Personal Experiences of Marginalisation with Regard to Hiring Venues
Evangelical Premier Media conducted a survey called "Freedom of the Cross Consultations" in May 2010. 12 % of the respondants answered that they had experienced discrimination personally, another 10% that they knew someone who had. Read here some quotes with regard to hiring venues.
“Our local civic centre stopped having Christian meetings after they got a license for civil weddings- stating that they weren’t allowed to under the terms of the license. (We think they just made a mistake).” “Christian activities and presentations are not allowed in community centres, yet tarot card readings are allowed.” “As a result of a single complaint being made about council meetings (parish) commencing with prayers, this no longer happens. Representatives of the churches attended a meeting to put forward our views." “We were stopped from praying at the registry office at a wedding. We have been refused an open-air meeting in the local park, something that we had been previously able to do.” “Three years ago I was the chaplain to our local mayor. As a practising Christian she wished to reinstate prayers before council meetings, at least during her term in office, but she was not allowed to do so.” “There is a trend to hold virtually all-junior sports activities on Sunday morning. This presents parents, who have always taken their young children to church, with a very difficult decision whether to deny your child the opportunity to exercise and the opportunity of belonging to a sports team, or stop taking them to church.” Source and full report: http://www.premier.org.uk/~/media/906806AC2C844635BAD1F9518A48CCD2.ashx