Six prominent bishops and Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, describe the “discrimination” against churchgoers as “unacceptable in a civilised society”.
Six “prominent” Bishops have written a letter to the Sunday Telegraph today bleating on about how poorly treated Christians are in the UK.
The link to the letter is here.
This is an article in the Telegraph covering the six bishops letter.
Senior bishops call for end to persecution of Christians in Britain. Christians in Britain are being persecuted and “treated with disrespect”, senior bishops have said.
Six prominent bishops and Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, describe the “discrimination” against churchgoers as “unacceptable in a civilised society”.
In a thinly-veiled attack on Labour, they claim that traditional beliefs on issues such as marriage are no longer being upheld and call on the major parties to address the issue in the run-up to the general election.
In a letter to The Sunday Telegraph, the bishops express their deep disquiet at the double standards of public sector employers, claiming that Christians are punished while followers of other faiths are treated far more sensitively.
Their intervention follows a series of cases in which Christians have been dismissed after seeking to express their faith. They highlight the plight of Shirley Chaplin, a nurse who was banned from working on hospital wards for wearing a cross around her neck. This week she will begin a legal battle against the decision.
Notice the picture that accompanies this article of a po-faced Christian holding her necklace cross, as evidence of her appalling discrimination. See here for current information on the Shirley Chaplin “necklace” case.
Anyway, the Ugley Vicar has this about right, when he quotes the following Scriptures in response to this article:
Praise God, says apostle:
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:12-17, NIV)
The Scriptures are replete with warnings that the world hates Jesus and therefore will hate us also. We are exhorted to rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer with Him, and to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
And yet what do we hear, week after week? Leaders of the church moaning and groaning and bitching about how tough it is, and how folks treat us poorly. Pathetic and embarrassing.
The Bishop of Lichfield the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill has been going on about this during the week:
Diocese of Lichfield – Bishop of Lichfield defends place of Christianity in public life
I loved this recent article in the Times which sums it all up nicely for me:
Do check out my recent post on the “persecution” of Christians in the UK:
Jonathan Bartley of Ekklesia has put together a thoroughly good piece on this:
Ekklesia – Bishops should put up or shut up over ‘persecution’
Here is another more interesting article in the Telegraph today:
Hundreds of heads and church leaders oppose sex lessons for seven-year-olds
In a letter to The Sunday Telegraph, 640 signatories, including Catholic bishops, parish priests, university professors, councillors and doctors, call for legislation to be dropped which will see children as young as seven taught about sex and relationships.
From September next year, primary school pupils will learn about puberty, sexual intercourse, marriage and the risk of abuse and domestic violence.
I completely agree with contesting this, but not for the reasons cited in the first Telegraph article:
Christians are also increasingly concerned that the Government is ignoring their views on issues such as sex education and homosexuality when introducing new legislation.
A group of 640 head teachers, school governors and faith leaders have signed a separate letter to this newspaper warning that compulsory sex education in primary schools will erode moral standards and encourage sexual experimentation.
They call for the dropping of legislation that will see children as young as seven taught about sex and relationships.
In their letter, the bishops urge the Government to stop the persecution of Christians.
“We are deeply concerned at the apparent discrimination shown against Christians and we call on the Government to remedy this serious development.
“In a number of cases, Christian beliefs on marriage, conscience and worship are simply not being upheld.
The Children, Schools and Families Bill, which will introduce compulsory sex education for children from the age of seven, should be fought because government controlled institutions should not be teaching our children about sex and relationships, as this should be the preserve of the family.
The government wish to become the parent to our children in all respects, in order to “mind-mould” them to their own peculiar worldview and secure their future vote. Perhaps they deem most parents too dysfunctional to be able to teach their own children on sexuality, morality, ethics and relationships.
This particular sex education issue is not about sidelining Christian morality and views, this issue is about protecting parental responsibility and rights. The government, through education, has no right to intrude upon the time-honoured responsibilities and duties of parents.
Tags: Christian Life, Christian Persecution, Education, News
March 28th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I absolutely agree wth you on every point except one, webmaster.
In my experience, parents more often than not do a really lousy job with sex education, and I have too often witnessed the misunderstandings, trauma, lifelong psychological issues and anguish that this has caused many people.
Enlightenment about sexual relationships is surely fundamental to human happiness, and is far too important a subject to leave to ill equipped parents to handle alone. Why should we treat learning about sex so very differently than say learning English, or learning about cooking?
Does this unwillingness to have others teach our children about sex at a younger age have more to do with our own guilt and hang-ups about sex? And where did we get them from? I’ll raise my hand and say that in my case it was from my parents. I expect I am not alone.
Does the Bible tell us that sensitive and considerate sex education in schools is wrong? I don’t think so. Would we not be better advised to make our voices heard in terms of how sex education is conducted in school instead of trying to stop sex education there all together?
March 28th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Oh and I’m also a huge fan of Pink Floyd. Thanks for the clip. Very nostalgic!
I guess the one thing I’d take issue with on reflection is the words of the chorus; “We don’t need no edukashun!”
March 28th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
They’re proposing teaching very explicit things to children aged 5-7 years old, and that’s too young Jim.
Surely we can fight to extend the age of innocence somewhat.
March 28th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
OK. Yes, I agree. I think that’s too young as well. But that’s not what I took from your piece above.
I do think we should speak up to have the Department for Education make wise decisions regarding how and when itsex education is taught. I do not think we should try to stop schools teaching it.
March 28th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
The point is that they will teach ‘political sex’ education that is more dangerous than no sex education.
March 28th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
What do you mean by political sex education Goy?
March 29th, 2010 at 7:26 am
@Goy – “Political sex education”. You have articulated in a nutshell the essence of some of what I was trying to say.
What an excellent little phrase.
@Jim I feel that you put too much trust in the innate “wisdom” of the government / Dept Education.
I think our differing views on this are a result of our differing wordlviews.
I view all humans as inherently flawed and with a natural tendency to err, as a consequence it is hard for me to trust human institutions.
As an atheist I believe that you would view humans as essentially non-flawed, with an innate tendency to the good.
March 29th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I think that the reason some Christians feel persecuted is that other religions and humanism and atheism are finally getting a bit more air-time and being critical of exclusivist Christianity – and this gets interpreted as “persecution”. Nope, it’s impartial secularism.
March 29th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
@ webmaster: As I understand it, small children would only be taught the names of body parts and very general stuff.
People witter on about tots losing their innocence, but as soon as they can speak kids ask you “where did I come from?”, “how did the baby get into your tummy?” and so on. Especially when they have a sibling on the way. My older son used to come into the bathroom with me as a toddler and just roar with laughter when I undressed. It was disconcerting. Luckily his dad didn’t find me quite so ludicrous!
I agree with Jim that far too many parents make a total hash of sex education – which is one of the reasons kids get in such a mess. The Dutch are so matter of fact – on the face of it their approach is over-graphic – yet Dutch kids typically don’t have sex until their very late teens, in the context of a serious relationship and using contraception. The Dutch have the right idea. They focus a lot on feelings and identity – because underage and casual sex are often the result of low self-esteem. Girls too often use sex to gain attention and/or affection or agree to sex for fear of rejection.
March 29th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
@ Sophie: Yes, my expereince of the Dutch is the same. So much more healthy, and the positive results tend to vindicate it.
@ Webmaster: Regardig humans being flawed/non-flawed etc. : Actually my view is in between. We all have the innate ability to be “good” but withour direction we do tend to err.
March 30th, 2010 at 12:05 am
It all seems very childish. It’s as if these bishops see Muslims having their religious preferences catered to – halal meat, for example – and are pouting because they doesn’t think they’re getting the same allowances.
But Christians don’t have religiously ordained special clothing or symbols as the Sikhs do. Nor do we have dietary restrictions. And most of our key beliefs are moulded into the very fabric of Western society so we don’t have to fight for them.
Because some Christians resent other faiths and feel badly done by, we get Christians trying to make a big song and dance about crucifixes, though wearing one isn’t in any way comparable to a Sikh’s turban. Despite what grumblers say, the other faiths don’t get it all their own way – Sikhs, like everyone else, have to observe the motorcycle helmet laws and aren’t exempt from uniform headgear. Muslims are legally obliged to employ women on equal terms to men. I think all this Christian defensiveness comes from a feeling that Islam hopes to take over.
As you say, webmaster, Christians are warned they will be unpopular. I somehow do not think Jesus meant we should be such pains in the backside that no one can abide us.
We should stick out and seem weird because we place no value on worldly benefits, because we are extremely unselfish, because we work not only to keep our families but to contribute to our communities. We should be notable for our honesty and ethics.
Christians, above all, should be poor or at least live very modestly, giving everything more to those who need it. We should be unusual because of our breathtaking unselfishness and lack of prejudice, our willingness to spend time with street people and reach out to the outcast.
If someone proved to me that God was a complete myth, I would still maintain that of all the world religions Christianity was the very best myth, offering noble, revolutionary challenges that demand the highest we can offer.
I recently spent a lot of time exploring Islam. It horrified me. I feel that Christians should make every effort to demonstrate their differences for all the right reasons, not be in competition as to which can be the most authoritarian and bigoted.
Christianity should be the open-hearted faith that welcomes all – regardless of race, gender or sexuality and values every one equally. It should be the faith of the Good Samaritan – that offers help without strings to people of any faith and none.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” Human equality is something we’re still wrestling with all those centuries later. The message of tolerance and social justice in the Bible is inspiring and its message of risk and poverty is frightening, especially when you’ve got kids.
March 30th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Sophie, I really like your version of Christianity.