“This EU Directive carries with it the threat to criminalise honest, sincere and devout people who happen to believe that certain practices are morally objectionable.  There are many tens of thousands of people in Northern Ireland who hold these kinds of lifestyles to be sinful and offensive.  That they should be coerced in law to facilitate such practices is itself morally wrong.”

“The Ministerial Code under which Ministers in the Executive operate requires Ministers in the Executive to ‘operate in a way conducive to promoting good community relations and equality of treatment.’  We would be interested in finding out how good community relations are promoted by steamrolling through such provisions.”

“The First Minister is to be congratulated on the stand he has taken on this issue thus far in blocking it.  We would urge ask that he continues in his opposition to it.” “The kind of situation envisaged by this EU Directive needs to be countered by highlighting the true potential in these proposals for criminalising ordinary people and also by seeking to enshrine as much protection and as many exceptions to harassment provisions as possible.”

“We would ask that the First Minister continues to explore every possible avenue to achieve this.”
 

  * Caleb Delegation Meets Edwin Poots MLA
A delegation from the Caleb Foundation has met with Edwin Poots, Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure.  This meeting which was at the request of the Caleb Foundation was primarily to discuss concerns held by many evangelical Christians about the annual ‘Gay Pride’ parade and the funding it receives. 
The ‘Caleb’ delegation was comprised of David McConaghie, together with Rev Eric McComb, Superintendent of the Elim Churches in Ireland, Rev David Silversides Minister of Loughbrickland Reformed Presbyterian Church, Rev Samuel Watson Minister of Finaghy Evangelical Presbyterian Church and Callum Webster of the Christian Institute.

Speaking afterwards David McConaghie said: “This was a very good, open and honest meeting.  We conveyed to the Minister our very real concerns regarding this parade.  We also expressed the sense of outrage felt by evangelical Christians at the overtly blasphemous character of this year’s parade in which the person and character of the Lord Jesus Christ was held up to open ridicule in the form a placard.”  “We conveyed to the Minister our belief that this parade fails to make any positive contribution to improved community relations, that it is inherently divisive and that it ought not to receive any public funding.”   “We also took the opportunity to relate to the Minister our conviction that as with any walk of life, a Christian in politics ought to be a Christian first, and we encouraged him to do so as he seeks to discharge the obligations placed upon him by his office.”

“While we will continue to keep a watching brief on D/CAL and all government departments, we were encouraged by much of what the Minister had to say, especially in relation to his attitude towards what occurred at this year’s ‘Gay Pride’ parade.  We hope that this will be translated into ministerial decisions and real action that will ensure that nothing like this will be repeated again.”

* IFA Footballers to Play on the Lord's Day

The Caleb Foundation regrets the decision of the IFA to allow football matches to be played on the Lord's Day.  This decision was allegedly made on the basis of 'freedom of choice.'  However:

* Freedom of choice will very quickly be eroded.  This was the same argument made by retailers and others when seeking Sunday trading.  It very quickly became the case that those who were not willing to work on Sundays were sifted out at interview stage and job offers were withdrawn from them.  How long will it be before football teams will only select players who will co-operate with their Sunday playing policy?  More pressure on Christians to oppose Biblical principles.

* The sabbath Day is a CREATION ORDINANCE and is applicable to all mankind, given by God to all mankind for their blessing and help.  It is beneficial to all, not just to Christians.  The continual rejection of God's plan for mankind will always have detrimental consequences.  This is one more step toward the 24/7 society, in which stress and pressure will mount, especially on families.  Socisety will suffer.

* NEW!  An article entitled "Lies about Christ at Gay Pride Parade" has been added.  Please access this article using the menu bar.  This is a succinct statement of evangelical belief and policy.

An Appeal to Christians to Write to the Parades Commission.

 This year’s so-called ‘Gay Pride’ march was deeply offensive to Christian Believers in and of itself, but the offence was multiplied by the decision of the parade organisers to allow one of the marchers to carry a placard with the slogan, “Jesus is a fag.” We are firmly of the opinion that if such a remark had been made about Mohammad, the placard would have been removed by the police before the march got underway.   The Caleb Foundation is calling upon Christians in Northern Ireland to write to the Parades Commission, and to express their outrage at this. The address to write to is:

The Parades Commission,

Windsor House ,

9-15 Bedford Street,

BELFAST,  BT2 7EL

Write NOW. Don’t leave it until the determination has been made. The Parades Commission needs to be deluged with objections.

Some of those who would promote the homosexual agenda in Northern Ireland have tried to defend this placard by further blaspheming the person of Christ. Jesus warned his disciples that sexual activity outside marriage is sin, and he defined marriage in Matthew 19:4-6 “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Jesus fully and exclusively endorsed the marriage of one man and one woman in a life-long monogamous relationship and forbade any form of sexual activity outside that married relationship.

Furthermore, evangelicals believe in the historic Christian position, restated at the Reformation, that all of the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”