British Churches to be Forced to Hire Active Homosexual Youth Workers under Equality Bill

LifeSiteNews ^ | LONDON, May 21, 2009 | Hilary White

[GonzoII]

Friday May 22, 2009

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British Churches to be Forced to Hire Active Homosexual Youth Workers under Equality Bill

By Hilary White

LONDON, May 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com ) - British churches will be forced to accept practicing homosexuals or "transsexuals" in positions as youth workers and similar roles, under upcoming equality legislation, the government has said. The Labour government's Equality Bill will prohibit churches from refusing to hire active homosexuals even if their religion holds such behavior to be sinful, said deputy equalities minister Maria Eagle.

The legislation is due to come into force next year, and churches fear that it will force them to act against their religious convictions in a broad range of areas. Eagle indicated at a conference called "Faith, Homophobia, Transphobia, & Human Rights" in London, that the legislation "will cover almost all church employees."

"The circumstances in which religious institutions can practice anything less than full equality are few and far between," she told delegates. "While the state would not intervene in narrowly ritual or doctrinal matters within faith groups, these communities cannot claim that everything they run is outside the scope of anti-discrimination law.

"Members of faith groups have a role in making the argument in their own communities for greater LGBT acceptance, but in the meantime the state has a duty to protect people from unfair treatment."

The bill allows a religious exemption for roles deemed to be "for the purposes of an organised religion" but restricts this definition to those who conduct liturgical celebrations or spend their time teaching doctrine.

The Daily Telegraph quoted Neil Addison, a Roman Catholic barrister and expert on religious discrimination law, who said that the bill will leave churches powerless to defend the fabric of their organization. "This is a threat to religious identity. What we are losing is the right for organizations to make free choices," he said

Equality commissioners include the homosexual lobbyist, Ben Summerskill, the head of the leading British homosexualist activist group Stonewall. Summerskill has called for churches to be forced to employ homosexuals and for the police to stop Christians who were peacefully protesting against 'gay rights' laws outside Parliament.

Tony Grew, a homosexualist activist and the former editor of PinkNews.co.uk, wrote recently that the Equality Bill will "entrench gay rights in all aspects of public life." Grew wrote on PinkNews that the bill will open unprecedented opportunities for homosexuals.

The bill, he said will cover central government departments, local authorities, education bodies, NHS bodies and the police service, plus a wide range of other public and private bodies, including churches and church-run institutions. It will impose the "Equality Duty" on all organizations providing public services, he said, such as residential care homes that "would have to consider the needs of same-sex couples."

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Enforced "Diversity" will make Britain "First Modern Soft Totalitarian State"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09050602.html

UK: Religious Schools May Not Teach Christian Sexual Morals "As if They Were Objectively True"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07030504.html

Even an Openly Homosexual Actor has Condemned New UK Law Which Would Criminalize Criticizing Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07101101.html

"Climate of Fear" Growing in Britain for Christian Civil Marriage Registrars
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08052204.html

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09052201.html

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[GonzoII]

[GonzoII]

Ping.

[Maelstorm]

It never ends. Always about forcing.

[americanophile]

The term “British churches” has become an anachronism.

[autumnraine]

Ironically, my Criminal Justice professor says that the Constitution keeps America from being like the UK that has a state run religion. He voted for Obama. I can’t figure this out.

[PJBankard]

Well, I’m glad that the United States has Seperation of Church and State. A government should not force a Church to hire or do anything that is against the Church’s Religious Doctrines.

[Frantzie]

Sounds like that scum school Notre Dame. The only good news is the wonderful UK Telegraph newspaper is going after crooked members of Parliment and the Islamo-Labour govt may fall soon. The public in the UK is as mad as taxpayers are in CA.

The churches in the UK need to tell the govt to get screwed.

[kromike]

I wonder if mosques are classified as "Churches". If so, I'd encourage the nancyboys to go work there.

[jimfree]

And as Islam is not the state religion this will not apply to mosques? When the church is dead sharia cannot be far behind.

[MrB]

Oh, but they will...

That is the purpose of these “hate crimes” laws.

[43north]

I’ll be waiting to see when the pantywaist girlymen Brit “authorities” force the first mosque to hire a homo.

[texteacher]

Don’t kid yourself - coming to a church near you! It’s just part of the human rights agenda which will be implemented through the UN.

[massgopguy]

Notice they didn’t say Mosques.

[Woebama]

It’s time for the British to revolt and insist on their freedoms.

[PJBankard]

I could careless what the UN has to say. All the UN is a US funded program on Foreign Policy to help 3rd world countries. It’s a political scam by Leftists, to prevent things from getting down and introduces political BS into things that politics should never be involved in.

[wastoute]

Easy to fix. Hire them to clean toilets. They won't stay long.

Μολὼν λάβε

[scory]

Anyone who thinks our Constitution will protect us from this is fooling themselves. Our Constitution now means whatever it means at the moment subject to the circumstances being considered. “Hate crime” laws will be used to create rights that will in turn be used to trump previously established rights. We are really no longer a nation ruled by law but by the whim of politicians and judges.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Given the current situation in the UK, I would not consider anything proposed by Labour as a “done deal”.

Gordon Brown is a deeply unpopular Prime Minister and Labour is a deeply unpopular Government. The Expenses Scandal currently roiling the UK political scene makes any predictions on legislation impossible.

It has already cost the Speaker of the House of Commons his job and several well known MPs (Members of Parliament, aka members of the House of Commons) from the three major parties who have been exposed as abousing the Parliamentary expenses program have either been de-selected or have volunteered not to run in the next election.

The current Parliament expires next Spring and a General Election would happen then. However, given the circumstances I think their will be a fall General Election and Labour will be kicked out.

[The_Repugnant_Conservative]

More reasons to admire James Madison.

[Mrs.Z]

***I wonder if mosques are classified as “Churches”. If so, I’d encourage the nancyboys to go work there.***

Just what I was going to say.

Let’s see the Brits force the Muzzies to hire them.

[Unam Sanctam]

To think that we got our notion of rights and liberties from the English. What the heck has happened to them?

[Texas resident]

OK fine, if this is coming to a church near you, I will quit going and GIVING CASH. The churches will figure it out soon enough that the majority of the worshipers won’t tolerate this crap.

[Neoliberalnot]

The sexual deviants continue their quest for full access to young boys. The full showing of the “gay” lifestyle continues as the closet door opens wider. As I have previous mentioned, > 90% of male homosexuals were molested by adult homosexuals when they were young boys and the trend will continue today.

[ICE-FLYER]

And homosexuals in this country will never stop fighting for exactly the same thing...They want legitimacy for their chosen behavior...THATS IT. Its not about marriage, rights (perceived or otherwise invented) its about making they 97% of us who are NOT gay be forced to say GAY is EQUAL to Straight.

It will never be that. No matter what label is applied to it.

[texteacher]

I believe conservative churches will fight the good fight against the homosexual agenda. My fear is our justice system using international law and precedents will eventually force American conservative churches into what is being forced upon the churches in England.

[NYer]

The solution is quite simple. Eliminate those positions. In our parish, there are no paid positions. Everyone works as a volunteer, including the organist, parish and financial administrators. Parish council members volunteer and are chosen through an election process. This is how the early christian communities functioned. It worked than and still does today.

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[markomalley]

Coming to a country near you...

...and it will just be a matter of time before the courts order to whom the sacraments will be administered.

[rogator]

If that were to happen the real Churches would go back to the catacombs.

[wagglebee]

Homosexual Agenda and Moral Absolutes Ping!

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[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

And as Islam is not the state religion this will not apply to mosques?

According to the source it applies to Catholics and they aren't the state religion either.

[jimfree]

If it appliess to Catholics it should indeed apply to Muslims. We’ll see.

[Fractal Trader]

Sort of Anglican Ping

[sionnsar]

Thanks to Fractal Trader for the ping. This affects not only CofE but other churches as well, and bears watching because IMHO it's not long until we see much of the same here.

Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.

FReepmail Huber or sionnsar if you want on or off this low-volume ping list.
This list is pinged by Huber and sionnsar.

Resource for Traditional Anglicans: http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com
Humor: The Anglican Blue

Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

[Tennessee Nana]

If it appliess to Catholics it should indeed apply to Muslims.
______________________________________

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

That would be interesting...

England has gone fr4om being a Christian country (Anglican) with the Monarch as the secular “head” of the Church of England...

To bending over backwards for the “Asians” AKA Islamics...

When a MP suggested that the “Asian” women who came to him with complaints, drop their face veils so he could talk and listen straight to their faces, all H... broke loose...

(We had the same thing in Florida with drivers license photos)

Will this new law apply also to the Islamics ???

Probably not..

Last year or so, there was a complaint that Islamic women wanted their own days and times for a gym, or pool or something...

They got it...

No Christian women were given their own schedule...

Islamic guys tend to ogle Christian women and make obscene comments a lot more...

Wheres our privacy ???

No, Sharia Law will not allow for the British laws of “sexual equality” to apply to the Moslems...

Seperate but equal, and the Islamics will always be more “equal than Christians or Jews...

Rule, Britannia...

[xzins]

Excellent solution with the added benefit that it rids the church of those in it only for the money.

[sionnsar]

If it applies to Catholics it should indeed apply to Muslims.

This is one of the areas where it could get "interesting."

[BnBlFlag]

I wonder how many Mosques will be forced to hire to hire homos?

[MountainFlower]

It will get worse. Didn’t they just put in a new guy for the department of Religion? Isn’t he muslim?

[AnalogReigns]

The term “British churches” has become an anachronism.

Be careful. While over 95% of Brits don't attend church, close to 1/3 of those who do attend are evangelical.

The fellowship (real) Christians have in a persecuting place like the UK is fast becoming, is much warmer than your average bible-belt church in the USA.

As to the topic of the article, this is yet another breathtakingly plain example of why "homosexual" (OK, lets just say it, "SEXUAL PERVERT") rights" and religious freedom are simply not compatible.

[AnalogReigns]

The UK (supposedly) also has separation from Church and State too at least in rights.

Do not count on our Bill of Rights or our corrupt courts to defend our Churches from the homosexual nazis. The same activists have the same plans for the USA.

The recently passed “hate crimes” legislation will make anything said by a minister against homosexual practice subject to federal prosecution....and puts those who condemn sexual perversion in the same legal category as the KKK.

No, I’m not kidding.

[AnalogReigns]

Incredibly true. This deserves to be reposted, in BOLD:

Anyone who thinks our Constitution will protect us from this is fooling themselves. Our Constitution now means whatever it means at the moment subject to the circumstances being considered. “Hate crime” laws will be used to create rights that will in turn be used to trump previously established rights. We are really no longer a nation ruled by law but by the whim of politicians and judges.

[AnalogReigns]

Eliminate those positions. In our parish, there are no paid positions.

I'm sure these laws apply equally to volunteer as well as paid positions--so that is no solution.

The real solution is simple and open defiance. Let them arrest clergy and shut down churches who are simply practicing ethical behavior. If every church did that--I believe the world would sit up and notice--and perhaps courage would have its reward--even this side of heaven.

[Sister_T]

Good emphasis and so true!

[mckenzie7]

If they did it in unison they wouldn’t have holding cells to hold them. That would be a problem for them.