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Ammon
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Ammon
The Bible Society Celebrates Jordan's 79th Independence Day
Ammon News - With a notable youth presence and strong patriotic enthusiasm, the Bible Society celebrated Jordan's Independence Day on Sunday evening in front of its bookshop on Rainbow Street, Jabal Amman. The event will be followed by other celebrations in different areas, including Ghor Al-Safi, where wheelchairs will be distributed to a group of people with disabilities in the region. The General Secretary of the Society, Munther Namat, noted that the aim of the celebration is to express love for the nation, saying:"We wanted this celebration to be a reflection of our love for our country and our loyalty to its Hashemite leadership, and we were deeply pleased by the spontaneous and sincere reaction of the participants. "The organizers also expressed their pride in Jordan's young generation, emphasizing:"We are proud of our youth and their loyalty to their country and leadership, and we raise our hands in prayer that God may protect Jordan, keeping it a safe and prosperous homeland under the wise Hashemite flag. "The youth actively expressed their love for Jordan and loyalty to His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah. The celebration featured a musical performance by the Latin Scouts – Al-Misdar, who performed patriotic songs that were well received by citizens and visitors of Jordan. The festivities lasted for two hours, accompanied by the playing of national songs, which added a joyful and patriotic atmosphere that resonated with the overall mood across the Kingdom. Members of the Scouts expressed their happiness in taking part in this special occasion, saying:"As Christian Scouts whose mission is to serve the nation and the Church, we were glad to participate in the Independence Day celebrations through this event by the Bible Society, which shares with us the mission of serving the nation and the Church. "Between 6:00 and 8:00 PM, the Bible Society's team and volunteers distributed Jordanian flags and flag pins to passersby in front of the bookshop on Rainbow Street in Jabal Amman. Free coffee was also is worth mentioning that the Bible Society in Jordan began its work in the early 1970s and has been a full member of the United Bible Societies since 1996.
Economist
08-05-2025
- General
- Economist
Young British men are turning to Catholicism in surprising numbers
Brompton Oratory is a peculiar place to find people in their 20s. This grand old church in west London smells of old things and incense. At the altar a priest clad in lace delivers mass in a droning tone. But in their Sunday best, the young are there, sitting in the stiff pews, kneeling on hassocks, their chinos scuffed by the cushions. In November and December last year YouGov, a pollster—commissioned by Bible Society, a non-profit organisation that invites people 'to see the Bible through fresh eyes'—asked some 13,000 adults in England and Wales about their religious views and habits. The findings are striking: a 56% rise since 2018 in those claiming to attend church at least once a month. Young people, in particular young men, are leading the charge. In 2018 just 4% of 18- to 24-year-olds claimed they went to church regularly; by 2024 some 16% did so. But the newly pious aren't flocking to the Church of England. They're showing up at Catholic mass. So much so that, for the first time in five centuries, Catholic worshippers in England and Wales may soon outnumber Protestants. Among the young they already do. Six years ago a third of young churchgoers were in the Anglican pews. Now only a fifth are, and 41% are at Catholic mass (see chart). The pandemic may have been a godsend for the Catholic Church. Aidan Geboers, a 29-year-old banker living in Lewisham, in south London, says lockdown prompted his search for a community. He found it in Farm Street Church, a Jesuit temple in Mayfair. Farm Street's young-adult service regularly attracts around 180 people. 'Ten years ago numbers might have been half that,' says Father Kensy Joseph, a leader in its young-adult ministry. To young people in Britain (and elsewhere), Catholicism seems to appeal for two, opposing, reasons. Partly the practice of contemplation and dedication to ritual appear to be a potent antidote to the online world. But the internet is also a major route to evangelism. Bishop Robert Barron, an American founder of a Catholic media organisation, and Father Mike Schmitz, a podcaster and campus minister, have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Bishop Barron celebrates a new 'macho Christianity', where men can be 'heroes'. Graham Greene, a novelist, described his Catholic faith in a way that may reflect its attraction to young churchgoers today. It was 'something fine and hard and certain, however uncomfortable, to catch hold of in the general flux'.■
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Catholicism spreads amongst young Britons longing for 'something deeper'
LONDON - Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Steel found a "great sense of peace" that he couldn't find anywhere else when he started attending Catholic Mass in Britain. Twenty-six-year-old Dan Williamson was driven to convert to the faith by an "ache" he had for something "deeper and ancient and more rich". Both are among a growing number of men aged 18-34 who are going to church in Britain compared with before the COVID pandemic, upending the long-held tenet that Christianity was in generational decline in Western nations like Britain. As the cardinals gather to vote for Pope Francis's successor on May 7, as they have for centuries, it is the traditions and rituals of the Catholic Church, combined with a longing for connection and faith, which seem to hold an appeal for younger adults in Britain, and men in particular. "I was looking for meaning in life," Steel said after Mass ended at St. Elizabeth of Portugal church in southwest London on Sunday, as the smell of incense hung in the air. An Australian who moved to Britain in 2023, Steel was born into a Catholic family but never went to church, until he started trying to fill the "hole" he felt in his life. "I found Christ," he said. "I found a great sense of peace that I can't find anywhere else." The rising church attendance in England and Wales by younger people was illustrated in a Bible Society and YouGov report called the Quiet Revival in April, which surveyed 13,146 adults in November 2024. It found that Christians who go to church at least once a month make up 12% of the total population, up from 8% in 2018. For people aged 18-24, the proportion had risen to 16% from just 4% in 2018, making this age group the second most likely to go to church regularly after those aged 65 and over. The increase has been particularly pronounced among younger men, 21% of whom say they are regular churchgoers versus 12% of women aged 18-24. And almost 500 years after King Henry VIII's split with Rome to create the Church of England, Catholicism is now more popular than Anglicanism in the 18-34 age group of churchgoers, with 41% identifying as Catholic, up from 22% in 2018, and compared with the 20% who say they are Anglican, down from 30%. TRADITION IN VOLATILE TIMES According to the 20 people Reuters spoke to for this story, including Catholic converts, faith leaders and academics, reasons cited included the destabilising impact of the pandemic, a desire for ancient tradition in volatile times, a wish to volunteer, and a disillusionment with the modern world. The report also said those who attended church were more satisfied and had a greater feeling of connection to community - an appealing prospect in the digital age when complaints about anxiety and mental health problems are surging. Williamson, who converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism, and has struggled with anxiety, said he had found reassurance in a connection to the past. "It is grounded in this thing which is so much bigger than ourselves," he said. "We're probably the first generation to try and live without God, and I think we're slowly just saying that doesn't work." David Stewart, a priest in Edinburgh, started a young adults' Catholic group with about 30 people three years ago. He now has 100 regular young attendees at Sunday evening Mass, and over 200 people in a WhatsApp group. Stewart said most of those coming to his Edinburgh group had no background in religion and about 60-80% of them were men, with many working in software and financial services. "They're looking for something deeper," he said. The St. Elizabeth church in London has seen similar growth in its youth wing after churchgoer Georgia Clarke, 28, launched a Zoom call to help a handful of teenagers battling isolation during the pandemic. Its youth group is now 100 strong. She said she had tried to reach people in the same "humble" way Pope Francis had, shunning the more traditional focus on preparing for the sacraments of communion and confirmation, in favour of informal conversations. "It's inspired many of us, including myself, in how we can be more outward looking," she said. Aidan Geboers, 29, a regular at a Catholic church in Mayfair, central London, who works in the banking industry, said he enjoyed the sense of belonging and community. "It is really nice to not be in front of a screen, be around people, you know, just expressing faith," he said. SPARKING A DEBATE The apparent growth in the number of young people going to church in Britain has sparked a debate about its appeal. According to the census the number of people in Britain describing themselves as Christian dropped to 46% of the population in England and Wales, from 59% in 2011. But academics said the smaller number that remained were more committed to their faith, and attending church. Unlike the United States, politicians and public figures in Britain have generally been more reticent about religion, with an aide to Tony Blair once saying "We don't do God" when an interviewer asked about the former prime minister's faith. Blair converted to Catholicism in 2007. That has changed however, with the rapper Stormzy and Arsenal footballer Bukayo Saka, just two prominent young Britons amongst many who are open about their Christian faith and share their beliefs on social media. Rising immigration from more religious societies has also increased the public discussion on faith, with young Muslims talking both online and off about the joy of Ramadan. And faith leaders say social media has provided young people with an easy entry into religion. Britain's biggest Christian publisher SPCK said 310,458 bibles were sold in the UK in 2024, up from 258,391 in 2023, and 194,013 in 2018. The Catholic Church says it has grown globally, with the Catholic population rising by around 1% to 1.406 billion between 2022 and 2023, with the U.S. Vice President JD Vance one of the most high-profile after he converted in 2019. Stewart in Edinburgh said for some, attendance marked a rejection of the culture of toxic masculinity and instead opting for "fellowship, tolerance and service of others". Tim Hutchings, Associate Professor of Religious Ethics, University of Nottingham, said the pandemic could have given a boost given the social isolation faced by youngsters at a formative age, and the growth could also be seen as a possible backlash against progressive politics and decline of traditional roles. "Maybe as part of that, young people, and particularly young men are saying, let's get into a really conservative, anti-feminist institution," he said. Pope Francis appointed more women than ever before to top Vatican positions but disappointed some advocates for greater roles for women in the wider Church by putting off the question of allowing women to be ordained as clergy. For the priest at St Elizabeth's, Father Stephen Langridge, the draw was the ancient traditions which are "consoling in a world where everything seems to be transient, nothing seems to be lasting." "Are we seeing a seismic shift?" he asked. "I don't know. But what we are seeing is a significant shift." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Times
03-05-2025
- General
- Times
Births, marriages and deaths: May 3, 2025
BLESSED are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5.4 (ESV) Bible verses are provided by the Bible Society GRAY on 5th April 2025 to Constance Elizabeth (née Rowell) and Philip Stuart, a daughter, Adelaide Elizabeth Rowell, sister to Charles Christopher. HAXBY on 25th April 2025 to Harriet (née Hedges) and Willet, a daughter, Lily Emma. MICULESCU on 22nd April 2025 to Alina and Mihnea, a son, Filip Victor, brother to Luca, at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London. NORGROVE on 17th April 2025 to Monica Ann (née Kuroki) and Oliver Nicholas Richard, a daughter, Beatriz Gwendolyn. 'My daughter, my joy.' NORTH on 24th April 2025 to Martha (née Braddell) and Jos, a son, Bruno William Henry, brother to Grace and Freddie. WATKINS
Times
30-04-2025
- General
- Times
Births, marriages and deaths: April 30, 2025
LIKE newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in yoursalvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2.2-3 (NIV) Bible verses are provided by the Bible Society CUDMORE on 18th April 2025 to Emily Bueno and William Cudmore, a daughter, Mary Helena Beatrice. FLETCHER on 11th December 2024 to Sun and Richard, a son, Henry Yi-Soowan. PHILLIP AND TEREASA POPE on 27th April 2025 to Francesca and Shane, a daughter, Arabella Grace. With great joy, they announce the arrival of their granddaughter, a precious new sister for Tia and Sienna. REAVLEY on 13th April 2025 to Olivia and Benjamin Reavley, a son, Hector Jack Marshall. MR S. J. P. TURNER AND MISS
