all the negative news about the church, often reported with apparent relish by the secular media, can marvel at the estimated 3 million Catholic pilgrims who occupied Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis. Report here.

How low can this man sink?

Photo: REUTERS

David Cameron told gay people at a Downing Street reception that he planned to thank the Queen 'personally' for giving her assent to the same-sex marriage bill.

From an article in the Telegraph: "Although the Queen could hardly not have given her assent to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, David Cameron promised guests at a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender reception in Downing Street on Wednesday that he intended to thank her “personally” for signing it at his audience with her that evening." 

Devious Dave not only trapped the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith into giving her assent to this electioneering stunt but he then seeks to imply Her Majesty's approval as he diverts scarce resources to export gay marriage around the world. How much lower can his man sink?

Feminist cockerel is no match for Nelson's column

Katharina Fritsch says Cock is her 'feminist statement'                                 Photo: Gautier Deblonde

The fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is again occupied by an inappropriate gimmick. Reports here and here, among many others. 

Onlookers interviewed for the BBC were baffled. The first person interviewed wondered if it had anything to do with the Mayor of London. Boris Johnson is of course a true blue but that is a far as it goes. Even Boris struggled to come up with a convincing explanation. 

The world has recently celebrated Nelson Mandela International Day For freedom, justice and democracy. The fourth plinth should be his.

NMF Photo/Oryx Media, Benny Gool

 

Church in Wales: More of the same

Photo: South Wales Argus

After all the speculation about the Dean of St Albans, Dr Jeffrey John, going to Monmouth, the hat has gone to local boy Richard Pain, Archdeacon of Monmouth, suggesting that the Archbishop of Wales doesn't always get his own way.

Archbishop Morgan can console himself in the knowledge that like the rest of the bunch bench, the new Bishop of Monmouth has ticked all the right boxes. According to a BBC report [here], he is "in favour of women bishops and wants to make the church more relevant for society". A similar report in the local press includes this gem: "The Venerable Pain will be bishop-elect until the appointment is formally confirmed by the Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan at a Sacred Synod service", written by a member of society to which the bishop-elect wants his flock to be more relevant, ie, completely ignorant of matters religious. The report ends: "A keen amateur photographer, The Ven Pain, also plays classical guitar and keeps hens." Eggs for the curates?

The "Venerable Pain" said: "Among the issues which needed to be tackled was declining church membership" and he looks forward "to a day when we're able to have women bishops for a sense of equality in the church"! No problem with being more relevant to society there. So more of the same in the Church in Wales for her dwindling congregations.

Joy of joys. It's a boy!

The official notice confirming that the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a boy.

The women's lobby will be furious that it's a boy but there is no going back to change the result this time.

I expect there will be some who would have preferred IVF in the interests of parity but they will have to wait another generation to campaign for that. The Republican feminist Joan Smith has already been complaining on BBC Newsnight that there are now three generations of male heirs in line to the throne offering no chance of a black lesbian queen for the foreseeable future. The joy of secularism!

Pity poor Dave too. He has done his best to be relevant to ordinary people in society by pushing every conceivable politically correct fad that might give him some electoral advantage. Alas, all in vain this time. He will now have no further opportunities to play to the cameras while badgering Commonwealth countries to comply with his (adopted) view of equality. But hang on a minute. If equality of opportunity is the real aim, why not the best of the brood instead of the first born? Better a bright young thing than a possible dullard in fancy dress. No exams of course; just a simple selection panel - the CNC perhaps since the Sovereign is also Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Don't get me wrong. I am more than happy to be ruled by HM The Queen according to law but I am not happy with constant tinkering with the law especially when it does not address the real need for greater equality. Outside the Royal Family where the succession is already guaranteed, pity the poor gentry families in danger of losing their hereditary titles because only males may inherit. Do they deserve less? Granted there is no public demand for this but neither was there for same-sex marriage which has been rammed through parliament. Come on Dave. Time for another show of force.

Back in the real world what really matters is that women everywhere are safely delivered of a healthy child. The good news is that mother and baby are doing well but having gone through two difficult pregnancies myself my thoughts naturally are with the father.