British Judge: "Christian Beliefs Have No Legal Standin

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Scotracer
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British Judge: "Christian Beliefs Have No Legal Standin

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Post by Scotracer »

LONDON (RNS) A top British judge has ruled that Christian beliefs have no standing under secular law because they lack evidence and cannot be proven.

Lord Justice John Grant McKenzie Laws made the declaration on Thursday (April 29) in throwing out a defamation suit by Christian relationship counselor who refused to offer sex therapy to gay couples.

Gary McFarlane protested that he was fired because offering sex therapy to same-gender couples violates his Christian principles.

But Laws said "religious faith is necessarily subjective, being incommunicable by any kind of proof or evidence." He added that to use the law to protect "a position held purely on religious grounds cannot therefore be justified."

No religious belief, said the judge, can be protected under the law "however long its tradition, however rich its culture."

Laws also dismissed as "misplaced" and "mistaken" former archbishop of Canterbury George Carey's warning that a wave of discrimination against Christians threatens "civil war" in Britain.

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Carey described the High Court ruling as "deeply worrying," heralding "a 'secular state' rather than a 'neutral' one."

Former Anglican bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali wrote in The Daily Telegraph newspaper in London that Laws' ruling had "driven a coach and horses" through the ages-old ties between Christianity and British law.

But Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society in Britain, applauded the judgment as a defeat for "fundamentalism," adding that "the law must be clear, that anti-discrimination laws exist to protect people, not beliefs."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/3 ... 59244.html

1) Will this ruling have any precedence on future cases?

2) Does it show that Britain really doesn't care about religion any more?

3) Will other countries follow suit?

4) Am I the only one who wants to marry the judge?
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Re: British Judge: "Christian Beliefs Have No Legal Sta

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Post by McCulloch »

Scotracer wrote: 1) Will this ruling have any precedence on future cases?
That is how it works in common law systems.
Scotracer wrote: 2) Does it show that Britain really doesn't care about religion any more?
That depends on what you mean. It shows that the British courts should remain neutral in the matter of religious beliefs.
Scotracer wrote: 3) Will other countries follow suit?
They should, if they already have not. Your personal religious beliefs should not be an excuse to violate civil rights or to break the law.
Scotracer wrote: 4) Am I the only one who wants to marry the judge?
Apparently not. Sir John married Sophie Susan Sydenham Cole Marshall in 1973, with whom he has one daughter.
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Re: British Judge: "Christian Beliefs Have No Legal Sta

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Post by ForkieUK »

I hope I'm not breaking any forums rules by re-igniting an old thread...
Scotracer wrote:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/3 ... 59244.html

1) Will this ruling have any precedence on future cases?
I hope so. It's about time people stopped excusing their behaviour by citing religious beliefs.
2) Does it show that Britain really doesn't care about religion any more?
I don't think it means Britain doesn't care, but shows that it recognises that religion is a personal thing and should not be inflicted on others whether that be by extremism or discrimination.
3) Will other countries follow suit?
I'm almost certain we're not the first to have a ruling like this. I haven't looked any up, but I wouldn't be surprised if the French or Scandinavians have rulings like this every week.
4) Am I the only one who wants to marry the judge?
No!

sarabellum

rumspringer!!!

Post #4

Post by sarabellum »

praise jeepus!
(literally doing a touch down celebration by my computer)

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