{"id":4117,"date":"2012-09-06T21:41:53","date_gmt":"2012-09-06T20:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/?p=4117"},"modified":"2013-01-15T16:07:48","modified_gmt":"2013-01-15T16:07:48","slug":"2012sep06echr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/2012sep06echr\/","title":{"rendered":"Christians take cases to Euro-Court"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a landmark case, four Christians have taken discrimination cases to the European Court of Human Rights, while Prime Minister David Cameron faces a charge of hypocrisy for telling his lawyers to oppose them months after calling for a Christian ‘fightback’.<\/p>\n

The case came before the court in Strasbourg after British workers complained that they had been forced out of their jobs for maintaining their Christian convictions. (Read the Press Association report<\/a><\/strong>. and the helpful BBC analysis<\/a><\/strong>)<\/p>\n

The court has reserved its decision.\u00a0 Our prayer is that it will uphold freedom of religious expression in Britain.<\/p>\n

What will be a landmark decision from Europe\u2019s highest court will have huge implications for religious liberty in Britain and in all of Europe.\u00a0 A negative ruling could have the effect of pushing Christians increasingly to the margins of public life, while a positive one will have discrimination departments rewriting their rule-books.<\/p>\n

The lawyer for the United Kingdom argued that the Christians’ rights had not been violated.\u00a0 He argued that religious freedoms are only protected in private and not in public and that each of the four could get another job.<\/p>\n

It will be difficult after this for the Prime Minister to avoid a charge of hypocrisy after instructing the Governments’ legal team to oppose the case.\u00a0 Last December he commented<\/a><\/strong> that he would welcome a Christian \u2018fightback\u2019 against the creeping secularism. He said further that \u201cThe values of the Bible, the values of Christianity, are the values that we need.\u201d Only two months ago the Prime Minister added that Christians should be allowed to display symbols of their belief and pledged to protect religious freedoms.\u00a0 At best, the Governments’ thinking is not joined up.<\/p>\n

The case was brought forward by the following four Christians:<\/p>\n

Gary McFarlane<\/strong> is a Christian counsellor who was sacked from his job with Relate in 2008 because he confided that he would not be comfortable counselling homosexual couples about sexual problems. Even after Relate conceded that they were wrong to sack Mr McFarlane without giving him notice, they still didn\u2018t give him his job back.<\/p>\n

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Gary McFarlane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lilian Ladele<\/strong> was a Christian Registrar for the London Borough of Islington, appointed before the Civil Partnership Act 2004 changed the law.\u00a0 Originally she was allowed to swap shifts with colleagues so she would not have to compromise her convictions. However, in March 2006 two homosexual registrars complained about Ladele’s refusal to perform gay unions.\u00a0 The local authority changed its rules in December 2007\u00a0and she was dismissed.\u00a0\u00a0Even though she initially won her case against Islington Council in July 2008, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled against her later that year.<\/p>\n

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Lilllian Ladele<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shirley Chaplin<\/strong> is a nurse from Devon. She was moved to a desk job by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust after they changed the uniform code to a v-neck, exposing the necklace bearing a cross she had been wearing. \u00a0Chaplin\u2019s employers suggested that her cross on a chain might get caught on somebody.\u00a0 There was no evidence it ever had.\u00a0 At the same time, however, the employers allowed two Muslim doctors to wear a close-fitting hijab. Nurse Chaplin’s appeal was rejected.<\/p>\n

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Shirley Chaplin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nadia Eweida<\/strong> from Twickenham, south-west London, was a British Airways worker who refused in 2006 to remove a necklace with a cross or to hide it from view. Even though the airline changed its uniform policy after the case to allow all religious symbols, including crosses, although Ms Eweida never received justice.<\/p>\n

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Nadia Eweida<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The case for these workers is based on articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibit religious discrimination and allow “freedom of thought, conscience and religion”.<\/p>\n

Former archbishop Lord Carey has supported the Christians, arguing that believers are being treated as \u2018bigots\u2019, while many face being fired from their jobs simply for expressing their Christian beliefs. He blamed this on a \u2018secular conformity of belief and conduct\u2019 which is resulting in the Christian faith being effectively \u2018banned\u2019 from public.<\/p>\n

Lord Carey also pointed out that \u201cIn a country where Christians can be sacked for manifesting their faith, are vilified by state bodies, are in fear of reprisal or even arrest for expressing their views on sexual ethics, something is very wrong\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians are excluded from many sectors of employment simply because of their beliefs; beliefs which are not contrary to the public good\u201d.<\/p>\n

READ<\/strong>: Rom 13:3\u00a0 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:<\/p>\n

PRAY<\/strong> for righteousness to prevail and for the European Court to uphold the right of Christians to live by their faith.\u00a0 Pray for our brother and sisters and those representing them to have found favour with the Court.\u00a0 Cry to the Lord for our land where truth is fallen and the people of Christ have to go to a foreign power for justice.<\/p>\n

WRITE<\/strong> to your MP and ask him why Mr Cameron has instructed lawyers to oppose these Christians when he has himself encouraged Christians not to hide their faith and has even welcomed a Christian \u2018fightback.\u2019 Point out that Christians cannot leave their faith at home.<\/p>\n

FURTHER READING<\/strong><\/p>\n