eChurch Christian Blog

Paul Shaw is back in court again, this time charged in relation to his election campaign in which he distributed leaflets that stated homosexual acts should be made illegal.

I literally can’t summon the will to comment on this and so I’m going to hand over to two very contrasting views for you to make up your own mind.

The first comes from Christian blogger and Patristic scholar Roger Pearse:

Freedom of speech ten miles away from me

The second comes from the prominent atheist blog the FreeThinker:

Hate preacher Paul Shaw back in court

Previous posts: here and here.

Guardian:

A Catholic adoption agency has lost its attempt to restrict its service to heterosexual couples after the Charity Commission found there was no justification for barring gay and lesbian parents.

Leeds-based Catholic Care sought exclusion from the 2007 sexual orientation regulations and began legal action to change its constitution so it could continue helping married couples only. The commission initially refused to give its consent, but the charity won the right to appeal against its decision.

Catholic Care told the high court that it would have to stop finding homes for children because Catholic donations would cease if it helped gay prospective parents. Mr Justice Briggs instructed the commission to reconsider the case.

But the commission said today it could not accede to the charity’s demands, with its chief executive, Andrew Hind, saying the decision had been “complex and sensitive”.

He said: “In certain circumstances, it is not against the law for charities to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation. However, because the prohibition on such discrimination is a fundamental principle of human rights law, such discrimination can only be permitted in the most compelling circumstances.

“We have concluded that in this case the reasons Catholic Care have set out do not justify their wish to discriminate.”

A one-line statement from the Catholic bishops of England and Wales said the welfare of children had “always been Catholic Care’s primary concern” and that it would now carefully consider the ruling.

Catholic Care said it was very disappointed by the outcome as it would reduce the number of people recruited as adoptive parents.

It would now consider whether there was “any other way” in which the charity could continue to “support families seeking children in need”.

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Further Media Links:

Associated Press – A Catholic adoption service was facing closure after it lost its latest battle with the Charity Commission for the right to be able to discriminate against gay couples.

Telegraph – The last remaining Roman Catholic adoption agency to resist Labour’s equality laws is facing closure, after the charity watchdog ruled that it could not avoid considering same-sex couples as potential parents.

ThirdSector – After being told to reconsider its ruling that Catholic charity could not discriminate against gay prospective parents, regulator reaffirms original decision

Catholic Herald – The Charity Commission has ruled that the Catholic Care adoption agency must allow gay couples to adopt children.

Here we go again.

Telegraph:

Two registrars are being investigated after allegedly refusing to conduct same-sex partnership ceremonies because they went against their religious beliefs.

It is claimed they swapped their shifts at a register office informally to avoid the civil unions.

Both work at Lambeth town hall in Brixton, south London, where ceremonies for same-sex couples have been offered since 2005. The allegations were made by another registrar at an equality seminar in May.

A member of the Labour council’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender forum was at the seminar and complained to the borough’s chief executive, who ordered an investigation.

Brian Palmer, a Lambeth councillor who is homosexual, asked at a full council meeting what measures were being taken to prevent a similar situation happening again. “Such actions will be grossly offensive to many members of the borough’s large LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community including myself,” he said.

Steve Reed, the council’s leader, replied: “The council must and will comply with all legislation and our own equalities codes in this regard. Any failure on the part of officers to comply will be dealt with appropriately.”

He said the chief executive would ensure that all staff were aware they were obliged to provide services equally to all residents, adding: “This council does not tolerate bigotry for any reason.”

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Obviously I don’t know if these religious beliefs are Christian although I suspect this will be the case and if it is, I’m sure we will shortly be hearing from one of the Christian legal groups.

On the face of it, it would seem that these registrars simply informally swapped shifts to avoid conducting same-sex civil unions, which didn’t impinge on the registrars’ service in administering civil partnerships.

However, given that this has now progressed to the “investigation” stage and bearing in mind recent failures of similar legal cases, this doesn’t bode well for these registrars.

I simply found this one bizarre and tantamount to communicating the message that in general Judges and law courts are crap and should look to the Bible to improve.

Do remember that it wasn’t all that long ago that Lord Carey along with a certain Christian legal group were making demands for ‘unfriendly’ judges to stand down in favour of more Christian ‘friendly’ judges.

Christian Institute:

Thousands of Bibles are being sent to Scottish law courts and judges as part of a campaign urging them to reflect on the Christian virtues of justice and mercy.

But Terry Sanderson, head of the National Secular Society, blasted the scheme saying it “could put the Sharia laws of the Middle East to shame”.

The initiative has been launched by the Scottish Bible Society (SBS) and it is backed by one of Scotland’s most respected legal figures, Lord Mackay of Clashfern.

Lord Mackay, a former Lord Chancellor and Lord Advocate of Scotland, wants to highlight the Bible as the “foundational source book for Scotland’s legal system.”

The SBS, of whom Lord Mackay is the honorary president, is also sending an introductory pamphlet to every court in the land.

The pamphlet, entitled The Bible in Scots Law: A Guide for Legal Practitioners, features an introduction by Lord Mackay.

The 83-year-old says: “I believe the teaching of the Bible is vitally important for guidance in daily living for all of us.

“The words and phrases of the 1611 King James version have permeated modern English, and this makes it a valuable book of reference, but the modern version is especially useful in dealing with our day-to-day challenges.

“If we use it in this way, we will soon learn that what it says about human beings is as true today as it was when it was originally written all these years ago.

He added: “The Bible is a unique resource as the foundational source book for Scotland’s legal system.

“The SBS is pleased to have the opportunity to donate a Bible to courts, so that it is readily available for reference in any case which may arise.”

The pamphlet also reminds the courts of the Queen’s acceptance of the Bible as the “Royal Law” during her coronation, and argues that legal professionals should be bound by this.

However, the scheme has angered secularists.

Mr Sanderson said: “What Lord Mackay is proposing could put the Sharia laws of the Middle East to shame.

“He and the SBS make absolutely no concessions to the progress of legal thought over the past two millennia.”

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Further media links:

Herald Scotland – Law chief urges Scots courts: consult the Bible in judgments

Express – FORMER LORD CHANCELLOR SAYS ‘USE BIBLE TO JUDGE CROOKS’

Breaking news and I suspect this will swiftly become the ‘Christian persecution’ hot potato and the new front in the ‘war’…..

Christian Concern for our Nation:

Duke, a father of two and committed Christian, had worked for Wandsworth Council for 18 years and had an unblemished record. Yet, as a result of the comments he made in one 45 minute housing interview, he was subject to 6 months of investigations and three interviews with the Council. His solicitor was even told by the Council that saying “God bless” to a client would require an investigation if the client complained.

Gross misconduct usually covers such behaviour as violence in the workplace, theft or other such serious conduct. Yet the client herself expressly stated that she did not want Duke to be dismissed for what he had said and Duke had never been told that such small talk in a housing interview was prohibited. The Council have always accepted that Duke’s motivation in speaking to the client was purely one of compassion.

Duke, backed by the Christian Legal Centre, took his case to the tribunal where it was argued that the Council’s decision to dismiss him was grossly disproportionate and unfair, and that they had discriminated against him on the basis of his religion.

Despite the evidence that was presented to the tribunal, they decided that the Council’s response was reasonable. Duke and his legal team intend to appeal the decision.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, founder and director of the Christian Legal Centre said “We are stunned that the tribunal failed to recognise the draconian way in which Mr Amachree was treated and we are dismayed that they found that Mr Amachree had not been discriminated against on the grounds of his faith. This decision will send yet more shock waves through the Christian community when they realise that a couple of comments encouraging faith in God can lead to a person being dismissed for gross misconduct.”

Mr Amachree said “I am devastated by the outcome. This is a sad day for Christians who simply want to live out their faith in the workplace without fear. But my heartfelt thanks goes to the Christian Legal Centre and those who have stood by me from the beginning and I know they will continue to support me.”

British Humanist Association:

An evangelical Christian council worker who was dismissed for gross misconduct has lost his claim of religious discrimination. The British Humanist Association has welcomed the judgment as a sane response to ill-founded and illegitimate claims of persecution of Christians in the workplace.

The tribunal found that Duke Amachree, whose case was supported by the Christian Legal Centre, a Christian lobby group, was ‘fairly dismissed’ from his job as a Homelessness Prevention Officer with Wandsworth Borough Council. The council dismissed him following a complaint from a service user who was distressed when, after she revealed that she had an incurable disease, Mr Amachree used the opportunity  to evangelise for his religion in the course of his job and encouraged her to ‘put her faith in god’.

Andrew Copson, BHA Chief Executive, welcomed the judgment, saying, ‘When we take on jobs of service to others, we need to understand that our own prejudices and preferences come second to the needs of those we are employed to help and serve. The law has very properly upheld that principle today.’

He went on, to express the BHA’s concern about the growing prominence of cases such as Mr Amachree’s: ‘The growing trend for political Christian groups to bring nuisance cases of alleged discrimination is highly alarming. Even when the courts find – as they invariably have – no evidence of discrimination, these lobby groups, instead of accepting this, go on to claim instead that the whole system of law discriminates against them and that the whole of the law should shift to accommodate their prejudices. Theocratic arguments like this, advanced in the name of equality for Christians, need to be exposed for what they are.’