Faith Features

Below you'll find just some of the debates discussed on the BBC Stoke Faith programme.

You can still have your say though. To join in the debates, just use the messageboard at the bottom of the page...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Does a free society depend on free speech or do some people need censoring?

The appearance of BNP leader Nick Griffin on Question Time sparked a furious debate about the rights and wrongs of letting someone with extreme views, air them in public.

Free speech of course is one of the foundations of a free society - but are there limits?

The French philosopher Voltaire famously said "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
But is this view the right one?

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Web-sites which encourage affairs and adultery. Are they morally wrong or just harmless fun?

If you've ever been unfortunate enough to be on the wrong end of an affair you'll know how heart breaking it can be.

But how would you feel if you found out that your partner hadn't just met someone at the office - they'd used a website specifically designed to set up affairs.

This week on Sunday Breakfast Tim Wedgwood brought you the views of the head of Ashley Madison. It's one of the growing number of dating web-sites designed for married people. Noel Bidderman from the web-site says he's just providing a supply for which there is huge demand.

Are these web-sites the most immoral invention you've ever heard of? Or are they just providing a service like any other? Noel says they can actually help some relationships.

So Is having an affair ever justified? Can it help things? Or is the very idea of breaking the sanctity of a relationship morally abhorrant?

Have your say on our messageboards at the bottom of this page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Would you be happy for your organs to be automatically donated without your consent?

This week new figures showed that the number of donors has gone up but is still well short of the amount needed to help those people waiting for that life saving transplant.

A thousand people die each year while waiting on the transplant list and the British Medical Association says is time to seriously debate presumed consent, in which everyone is seen as a donor unless they specify otherwise.

Tim Wedgwood spoke to Claire Ratcliffe from Newcastle on the Sunday Breakfast show. She had to wait nearly 17 years for a kidney transplant.

So what do you think? Should organ donation be mandatory? The new system would mean everyone would be considered to have given their consent unless they specify otherwise. They would have to opt out rather than the current system where they have to opt in.

Would you be happy with this? Have you had experience of organ donation - either waiting for a transplant or having to make the agonising decision about a loved one?

Have your say on the messageboards below:-

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Should the way we live our lives have any affect on the jobs we're allowed to do?

Do our lifestyles rule us out of performing certain roles or is what we do in private completely separate from how we're seen in public?

Clive Gardner was a vicar until three years ago when he left his post after announcing to his congregation that he was gay. He felt that he could no longer work for the Church of England and be openly homosexual.

A survey's about to be carried out amongst members of the Anglican church that will reveal for the first time, the number of gay and lesbian clergy. The survey will also disclose the number of priests who are single or in relationships.

But does sexuality matter if people are good at their jobs? Or do our lifestyles preclude us from performing certain roles in society?

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Terry Pratchett has Alzheimers

If you lose your memory do you lose who you are?

This week a scientist discovered two new genes that could help in the race to  cure dementia. The condition affects more than 700 thousand people in the UK - including author Terry Pratchett (pictured) - and for their families this news gives major hope.

If you've known or cared for anyone with dementia you'll know just what a cruel disease it can be. Years of memories, characteristics and beliefs can often appear to have been wiped out overnight and the person left can bare little resemblance to the person you once knew and loved.

Tim Wedgwood spoke to David Teasedale and Pat Bentley from the North Staffordshire Alzheimers Society about their experience of the disease.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Have we become a walk on by, everyman for himself society?

Now if you were to witness an attack in the street -- would you intervene -- go to the police -- or simply walk on by?

Well a new charity is calling for so called "mock muggings" to be carried out to test the reactions of passers by.

It's one of the ideas set out by the charity Witness Confident, to tackle what it describes as Britain's "walk-on by" society.

So what do you think? - do you think it's a good idea to stage muggings to test people's reactions? Would you jump in to help someone even if you knew you could be hurt - or even arrested yourself? Do we do enough as a community to help each other in these situations? Or have we really turned into an every man for himself society?

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Are we too obsessed with fame and celebrity?

'Strictly Coming Dancing' trotted back on our screens and the new series of X-factor is up and running, with thousands of hopefuls desperate to gain instant celebrity.

Peter Andre at StarCity

But, as we saw with Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle, some people are simply not ready for world wide fame.

We're also nearing the end of the reality show Big Brother where this year one of the contestants was so distraught at being voted out that he slashed his wrists.

So are we too obsessed with fame and celebrity and is it making us lose sight of the more important things in life?

BBC Radio Stoke's Tim Wedgwood spoke to the man who's made more people famous than most, PR Guru Max Clifford about whether our obsessions reached fever pitch.

Are we too obsessed with celebrity and fame or is it just harmless fun? Tim also spoke to comedian Tommy Cannon about whether fame and faith can go hand in hand.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Are some people just evil?

Are we born a certain way and there's nothing we can do about it, or can we ultimately change?

In the last few weeks we've been reminded of the potential for some people to display horrendous levels of cruelty. Two weeks ago the killers of Baby P were sentenced and this week they've challenged their convictions. Also this week the man convicted of killing 270 in the Lockerbie bombing was released from prison.

So are some people born evil? Or can people change?

On the BBC Radio Stoke Sunday Breakfast show we heard from a former drug-dealing gangster-rapper, Mutah Beale, who turned his life around after turning to Islam.  Tim Wedgwood also spoke to Kevin Silber, a former senior lecturer in Psychology at Staffordshire University.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Should we show compassion to criminals?

The Libyan man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing was freed from prison on compassionate grounds.

Megrahi is serving life for the bombing

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, was serving a life sentence for murdering 270 people by blowing up Pan Am flight 103 over Scotland in 1988. He is suffering from terminal prostate cancer and was released back to Libya in August 2009.

As you can imagine there's been some strong reaction to this. Particularly among some of the victim's families.

Among them was Kathleen Flynn who lost her son in the bombing. She says Al-Megrahi showed no compassion to the passengers on that flight so none should be shown to him.

But some of the victims families have said they'd be happy for al-Megrahi to be released given his poor health. Jim Gair lives in Lockerbie - the town that was devastated when the plane exploded over it. He says it might be time to forgive.

We've also seen Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs released from prison early because of ill health - despite some strong opposition from those affected by his crime.

So we're asking whether we should show compassion to criminals? Have your say on the messageboards at the bottom of the page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sex Before Marriage

Is the age-old church teaching of NO SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE now completely outdated?

Many traditionalists reacted with horror at the recent news that unmarried couples with children will now be able get married AND baptise their children at the same service.

The Church of England's issued new guidelines allowing the two ceremonies to be combined. They say it's in response to research that shows more and more couples are having children before tying the knot.

But many people believe the change undermines Church teachings on the sinfulness of sex outside of marriage - and is further evidence of the church watering down its rules.

• Is the notion of no sex before marriage completely outdated then?
• Is the CofE's move sensible or is it sacrilegious?
• Is it unrealistic to think that anyone will avoid having sex before marriage in this day and age? 
• Are you a couple with kids who's always stayed away from church because you felt you'd be judged? If so, are you more likely to go along now? Or maybe you think this is just a further watering down of the church's teachings to cater to an increasingly secular society?

Use the messageboard at the bottom of this page to register your thoughts...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Assisted Suicide

The issue of assisted suicide is always a contentious one. In July (2009) the House of Lords threw out a bill that would have removed the threat of prosecution for relatives who help their loved ones to end their lives.

Sir Edward and Joan Downes

And soon after, the debate was reignited with the news that the conductor Sir Edward Downes and his wife Joan had chosen to die together; and travelled to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to do it.

The interesting thing here is that Joan, who was 74, was terminally ill - but Sir Edward, who was 85 years old,  was not... His health complaints amounted the loss of his hearing and sight.

On Radio Stoke's Sunday Breakfast programme Tim Wedgwood spoke to Doctor Janet Goodall who was vehemently against assisted suicide.

But we also heard from North Staffordshire man Neil Lane. He's a pro-euthanasia campaigner and fought for two years for the right to end his wife Lorraine's life. He started by telling Tim about that battle.

Interestingly enough Neil does not agree with Sir Edward Downes being allowed to take his own life at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. Neil feels that Sir Edward was not terminally ill, so had no right.

• Is it an individual choice that should be free from judgement or prosecution?
• Or do laws actually need to be tightened up to stop cases like Sir Edward's?
• Maybe you've had personal experience of this? Or maybe you just have a strong view either way.

Let us know your thoughts on the messageboard: