To Be or Not to Be

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“I am in awe of the miracle of conception. From the first moment an egg is fertilised, it contains a genetic blueprint for what the completed adult will be like. How amazing is that? In a former life I worked as a midwife, and the moment of birth never lost its wonder for me. How could that little person have developed all their parts in exactly the right order and position, all unseen and without assistance?”




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I thought I knew compassion …. I do now. Thank you. Thanks also for writing in a manner that encouraged me to ‘listen’ rather than be judgemental of the subject or author. When the apostle Paul spoke of all things being lawful to him I’m sure there was and is scope for some to abuse that freedom but it shows that God’s judgement, that Jesus’ judgement is more than an assessment of what we see. Is it possible, and I write with tears, that with Press On we have a magazine with articles (I’ve not read them all!) that want to unite not divide? Of course, silly me, I should have remembered that love covers a multitude of sins.

- Alan

Thank you for your kind comments. I do personally believe that love has to guide our response to life’s problems, but Press On must take the credit for providing a wonderful forum for us to approach controversial subjects honestly and compassionately. We don’t have all the answers, nor are we always right, but it helps to share the questions openly and humbly, and gain better understanding of the issues.

-Hazel

Alan, thank you for your observation about the nature of Press On. One of our core guiding principles is, indeed, that we want to unite the Body of Christ as much as possible, and so your comment is extremely meaningful to us as a team. One way to unite our faith community is to recognize that there are many life issues and spiritual topics that are extremely nuanced and deserve to be addressed from a variety of perspectives. We want to inspire, challenge, and strengthen our readership and often this means broaching topics that we would normally want to shy away from for fear of division. However, these are the very topics that need to be addressed in order for our church to remain relevant to the struggles of our time and support the faith of our spiritual family. We are extremely grateful to all of the contributors who address their topics in thoughtful, compassionate, and insightful ways. We are also grateful when readers connect with us and with the contributors, as this furthers the dialogue.

-Press On


Hazel McHaffie

Hazel is a great believer in the value of stories, combining the power of emotion with intellectual and spiritual integrity. She has a PhD in Social Sciences and worked as a Research Fellow in Medical Ethics for over 20 years. She lives in Scotland surrounded by fabulous scenery and magical opportunities.

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The Spoken Word of God

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Dangerous Liaisons: Delilah’s Story