Posts Tagged ‘World’
Scottish church: Inclusive marriage bill allows Jedi to perform weddings
Tuesday, 19 March 2013 15:16
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A church in Scotland is warning that a bill to make marriage laws more inclusive will allow Jedi Knights to officiate over wedding ceremonies.

Reverend Iver Martin recently told BBC that the Free Church of Scotland opposed Scotland’s Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill because it expands law to include non-religious groups.

“There are loads of people in a diverse society like this for whom belief can mean virtually anything – the Flat Earth Society and Jedi Knights Society — who knows? (Read more…)” Martin advised. “I am not saying that we don’t give place to that kind of personal belief, but when you start making allowances for marriages to be performed within those categories then you are all over the place.”

The Scottish government, which is now holding public consultation on the bill, said that it was designed to accommodate humanists, who now must be classified as religious in order to perform nuptials.

“Our current consultation covers not only the introduction of same sex marriage but also the detail of important protections in relation to religious bodies and celebrants, freedom of speech and education,” a government spokesperson told BBC. “At the moment, marriage ceremonies by bodies such as humanists have been classed as religious, even though the beliefs of such organisations are non-religious.”

“We are proposing the introduction of tests which a religious or belief body would have to meet before they could be authorised to solemnise marriage,” she explained.

The Jedi are a religious group from the Star Wars movies franchise. While there is no official Jedi Knights Society, the Temple of the Jedi Order does offer a guide for Jediism marriage rites.

According to the guide, the following might be heard at a Jedi wedding ceremony: “As Jedi, we understand how Love is central to our lives. This love is what allows us to serve others selflessly, and brings us closer to the Force. With these vows and this union you now choose to serve one another as well.”

[Photo: Teerinvata / Shutterstock.com]

 
Cyprus overwhelmingly reject tax on deposits to fund bailout
Tuesday, 19 March 2013 14:06
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Cyprus MPs on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a tax on bank deposits demanded by international lenders as a condition for a bailout deal, with a vote of 36 against, 19 abstentions and none in favour.

“The bill has been rejected,” said house speaker Yiannakis Omirou, as thousands of protesters outside the parliament building in Nicosia exploded in joy.

Local media said the government would now try to renegotiate the terms of the deal with the troika of lenders, and at the same time seek other ways of making up a 5. (Read more…)8 billion-euro ($7.47 billion) shortfall.

Options included issuing a national bond scheme, restructuring the island’s banks and trying to attract further investments from Russia, reports said.

[Updated from original with news of the bailout.]

 
Philippine Supreme Court suspends law requiring free condoms and sex ed
Tuesday, 19 March 2013 13:00
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The Philippines’ highest court suspended on Tuesday a controversial birth control law that had met fierce opposition from the powerful Catholic Church.

Voting 10-5, the Supreme Court issued a four-month freeze against the law, which requires government health centres to hand out free condoms and schools to teach sex education, court spokesman Theodore Te said.

The order “stops implementation of the reproductive health law for 120 days,” Te said, after a closed door session of the justices. (Read more…)

Te did not comment on the merits of the case, saying only the court had issued the suspension to allow petitioners against the law time to present their oral arguments on June 18.

President Benigno Aquino’s office said the government respected the high court’s order, but stressed it was optimistic the Supreme Court would eventually ratify the law.

“We will observe the… resolution issued by the Supreme Court and we are confident that the government will be able to defend the merits of the Responsible Parenthood Law,” Aquino’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, told reporters.

The Catholic Church and pro-life groups were however quick to welcome the decision, saying they interpreted the court’s decision as backing the merits of their argument.

“We deem it as a victory, but not a final victory yet,” Eric Manalang, president of Pro-Life Philippines, told AFP, describing the law as “evil”.

After more than a decade of opposition by the influential Catholic Church, legislators passed the measure late last year and it formally took effect in January.

Church-backed religious groups had lodged at least six petitions with the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the law, arguing it was immoral and openly promoted promiscuity by mandating sex education be taught in schools.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has since called for a “morality vote” in the May mid-term elections against legislators who voted for the passage of the law.

More than 80 percent of the country’s 100 million population are Catholics, making it Asia’s bulwark of the faith.