Egypt's Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III dies

BBCNews, 17 March 2012 

Related Stories 

• Obituary: Pope Shenouda III

Pope Shenouda III led Egypt's Coptic
 Christian church for more than three
decades 

Egypt's Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III has died at the age of 88, state television has announced.

The cause of his death was not reported, but the leader of the Middle East's largest Christian minority had suffered from health problems.

Coptic Christians make up 10% of Egypt's 80 million population.

After attacks on Coptic Christians in recent years, Pope Shenouda urged officials to do more to address the community's concerns.

Pope Shenouda led the church, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, for four decades.

His political adviser Hany Aziz told Reuters news agency that Shenouda "died from complications in health and from old age".

He had returned recently to Egypt after seeking treatment abroad.

Pope Shenouda was born Nazeer Gayed into a devout Christian family on 3 August 1923 in Asyut, Upper Egypt, and became a monk in 1954, taking the name Shenouda.

After Pope Cyril died in 1971, Shenouda was enthroned as Pope of Alexandria.

Related Articles:

Egyptian Christians mourn Coptic pope Shenouda III

Rowan Williams resigns as archbishop of Canterbury

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !    

Rowan Williams resigns as archbishop of Canterbury

Rowan Williams is to step down as archbishop of Canterbury at the end of 2012 to take up university position at Cambridge

guardian.co.uk, Andrew Brown and agencies, Friday 16 March 2012

Dr Rowan Williams, who has resigned as archbishop of Canterbury.
Photograph: Rebecca Naden/PA 

The archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to resign and return to academia, as master of Magdalene college, Cambridge.

Williams, 61, will leave his church post at the end of December in time to start his new role next January.

His time in office has been marked by a slowly growing schism in the worldwide Anglican church which he has failed to heal.

Throughout his time in office he has been attacked by conservatives for his liberal views on homosexuality and by liberals for failing to live up to these principles.

The bookies' favourite to succeed him is the archbishop of York, John Sentamu.

Lambeth Palace said the Queen, as supreme governor of the Church of England, had been informed.

Williams, who was confirmed as 104th archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion in December 2002, told the Press Association that occupying the post had been an "enormous" privilege.

He described the Church of England as a "great treasure" which was still a place where many people sought inspiration and comfort in times of need.

"I would like the successor that God would like," he said.

"I think that it is a job of immense demands and I would hope that my successor has the constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros, really.

"But he will, I think, have to look with positive, hopeful eyes on a church which, for all its problems, is still for so many people, a place to which they resort in times of need and crisis, a place to which they look for inspiration.

"I think the Church of England is a great treasure.

"I wish my successor well in the stewardship of it."

In a statement issued by Lambeth Palace, he added: "It has been an immense privilege to serve as archbishop of Canterbury over the past decade, and moving on has not been an easy decision.

"During the time remaining there is much to do, and I ask your prayers and support in this period and beyond."

He added that he was grateful for all the support he and his wife, Jane, had received.

"I am abidingly grateful to all those friends and colleagues who have so generously supported Jane and myself in these years, and all the many diverse parishes and communities in the Church of England and the wider Anglican communion that have brought vision, hope and excitement to my own ministry," he said.

"I look forward, with that same support and inspiration, to continuing to serve the church's mission and witness as best I can in the years ahead."

Williams will continue to carry out all the duties and responsibilities of the archbishop of Canterbury, both for the Church of England and the Anglican communion, until the end of the year, Lambeth Palace said.

The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) would consider "in due course" the selection of a successor.

Williams' return to academia will mark the end of more than 20 years as a bishop and archbishop. He was consecrated bishop of Monmouth in 1991 and elected archbishop of Wales in 1999.

His departure comes after tensions within the Anglican communion over the issue of homosexuality.

The Church of England general synod also looks likely to give final approval in July to legislation introducing women bishops, with the threat of further walkouts by traditionalists.

Williams's predecessor, Lord Carey, held the post of archbishop of Canterbury for 11 and a half years and retired at 66 in 2002.

Dr Rowan Williams became, at 52, the youngest archbishop 

of Canterbury for nearly 200 years. Photograph: Graeme

Robertson for the Guardian

Related Article:

Egypt's Coptic Christian Pope Shenouda III dies

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams could not heal church's rifts

Government, set on gay marriage, opens consultation

Gay couples make wedding plans amid angry Catholic sermons

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !   


"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? 

'Anti-Semitic' settlers game taken offline

RNW,15 March 2012, by Heleen Sittig     

(Photo: VPRO) 

Is it satirical or anti-Semitic? An online game on the site of Dutch public broadcaster VPRO has come under discussion. It’s based on the popular board game Settlers of Catan – only in this version the players have to establish colonies on the West Bank.

The VPRO has now taken the game offline because its “satirical aim is now overshadowed”.

The game

Players are required to assume the role of a Jewish settler. The aim of the game is to build as many settlements as possible on Palestinian territory.

'Anne Frank House cards' and 'Wailing Wall cards' can be used to acquire extra points. Players are also required to apply the stereotype 'traditional Jewish trading mentality' and trade in diamonds.

The game is not satirical but anti-Semitic, say both the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, a watchdog for anti-Semitism, and the Dutch-based pro-Israeli Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI).

Hate speech

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has written a letter about the matter to European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding, hoping she could put pressure on the Netherlands to make sure the game is taken offline.

According to Shimon Samuels from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the game is anti-Semitic and racist. As the VPRO is a public broadcaster, he claims the Dutch state is guilty of hate speech using public money.

It’s not as simple as that, says Dutch Minister of Culture Marja van Bijsterveldt, who doesn’t intend to interfere in the case. The VPRO is a public broadcaster but that doesn't mean the government has anything to do with the content.

Anti-Semitism

Chair of the CIDI Joël Serphos doesn’t think the game is merely satirical. In the Dutch press he said that “use is made of traditional anti-Semitic views”. According to him, they might just as well have been put on the extreme right website Stormfront.

The VPRO says that the game – which is the focus of discussion after being online for longer than a year – was intended as an ironic commentary on the Middle East conflict. The makers hadn’t really intended it as a game. “It should be considered a visual column. It’s oozing satire.”

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(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)

"Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age." -  Jan 19, 2012 (Channelled by Suzy Ward)

Goldman Sachs director quits 'morally bankrupt' Wall Street bank

Greg Smith resigns as executive director of Goldman's European equity derivatives business after devastating attack

guardian.co.uk, Juliette Garside, Wednesday 14 March 2012

An Occupy protester makes their views known on Goldman Sachs.
Photograph: Dan Dennison/Rex Features 

A Goldman Sachs director in London has resigned after publishing a devastating open letter accusing senior staff of being "morally bankrupt" and bent on extracting maximum fees from clients by offloading unsuitable investment products.

Greg Smith, who has left his post as executive director of the firm's equity derivatives business in Europe, claimed that chief executive Lloyd Blankfein and president Gary Cohn have "lost hold of the firm's culture on their watch". He added that "this decline in the firm's moral fibre represents the single most serious threat to its long-run survival"..

Smith's charges, which were swiftly denied by the bank, were published in Wednesday's New York Times.

Smith, who joined Goldman as a summer intern and worked at the firm for 12 years, first in New York and then in London, claimed managing directors repeatedly referred to their clients as "muppets", sometimes over internal email.

"I attend derivatives sales meetings where not one single minute is spent asking questions about how we can help clients. It's purely about how we can make the most possible money off them."

Selected as one of 10 people, out of a firm of 30,000, to appear in a Goldman recruiting video which is played on college campuses around the world, Smith has hired and mentored new recruits and managed a summer intern programme for the bank.

"I knew it was time to leave when I realised I could no longer look students in the eye and tell them what a great place this was to work," he wrote.

He said junior analysts are absorbing a culture in which the most important question is "how much money did we make off the client?", and that hearing talk of "muppets," "ripping eyeballs out" and "getting paid" will not turn them into "model citizens".

"Leadership used to be about ideas, setting an example and doing the right thing. Today, if you make enough money for the firm (and are not currently an axe murderer) you will be promoted to a position of influence."

In response, Goldman Sachs denied that Smith was giving an accurate view of life at the company.

"We disagree with the views expressed, which we don't think reflect the way we run our business. In our view, we will only be successful if our clients are successful. This fundamental truth lies at the heart of how we conduct ourselves," the bank said.

Fast-track to promotion

Smith claims to have advised five the largest US asset managers, Middle East and Asian sovereign wealth funds, and the world's two largest hedge funds. His letter did not name them, but Bloomberg ranks Man Group and Bridgewater Associates as the biggest hedge funds.

He claims the fast-track to a Goldman promotion involves persuading clients to invest in stocks or other products "that we are trying to get rid of because they are not seen as having a lot of potential profit"; getting clients to trade "whatever will bring the biggest profit to Goldman" – referred to internally as hunting elephants and securing a job trading "any illiquid, opaque product with a three-letter acronym".

Goldman has lost the "secret sauce" that allowed it to endure for 143 years and is at risk of losing its clients' trust, wrote Smith: "Goldman Sachs is one of the world's largest and most important investment banks and it is too integral to global finance to continue to act in this way. The firm has veered so far from the place I joined right out of college that I can no longer in good conscience say that I identify with what it stands for."

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Goldman Sachs workers on executive's exit: 'We can't, we're not… no comment'

Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs
Exec: Goldman officials called clients 'muppets'
Goldman Sachs director in London quits 'toxic' bank

GoldmanSachs exec leaves sinking ship in disgust

Goldman gets Wells notice from SEC: filing

FBI sees more hedge fund trading probe informants

The Large Families that rule the world


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !   

Coke, Pepsi make changes to avoid cancer warning

Associated Press, by Candice Choi, AP Food Industry Writer, Mar 8, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) -- Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their sodas as a result of a California law that mandates drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens bear a cancer warning label.

The companies said the changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes. They've already been made for drinks sold in California.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo account for almost 90 percent of the soda market, according to industry tracker Beverage Digest. A representative for Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. was not immediately available for comment.

The American Beverage Association, which represents the broader industry, said its member companies will continue to use caramel coloring in certain products but that adjustments were made to meet California's new standard.

"Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns," the association said in a statement.

A representative for Coca-Cola, Diana Garza-Ciarlante, said the company directed its caramel suppliers to modify their manufacturing processes to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, which can be formed during the cooking process and as a result may be found in trace amounts in many foods.

"While we believe that there is no public health risk that justifies any such change, we did ask our caramel suppliers to take this step so that our products would not be subject to the requirement of a scientifically unfounded warning," Garza-Giarlante said in an email.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, in February filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of ammonia-sulfite caramel coloring.

A spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration said the petition is being reviewed.

But he noted that a consumer would have to drink more than 1,000 cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered that have shown links to cancer in rodents.

The American Beverage Association also noted that California added the coloring to its list of carcinogens with no studies showing that it causes cancer in humans. It noted that the listing was based on a single study in lab mice and rats.

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Soda-Cancer Link Suggested By Controversial Report On 4-MI, Cola Dye Byproduct

J&J starts removing toxins from baby products

J&J starts removing toxins

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70 Percent of Ground Beef at Supermarkets Contains ‘Pink Slime’

Fluoride: The Hard to Swallow Truth Documentary (Video)

That's a Smarties move! Nestle becomes first confectioner to ditch all artificial additives from its products 

The Large Families that rule the world


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New ! 

Letting Banks Shed Capital Won't Build Confidence: View

Bloomberg, by the Editors Mar 13, 2012

The Federal Reserve has a number of powerful tools it can use to restore confidence in the U.S. banking system. Allowing banks to weaken their financial positions shouldn’t be one of them.

On Tuesday, the Fed released the results of the toughest bank stress tests it has yet performed. Designed to ensure that the largest U.S. banks can survive a severe recession and renewed housing crisis, the tests included a 52 percent drop in the stock market, a 21 percent decline in house prices and a 5 percent contraction in economic activity -- similar to what actually happened from 2007 to 2009.

The tests had the desired effect: Bank shares rose sharply Tuesday afternoon as news emerged that major institutions such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. had passed. The results, which the central bank laudably published in detail, show that 15 of the 19 largest U.S. banks would survive the worst-case scenario without falling below minimum capital levels set by regulators.

Good as the stress tests were, they don’t mean the U.S. banking system is out of the woods. Three major banks -- Ally Financial Inc., Citigroup Inc. and SunTrust Banks Inc. -- didn’t pass, and investors still don’t have much faith in the reported capital levels of many of the rest. If the Fed wants the positive results of the stress tests to last, it should err on the side of caution in approving banks’ plans to pay dividends and buy back shares -- moves that benefit shareholders but also deplete capital.

Big Payouts

Early reports suggest that payouts at some banks could exceed already high expectations. JPMorgan, for example, announced a dividend and buyback plan that could cost more than $16 billion this year, compared with the $13 billion analysts had expected. In all, analysts had estimated that the five largest U.S. banks would pay out more than $30 billion this year, up from about $26 billion last year, according to Bloomberg News.

Supporters of such payouts argue that they are good for confidence because they promote the perception that the banking system is on the mend. Financial institutions, they say, have ample capital by the measures regulators follow most closely. The five largest U.S. banks have an average Tier 1 capital ratio of 12.5 percent, more than enough to meet the more stringent international standards that take effect in 2019.

Investors, though, have good reason to doubt those numbers. In the simplest terms, a bank’s capital equals its assets minus its liabilities. In their financial statements, the banks themselves admit that the values they place on assets, such as mortgages and consumer loans, don’t reflect what those assets would fetch in the market. Bank of America, for example, reported that as of Dec. 31, the fair value of its loans was about $27 billion less than the value the bank gave them on its balance sheet. That’s more than 12 percent of common equity, a basic measure of capital.

Investors’ doubts are reflected in the disparity between the market value of some banks’ shares and their book value -- that is, the amount of common equity the banks say they have. Even after the stress-test rally, Citigroup’s shares were trading at a discount of about 40 percent to book value, and Bank of America’s at 58 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. JPMorgan’s shares traded at a 7 percent discount. In all, the market value of the country’s five largest banks falls about $160 billion short of their combined common equity.

Given the size of the banks’ credibility gap, allowing them to pay out more than $30 billion in cash is unduly generous. It might temporarily cheer shareholders and enrich some executives, but it’s hard to imagine how it will bolster confidence or make the banking system healthier.

Read more opinion online from Bloomberg View.

To contact the Bloomberg View editorial board: view@bloomberg.net.

Related Article:

Four US banks fail Federal Reserve stress test

Citigroup shares fell 4% after the announcement it
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Gay couples make wedding plans amid angry Catholic sermons

'It's not like we are all going to be marching into Catholic churches in bridal dresses,' says one gay man at Designer Civil Partnership show

guardian.co.uk, Alexandra Topping, Sunday 11 March 2012

Christine Hepworth, left, and Heidi James examine a selection of rings
 at the Designer Civil Partnership show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Photograph: Teri Pengilley for the Guardian 

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds/ Admit impediments," declared the bard of Stratford in his 116th sonnet. And at the Globe theatre in central London on Sunday – even as Catholics were being urged from thousands of pulpits across the country to oppose gay marriage – there was no shortage of same-sex couples ready to heed his encouragement.

At the Designer Civil Partnership show at Shakespeare's erstwhile theatre, excited couples discussed the colour scheme of invitations, whether wedding "favours" were a necessary part of the big day – and the decision of the Catholic church to wage war against government plans for gay marriage.

"I think it's disgusting. We are not second-class citizens and the idea that this archaic institution should dictate how we live our lives is appalling," said Matt Turrell, 37, a photographer specialising in civil partnerships. "At the end of the day, the union of two people should be about love. Why should we be denied the right to express that publicly?"

On Sunday a letter from two senior Catholic archbishops was read in 2,500 parish churches during mass, arguing that a change to the law would reduce the significance of marriage. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and Archbishop Peter Smith, the archbishop of Southwark, urged their flock to sign a petition against the move, telling them it was their "duty to do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations".

This has a profound impact on people like Evelyn Len, 29, a practising Anglo-Catholic who is due to marry her partner next May. They will have a civil ceremony, but have found a priest who is willing to do a religious blessing. "I would like to get married in a church, and it's very frustrating because I think lots of priests would like to be able to," she said. She was "at peace" with both her religion and sexuality, she added. "I go by what I think Christ would say. I try and keep that in mind when people get angry about it – people have taken these stances, not God."

Her partner, Shelley Webster, 29, saw the debate in a positive light. "When I was a teenager, I never thought the stage when I would be able to have a civil partnership would come," she said. "We've got a long way to go, and the pace of change is slow, but at least it is happening, it is being discussed."

With a string quartet playing in the entrance hall, intense discussions on whether ushers should wear matching cufflinks, and stalls displaying everything from chocolate macaroons to crystal-encrusted table centre pieces, this was a wedding fair much like any other.

But gay couples are still made to feel excluded because they cannot marry in the same way as heterosexual couples, according to Chris Ford, 30, and his fiance Andrew Ogilvie, 32. The couple, both nurses, were told they could have no religious element to their service and described it as the first barrier they had faced as gay men.

"I was gobsmacked," said Ogilvie. "Automatically you feel second class, that your union is not valued in the same way. It's not like we are all going to be marching into Catholic churches in bridal dresses, but you just want to have the option. Civil partnerships are good, but they are not perfect."

The archbishops' decision to label the changing of the legal definition of marriage a "profoundly radical step", which would strip the union of its "distinctive nature", was hurtful to religious gay people, said Shaz Riley, 46, director of the Butch Clothing Company, who was giving advice to potential brides who wanted to avoid a big white dress.

"I have gay Catholic friends who will be no less than heartbroken at what is happening today," she said. Reacting to the archbishop's comments that "marriage is intended for the procreation and education of children" – and that this should exclude gay people – she said: "It's a very sad day. That the church can tell us we will go to hell, or that we can't have families in this day and age, is astonishing."

She and her partner Sue – who introduces herself as Mrs Sue Riley – had a civil partnership ceremony, but would have preferred to have married. "I refer to her as my wife, she is my wife and we are very happily married, no matter what the law might say."

While the new dean of St Paul's Cathedral the Very Rev Dr David Ison has called on the Church of England to embrace gay marriage, the archbishop of York, John Sentamu, joined the Catholic-led opposition. "I happen to believe that to change the law in the end would be forcing an unjustified change," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. But the prime minister has made his support for gay marriage clear. "We believe people should have the option of civil marriage, irrespective of sexual orientation," a spokesman said this week.

Gino Meriano, 49, founder of the Designer Civil Partnership show, cringes at the term "civil marriage". Doling out fizz to anyone within striking distance ("Clare will see you right for Lambrini"), he is in the unusual position of campaigning for civil partnerships for straight people. "This is the 21st century: gays want marriage, straights want civil partnerships, there are single mothers, there are househusbands. You can't stop the progress of society," he said. "We are not hard done by, we have no chip on our shoulder – we just want equality."

Standing in the sunshine overlooking the Thames from a balcony at the Globe, Natasha Marshall, 31, and Debbie Cross, 38, tuck into the bubbles, chatting about the wedding rings they have just chosen for their civil partnership in September. The pair, who have been together for 13 years, would have liked the option of a civil wedding, but seem unconcerned about the fact that they will not yet be able to have a religious ceremony. "Church weddings are boring anyway," said Cross. "We're going to have a lot more fun than that."

Related Articles:

Pope denounces gay marriage lobby to US bishops

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack)

“ ... You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.The only identity that has any fundamental or lasting relevance to your Soul is your Divinity. Any other way you may label or identify yourself is transitory. It changes from one incarnation to the next. ..."

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)

(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)

"Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age." -  Jan 19, 2012 (Channelled by Suzy Ward)


"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? 


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !