Posted on 09/16/2015 6:57:27 PM PDT by hiho hiho
Cathedrals are worried that planned new laws banning so-called legal highs could make it a crime to use incense in services.
And they are lobbying the Government to change the legislation to ensure priests and can use incense without risk of arrest.
The plea has come from the Association of English Cathedrals, which represents cathedrals across the country including Durham and Newcastle.
In a statement to the Commons Home Affairs Committee, which is examining the planned legislation, the association highlighted historic Durham Cathedral as one of those that could be affected.
The Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service also asked MPs to change the legislation, and warned that Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches would also be affected as well as Church of England churches and cathedrals.
The Government’s Psychoactive Substances Bill is designed to end the sale of so-called legal highs which are widely available and in some cases have similar effects to illegal drugs.
They are hard to control under existing legislation because if a substance is banned it is possible to create a new substance with a different composition but similar effects, to be sold in its place.
The legislation, announced in the Queen’s Speech following May’s general election, will make it an offence to produce, supply, import or export any substance intended for human consumption that is capable of producing a psychoactive effect. The maximum sentence will be seven years’ imprisonment.
However there are fears that incense commonly used in religious services may fall under the provisions of the Bill.
A study by John Hopkins University in Baltimore and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, published in 2008, said burning frankincense activates ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression.
While the Government does not intend to make burning incense an offence, the fear is that it may be included in the legislation inadvertently, partly because it is hard to define exactly what the phrase psychoactive substance refers to.
In a letter to the Home Affairs Committee, the Association of English Cathedrals warned: “We wish to express our concern that the term ‘psychoactive substances’ in the Psychoactive Substances Bill can be interpreted so broadly that it risks criminalising the use of incense in cathedrals, churches and other places of worship as, we assume, an unintended consequence of the Bill’s drafting.”
It told MPs it represents the 42 Anglican cathedrals in England and as well as Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
“The cathedrals range from those of international importance (such as St Paul’s Cathedral) and those in World Heritage Sites (Canterbury and Durham Cathedrals) to less well known cathedrals such as Blackburn, Bradford and Sheffield.”
And it said: “Cathedrals regularly make use of incense during worship services, especially celebrations of the Eucharist. Incense has been used for worship purposes for millennia, and by the Christian church since its foundation.
“Incense has an important symbolic role; the smoke represents the presence of God, prayers rising to God, and the offering of gifts and lives as a sacrifice to God.
“Incense is used to enhance the worship experience, and no longer being able to use it would have an adverse impact on the conduct of worship.”
In its own submission to the inquiry, the Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service. said: “A problem remains for the Churches that use incense in their worship (and, for that matter, for other religious communities such as Hindus and Buddhists): that under the Bill as currently drafted it would be of doubtful legality.”
It urged the Government to add “a specific exemption for the use of incense in places of worship” into the legislation.
Speaking to the Committee, Police Minister Mike Penning said the Government would continue to work on the Bill to address concerns.
He said: “We will, I am absolutely confident, have a bill which does what we want to do which is save lives and protect people from what they think is a safe legal product.”
But he added: “There is a lot of work we need to do to ensure this Bill does exactly what we want it to do.”
More proof that the UK is circling the bowl. Really?
More of the ongoing anti-Christian agenda from my stupid nations politicians.
One big nanny state.
huh?? what is church incense anyway?
So perfume and artificial flavoring will also be banned? Sheer hysteria from the writer, nothing more.
“is hard to define exactly what the phrase psychoactive substance refers to”
Indeed. Even under a fairly strict use of the term, stuff like coffee, tobacco, chocolate, and of course alcohol must be included.
This is nuts.
I have asthma. At my daughter's confirmation they fired up the thurifer and I had to leave. Have the same problem with a lot of older lady's perfumes.
Yeah, because as everyone knows, one or two sniffs, and in no time you have a 500 quid per day sandalwood habit.
Frankincense is tapped from the scraggy but hardy trees by slashing the bark, which is called striping, and allowing the exuded resin to bleed out and harden.
It was offered on a specialised incense altar in the time when the Tabernacle was located in the First and Second Jerusalem Temples. The ketoret was an important component of the Temple service in Jerusalem. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible book of Exodus 30:34, where it is named levonah (lebonah in the Biblical Hebrew), meaning “white” in Hebrew.[8] It was one of the ingredients in the perfume of the sanctuary (Exodus 30:34), and was used as an accompaniment of the meal-offering (Leviticus 2:1, 2:16, 6:15, 24:7). When burnt it emitted a fragrant odour, and the incense was a symbol of the Divine name (Malachi 1:11 ; Song of Solomon 1:3) and an emblem of prayer (Psalm 141:2 ; Luke 1:10 ; Revelation 5:8, 8:3). It was often associated with myrrh (Song of Solomon 3:6, 4:6) and with it was made an offering to the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:11). A specially “pure” kind, lebhonah zakkah, was presented with the showbread (Leviticus 24:7)
A 2008 study reported that frankincense smoke was a psychoactive drug that relieves depression and anxiety in mice.[21][22] The researchers found that the chemical compound incensole acetate was responsible for the effects.
— from here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankincense
Usually a mixture of frankincense resin with spices and aromatic oils (often from flowers) and sometimes myrrh, though some Russian incense is based on pine resin.
The Athonite style which uses a lot of aromatic oils is rolled in clay powder to keep it from sticking together, while the Russian style comes as crystals.
The problem is probably myrrh, which when disolved in wine has a narcotic effect (cf. the offer of said drink to Christ on the Cross), though if the legislation is as broad-brush as it sounds, it might also hit other oils used in the preparation of incense.
I always loved the smell of church incense for some reason. It seemed like something really special even though I am otherwise not that interested in smells and not a fan of the types of incense people often use at home. As a kid the churches my family attended only used incense on rare occasions. I’m not religious now but I think I might actually go out of my way for an opportunity to smell that again. Maybe it does have some addictive qualities.
Nonsense to this law.
I actually hate incense. It makes my allergies go nuts. But I would never ask to ban it. When I am in a service with lots of incense, I make sure to sit where the ventilation is the best.
Religious People are incensed about this!
I am unaware of anybody, ever, abusing this stuff to get high. It is not particularly psychotropic, no moreso than ordinary flower essences, perfume fragrances or even food aromas.
But they find it in chanting :o)
I find that rather Curias. :-)
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