SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

Why saying ‘I do’ is good for families – Bob McCoskrie (Director – Family First NZ)

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[On 27 June the Dominion Post published the following article in defence of marriage and the family, by Bob McCoskrie, national director of the registered charity – Family First NZ]

On April 29, two billion people worldwide sat in front of their TV screens as they witnessed one of the most public weddings in history – the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

No-one asked why they were getting married, why they didn’t get a civil union instead, or said that the ceremony was pointless and unnecessary. It was simply the dream that many aspire to.

Just 20,900 couples got married in New Zealand last year – an all-time low. This has led to claims that a wedding ring is unnecessary to legitimise parenthood and sexual activity. Put simply: some think marriage doesn’t matter. On that basis, civil unions matter even less – only 273 couples got one last year.

But do declining rates mean that it doesn’t matter? Should we be concerned that marriage rates are at an all-time low? Yes, we should. Marriage matters. The weakening of marriage is one of the most important social issues we are facing.

A 2006 British report said that the breakdown of the traditional married family was at the root of teenagers being involved in violent acts, taking more drugs, drinking more, and having sex at a younger age.

But the report didn’t come from a “Right-wing think-tank’ or lobby group with a “moralist agenda”. It was from Britain’s most prominent and influential Left-leaning policy group – the Institute for Public Policy Research. It contradicted years of ideology that family structure doesn’t matter.

Cohabitation statistics in the 21st century released this year by British social reform organisation the Jubilee Centre found that married couples with children are 10 times more likely to stay together than de facto couples – and marriages last an average of four years longer if partners haven’t lived together before getting married.

According to the study, in 1993 70 per cent of couples who had children after they got married remained married at their child’s 16th birthday – increasing to 75 per cent in 2006. Yet just 36 per cent of cohabiting parents were together for their child’s 16th birthday in 1992 – reducing to just 7 per cent in 2006. This indicates that marriage has become a more stable family background for raising children.

According to Why Marriage Matters – a report co-authored by 13 leading social- science scholars, including Professor William Galston, a domestic policy adviser to the Clinton administration – parental divorce or non-marriage appears to increase children’s risk of school failure, the risk of suicide, psychological distress and, most significantly, delinquent and criminal behaviour.

For full published article go to:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/5195687/Why-saying-I-do-is-good-for-our-families

OR

Family First NZ website: www.familyfirst.org.nz

Liberty Trust – Resurrected as Charity by High Court ruling

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The High Court has reinstated a Christian mortgage lending scheme as a charity after it was struck off the Register of Charities by the Charities Commission last April. Liberty Trust, suspected by the Charities Commission of being an illegal pyramid scheme, said its interest-free loans, largely funded by donations, were based on Bible principles. The trust was launched in Whakatane in 1989 and became a registered charity in 2007. “It is a scheme about giving in order to lead a Christian life free from the burdens of debt.” Justice Jill Mallon said.

Source: Dominion Post June 8, 2011, P. A3

[Liberty Trust: Charity registration number CC11287. Registered trust with the Companies Office (Reg. No. 428355)].

CHARITABLE STATUS OF LIBERY TRUST APPROVED BY HIGH COURT

2 June 2011: The Honourable Justice Mallon produced her judgement at 4.45pm today.  Here is the conclusion: 

Result

[124] I consider that the Charities Commission erred in finding that Liberty Trust does not have, as its main purpose, a charitable purpose. Liberty Trust was set up to advance religion. It seeks to do that through teaching financial principles that Liberty Trust proclaims are the Bible’s financial principles. It seeks to teach those principles through providing a scheme which allows its followers (and anyone else who wishes to join up) to pool financial resources for the benefit of themselves and others. It reinforces the religious beliefs on which the scheme is based through its literature promoting the scheme and its other publications and teaching activities. It is not merely inspired by or conducive to religion. Its purpose, through this scheme, is to spread what is viewed as being the Bible’s message. In my view the purpose of Liberty Trust falls within the term “advancement of religion” as it has been interpreted in the cases.

[125] I also consider that the Charities Commission erred in finding that Liberty Trust’s activities do not exist for the public benefit. As a trust which has as its purpose the advancement of religion, the starting assumption is that it has a public benefit. The activities are not contended to be subversive to morality or a sham. It is not for the Court to impose its own views as to the religious beliefs that are advanced through the scheme. The benefits of the scheme are not focussed too narrowly on its adherents. It is open to anyone and the money donated is “recycled” for the benefit of others. Overall it is a scheme about “giving” in order to lead a Christian life free of the burdens of debt.

[126] I therefore allow Liberty Trust’s appeal. The Commission’s decision is set aside. Liberty Trust is to be reinstated to the Charities Register.

http://www.libertytrust.org.nz/News/news_CC.htm

Read the full High Court judgment here:

http://www.libertytrust.org.nz/News/Judgement.pdf

Adoptee spurred battle for law reform to enable access to birth information

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On 12 January 2011 Rev. Keith Clifton Griffith MBE sadly passed away after a short period of illness and will be sorely missed by his wife Helen, three sons and their respective young families. Our Society executive, one of whom had known Keith for almost 40 years and was able to attend Keith’s funeral held in Porirua, are so grateful for his valuable contribution to our Society’s direction as set out in our revised Constitution (see Objectives tab on our website homepage or go to www.societies.govt.nz and search under Inc. Soc. No. 217833).

Keith, who was guest speaker at our Society’s AGM held on 30 June 2010, and who in 1988 was awarded an MBE for services to adoption research, publications and formation of adoption support networks; emphasised in his address the importance of adopting three guiding principles in all charitable work: truth, openness (or transparency) and integrity. The Society executive has sought to follow his advice and we found his AGM talk involving his account of his own charitable work, most inspirational. [Read more…]

Faith-Based Healing in NZ Prison for Inmates

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[John Bunyan wrote his great classic The Pilgrim’s Progress while he was in prison. It is an allegory of the Christian life that is inspiring many today in New Zealand prisons to seek after God through prayer and reading the Bible. Many are discovering how faith in Jesus Christ – His life, death and Resurrection – can bring them new spiritual life, peace, forgiveness from sin and eternal life].

Rimutaka Prison houses the only faith-based prison unit in the country. It opened in 2003 and is run by Prison Fellowship (PFNZ) an international Christian organisation that provides prison activities, restorative justice courses and post-release support. [Copies of Pilgrim’s Progress have been made available to many prisoners funded by the Society and its supporters].

The Dominion Post reports “The inmates are a motley crew of rapists, murderers, paedophiles and drug dealers; lifers and short-termers; Mobsters and Black Power.”

For more see: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4341311/Inside-Rimutakas-faith-based-unit [Read more…]

Film “End of the Spear” R16 rating downgraded to R13 following Society’s successful appeal

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Press Release 4 July 2008

The film “End of the Spear” has had its classification downgraded from R16 to R13 following a successful appeal by the Society against the classification decision issued by the Chief Censor’s Office. The Society contended in its written and oral submisssion to the Board that the nature of the depiction of violence in the film – medium level violence – could not possibly justify an R16 classification. The nine member Film and Literature Board of Review agreed and in a unanimous decision, issued to the Society on Wednesday this week, took the view that 13, 14 and 15 year old children would not be harmed by exposure to the violence which formed only a small part of a compelling Christian message of forgiveness and redemption that is told based on the “true story” of the missionary outreach in the 1950s, to the violent South American Waodani Indian tribe. A revised censor’s note from the Board, alerts viewers to the medium level violence involving tribal warfare that some might find “disturbing”.

This is the second successful appeal by the Society in recent years involving a major Christian film that has led to its classification rating – issued by the Chief Censor’s Office – being downgraded by the Board. The Society made both oral and written submissions to the Board to overturn the R16 classification of Mel Gibson’s blockbuster film “The Passion”, and this led it to being reclassified R15. The applicant in this case was the film’s distributor and the Society opted to take a role as an interested party.

The Society has as one of its six objectives: the promotion of freedom of expression, within the boundaries of good law that safeguards the public good from injury.