UK Christians Say New Sexual Orientation Rules Undermine Their Beliefs

If we Christians continue to sit on our hands, it will not be long before we are faced with this very same situation here in the U.S.

London (CNSNews.com) - Accusing the British government of seeking to undermine belief in God, a coalition of religious groups has begun a vigorous campaign against proposed new sexual orientation regulations.
Due to go into effect this fall, the new ordinances would protect homosexuals and lesbians from being discriminated against when in the market for “goods and services.”
However, several religious organizations claim the regulations would have the effect of forcing them to act against their beliefs.
A spokeswoman for the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship said schools run by the Church of England could, for example, be accused of being “biased” in favor of heterosexual relationships in sexual education classes.
Christians who run bed-and-breakfast accommodations would be forced to rent rooms to same-sex couples, while religious newspapers would be unable to turn down advertisements from homosexual pressure groups.
The proposals have been welcomed by groups such as the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, but prominent figures in the Church of England spoke out against them.
Michael Nazir Ali, Bishop of Rochester, said in a statement the regulations would hinder much of the church’s charitable work.
“In the proposed regulations there is no clear exemption for religious belief even though it is widely known that several of the faiths in this country will have serious difficulty with the regulations,” he said. “Religion affects every area of life and cannot be reduced to just worship.”
Under the new regulations, a church that regularly rents out a hall to community groups would not be able to turn down applications from homosexual organizations
Religious groups that give out grants could be taken to court if they discriminate against homosexual groups, and Christian marketing companies may have to take on clients pushing a homosexual agenda.
In 2003, the British government made it illegal to discriminate against homosexual and lesbian citizens in employment. However, religious groups were exempted.
Many Christians are hoping the new regulations, set to go into effect this October, will also exempt religious suppliers of goods and services, although currently the proposals contain no such exemptions.
Aileen McColgan, a law professor specializing in employment law at the University of London, said Wednesday there was a good chance the government would exempt faith groups again.
“There’s no question on the ability of organizations to discriminate in some cases,” she said. “I suspect it’ll turn on whether religion is central to the service being provided.”
Despite this, she expected there to remain some restrictions on religious service-providers, “which will bite on religious organizations.”

Original Link.

2 Responses to “UK Christians Say New Sexual Orientation Rules Undermine Their Beliefs”

  1. Christian Wisdom? Says:

    It doesn’t help that our own churches are divided on the issue. Many Christians have bought the worldly views regarding genetic predisposition to homosexuality, and that love=approval.

    We can only stand against governmental forces when we have our own “story straight”

  2. Steve Says:

    That is so true. I have trouble understanding how people can read the Bible and then take the position they do on homosexuality being genetic. God would never have designed us with that genetic trait and then said it was a sin. I hope that all Christians will return to His Word soon.

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