Britain's Christians a minority needing protection

Britain’s Christians a minority needing protection

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Christians are a dying breed in Britain and their rights to follow their faith need protection, according to a committee of MPs and peers.

The cross-party Christians in Parliament group will warn this week of widespread lack of “religious literacy” among the country’s judges, politicians and officials.

The study follows a series of rulings by judges against Christians who had claimed that following their faith brought them into conflict with the law or with their employer.

The six-month inquiry analysed 33 incidences of employment tribunals and court cases where Christians claimed they received unfair treatment under the law, and took evidence from more than 30 Christian organisations.

The findings showed that inequalities introduced under the last Labour government had set the rights of different groups in competition with each other, with Christian rights relegated below those of others.

“We have found that many of the issues raised in the inquiry stem from a deep-seated and widespread lack of understanding about the nature and outworking of religious belief,” the report, “Clearing the Ground”, says.

“This ignorance works itself out in the way that laws are drafted, the judgments courts issue and the policies adopted by government departments and local authorities.”

The report is particularly critical of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Government’s anti-discrimination watchdog and concludes there is an urgent need for better co-ordination across Whitehall of government policies on religious belief.

A spokesperson for the EHRC insisted the watchdog stood up for religion, adding that it was working on a range of projects related to the rights of people with religious beliefs.

She said: “The Commission is committed to protecting the rights of all groups in society, including those with religious beliefs.

“The Commission warmly welcomes this inquiry into the discrimination faced by Christians.

“We believe it is important for the government and others to have a full understanding of religious rights, and balance the rights of different groups within society.”

Sources