BBC Churches fear Equality Bill will conflict with faith
Guardian Afua Hirsch Equality bill: churches and campaigners demand clarity on religion’s exemption
Ekklesia Religion on the agenda as Parliament debates Equality Bill and Equality Bill addresses discrimination against Christians
Daily Mail Harriet Harman’s law ‘will force churches to hire gays’
Telegraph Half of older workers want to keep jobs past retirement age (this is not a story about bishops)
From the blogs:
Cranmer supports the amendments about Civil Partnerships, see Equality Bill: European Commission v the Church of Jesus Christ
re churches being ‘forced’ to hire gays – guess what? They already have. Open the closets!
It is interesting to watch religious organizations grapple with the issue of human rights and traditional religious teaching. Fundamentalists, the Vatican, and conservative Anglicans share a common characteristic in the debate—a penchant for preaching coupled with a complete inability to listen to voices outside their faith group. Archbishop Williams is typical, though not unique, in claiming that on same sex issues (1) The church has read the bible a particular way for two thousand years and (2) same sex blessings or ordinations are not a matter of human rights. He is partially right on the first point in that perhaps… Read more »
“not about bishops”
ROFLMAO
I think it would be most interesting if Queen Elizabeth, as Supreme Governor of the Church of England would weigh in on this topic by standing up for the rights of all her citizens (subjects) and making it clear that she does not favor the position that many of her own bishops are trying to force down the throats of the general population. I have no doubt she holds opinions on this topic. Certainly she has had many gay friends over her life time. Her own mother certainly had many friends who were gay.
Please do not be surprised or shocked at this.
The truth is that homophobia is pervasive and vicious even in its most attenuated forms, such as happens in religious circles.
The fact is that even the milder forms of homophobia that strenuously deny they are homophobia are pernicious and harmful to the target group.
Being as the CofE is as it is, this kind of thing is what we should expect.
How interesting that the Church should be seen to be more oppressive than the Government seeks to be – on issues of discrimination against the LGBT community. One might have expected the Church to work according to the principle of Christ in the Gospels, whose invitation is to ALL people – not just the socially acceptable and ‘sinless’. No wonder the pews are emptying rather than filled.