Is it right to fear God? What is the difference between a destructive fear and a “holy trepidation”? An Advent homily by Fr Stephen Wang: Look around you at the chapel walls. Look at the […]
Science
When time intersects with eternity
What is time? How can we use the gift of time? Who is the God who created time? A Lenten reflection by Fr Stephen Wang
Why abortion is not the response to Zika that Colombia’s poor need
The ‘Zika’ virus, which has exploded recently in western news outlets, has barely been off the headlines here in Colombia over the past three months [writes Dr Danelia Cardona in Bogotá]. Initially seen as yet another […]
The lost art of listening
Someone shared this TED talk by Julian Treasure with me at the weekend. It’s three years old but well worth watching. I have been noticing the different ‘channels’ of sound as I walk round the […]
The secret of happiness: switching to a standing desk, whatever they might think about you…
Wake up, World! Sitting all day is killing you. That’s why I switched to a standing desk, and you should, too. I’m paraphrasing Tom O’Donnell, who began his piece, “Wake up, America!” He switched recently, […]
Natural family planning with FEMM: A new fertility management programme
This new fertility management programme comes recommended by one of our readers: FEMM (Fertility Education & Medical Management) is a women’s health program that teaches the link between hormones and health, and how to monitor observable […]
Muslims up, Christians steady, Unaffiliated down: 2010 to 2050
A recent report from the respected Pew Research Center has this title: “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050: Why Muslims Are Rising Fastest and the Unaffiliated Are Shrinking as a Share of the […]
UK Churches speak out against bid to allow ‘three-parent’ embryos
The Church of England and the Catholic Church have issued statements urging MPs next Tuesday to vote against allowing the UK to be the first country in the world to allow a new genetic technology that critics say is […]
How to think, how to consume, how to give: three ‘new’ perspectives
I have read three unusual books recently, each one of them the sort that changes the way you see the world. The first was exceptionally intelligent, the second excitingly creative, the third deeply wise. The […]
How dangerous is the internet?
It’s an intriguing and maybe alarming fact that often the very things that can do most good can also do most harm. Doctors make the best poisoners, and a ‘drug’ can either cure or kill. […]
Young Catholics in healthcare: Hope in Health weekend
Are you a Catholic nurse or doctor, student nurse or medical student in your 20s or 30s? Do you ever feel that you need more support in combining your work and your faith? Our Hope […]
How to turn your inbox from a threat into a source of renewal
Sound psychological advice here from Eric Barker about how to use email to cultivate friendships and even to find a little bit of happiness each morning: On the subject of happiness: Every morning send a […]
Do animals have morality?
Christians and biologists have often, mistakenly, seen themselves as rivals. Both have argued as if there is a choice between science or religion: biology or revelation as sources of knowledge; evolution or God as explanations […]
The foetal body-burning scandal: facing the truth of a throwaway culture
An investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches has revealed that the bodies of thousands of miscarried and aborted babies have been incinerated as chemical waste, with some used to heat hospitals in a waste-to-energy scheme. The programme can be […]
Mitochondrial transfer: science that crosses lines for no good purpose
Three-parent embryos are the most high-profile recent development in reproductive technology, and an area where the UK is striving to take a leading role — hence the government consultation on new rules to allow it. Scientists, […]
What if the person you love doesn’t have a body?
Her, the new film by Spike Jonze, is a beautiful meditation on love, friendship, artificial intelligence, regret, virtual reality, surrogacy, time, gaming, grief, embodiment, self-creation, community, and the only half-acknowledged weirdness of falling in love […]
A weekend for young Catholic nurses and doctors to reflect on issues of healthcare and faith
Are you a Catholic nurse or doctor in your 20s or 30s? Would you like to share ideas about living your faith at work, in the context of prayer and friendship? Then join the Hope […]
The dignity of the person as a foundation for healthcare ethics
A talk given by Prof David Jones from the Anscombe Bioethics Centre at Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy, the first in a series about healthcare ethics.
Nudge theory and the pro-life movement
In a recent post I explained how a successful set of ‘nudges’ can radically reorientate someone’s thinking and behaviour, and how the pro-life movement can learn from this. Many are vaguely familiar with ‘nudge’ theory. Originally […]
Five years on from the HFE Act: whatever happened to cybrids?
Five years ago last month, a highly contentious Bill that had ignited months of fierce debate across the country, finally received Royal Assent. The Bill in question was the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which […]
