Bishops fight for right to criticise gay lifestyle
Church of England bishops are on a collision course with the government over its plans to amend the incitement to hatred laws, claiming they will stifle what they believe is legitimate criticism of homosexual lifestyles.
In what is being portrayed in some parliamentary quarters as a battle for free speech, a coalition of Anglican bishops, Conservative peers, Labour malcontents and leading crossbenchers have united to block the proposals.
“No reasonable person supports the stirring up of hatred of any kind,” said Andrea Williams, director of Christian Concern For Our Nation, which is helping co-ordinate opposition to the plan. “However, in 21st-century Britain we must find a way of being able to live peaceably alongside one another allowing for free and robust debate around every aspect of life, including reasonable criticism and discussion of all forms of sexual behaviour.”
Last year’s Criminal Justice and Immigration Act created the criminal offence of “incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation”. But a group of peers, led by the Tory Lord Waddington, forced the government to accept an amendment stipulating that people should not be taken to court for stating that homosexual sex is wrong or for trying to persuade gay people to remain celibate. The clause read: “The discussion or criticism of sexual conduct or practices or the urging of persons to refrain from or modify such conduct or practices shall not be taken of itself to be threatening or intended to stir up hatred.”
Continue reading at The Guardian UK
Photo: Eddie~S/Flickr
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Related causes: Human Rights
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I don't think "free speech" should allow for harassment or the promotion of it!
Free speech just means you can say that you don't like something, but you don't have to go around threatening Gay people, calling them names, or inciting violence against them over and over because that's basically all they do. That isn’t free speech, that is called harassment!
When they allege that Gay people are going to burn in hell, then they are inciting violence against Gay people, and that should be illegal. Those types of religious edicts cause the birth of terrorists, and that is allegedly why we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we don't need these Christian's going around doing the same thing, enough of that.
Aside from that those Christian's should keep their own dogma within their own community because many of us have diverse spiritual belief systems that do not teach the hate these Christian's are teaching or those who follow biblical law. It’s your faith, not mine or not other’s, keep it to your community.
If they want respect then they need to respect other diverse belief systems otherwise they will not get any respect.
I found a wonderful write up on spiritual advocacy, written by a Native American, and it tells the truth about spirituality and “religion.” I just have to share it.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x158/Rolinda_photos/Picture2-3.png
“However, in 21st-century Britain we must find a way of being able to live peaceably alongside one another allowing for free and robust debate around every aspect of life, including reasonable criticism and discussion of all forms of sexual behaviour.”
Telling people they are 'going to hell' is not reasonable criticism. Its completely unreasonable. Reason has nothing to do with faith.
These are the same people who bitterly complain when you criticize their lifestyle which is far more intrusive into other people's lives than 'gayness'. Gay people don't run around telling us that if we don't turn gay we're going to burn in a lake of eternal hellfire. Gay people don't go around making laws that outlaw ancient superstitious belief systems.
Any group that claims to have divine knowledge is insane or lying, or both.