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Here is the Government’s response to the petition to: “Repeal Relationships and Sexuality Education (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023”.

The response is contained in an email to my wife and myself received today from the “The Petitions team – UK Government and Parliament”

Please note that:

IT TAKES THE GOVERNMENT 600+ WORDS TO SAY ‘NO’ TO THE REQUEST TO REPEAL THE INTRODUCTION OF THEIR INIQUITOUS R.S.I. SCHEME!

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The RSI scheme entails:—

“This document highlights two areas that should concern every born again believer and especially every Free Presbyterian. One has been the case for some time. The other I believe more recent:

1. Religious Education as defined by the four main Churches [Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, & Methodist] and filtered through an Equality Impact Assessment is compulsory for every pupil in a state school.

This means that anything approaching the Gospel is flushed out of this syllabus. This is just an aneamic, bland excuse for the Truth and a blatant exercise in ecumenism that is being taught to Free Presbyterians!

2. Equally worrying is that Relationships and Sexuality Education [RSE] & Citizenship Education is specifically said to include the teaching of respect for sodomy. By respect we all know they mean acceptance.

How can this be right? I do not see how it can be right to oppose Sodomy on one hand and on the other live in a day when Free Presbyterians place their children under such teaching. A house divided against itself cannot stand, Matt 12:25. (more…)

“‭And‭ they came‭‭ to‭ Jericho‭: and‭ as he‭ went‭‭ out of‭ Jericho‭ with‭ his‭ disciples‭ and‭ a great‭ number of people‭, blind‭ Bartimaeus‭, the son‭ of Timaeus‭, sat‭‭ by‭ the highway side‭ begging‭‭.‭ ‭And‭ when he heard‭‭ that‭ it was‭‭ Jesus‭ of Nazareth‭, he began‭‭ to cry out‭‭, and‭ say‭‭, Jesus‭, ‭thou‭ Son‭ of David‭, have mercy‭‭ on me‭.‭ ‭And‭ many‭ charged‭‭ him‭ that‭ he should hold his peace‭‭: but‭ he cried‭‭ the more‭ a great deal‭, ‭Thou‭ Son‭ of David‭, have mercy‭‭ on me‭.‭ ‭And‭ Jesus‭ stood still‭‭, and commanded‭‭ him‭ to be called‭‭. And‭ they call‭‭ the blind man‭, saying‭‭ unto him‭, Be of good comfort‭‭, rise‭‭; he calleth‭‭ thee‭.‭ ‭And‭ he, casting away‭‭ his‭ garment‭, rose‭‭, and came‭‭ to‭ Jesus‭.‭ ‭And‭ Jesus‭ answered‭‭ and said‭‭ unto him‭, What‭ wilt‭‭ thou that I should do‭‭ unto thee‭?‭ The blind man‭ said‭‭ unto him‭, Lord‭, that‭ I might receive my sight‭‭.‭ ‭And‭ Jesus‭ said‭‭ unto him‭, Go thy way‭‭; thy‭ faith‭ hath made‭‭ thee‭ whole‭‭. And‭ immediately‭ he received his sight‭‭, and‭ followed‭‭ Jesus‭ in‭ the way‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Mark 10:46-52.

This morning, (Wednesday) I read the above chapter with its story of the healing of a man whose spirit I so admire and rejoice over. I look forward to meeting ‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭Bartimaeus‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ in glory and talking over with him his wonderful healing.

As I read Mark’s account of this wonderful event, I jotted down in the margins of my Bible some headings, springing from my observation of the record of the incident as given by Mark.

I would like to share them with you.

1. THE STATE OF DESTITUTION BARTIMAEUS WAS IN, WHEN HE MET WITH CHRIST.

“Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.”

Little can we imagine just what depths of impoverishment someone who was blind was required to endure back in those days! Perhaps if we did we would appreciate to a great degree the support that is enjoyed by someone with a like affliction today!

There was very little a blind man back then could do to earn a ‘crust’! Virtually all useful employment was beyond such.

Begging was the only door open to poor Bartimaeus. The word Greek word translated ‘begging’ (prosaiteo) appears only in the three gospel accounts of the healing of Bartimaeus and the blind man of John 9:1, another man whose spirit and demeanour I so much admire.

I think is something very moving and heartbreaking about a blind man begging. Because of his affliction he could never see the face of any who kindly responded, he could not himself gauge just what it was they gave him and he certainly would not see the many expressions of disgust on the faces of those who despised him in his wretchedness! (more…)