The schools have returned for the autumn term and for the
first time in many weeks our house is silent!
The weather, rather predictably, has also changed and now term has
started the sun has come out and it’s a perfect late summer’s day.
The media has been full of it this week – the ruling made in Strasbourg failing to uphold an appeal brought by four Christians who claimed professional discrimination against them on the basis of their faith. Two of them had been told they couldn’t wear a Christian cross, one ordered that she must officiate as a registrar at a same-sex marriage and the other told he should have offered counselling to a homosexual partnership.
These folk believed (along with Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury) that many of their human rights had been denied them. The European Court took a different view and concluded that such rights were applicable in their private but not professional lives. That means registrars have to officiate at any ceremony sanctioned by the state whether or not they believe it to be morally appropriate and an employed counsellor is contracted to offer support to those accepted by his firm regardless of his personal view of their situation. It also means all employees have to abide by the uniform policy of their company – interestingly British Airways has now relaxed its policy to allow small items of faith such as crosses to be worn.
Can we understand the ruling and or do we join the chorus of siren voices objecting to it?
It’s a tough one. I more readily understand that a registrar has no option but to officiate for any couple legally entitled to a ceremony than I do to the rather pedantic position of companies raising objections against employees wearing ‘small’ crosses, or any other faith symbols for that matter; for our arguments need to be in support of religious freedom not just for Christianity but all faiths.
The law is often cumbersome and compromised by rather surprising interpretations – often at great expense.
Until the conversion of Constantine Christians nearly always found themselves on the wrong side of both the law and public opinion. They met at sunrise on Sundays so they could worship before going off to work – the concept of two days off for the weekend was not yet invented! They were also considered to be cannibals because the ‘man on the Clapham omnibus’ believed they literally ate Christ’s body and drank his blood at the special meal they called The Lord’s Supper.
It seems to me ( as one who regularly wears a religious symbol in the street, namely my clerical collar, and when I do so youngsters often shout rather cheeky things from across the road!) that our ‘salt and light’ ministry is much more than the symbols we wear or what we ‘object’ to . It’s about bringing our whole personality, character and convictions to both our professional and private lives. I’ve no doubt that through the conversations we have folk around us will learn of our faith and look out for it being put into action. For no law can stop anyone from being kind, patient, loving, faithful or reliable – can it?
With best wishes,
The media has been full of it this week – the ruling made in Strasbourg failing to uphold an appeal brought by four Christians who claimed professional discrimination against them on the basis of their faith. Two of them had been told they couldn’t wear a Christian cross, one ordered that she must officiate as a registrar at a same-sex marriage and the other told he should have offered counselling to a homosexual partnership.
These folk believed (along with Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury) that many of their human rights had been denied them. The European Court took a different view and concluded that such rights were applicable in their private but not professional lives. That means registrars have to officiate at any ceremony sanctioned by the state whether or not they believe it to be morally appropriate and an employed counsellor is contracted to offer support to those accepted by his firm regardless of his personal view of their situation. It also means all employees have to abide by the uniform policy of their company – interestingly British Airways has now relaxed its policy to allow small items of faith such as crosses to be worn.
Can we understand the ruling and or do we join the chorus of siren voices objecting to it?
It’s a tough one. I more readily understand that a registrar has no option but to officiate for any couple legally entitled to a ceremony than I do to the rather pedantic position of companies raising objections against employees wearing ‘small’ crosses, or any other faith symbols for that matter; for our arguments need to be in support of religious freedom not just for Christianity but all faiths.
The law is often cumbersome and compromised by rather surprising interpretations – often at great expense.
Until the conversion of Constantine Christians nearly always found themselves on the wrong side of both the law and public opinion. They met at sunrise on Sundays so they could worship before going off to work – the concept of two days off for the weekend was not yet invented! They were also considered to be cannibals because the ‘man on the Clapham omnibus’ believed they literally ate Christ’s body and drank his blood at the special meal they called The Lord’s Supper.
It seems to me ( as one who regularly wears a religious symbol in the street, namely my clerical collar, and when I do so youngsters often shout rather cheeky things from across the road!) that our ‘salt and light’ ministry is much more than the symbols we wear or what we ‘object’ to . It’s about bringing our whole personality, character and convictions to both our professional and private lives. I’ve no doubt that through the conversations we have folk around us will learn of our faith and look out for it being put into action. For no law can stop anyone from being kind, patient, loving, faithful or reliable – can it?
With best wishes,
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