PEERS WARNED OVER CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION
Thursday 25 June, 2009
UK
Politics
Palace of Westminster, Photo: David Iliff
By Charles Gardner
The House of Lords has been warned that being punished for your Christian faith could become the norm if a Bill currently before Parliament goes through as it stands.
Theresa Davies, 59, who has been demoted from her post as deputy registrar to a position as receptionist because of her refusal to ‘marry’ homosexuals, has written a letter to peers currently debating the Coroners and Justice Bill that the way she has been treated by her employers because of her faith would become typical if the Bill passes in its current form in which discrimination against homosexuals, even from a sexual ethics viewpoint based on the Bible, could be deemed illegal.
Miss Davies has been working for Islington Borough Council since 1991, rising to the responsible position of registering births, marriages and deaths. But she was demoted because of her refusal to conduct so-called Civil Partnership Ceremonies.
Believing it was wrong to force someone to act in a manner contrary to their conscience, she told her employers that CPCs “clearly violated mandated biblical principles”. But even her union, the GMB, refused to represent her.
She believed it was perfectly possible to roster her working practices (many of her colleagues indicated a willingness to accommodate her situation) so that she only worked on civil marriages.
“But the local authority responded by saying I either engage in the practices violating my conscience, or be relegated to an entry-level position of receptionist.
“The law does not require that I should be punished for my Christian faith, but that is the position of Islington Borough Council,” she wrote.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre and leading human rights barrister Paul Diamond, Ms Davies is taking legal action against the council.
She told peers: “I believe one of the most important functions of government is to protect a citizen’s freedom of expression and the free exercise of religious conscience.”
CLC director and barrister Andrea Minichiello Williams said: “When holding orthodox religious views at work on sexual ethics is no longer tolerated by the State, and the government fails to see the point of a free speech clause in a Bill currently before Parliament that would protect those who hold such views, we should all be alarmed. Everyone who cares about true democracy and the freedom to hold rich and diverse opinions in an open society should be concerned by what this case and the Coroners and Justice Bill signals – the first fruits of a closed and oppressive regime.”
Ms Davies says that the Bill, as it stands, would have “devastating effects on freedom of expression for citizens like me. The United Kingdom purports to protect freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, but this is not the case, as I have found out recently to my cost.”
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Alex Woods. wrote:
Miss Davies is to be congratulated on making a stand on a matter of principle. Why are legislators so weak kneed that they kowtow to pressure groups? The very legislation to protect minorities is being used to stifle freedom of speech.
I once had occasion to ask my union to support me on a matter of principle but they threatened to do the opposite. The feminists had taken it over.
Jean Edwards wrote:
I went to a prayer meeting on Monday night at Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street and heard this testimony of Miss Davies and other Christians who have lost their jobs for just mentioning prayer or God. I believe that every Christian should sign the petition drawn up by CCFON and lobby the Government. This Bill as well as endangering freedom of speech is also pushing for ‘assisted suicide’
Neil Buxton wrote:
Thank you for that Dee and thank you for bringing it to our attention Charles.
As they say, the email is in the post!
Neil & Janice Buxton
Dee wrote:
I have just written to the union - . I would suggest all Christians who care about this case do the same. Here’s a template:
I read with dismay today that your union has refused to support Ms Davis, a registrar from Islington who refuses conduct civil Partnership Ceremonies due to her Christian faith.
I suppose that this means you are putting homosexual rights over and above the rights of Christians, and therefore don’t promote the equality that you so regularly espouse?
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