UK Lord Mackay of Clashfern Has Warned That Christians Shouldn't be Forced to Act Against Their Beliefs by Equality Laws
Lord Mackay warned that we are “in danger of putting religion in a box only to be brought out on ceremonial occasions. Religion, certainly the Christian faith, is much more than that.” Lord Mackay also argued forcibly for “the right to liberty of conscience, freedom of expression and religious liberty” in the public sphere. He added: “One does not lose them when one steps into the public sphere. Indeed, for the sake of everyone’s liberty it is paramount that such rights are upheld in the public realm.
Penalising people for failing to equate marriage with homosexual civil partnerships is “Orwellian”, the former head of the judiciary has said. Lord Mackay, writing for the influential ConservativeHome blog, said there ought to be enough tolerance in Britain to allow Christians to run a hotel in line with their faith. He served as Lord Chancellor under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1987 and 1997. He was expressing his concern about a recent case involving the Christian owners of a B&B who were penalised for restricting double rooms to married couples. The case hinged on sexual orientation regulations, part of which says goods or services offered to married couples should also be offered to couples in a civil partnership. He warned that many people, not just Christians, regarded marriage as unique, saying: “To equate civil partnerships with marriage is a big step to take. “For the law to force people to equate the two, and penalise those who do not, is an Orwellian leap.”And while he acknowledged that Peter and Hazelmary Bull were not “forced to open their home to fee-paying guests”, Lord Mackay concluded that the devout couple had merely been trying to live out their Christian faith. We thank the Christian Institute for reporting. Please view:http://www.christian.org.uk/news/bb-case-ex-top-judge-slates-orwellian-laws/?e040211