All cases

Filtered by: Country: United Kingdom

BBC Guidelines Suggest to Replace BC and AD with "Religiously Neutral" Terms

October 5, 2011, United Kingdom

BBC’s new guidelines of religious impartiality contain the suggestion to use religiously “neutral” terms instead of “BC” and “AD” during discussions of history on air.

Police Visits Christian Cafe for Display of Bible Passages

September 30, 2011, United Kingdom

UK, Blackpool: Jamie Murray, Salt & Light Coffee House's owner, has been visited by the Lancashire Police and threatened for the display of Bible versicles on a TV screen inside his property. The police told Murray that the Bible passages use offensive, insulting words, and this constitutes a violation of Section 5 of the Public Order Act. The officers warned Murray that if he didn’t stop, he could be prosecuted for hate speech. The coffee house TV screen connected to a DVD displays images with no soundtrack from "Watchword Bible", which contents verses from the New Testament.

(Jersey) Post Refuses to Deliver ‘Offensive’ Bible CD

September 15, 2011, United Kingdom

Postal workers in Jersey refused to deliver audio recordings of St Mark’s Gospel after deeming it “offensive material”. Several churches clubbed together to pay for 45,000 CDs to be produced to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. A copy of the recording was due to be delivered to every household on the Channel Island of Jersey. But church leaders were left reeling after Jersey Post claimed that the CDs could offend people and refused to deliver them.

Call for Ban on Church Marriage if Churches Would Not Perfom Same-Sex Unions As Well

September 8, 2011, United Kingdom

A member of U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government is calling for a ban on marriages at Christian churches if they refuse to also perform same-sex unions.

Christian Debt Counselling Charity Excluded from Support Network for Offering Prayer to Clients

September 5, 2011, United Kingdom

‚Advice UK’, the largest support network for free advice centres in the UK, has pushed out a Christian debt counselling charity from its membership for offering to pray with clients suffering from debt problems.

MP Calls for Churches to be Stripped of Licences for Refusing to Marry Gays

September 2, 2011, United Kingdom

Churches which refuse to conduct gay marriages should be stripped of their licence, according to Member of Parliament Mike Weatherley of Hove. While marriage between people of the same sex is not legal in the UK but civil partnerships were introduced in 2005 to give couples the same legal protection as if they were wed. Mr Weatherley said according to „The Argus“: “As long as religious groups can refuse to preside over ceremonies for same-sex couples there will be inequality. “Until we untangle unions and religion in this country we will struggle to find a fair arrangement.”

(Northern Ireland) Gay March Signs Offend Christians

August 24, 2011, United Kingdom

Belfast's Gay March 2011 was (again) marked by anti-Christian offensive signs. One sign read: “Jesus had two dads (and he turned out just fine)”. Another protester bore a placard that said “Jesus protect me from your followers”.

UK Employee Suspended Upon Display of Cross

August 20, 2011, United Kingdom

A UK Christian electrician who won a fight with his employer over his right to display a small Palm leaf cross in his van is now saying that the company has reneged on its agreement. 64-year-old Colin Atkinson was asked by his employers, Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) in West Yorkshire, to remove the cross after an anonymous complaint from a WDH tenant. The company threatened Atkinson with disciplinary action when he refused, but backed down when their threats prompted a public outcry and criticism from prominent religious leaders, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey.

Hospital Attempted to Force Christian Nurses to Commit Abortions and Backs Down

August 15, 2011, United Kingdom

A hospital in London that recently attempted to force two Christian nurses to commit abortions has backed down after legal threats using the Equality Act to protect the nurses pro-life beliefs.

New Guidelines from the General Pharmaceutical Council Threaten Freedom of Conscience

August 15, 2011, United Kingdom

New guidelines issued by the UK pharmaceutical regulatory board tends towards stripping pharmacists of their right to conscientious objection with regard to refusing the sale of the morning-after pill, an abortive device.