Churches panic over Equality Bill
on Sunday, 24 January 2010 at 1.10 pm by Simon Sarmiento
categorised as Church of England, equality legislation
Comment is free: belief has today published an article written by me, see
Churches panic over equality bill.
It’s an excellent commentary Simon. Thank you very much.
Simon,
Thanks for your helpful essay. From this side of the Atlantic, I’ve been trying to figure out what all the fuss is about without making a career of the project. I’m not sure that I have enough understanding to have an informed opinion, but at least I now have a basic understanding of what is at stake.
I fail to understand why I should be discriminated against as a minister. Salisbury Theological college recommended me for Ordination, the DDO of Southwark accepted me for Ordination, Fr Nick Richards accepted me to serve my Title with him, and Bishop Mervyn Stockwood ordained me. All knew myself and my then partner (and my current civil partner) and went ahead. I was also employed by the ecumenical South London Industrial Mission (SLIM); and later went on to another diocese who also knew and accepted myself and my partner – It seems rather late in the day to be saying, “Oh,… Read more »
Grateful to Simon for this. But I suspect Simon’s failure to grasp why the bishops are pursing their present course is more a literary device than an expression of genuine amazement! I suggest that the bishops believe they have got the government beat and they wish to express their fury at the government for consulting with gay groups over the limits to the exemptions but not with them, and so are pressing ahead in an attempt to humiliate the govt. In fact this government and more interestingly, the Civil Service are putting less and less trust in the present bench… Read more »
“It’s very difficult to see why the latest wording proposed by the government does not concede all that they require.” – Simon Sarmiento Thank you Simon for your perspective on the ongoing chess-playing by certain English Bishops in the House of Lords, whose sole obejective here would seem to be their desire for the status quo in religious bigotry – as it pertains to their hold on power within the Church of England. Why on earth do Bishops continue to think that they should be able to hold on to restrictive employment codes which allow them to discriminate against those… Read more »
I think the bishops are being silly and disingenuous.
I wonder what their analysis would be of a Marriage Equality Bill.
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8479761.stm Sentamu: “You may feel that many churches and other religious organisations are wrong on matters of sexual ethics. But, if religious freedom means anything it must mean that those are matters for the churches and other religious organisations to determine for themselves in accordance with their own convictions.” Well, what are Christians going to do when they are not merely asked to remove any outward signs of religious life or conviction but are not employed on the grounds of the latter? Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. (PS Still can’t quite work out how… Read more »
Am I to understand from comments in another thread that, in defending religious “freedom,” the Lords Spiritual opposed allowing other religious bodies to solemnize marriages?