PROOF/PROBABILITY DIVIDE ENDURING

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Proof/probability divide enduring

May I make two points, one in particular and one general about the Christian v atheist argument, which has surely gone on long enough?

Mr Pendragon (July 31) fails to grasp what kind of history was written in classical times – and, indeed, much more recently.

Independent, unbiased historians could not exist before the days of printing and universities with history departments.

Josephus – the only historian who could matter in the context of the Holy Land – and his contemporaries were, like poets of the time, spin doctors, writing what pleased the Roman establishment.

In general, there will always be a division between people who insist on absolute proof, as with the famous square on the hypotenuse, and those of us – including me; I am a Christian – who are content with experience and the balance of probability, not only in religious contexts.

That is one reason why the proposal by the House of Lords to make all A-level courses include maths will fail to produce more engineers, though it will produce worse historians, worse linguists and so on, if it makes any difference at all.

What we need are not more round pegs but more square holes, to accommodate the human race in all its variety.

Veronica M Brown, Wigston

"SPIRITUAL HEALER" CONNED FAMILIES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

"Spiritual healer" conned families

A bogus spiritual healer who conned families by claiming he could cure sick relatives using a "special genie" has been jailed for six years.

Gul Faraz (54) donned robes and told victims his spiritual friend would ward off evil spirits.

He tricked his way into a string of homes in Leicester and London by claiming he was a charity worker collecting money to send to India's Kashmir region.

Once inside, he boasted of his healing powers – but insisted he needed his victims' jewellery for the prayers to work.

He then stole the jewellery including wedding and engagement rings, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Faraz's method was to write prayers on a piece of paper, then blow them at his victims, said prosecutor Rekha Kodikara.

He then asked the families to put their precious gems into a pan of water mixed with milk, before dipping a pen into the liquid, which turned red.

Faraz claimed the colour change was the result of his special powers – but he had, in fact, slipped in red powder kept in small packets in his pocket.

"He then wrapped up all the jewellery in tissue paper and placed it in a money bag before putting it in a saucepan," said Ms Kodikara."He wrapped a cloth around the pan and said it had to be left in a cupboard for a week before it could be opened and the prayers had their full effect."

The families, who were mainly Muslim, believed Faraz and even gave him extra cash out of gratitude for his services.

But when the victims checked the saucepan, they found their jewellery was missing.

Faraz collected £3,000 worth of gems from a family after visiting their home in Bow, east London, on March 21 last year.

Ten days later, he pocketed £2,500 from a victim in Stepney, east London.

Faraz also stole £1,200 from a pensioner in Bow on April 4.But days later, a couple he had targeted in Purley Road, Belgrave, Leicester, noticed him slipping the jewellery into his pocket and he was later arrested.

Faraz, of Cambridge Avenue, Peterborough, admitted three counts of burglary and a fourth count of theft.

Judge Tudor Owen told him he had preyed on vulnerable people and his behaviour was "despicable".

The court heard Faraz turned to crime to fund his drinking and gambling addictions.

PROTESTS SPARK RETHINK ON ISLAMIC PRAYER ROOM PLAN

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Protests spark rethink on Islamic prayer room plan

The city council is reconsidering plans to allow a Muslim community group to lease a disused Scout hut.

The As-Salaam Trust is hoping to turn the property in Thurncourt Road, Thurnby Lodge, into a community centre and prayer room.

But some residents have staged protests against the plan, gathering in groups – sometimes hundreds strong – outside a nearby community centre where Muslims have been meeting to pray for the past two-and-a-half years.

Protesters fear the plans will cause traffic problems.

They have stressed their demonstrations are not anti-Islamic but aimed at the city council, which owns the land on which the Scout hut is built and which had agreed to sell the hut lease to As-Salaam.Protesters want the hut to be used as a boxing club for youngsters from the estate.

The city council has now said that, with As-Salaam's agreement, it is seeking an alternative site the organisation could use as a community centre.

City mayor Peter Soulsby has met residents and members of the trust and told them council officers will look at all options available.

He has promised to meet them again next month when officers have completed that work.

Sir Peter said: "I am committed to finding a way forward to address the current difficulties in Thurnby Lodge so we can return to a situation of collaboration and harmony in the area."

Leaflets are being delivered to about 1,300 homes to let residents know the council will not complete on the lease while officers are looking at other options that might better meet the needs of As-Salaam.

However, the council says if alternative premises cannot be found for As-Salaam, negotiations on the sale of the lease will resume.

The authority says that, of 100 groups expressing an interest in the building, only As-Salaam could meet the lease criteria.

The council has also said it will look for a venue that can host the boxing club, which was interested in the Scout hut but did not have the funds in place to buy the lease.

As-Salaam's imam, Mohammed Lockhat, said: "We are negotiating with the council. We live in Thurnby Lodge and we would not want to have to travel far to pray.

"Nobody is happy with the situation."

He said worshippers had been "very patient", but some had stopped attending prayers because there had been a "level of intimidation" from some protesters.

Maxine Williams, landlady of the Stirrup Cup pub, next to the Scout hut, has helped organise the protests.

She said she hoped the council would be able to find As-Salaam another site.

"A prayer room in that building would be incompatible with my business and would cause all sorts of traffic problems," she said.

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,668)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United Kingdom 628
2. United States 598
3. France 152
4. India 91
5. Russia 91
6. Germany 46
7. Canada 20
8. Netherlands 16
9. Ukraine 14
10. China 12

This week's total: 1,668 (last week: 2,220). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

CHURCH ATTENDANCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN YO-YO

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Church attendance has always been yo-yo

There has been a great deal in the Mercury recently regarding religion. Apparently it faces an inevitable demise.

Hasn't it always?

There was certainly a decline in religious attendance in the last century in this country – but there was a massive increase in the 19th century.

This was compared with the very sparse church attendance in the 18th century – which succeeded the general attendance in the 17th century.

I think this yo-yo behaviour is quite usual. A moribund church, for example, experienced a great resurgence of interest around AD 1000.

Way back in the first century BC, the Roman philosopher Cicero was writing of those who had recently decided that the majority who believed in the gods were wrong and that we had no souls after all.

In contrast with the argument that human history leads us ever onwards and upwards, this suggests that humanity's opinions more resemble a pendulum which swings from one extreme ("we believe!") to another ("we do not believe!") but spends the least of its time in the middle ("actually, we're not sure").

This not only applies to religion. It seems to be common to most human activity.

Even scientists convince themselves that they have almost everything sorted out only for some genius to wander up and casually chuck it all into air again. In politics, capitalism is sanity, then socialism insanity, then capitalism is the obvious solution, then socialism explains all.

There is a suspicion that the next generation reacts to the excesses of the previous by going to the opposite end of the spectrum.

Whatever the case may be, it is likely that religion will be with us for the foreseeable future.

Russ Ball, Leicester

MP JOINS COMMUNITY TO BREAK FAST

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

MP joins community to break fast

A Leicester MP fasted for a day during Ramadan, in solidarity with his Muslim constituents.

Jon Ashworth, Labour MP for Leicester South, went without food or water on Wednesday to gain a greater understanding of what being a British Muslim is like.

Mr Ashworth fasted from 3am until 8.30pm, spending time with religious leaders, schoolchildren and community members, while carrying out his daily parliamentary tasks.

His experience was filmed as part of the Liberty Media Productions documentary "Breaking the Fast".

Mr Ashworth said: "Ramadan is such an important spiritual time of year for thousands of families across Leicester and I wanted to both show my support to the Muslim community and also experience fasting for myself – even if just for one day.

"I started the day at 3am and finished by breaking the fast at Masjid Umar mosque.

"Like many Muslims across Leicester, I went about my usual day and was in the office dealing with the many issues I deal with.

"By the afternoon, I was beginning to feel very thirsty and hungry but remained determined."

The documentary is the latest in a string of productions from award-winning Leicester film-maker Dr Halla Diyab.

Dr Diyab said: "The public are bombarded with messages about what being a Muslim entails, but I believe these reports are usually wide of the mark.

"Leicester is one of Britain's most diverse cities and I think it's important that people try as many aspects of different cultures as possible to promote a shared sense of community."

Dr Diyab will be talking to interested broadcasters about rights to the documentary after filming is completed this week.

BISHOP IS BACKING HEART UNIT CAMPAIGN

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Bishop is backing heart unit campaign

The Bishop of Leicester has criticised plans to move children's heart surgery and the specialist extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (Ecmo) treatment from Glenfield Hospital.

The Rt Rev Tim Stevens signed an online petition calling on Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to re-think plans to move the services to Birmingham.

Glenfield Hospital is one of four centres in England that will cease to provide surgery for children born with heart problems, following an NHS review.

Bishop Tim said: "In recent days, I have received a large number of letters and e-mails and had conversations with numerous people who are concerned that the loss of the children's heart surgery unit and the Ecmo facility from Leicester will significantly harm the chances of people living in the East Midlands and further afield in the eastern part of the UK.

"I have visited the heart surgery unit and know that it and the Ecmo facility have an international reputation for excellence.

"Skill levels and success rates are higher than similar services elsewhere.

"It is not at all clear the move to Birmingham will be straightforward."In fact, I fear the movement of these services will be harmful to the nation as a whole, as the skills of a unique team will potentially be lost.

"It has been reported that it may take anywhere between five and 20 years to recover the Ecmo skills currently at Glenfield."

Bishop Tim said he would be raising the matter in the House of Lords when it resumes sitting.

The online petition has now been signed by more than 57,500 people since it was set up at the start of July.

To sign the petition go to: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

DIVERSITY EXISTS WTHOUT DIVINITY

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on its website):

Diversity exists without divinity

In his letter "Open your mind to a greater power" (August 11) Phil Dues asks us to open our spiritual eyes and wonder at the diversity of the world that we live in - animals, plants, trees, the sun and rain. He then suggests that these are proof than an omnipresent deity exists.

Al these essentials to life would of course exist without any divine assistance - in fact, without mankind's degradations they would all be healthier than they are now.

Finally, a question which I and many people have asked: Why does this all-seeing benevolent God allow tragic events such as natural disaster or innocent children to be killed? And please, spare me the usual platitudes about God working in mysterious ways. This tranlsates to me as "I don't know".

Don Tallis, Wigston

VAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA VAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

This email has been widely circulated today by Leicestershire Sikh Alliance after the public vigil organised by Leicester Council of Faiths for victims of the shootings in the Oak Creek Gurdwara, Wisconsin.

Members of Leicester Council of Faiths who attended the vigil appear to agree that the Council of Faiths did itself more good in the eyes of those present - City Councillors, local media - and especially the Sikh community of Leicester and Leicestershire - in 25 minutes last Sunday evening than it had in the whole of the last 25 years. This spilled over into social media, with a lot of traffic on Twitter and coverage on Facebook in particular.

Since this was an event illumined by open demonstrations of friendship, support and sympathy across the boundaries of culture, language, nationality and race, it's appropriate to see it (and its ramifications for our city's communities) in the light of this quotation from Bahá'u'lláh's Hidden Words that came to my mind while I was there: "words are the property of all alike, whereas such deeds as these belong only to Our loved ones". Actions speak louder than words.

And that links so aptly with the invocation that opens the message below. This may be translated into English as, "The Khalsa belongs to God, all victory is the victory of God."

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh

With hundreds of people in attendance, including all faith leaders, the vigil for the victims of the Wisconsin Gurdwara massacre was a resounding success.  In these dark hours, it was amazing for all communities to come together and start the healing process as one universal Leicester community. 

A big thank you to Cllr Manjula Sood and Leicester Council of Faiths for arranging this event.  And an even bigger thank you to Cllr Inderjeet Gugnani who was the unsung hero and hidden architect for the whole event.

Also it was great to hear Jon Ashworth MP's speech. "Tonight we are all Sikhs", was very touching.  Nice one Jon!  This massacre was the largest attack on the Sikh community within the western hemisphere for over half a century.  Is it therefore right that only one MP from the City and County bothered to show?  In one word, "diabolical!".

Pictures attached courtesy of Punjab2000

PukaarNews UK, online news channel

JonAshworth MP's speech, Leicester South

A few words from Surinderpal Rai, General Secretary GTBG

A few words from Amandeep Rai, Public Relations Officer LSA

A few words from George M Ballentyne, Equality & Diversity Officer LCOF

A few words from Sharnjeet Kaur

Thanks

Amandeep Rai (Public Relations Officer for LSA)

FAITH AND SCIENCE ARE NOT EXCLUSIVE

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Faith and science are not exclusive

Philosophy of religion is a very popular subject at advanced level.

The syllabus involves some of the traditional arguments as well as more recent ones – for the existence of God formulated by such theologians as St Anselm and St Thomas Aquinas and counter-arguments by such renowned thinkers as the classic empiricist David Hume.

It is certainly a very worthwhile undertaking for students.

At every twist and turn they are involved in a profoundly thoughtful debate, one in which they will try to argue that perhaps one side may be shown to carry more weight than the other.

To provide sound foundations for the undertaking it is necessary to become familiar with two schools of thought with respect to examining propositions in order to verify their meaningfulness – rationalism and empiricism.

The former concerns itself with the sort of truths arrived at by way of sort of mathematical proof (a priori), the latter those using the scientific method (a posteriori) with its emphasis on experience.Just to offer a taste of argument and stir things up somewhat. Think of yourself – don't try it – standing between railway lines and staring down the track.

Your experience, by way of the senses, would clearly demonstrate that the two lines meet.

Rationalism, in terms of mathematical proof, would perhaps win the day in arguing that, by definition, parallel lines never meet.

It was Rene Descartes in particular – theist, philosopher and mathematician – who argued in this sort of way to show that experience could be somewhat flawed.

Some years ago a Jesuit priest explained to me how for him the teaching of physics involved both himself and his students in something of a spiritual and aesthetic exercise since, as they tried to unearth the mysteries of the universe, the whole process invoked such feelings of awe and wonder.

At the same time, he was careful to argue the limitations of influencing the spiritual development of pupils by way of teaching religious education, maintaining that "religion is something caught" by way of example, "rather than taught".

Most certainly the Jesus of the gospels was teacher, preacher and, more significantly, regarding the latter comment, healer.

In the universities many dons teaching science are also theists, some members of the various faith communities of this country.

Further, I seem to recall reading about a leading scientist, maintaining with some humility, that science strictly speaking seeks to show that a particular theory has escaped disproof rather than attempting to prove anything with concrete certainty.

Personally, I don't recognise the estrangement between science and religion today, though I can quite understand how it arose in past centuries.

The Roman Catholic Church, for instance, in its initial condemnation of Galileo – in Cardinal Newman's words – forsook truth at the expense of authority and it seems that Charles Darwin largely upset the biblical fundamentalists with his theory of evolution.

David Abbott, Stoke Golding