Ethics And Finance Free

The Aidan and Hilda Edinburgh group always meet at and after an Edinburgh Festival Event. There are more than 2,500 colourful events to choose from. So which event did they choose? 'A Conversation: Ethics and Finance' at St. Cuthbert's Church, sponsored by the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

Susan Rice, mamaging Director of Lloyds Banking Group, Scotland said (acording to my notes) 'I care about the health of society, for which banks are necessary. Banks can only give real value by adhering to a set of values. We are working with Chartered Bankers to agree a set of professional standards in UK.' Omar Shaikh from the Islamic Finance Council informed us that in Islam Finance is ethical finance, each person and bank is accountable (to God) for their use of money and for being happy with what they have. Islamic banks do not charge interest. Equity- not debt-based infrastructures enures that there is not too big a gap between rich and poor. The Chair of the Church of Scotland's Special Commission on the Purposes of Economic Activity (formerly Chief Executive of Scotland's Chartered Institute of Bankers) pointed out that for fifty years politicians and media had pressed banks to be more competitive. They got it and now blame them. He felt he had tried and failed to instil Christ's values in the banking industry.

In our group sharing afterwards Mark challenged The Community of Aidan and Hilda to spell out more clearly the implications of our Way of Life for our personal financial practices. 'I never use a credit card, just a debit card' said one person. 'I bank with the co-op' said another.

As I wended my way back through the crowds and interntainers who thronged the Royal Mile I popped into The People's Bible show and made my mark on history. Yes, they wanted many people (150,000?) to each hand-write two verses of the King James Bible on a computer. This new Peoples Hand-written Bible will then be published. To leave your mark on history visit www.thepeoplesbible.org