Issue 08-07-2011
Featured story
Lessons from Zimbabwe
Craig began his talk with some background history of Zimbabwe. He is still learning how the war, violence, AIDS, poverty and hyperinflation that most Zimbabweans have experienced continue to impact on their lives. This is not a ‘developing’ country – it is a country trying to come to terms with the...
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Art in the Society
A woman turns, her arms flung high, her body twisting in the movement of the dance. She is vulnerable, naked to the light, and energized. She seems to move with the power of the moment, and yet she does not move at all. She is frozen in time, a sculpture...
Locked up – just in case
As the Justice Bill goes to the committee stage in parliament, support is growing for a thorough reform of the system of Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPP). The prime minister has announced an urgent review of the sentence and has promised to bring forward proposals in the autumn...
Is God everywhere?
Why do you suddenly get hit between the eyes? My favourite book is Rudolf Otto’s The Idea of the Holy, written in German in 1917 and translated in 1923. Here is true mysticism. Rudolf Otto coins the word ‘numinous’ from the Latin ‘numen’ – to mean that ‘awe-ful’ shudder moment when...
‘Reforming’ legal aid?
One evening in 1974 I watched a television documentary that highlighted contemporary manifestations of injustice in our society. As a result I spent two months volunteering at Camden Community Law Centre and then trained as a lawyer. Most of my career has involved work under the Legal Aid scheme. This...
Making a difference
Being green may not always be popular, but in the long term it is invariably cheaper. In the short term, too, many green choices will immediately save money. If we walk or cycle rather than using the car, we spend less on motor fuel. If we turn the thermostat down...
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A fool’s paradise
Some Friends argue that ‘We are not all in this together’ (8 April) on inequality in pay. Such aspirational debate is entirely laudable and appreciated. However, to then describe our national debt in terms of political pretext just beggars belief. The national debt is totally real and every penny will...
Prayers for daily life
Many of us find difficulty with prayer. We want to give thanks. We hope for peace and for an end to the sufferings of others. We may find it easy to offer up spontaneous thanks to God for the blessings of this world, but to engage in daily prayer is...
Letters - 08 July 2011
Theism or nontheism With reference to the present discussions regarding theism/nontheism; one of my reasons for becoming a Quaker was my belief that the Religious Society of Friends had gone beyond this particular debate (and many other theological tangles) to another level whereby such discussions were no longer necessary.
Eye - 08 July 2011
Jumping Jesus ‘I am come that you may have life, life in all its fullness,’ Jesus declares as he joyfully leaps from the cross, his face broken by a huge grin and his arms open in a welcoming gesture. This may sound a little unfamiliar, it is certainly a different...