Big welcome for our new Bishop of Bradwell

A NEW bishop who will serve parishes across south Essex has been ordained at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Rt Rev John Wraw, was formally ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, during a ceremony at the famous London church.

In a further ceremony, which will be held at Chelmsford Cathedral on Sunday, Mr Wraw, 53, will be installed and welcomed as the fifth Bishop of Bradwell.

Formerly the Archdeacon of Wiltshire, Mr Wraw will succeed the Rt Rev Dr Laurie Green, who retired in February last year, after eight years in the post. Read more

Archbishop of York John Sentamu slams same-sex marriage

David Cameron would be acting like a "dictator" if he allowed same-sex unions to be called marriages, the Archbishop of York has said.

Dr John Sentamu, the second most senior Church of England cleric, said the government should not overrule the Bible on the issue.

Marriage must be between a man and a woman, he told the Daily Telegraph.

Dr Sentamu also said the Church should do more to avoid its leadership being mainly white and middle class.
The government will open a consultation on the issue of same-sex marriages in March. A consultation on the subject by the Scottish government ended last month. Read more

Payday loans 'sucking money' from poor, say assembly members

Companies that offer short-term loans at high interest rates have been accused of "sucking money" out of poor communities by Welsh assembly members.

The Welsh government was urged to work with councils and voluntary groups to promote alternatives to payday loans.

Assembly members expressed concern that it was becoming increasingly easy to borrow money through websites and smart phones.

But industry representatives said they did not target the poor. Read more

Ex-Archbishop Carey attacks bishops over benefit cap

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has criticised Church of England bishops for opposing the government's £26,000-a-year cap on benefits.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he says the scale of the UK's debt is the "greatest moral scandal" facing the country.

He says the welfare system is "fuelling vices and impoverishing us all', and accuses the bishops of ignoring popular opinion by opposing the cap.

The government has insisted it will press ahead with the policy. Read more

Is it possible to have a happy open marriage?

[...] In interviews, people in open marriages say that although it is not for everyone, it is absolutely possible for adults to be in committed, emotionally satisfying relationships with more than one person at a time.

The preferred term is polyamory, a word coined in the early 1990s in the US in part to distinguish from swinging, in which couples approach sex with other people as a joint endeavour, or arrangements in which partners are allowed to have sex with other people without romantic attachments.

"Polyamorous relationships tend to be ongoing, sustainable, emotionally bonded, committed relationships with more than one person, with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved," says Anita Wagner, who says she has been in polyamorous relationships on and off for the last 15 years.

"When it works, it's wonderful. It's an abundance of love and affection and experience."

The keys to a successful, happy polyamorous relationship are up-front consent and negotiation of ground rules and boundaries, say relationship counsellors, sex educators and polyamorous couples.

"That can range anywhere from 'you can only have sex when you go on business trips and you're out of the state', to 'you can have another girlfriend but I'm the primary partner, so I come first'," says Tristan Taormino, a sex educator, writer and feminist pornographer. Read more

University atheist society president forced to resign after cartoon of Muhammad having a drink with Jesus is posted on Facebook

A row has erupted over an atheist society at a top London University posting a cartoon sketch featuring the prophet Muhammad having a drink with Jesus on its Facebook page.

A student Muslim group is demanding the 'offensive' image of Jesus and Mo having a drink at the bar, taken from an online satirical sketch, be removed from the social networking site.
 
The president of the Atheist, Secularist and Humanist society at the prestigious University College London (UCL), Robbie Yellon, has stepped down over the controversy.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088811/University-atheist-society-president-forced-resign-cartoon-Muhammad-having-drink-Jesus-posted-Facebook.html#ixzz1jylfw3BZ