Lord Justice Munby and Mr Justice Beatson made the remarks when ruling on the case of a Christian couple who were told that they could not be foster carers because of their view that homosexuality is wrong.
The judges underlined that, in the case of fostering arrangements at least, the right of homosexuals to equality “should take precedence” over the right of Christians to manifest their beliefs and moral values.
In a ruling with potentially wide-ranging implications, the judges said Britain was a “largely secular”, multi-cultural country in which the laws of the realm “do not include Christianity”.
Campaigners for homosexual rights welcomed the judgment for placing “21st-century decency above 19th-century prejudice”. Christian campaigners claimed that it undermined the position of the Church of England.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Quos dii volunt perdere dementant prius…
(Those the gods would damn they first drive mad.)
Foster parent ban: 'no place' in the law for Christianity, high court rules (Tim Ross, The Telegraph, 28 Feb 2011)
Labels:
Culture and News,
Morality
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2 comments:
So wait: they can't be foster carers because they believe that homosexuality is wrong, or they can't be foster carers if they insist on teaching the children that homosexuality is wrong (and what counts as teaching that?)? Say what you will about the second claim, but the first just seems crazy.
For what it's worth, most states in the U.S. seem to have exactly the opposite problem. People are allowed to be foster parents quite independently of what they believe, even when what they believe is demonstrably not something that any intellectually responsible person can believe (e.g., the earth is 6000 years old, non-caucasian races are morally inferior, Jews and Muslims are part of a conspiratorial attempt to undermine our Christian nation, Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii) or is pretty apparently harmful to the children (e.g., children who lie will go to hell and God will never forgive them; all of the above examples also fit this description). Pretty much the only thing that will disqualify you from serving as a foster parent in some states is a record of conviction for felonies. The unfortunate reality is that many agencies are so desperate for foster parents that they're willing to place children with anyone who isn't violent or neglectful.
Somebody better inform the Prince, who is engaged and will soon be married, that he and his bride will have to forego a wedding in the church. A monarch is part of the state. England is the state. The state is not agreeable to Christianity. The Prince should go to Las Vegas.
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