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13/03/2020

Scottish Christians Against Nuclear Arms

In our latest blog, Ellen Charlton Reflects on Scottish Christians Against Nuclear Arms (SCANA) Outreach.

It’s the big question of the day, isn’t it? How do we engage congregations, and particularly young people, in the big issues that concern us? Working with Scottish Christians Against Nuclear Arms, we hope to encourage campaigning and wider discussion about the possession and use of nuclear arms.

At a recent meeting held at St George’s Tron Church of Scotland in Glasgow, we felt that reaching out, rather than inviting in was the way to go. That we should visit youth groups, schools, clubs and other locations where young people get together, instead of asking them to come along to yet another meeting.

It’s not as if we have to reinvent to wheel. The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (SCND) has a great ‘Peace Education’ website that offers a wealth of resources aimed at schools, with links to the Curriculum for Excellence that school children can access. It also includes a very good pack called Morality, Ethics and the Bomb and there’s a power point on the Just War Theory that would be hugely valuable for any of us working with young people.

SCANA’s study day aimed to offer a forum for discussion on the issue of nuclear weapons and to look especially at campaigning and next steps. It was encouraging that participants came from a broad spectrum of denominations. Our speakers, Bishop William Nolan, Catholic Bishop of Galloway and President of the Scottish Justice and Peace Commission of the Bishops' Conference and Bill Kidd MSP, gave us plenty to kick start discussions.

Bishop Nolan spoke of the current and historical Roman Catholic approach to nuclear weapons, saying that teaching issued by successive popes, starting in 1963, had been to completely oppose the use of nuclear weapons, while initially making some allowances for the possession of nuclear weapons as an interim measure on the road to full nuclear disarmament.

He reminded us, however, that since the 1980s, the Vatican, and the Scottish Bishops, have increasingly opposed the possession and renewal of such weapons systems. Their statements have emphasised the immorality of threatening to use them, and of course the immorality of the huge level of expenditure involved, which continues to be diverted from the common good and especially from meeting the needs of the poor.

Bill Kidd updated us on the UN's support for the Nuclear Ban Treaty, launched in 2015 and now signed by 122 countries. He also pointed out the depth of opposition to nuclear arms in the Scottish parliament.

My generation was very aware of the dangers of nuclear weapons because the Cold War was at its height. Perhaps today’s young people have become less aware as the lines of conflict have become blurred. But there are plenty of resources to get the message out, and perhaps your parishes could share resources such as these:

The Joint Public Issues Team: www.jointpublicissues.org.uk
The Justice and Peace Commission – www.justiceandpeacescotland.org.uk
Christian CND – www.christiancnd.org.uk

I was encouraged by one particular participant who said, ‘One thing that stuck out from the study was the wealth of wisdom and experience in the room and our need to connect this wisdom and experience with the new generations of peace activists where they are, through more creative ways of engagement.’

So now our outreach work begins!

06/03/2020

Lent – Aiming for a good one

This week in our blog Marian Pallister reflects on the arguements for and against giving up social media for Lent.

I’ve been trolled, so I was happy to hear Pope Francis put out a general ‘stop trolling for Lent’ message. Of course, His Holiness expressed it more elegantly and went further – turn off the TV, disconnect from the phone. He lamented a world “inundated with empty words” where people “insult each other as if they were saying ‘Good Day.’”

So – as a wordsmith, should I give up words for Lent? Hopefully, this blog won’t be full of empty words and I will certainly avoid insults at all costs.

But how can I meaningfully observe Lent in 2020? For most of us, a retreat is not a possibility (and poor Pope Francis has had to cancel his because of a cold).

Turning off the TV is only effective if we act on the rest of Pope Francis’ suggestion – that we read the Bible. Turning off our phones is probably the more difficult ‘give up’ choice, and he suggests that if we do, we turn to – connect with - the Gospel instead. That’s challenging. That’s Lent.

In a previous Lenten message, Pope Francis said “Indifference to our neighbour and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians.” The more migrants and refugees who knock on our door, the more indifferent governments seem to become. Can I stay on social media in order to campaign for asylum for our Syrian neighbour fleeing from the devastation of his country? For the 40,000 neighbours who have been displaced in Sudan’s West Darfur state in following inter-communal clashes this year? For my neighbour in DR Congo, raped by rebels, her husband killed and her children made to watch their own unfolding tragedy? Do I stay off social media and not ‘share’ SCIAF’s Lenten appeal for women like that particular neighbour?

I understand what Pope Francis wants – a stop to the gossip, the electronic hair-pulling and face-slapping that seems to have become the norm. The show-offy ‘This is my lovely child/home/dinner/weekend/holiday’ that makes the rest of us feel inadequate.

Back in 2014, the Pope was happy to acknowledge the good that social media can do. How sad that in six short years, our ‘screens’ have become arenas as deadly as any in Rome 2000 years ago. No lions, but plenty of souls torn to shreds.

I’ve reminded myself of the definition of Lent - a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.

So – Jesus withdrew. He had no phone, no TV, no social media distractions, no chocolate – but he had been surrounded constantly by thousands of people wanting a bit of Him. He went into the desert and the Devil tried to get into His head.

In comparison, Pope Francis is just talking common sense and decency. Even so, I may be wrestling with the good and evil of social media. Campaign for Justice and Peace? Or a blank screen?

28/02/2020

Fairtrade

Carol Clarke has recently been awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award for her work in promoting Fairtrade goods. This Fairtrade Fortnight Carol reflects on over 30 years of campaigning and what inspires her to keep going. Weekly blog.

This year is important for Fairtrade, as it marks the 25th Anniversary of the Fairtrade Mark. In reality, every time we shop is important, because with every purchase we make, we are making a choice.

With that choice we either help some of the most marginalised people in our world - or we ignore their plight.

My fair trade journey began in 1984, watching the terrible pictures of the Ethiopian famine on TV. With so many others, I was moved to help alleviate such suffering.

With others in my church, St Mary’s Hamilton, we started a SCIAF group to raise money. That in turn led us to investigate the causes of poverty in the developing world. And of course, one of the main causes is the greed of the developed world.

In the 1990s, we set up a Traidcraft stall in the church, supplied by a lovely lady from Strathaven, on a sale or return basis. This was very successful and from there I contacted Traidcraft and became a Traidcraft Fairtrader. We then supplied other churches and local schools on a sale or return basis. Our little group became one of the top selling Traidcraft groups in the country.

By 2002, Strathaven and Aberfeldy became the first two Fairtrade towns in Scotland. A discussion between Hamilton Fairtraders and our neighbours in Strathaven gave us the know-how to form a Fairtade Town committee, and Hamilton became a Fairtrade Town in 2004.

The following year there were moves to make Scotland a Fairtrade Nation, and in 2006 the Scottish Fairtrade Forum was formed. I was fortunate to be a member of the first Scottish Fairtrade Forum Steering group, representing both Justice and Peace and Traidcraft Fairtraders. Scotland became a Fairtrade Nation in 2013 and the rest, as they say, is history.

I feel that in the early 2000s, Fairtrade was at its most vibrant. During Fairtrade Fortnight all the supermarkets put on Fairtrade displays without any prompting. But for the last few years you would be hard pushed to find a display in any supermarket, with perhaps the exception of the Co-op.

Why? Could Fairtrade sales have reached their peak? I am not sure this is true. I think that today we need to redouble our efforts to ensure we buy ethically. If our supermarket, local shop or cafe is not selling fairtrade then we need to ask why. If there’s no joy, we have to be proactive and shop elsewhere. Our wallets are the most important weapons we have.

The theme of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight is ‘She deserves better’, and ‘she’, representing producers in the developing world, certainly does. They all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, so let’s use our consumer power to stop exploitation.

I was very humbled recently to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Scottish Fairtrade Forum. This honour would not have been possible without the many people I have worked with over the years and I am indebted to all of them. There are so many unsung heroes in the Fairtrade movement, and I stand on the shoulder of giants.

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