The Shofar is the ancient trumpet which called the people of God to prayer, repentance, sacrifice and war.

WRITE TO PEERS

The House of Lords should begin their consideration of the Governments' Racial & Religious Hatred Bill on 11th October 2005.  We pray they will vote against it at Second Reading, even though it was in Labour's Manifesto.  Twice before, in the 2001 Terrorism Act and earlier this year in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, the House of Lords has thrown out this legislation.  We believe the Bill would severely limit preaching of the Gospel.  The Bill makes it a criminal offence to say anything or distribute literature which is 'likely to to be heard or seen by any person in whom it is likely to stir up ... religious hatred.'  That could be anybody.  'Religious hatred' in the Bill means 'hatred against a group of persons defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief,' - which must include followers of all other religions as well as sinners in general - but neither 'hatred' nor 'religious' is actually defined.  The Courts will have wide discretion to interpret such a provision in a way which would criminalise virtually every genuine Gospel preacher.

If a preacher is raising human rights concerns over the treatment of Christians in Muslim countries, or unpacking the Qu'ran, or denouncing Muslim extremism, it is very likely he would be caught by the new law, as Daniel Scot was by the State of Victoria's 'Religious vilification' law.  If he was, as we do in our paper 'Diwali - a parents' guide', explaining the horrors of Hinduism, and the subjection that results from the practical outworkings of Hindu mythology and the caste  system, a charge of 'stirring up religious hatred' would be almost inevitable.  Thus will there be a clash between Christianity and this legislation. Our Saviour commands us to go and preach the Gospel.  If we are to preach the Gospel we shall inevitably speak against the claims of other religions.  

FREE EXPRESSION OF RELIGIOUS VIEWS
The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill will as we understand it criminalise preaching the Good News that Jesus is the only way to the Father, and land Christians in jail.  In case some of the peers on our list below are not too keen on Jesus, it is worth saying it will also prevent the free expression of religious views, and the robust criticism of religion in general or in particular.  The frank and passionate exchanges between Christians and Muslims at Speaker's Corner could become a thing of the past.

At the same time, a measure whose proponents claim is necessary for good relations between followers of different religions will, when the first case is brought, set those followers at each others' throats.  Christians and Muslims in Victoria are now attending each other's meetings, jotting down the slightest indiscretion.  Nor have the Government established a need for the new law, apart from the electoral need to appease the Muslim vote.  In the wake of 9/11, with Palestinian terrorism fresh in the mind, suicide bombings in London  now a reality and bombings in Iraq happening almost daily, Muslims wish to silence any view that their faith encourages the taking of innocent infidel life.

PRAY: That the House of Lords reject the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill.  Pray that big speeches are made against it in the Second Reading Debate.  Pray for confusion in the Government ranks.  Pray for the Church of England, the Salvation Army, the Methodists and others who misguidedly support the Bill, believing it will help relations between faiths in Britain, or that it could be a substitute for the blasphemy laws.  Pray for clarity on our side. Pray that there will be no hint of compromise from other Christian lobby organisations.  The Bill must go in its entirety, and no 'conscience exemptions' must even be thought about.  This is a time for the Church to stand firm and see a miracle of deliverance from Almighty God.

WRITE: To your local peers as listed below.  Ask them to vote against the Racial and Religious Bill at the first opportunity.  Stress the various arguments as you feel led.   Those marked with an asterisk are not normally sympathetic but they voted against a similar measure in 2001.  Freedom of speech arguments will work best with them.  Write to your peers at: 'House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW'  Address letters to each peer just as in the list, except where we have omitted 'The' before Lord and abbreviated Baroness to 'Bs' to save space.  Put 'The Lord' and 'Baroness' respectively. Begin your letter: "My Lord" or "My Lord Bishop" (Most Bishops in the House of Lords are listed) or for Baronesses, "My Lady."  Archbishops and Dukes are "Your Grace".  End your letter "Yours faithfully."

LIST OF PEERS

(Who have in the past, or whom we hope now to be, opposed to Religious Hatred legislation)

LONDON:
Balham
The Viscount Trenchard

Bayswater
The Lord Powell of Bayswater

Belgravia
The Lord Bell
The Lord Selsdon

Camden
The Lord Feldman
The Lord Quirk
The Lord Stallard
* Baroness Turner of Camden

Chelsea
* The Viscount Craigavon
The Viscount Slim
The Lord St John of Bletso

Chiswick
The Lord Hannay of Chiswick

City of London
* The Lord Hooson
The Lord Levene of Portsoken

Clapham
* The Lord Beaumont of Whitley
* The Lord Clement-Jones

Dulwich
* The Lord Lester of Herne Hill
Prof The Lord McColl of Dulwich

Fulham
The Lord Aberdare
The Lord Brabazon of Tara

Isleworth
The Lord Hayhoe

Islington
* Baroness Ludford

Kensington
The Lord Chorley
* Baroness Greengross
Baroness Hanham
The Lord Ramsbotham

Kentish Town
* Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank

Knightsbridge
Baroness Dunn
Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge

Lambeth
The Lord Mishcon
The Lord Moore of Lower Marsh

Ludgate
The Lord Stevens of Ludgate

Marylebone
Lord Plummer of St. Marylebone
The Lord Wolfson

Mile End
* The Lord Peston

Millbank
The Lord Cuckney

Monken Hadley
The Lord Carr of Hadley

Mortlake
* The Lord Razzall

Paddington
The Viscount Bridgeman
The Lord Tugendhat

Peckham
The Lord Harris of Peckham

Pimlico
The Lord Geddes
The Earl Listowel
The Lord Mowbray and Stourton
* The Lord Taverne

Queensbury
Baroness Cox

Regents Park
The Lord Bagri

Southgate
Baroness Gardner of Parkes

Southwark
The Lord Bishop of Southwark,

Stockwell
The Lord Elton

Tottenham
The Lord Harris of High Cross

Tower Hamlets
The Lord Black of Crossharbour

Vauxhall
* Baroness Stern

Victoria
The Lord Bishop of London

Wanstead
The Lord Jenkin of Roding

Westminster
The Earl Attlee
The Lord Boyce
The Lord Brougham and Vaux
The Lord Clement-Jones
* The Lord Desai
Baroness Elles
The Lord Flowers
The Lord Griffiths
The Lord Hooson
* Baroness Howe of Idlicote
* The Lord Roper


REST OF ENGLAND:
Bedfordshire
The Lord Ampthill
Rt Hon the Lord Clark of Kempston
The Earl of Erroll
The Lord Luke
The Lord Lyell of Markyate
The Lord Naseby
The Lord Pym

Berkshire
Baroness Buscombe
Marshall of the RAF Lord Craig of Radley
* Baroness Darcy de Knayth
Baroness Flather
The Lord Goff of Chieveley
The Viscount Goschen
* Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
The Lord Palumbo
Lord Wolfson of Sunningdale

Buckinghamshire
Lord Alexander of Weedon
The Lord Carrington
The Lord Denham
The Lord Habgood
The Earl Howe
* The Lord Jacobs
* Baroness Mallalieu

Cambridgeshire
The Lord Mawhinney
* Bs O'Neill of Bengarve
* Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn
The Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior
The Viscount Waverley
* The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn

Cheshire
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
The Lord Bishop of Chester,
The Lord Goodlad
The Lord Hunt of Wirral
The Lord Ryder of Wensum
The Lord Wade of Chorlton

Cornwall
The Lord Chilver
The Lord Coe
The Lord Tyler
Lord Waldegrave of North Hill

County Durham
The Lord Dixon
The Lord Bishop of Durham,
The Lord Eden of Winton

Cumberland
The Lord Henley
The Lord Inglewood

Derdyshire
* Bs Richardson of Calow
* Baroness Walmsley

Devon
The Lord Bishop of Exeter
Baroness Fookes
The Lord Greenway
The Lord Owen
Baroness Wilcox

Dorset
The Lord Moynihan
The Lord Neill of Bladen
The Lord Plumb
Baroness Sharples

Essex
Lord Bishop of Chelmsford
The Lord Dixon-Smith
The Lord Fowler
The Lord Hanningfield
The Lord Kelvedon
The Lord Newton of Braintree
Baroness Platt of Writtle
Lord Sheppard of Didgemere
Rt Hon the Lord Tebbit
The Lord Wakeham

Gloucestershire
Lord Barber of Tewkesbury
* The Viscount Bledisloe
The Lord Cope of Berkeley
Baroness Fritchie
* Lord Holme of Cheltenham
The Lord Jones of Cheltenham
The Lord Mancroft
Baroness Oppenheim‑Barnes
The Lord Richardson of Duntisbourne
The Lord Willoughby de Broke

Hampshire
Lt. Col the Viscount Allenby of Megiddo
The Lord Brightman
The Lord Chidgey
Lord Donaldson of Lymington
The Earl Jellicoe
Lord McAlpine of West Green
* Baroness Maddock
* Lord Montagu of Beaulieu
The Lord Northbrook
The Earl of Northesk
Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover
The Earl of Selborne
* The Lord Sharman
Lord Bishop of Winchester

Hertfordshire
* The Lord Bruce of Donington
The Lord Clarke of Hampstead
The Lord Cobbold
The Lord Lane
Lord MacLaurin of Knebworth
Baroness Miller of Hendon

Huntingdonshire
The Lord Renton

Isle of Wight
Bs Bottomley of Nettlestone
* The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay

Kent
The Lord Astor of Hever
Lord Archbishop of Canterbury
Rt Hon The Lord Cockfield
The Lord Deedes
Baroness Emerton
Baroness Noakes
The Lord Nolan
The Lord Northbourne
The Lord Bishop of Rochester
* The Earl of Sandwich
The Lord Swinfen
Baroness Trumpington
The Lord Weatherill

Lancashire
The Lord Alton of Liverpool
* The Lord Barnett
Lord Cavendish of Furness
* The Lord Fearn
* The Lord Greaves
Baroness Hooper
The Lord Kingsdown
The Earl of Liverpool
Lord Bishop of Manchester,
* The Lord McNally
The Lord Parkinson
The Lord Reay
* The Lord Rennard
The Lord Sheldon
The Lord Stokes
The Lord Waddington
* Baroness Williams of Crosby

Leicestershire
Baroness Byford
The Lord Freeman
The Lord Kimball

Lincolnshire
Baroness Hogg
The Lord Monson
* The Lord Norton of Louth
Rt Hon the Baroness Thatcher

Middlesex
The Lord Greenhill of Harrow
The Lord Laing of Dunphail

Norfolk
The Lord Buxton of Alsa
The Lord Fellowes
The Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market
The Lord Oliver of Aylmerton
Baroness Rawlings
Bs Shephard of Northwold
The Viscount Ullswater

Northamptonshire
Baroness Knight of Collingtree

Northumberland
The Lord Elliott of Morpeth
The Lord Lloyd of Berwick
The Lord Murton of Lindisfarne * The Lord Redesdale
The Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington
The Lord Vinson
The Lord Walton of Detchant

Nottinghamshire
The Lord Bishop of Southwell,

Oxfordshire
The Earl of Arran
The Viscount Astor
The Earl Baldwin of Bewdley
The Lord Butler of Brockwell
The Earl of Caithness
The Lord Chadlington
* The Lord Dahrendorf
* The Lord Goodhart
The Lord Heseltine
The Lord Hurd of Westwell
The Lord May of Oxford
The Lord Moore of Wolvercote
Baroness Perry of Southwark
The Lord Quinton
The Lord Rotherwick

Shropshire
* The Lord Biffen
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts
The Lord Kingsland

Somerset
Lord Armstrong of Ilminster
* The Lord Ashdown of Norton‑sub‑Hamdon
The Lord Dean of Harptree
The Lord Hylton
The Lord King of Bridgwater
The Lord Mayhew of Twysden
* Bs Miller of Chilthorne Domer
The Lord Patten
The Lord Peyton of Yeovil
Lord Pilkington of Oxenford
The Lord Rees-Mogg
The Lord Skelmersdale
The Lord Williamson of Horton

Staffordshire
Baroness Boothroyd
The Earl of Shrewsbury
Lord Thomas of Swynnerton

Suffolk
The Lord Belstead
The Lord Bridges
Rt Hon the Earl Ferrers
Bs James of Holland Park
The Lord Marlesford
* The Lord Phillips of Sudbury
The Lord Prior
* Baroness Scott of Needham Market

Surrey
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Lord Baker of Dorking
The Lord Blackwell
The Lord Bowness
Field Marshall the Lord Bramall
The Lord Croham
The Lord Hamilton of Epsom
* Baroness Hamwee
The Lord Howell of Guildford
The Lord Lane of Horsell
The Earl of Onslow
The Lord Onslow of Woking
The Lord Patten of Barnes
The Lord Rawlinson of Ewell
* Baroness Sharp of Guildford
The Viscount Tenby
* Bs Thomas of Walliswood
Baroness Tonge
* The Lord Tope
The Lord Trefgarne
* Lord Watson of Richmond
The Lord Windlesham
The Lord Wright of Richmond

Sussex
The Lord Ackner
The Lord Ashcroft
The Lord Blaker
Baroness Cumberlege
* The Lord Dholakia
* The Lord Ezra
The Lord Higgins
* Baroness Northover
Baroness O'Cathain
Lord Renton of Mount Harry
The Lord Saatchi
The Lord Skidelsky
The Lord Sterling of Plaistow
The Lord Young of Graffham

Warwickshire
The Lord Blyth of Rowington
Baroness Seccombe
The Lord Taylor of Warwick
The Lord Tombs

Wiltshire
The Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville
Lord Hussey of North Bradley
The Lord Lucas
* The Lord Methuen
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon
The Lord Vincent of Coleshill
* Baroness Warnock

Worcestershire
The Earl of Courtown
The Countess of Mar
The Lord Walker of Worcester

Yorkshire
The Lord Ahmed
Rt Hon the Lord Barber
Lord Brittan of Spennithorne
The Lord Crathorne
Baroness Eccles of Moulton
The Lord Hanson
* Baroness Harris of Richmond
The Lord Hope of Thornes
The Lord Inge
The Lord Jopling
The Lord Kirkham
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract
Baroness Masham of Ilton
The Lord Mason of Barnsley
* The Lord Newby
The Earl Peel
The Lord Shaw of Northstead
* The Lord Shutt of Greetland
The Lord Simon of Glaisdale
* The Lord Wallace of Saltaire
The Lord Archbishop of York

WALES:
Brecknockshire
The Lord Crickhowell
* The Lord Livsey of Talgarth
The Lord Moran

Caernarfonshire
The Lord Roberts of Conwy

Denbighshire
The Lord Colwyn
* The Lord Thomas of Gresford
The Lord Thomas of Gwydir

Glamorgan
Lord Anderson of Swansea
The Lord Brooks of Tremorfa
The Lord Davies of Coity
Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach
The Lord Howe of Aberavon
The Lord Islwyn
Bs McFarlane of Llandaff

Merioneth
* The Lord Elis-Thomas

Monmouthshire
The Lord Chalfont
Baroness Park of Monmouth
The Lord Rees


SCOTLAND:
Aberdeenshire

The Lady Saltoun of Abernethy

Angus
Baroness Carnegy of Lour
The Lord Fraser of Carmyllie
Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank
The Lord Lyell
* Lord Thomson of Monifieth

Ayrshire
The Lord Campbell of Alloway
The Lord Lang of Monkton
The Lord Strathclyde

Berwickshire
The Earl of Home
The Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope
The Lord Palmer
Lord Sutherland of Houndwood

Clackmannanshire
* The Earl of Mar and Kellie

Dumfriesshire
The Lord Monro of Langholm

Fife
Earl of Crawford and Balcarres
The Earl of Dundee
The Earl of Lindsay
The Lord Rodger of Earlsferry

Kincardineshire
The Lord Glenarthur

Lanarkshire
The Lord Evans of Parkside
The Lord Hope of Craighead
* Bs Kennedy of The Shaws
Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden
The Duke of Montrose
The Lord Selkirk of Douglas
The Lord Stewartby

Midlothian
* Bs Linklater of Butterstone
Lord Mackay of Drumadoon

Morayshire
* Baroness Barker

Nairnshire
Rt Hon Lord Campbell of Croy

Perthshire
Lord Jauncey of Tullichettle
The Lord Mackay of Clashfern
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch

Ross-shire
The Lord Gray of Contin

Roxburghshire
Lord Sanderson of Bowden

Shetland
The Lord Lamont of Lerwick

Stirlingshire
The Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
The Lord Nickson

Sutherland
* Lord MacLennan of Rogart


NORTHERN IRELAND:
County Antrim
* The Lord Alderdice
The Lord Cooke of Islandreagh
The Lord Glentoran
The Lord Molyneaux of Killead

County Armagh
The Lord Kilclooney

County Down
The Lord Rogan

County Fermanagh
The Viscount Brookeborough

County Londonderry
* The Lord Smith of Clifton

County Tyrone
The Lord Laird
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass