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Bishop of Winchester warns Christians may have to give up public sector jobs because of secular agenda
The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, told peers that councils, police forces and judges are wrongly using equality and diversity rules to punish churchgoers.
He said that some in society now view religion as “undesirable” and want churchgoers to keep their faith “in a little box” rather than express it in public or at work.
He said in the Lords debate on Tuesday: “Religious faith and practice appears to be viewed in many places as abnormal, exceptional, deviant, as if it alone is ideological and controversial and, for a whole range of reasons, undesirable.
“Your Lordships may think that that is wildly exaggerated, but that is how very many people of faith, Christians and others, feel.
“It seems to be a thread that is at risk of running through the equality and diversity agenda. In fact, in my observation it does run through it; that fundamentally admirable agenda is often popularly followed out in many a town hall, in a significant element of the lower echelons of many police forces, at the more rarefied level of parts of this Bill, in Parliament, and even, if I dare say so, in some of the judgments handed down by the Joint Committee on Human Rights.
“My concern is for Christians, for the churches, for members of other faiths and their attempts to do what any honest believer would by not keeping their faith in some little box, only getting it out at home or with fellow believers.
“There is also a much greater danger for our society in that we could reach a point where Christians, and peoples of other faiths too, find it increasingly difficult to survive in the public service, and, indeed, in Parliament.
“There is a danger that a Government, of whatever complexion, who are coming to rely ever more heavily on faith-based social and voluntary and caring services, may find themselves making it impossible for bodies coming from a faith perspective into social service, which is often for the most deprived and needy people, to continue.”
Lord Alton, the Roman Catholic crossbench peer who proposed the amendment, said it was a response to fears over misuse of the law, which aims to protect groups such as homosexuals and ethnic minorities by outlawing discrimination of minorities in the provision of goods and services.
“My concern is that these provisions may be used, and indeed are already being used, by those whose intentions are hostile to Britain's Christian heritage. Others, who are more well-meaning, may simply be labouring under the mistaken belief that stamping out religious discrimination means stamping out religion. Under the nomenclature and language of equality, this has led to countless, ludicrous examples of risible things which public and private bodies have done in recent years, all under the guise of equality.”
Indeed I would have to agree, religion is undesirable especially in the workplace and schools and I would advocate keeping it in a little box
Originally posted by mamabeth
reply to post by moocowman
I am not a catholic,besides,I can't keep my mouth shut anyway.I will
always speak my mind,my beliefs and my opinion,at home,on the web,
in public...
A lot of Congressmen don't seem to mind pushing their Healthcare opinions down our throats lately. I would rather they tell me who they think I ought to worship.
Originally posted by moocowman
Originally posted by mamabeth
reply to post by moocowman
I am not a catholic,besides,I can't keep my mouth shut anyway.I will
always speak my mind,my beliefs and my opinion,at home,on the web,
in public...
The you could very well end up having your mouth shut for you M, we're all have the right to an opinion on a subject M as long as we don't push it on others.
You can uphold your right to freedom of not listening, but not by "shutting her mouth for her". That's rather rude and oppressive.
Originally posted by mamabeth
reply to post by moocowman
Well,my husband tried using the mute button, on the tv remote, to shut
me up once.He knew it wouldn't work,but he enjoyed pointing it at me and
pushing the button.
Any man that could invent a mute button for women would end up being
a gazillionaire.