Atheism, fuck yeah!
Welcome atheists, skeptics, freethinkers all,
to this little corner of godlessness.
~Mooglets

A South African cardinal has rejected accusations that he is homophobic, saying it is impossible because he knows no gay people.

The Catholic Archbishop of Durban, Wilfrid Fox Napier, was among the 115 cardinals whoelected Pope Francis as head of the Roman Catholic Church in March.

“I can’t be accused of homophobia,” Cardinal Napier told theSouth African Mail & Guardiannewspaper on Friday, “because I don’t know any homosexuals”.

He also described the promotion of gay rights by the US as “a new kind of slavery”.

“With the same-sex marriages, we are carrying out someone else’s agenda, it’s a new kind of slavery, with America saying you won’t get aid unless you distribute condoms, legalise homosexuality,” the cardinal said.

South Africa is the only African nation to have legalised equal marriage.

Last month, Cardinal Napier was forced to apologise for describing paedophilia as a sickness and not a crime.

“Paedophilia is actually an illness – it is not a criminal condition,” he told the BBC’s Stephen Nolan .

The 72-year-old cardinal has since apologised to victims of child abuse, saying paedophilia was a medical condition and sexual abuse of children was a crime.

PinkNews

“I can’t be accused of homophobia because I don’t know any homosexuals”

“I can’t be accused of homophobia because I don’t know any homosexuals”

“I can’t be accused of homophobia because I don’t know any homosexuals”

DEFENDERS of Cornwall’s new faith secondary school have hit back at critics’ “orchestrated attack to undermine” it.

Supporters and representatives argued there was a need for St Michael’s Catholic free school as a place to teach moral values.

Wallace Simmons, the grandfather of a former student, called a meeting with governor Joyce Sanderson, Father Chris Findlay, priest at the church associated with the school at Camborne, and the West Briton in response to criticism over its funding from the Government as it prepares to open next week.

Formerly St Michael’s Catholic Small School in Truro, it is now the UK’s first Catholic free secondary, funded directly from the Government, rather than through the local education authority.

The school was dubbed an “ideological gimmick” by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and local politicians and a head teacher criticised the £4.5 million being spent to extend it, despite 600 available places at secondaries in the Camborne, Pool and Redruth area.

This week Mr Wallace called the criticism an “orchestrated attack to undermine the school”.

“The whole population is taught that homosexuality is fine and children should accept they can have two mums or dads but they should not be taught that nonsense. It is not right,” Mr Simmons said.

“Schools are not teaching basic family values and that mum and dad are the heads of the family and that’s how it should be.

“There are so many problems in schools today where basic family values are not taught and it is OK for Jack to marry Jack and not Jill.

“The morals of this country should not be dragged down.”

Mrs Sanderson was quick to reassure that the school would not discriminate over sexuality, but said those students from homosexual backgrounds were expected to respect Catholic values on family life.

“Gays would be welcome to this school,” she said, “but we would not encourage it.

“We want to know they (children) are happy to follow our teaching and that’s crucial. We do not wish to make children unhappy and refer to their home circumstances.

“I think those people who declare their views are entitled to express them as much as I am entitled to do so.

“The school follows the teaching of Catholic values and treatment (of children) is charitable.

“We lay down what you should try to follow but how people follow it is their business.”

The school also assured it had a good track record and something positive to offer to the community.

Father Findlay said Catholic education was not a gimmick but a “strong brand” and “something many people value”.

He added: “We have our own ethos and approach to school. We have a clear understanding about the human person and how a person fits into the society including everything from marriage, work- place, family life, self-discipline and clarity of moral values.”

thisiscornwall

Excuse me. Government funding. GOVERNMENT FUNDING. WTF. 

Also, fuck you, Catholicism. Fuck. You.

~Mooglets

A Christian school in America has updated its policies to ban gays and any mention of homosexuality.

News Channel 3 of Memphis, Tennessee, reports that a letter was sent home to parents of the 300 children at Rossville Christian Academy outlining the ban.

The policy reads: “Homosexuality is forbidden in scripture (Romans 1:27, Leviticus 18:22).  A staff member or student who promotes, engages in, or identifies himself/herself with such activity through any word or action shall be in violation of this policy. 

“Should the administration determine a violation of this policy, the person involved will be subject to disciplinary action with the possibility of permanent dismissal.  Any applicant who is not in compliance with this policy will not be admitted.”

A lawyer has told the news channel he sees no legal issues within the new policy because the school is a private institution and there are no state laws protecting gays.

The school is yet to comment on its new policy.

From Pink Paper

Seriously, people. Seriously. 

~Mooglets

Opponents of same-sex marriage have come under criticism for comparing gay people to paedophiles and thieves in an effort to dissuade the Scottish Government from plans to legalise same-sex marriage.
 
Today, in a BBC Radio Scotland ‘Call Kaye’ discussion the Reverend James Gracie, a Minister of the Free Church of Scotland argued that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people should not be treated ‘equally’ because homosexuality was a ‘lifestyle choice’ comparable to paedophilia, polygamy and theft.
 
When asked to explain why he did not support same-sex marriage, Rev James Gracie said: “If the homosexuals and these people want to be treated equally then what of paedophiles – what about polygamy…”
 
Gracie went on to declare: “Yes it’s a lifestyle choice” and compared it to “people who steal, people who have tendencies for all sorts of things.”
 
Tom French, Policy Coordinator for the Equality Network, said: “It is disappointing that the opponents of equal marriage are comparing loving same-sex couples to paedophiles, polygamists and thieves in an increasingly desperate effort to persuade the Scottish Government to ditch their proposals to legalise same-sex marriage. Most people will be appalled by these comments.”
 
Grant Costello, Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said; “Throughout the Scottish Youth Parliament’s Love Equally campaign for marriage equality, Scotland’s young people have demonstrated an entirely positive approach and treated those with different views with courtesy and respect. We are deeply disappointed and saddened that this standard has not been matched by those with opposing opinions and are extremely concerned that in our modern Scotland homophobic abuse and smears on national radio can be allowed to take place.”
 
Nathan Sparling, NUS Scotland LGBT Officer, said: “These kinds of comments, and similar ones aimed at the young people who were peacefully and positively demonstrating their support for marriage equality at the Parliament today, are truly despicable. A formal complaint was raised with Lothian & Borders Police about the incident at Holyrood. Hopefully achieving equal marriage in Scotland will be yet one more strike against hate crimes and will go further in creating a Scotland free of discrimination.”
 
On Wednesday equality campaigners handed over 18,000 consultation responses to the Scottish Government in support of same-sex marriage.
 
The responses were collected by the Equal Marriage campaign, led by the Equality Network, the Love Equally campaign led by the Scottish Youth Parliament, LGBT Youth Scotland and the NUS Scotland LGBT Campaign.
 
Since launching in 2008, the Equal Marriage campaign has received backing from politicians across the political spectrum, including the Scottish Government who have stated they are minded to lift the ban on same-sex marriage.
 
Opinion polls suggest a majority of Scots support equal marriage, including the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2010 which indicated 61% support versus 19% opposition. This included a majority of respondents following all the major faiths and political parties in Scotland.

From Pink Paper

To whom it may concern,

The Salvation Army, a Christian organization, states that intimate homosexual acts are forbidden:

Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage.

The Salvation Army also states:

The Salvation Army believes that God’s will for the expression of sexual intimacy is revealed in the Bible, and that living fully in accordance with biblical standards calls for chastity outside of heterosexual marriage…

Such Bible-based beliefs about same-sex relationships are archaic, amoral, demeaning, errant, insufferable, repulsive, and unsubstantiated. These base views oil the slippery slope of exclusion, hatred, bigotry, suffering, bullying, gay-bashing, and, eventually, murder. It is long past time to change.

Arguments in defense of Christianity’s views, written by a Christian in response to the previous paragraph, read as follows:

1. Inclusion. Christians promote their inclusiveness by mentioning that all non-procreative sex is a sin, not just the sex acts performed by lesbians, gays, bisexuals, or transgendered individuals.
2. Superiority. Christians think that homosexuals should be allowed civil unions, but not marriage, and that heterosexuals are not superior to homosexuals.
3. Acceptance. Christians preach love and acceptance; they emphasize that homosexuals are accepted for who they are, as long as they refrain from sin.

Let us examine these statements, starting with acceptance.

On Acceptance. The word acceptance is defined as follows:

• i. A person’s agreement to experience a situation, to follow a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it, protest, or exit.
• ii. The act of accepting; a receiving of something offered, with approbation, satisfaction, or acquiescence.

By calling upon same-sex Christians to “embrace celibacy,” the Salvation Army hasattempted to change the behaviour of homosexuals. Informally, accepting something means to do so without attempting to change it. The Salvation Army Christians, therefore, do not preach acceptance; they preach conditional acceptance, which is much different.

On Superiority. The word equal is defined as follows:

• i. The same in all respects.
• ii. Like or alike in quantity, degree, value; of the same rank, ability, or merit.

The Salvation Army maintains that there is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to heterosexual marriage. If no same-sex unions are “equal to” heterosexual marriage, then same-sex unions and heterosexual marriages are somehow unequal — they differ in value, ability, or merit. Had the Salvation Army simply stated that same-sex unions are not supported by scripture, there could be no argument. Using the word equal suggests relative values. The Salvation Army Christians imply that heterosexual marriage is more valuable than homosexual unions, which is a judgement from superiority.

On Inclusion. In their presentation, Marriage and the Recognition of Same-Sex Unions, the Salvation Army defines marriage as having the following characteristics:

• Covenanting of one man and one woman, thus intrinsically heterosexual.
• A voluntary union of faithfulness, mutal affection, respect, and support.
• Socially indispensable environment for nurturing children.
• A benefit to both partners and to society as a whole.
• Respect and understanding of the sexes is passed on to succeeding generations.
• Mutual comfort, where sexual intimacy may be expressed within a secure and trusting environment.

Excepting the first, the Salvation Army correctly anticipated that people will assert that these characteristics also apply to same-sex couples. In the same presentation, the Salvation Army claims it “does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in the delivery of its services.” Yet challenging the legitimacy of same-sex marriage because same-sex couples cannot procreate like heterosexuals do is, at its core, sexual discrimination. (The Salvation Army maintains there are important theological, philosophical, historical, social, legal, cultural, and anthropological reasons to keep marriage a heterosexual union. No supporting evidence is given, only conjecture.) While Christians promote their inclusiveness, the Salvation Army Christians advocate discrimination, which is exclusionary.

It is disdainfully ironic that the Salvation Army’s religious agenda regarding same-sex marriage and homosexual acts abets condemnation, superiority, and exclusivity.

PDF Version 

Written by anonymous, sent to Friendly Atheist

And this is one of the reasons I do not give to the Salvation Army, ever. 

~Mooglets

THE opening march of Adelaide’s Feast Festival was last night marred by controversial street preachers.

About a dozen members of the Adelaide Street Church marched alongside more than 1000 members of the gay and lesbian community in the CBD, yelling into amplifiers and holding placards.

The protesters were jeered by onlookers lining the streets, and marchers blew whistles in their faces and pulled at their signs.

Police officers marched close to the preachers, keeping festival-goers a short distance away from them. As the marchers queued to go into the opening-night party of the festival at Light Square, the preachers continued to harass the marchers, some of whom used hand fans to tap on the preachers as they spoke.

The preachers left once the crowd had gone into the party.

The march was otherwise peaceful, with loud music played from floats, and many people dancing their way from Victoria Square to Light Square. The arts and cultural festival will run for two weeks.

From AdelaideNow

I love the way these theist’s simply can’t keep their opinions to themselves. It’s a fucking party, guys, go get your nose bent out of shape over it at home.

~Mooglets

A Lutheran pastor resigned from Trinity Lutheran Church in Alabama last week after experiencing a “change of heart” towards equality for gay and lesbian people. Pastor Bert Oelschig had initially opposed Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)’s 2009 decision to “allow openly gay pastors” in “committed, lifelong and monogamous relationships” to serve in the clergy and even threatened to “break away with the national denomination.”

But in June, Oelschig experienced a revelation and attempted to explain his newfound support for LGBT equality to his church. Oelschig drew parallels “between the acceptance of homosexuality and those of other social movements, especially the civil rights movement of the 1960s, to which the church, ‘using countless biblical endorsements,’ once opposed but has since come to embrace.” The church council forbade Oelschig from addressing the matter further and eventually suspended him. Still, he returned to the topic during his farewell address last week:

“Before there was any creation, God was love,” Oelschig said, citing imagery from his original sermon. “After creation, gender came along, but God’s essence was still love. It’s my belief that the love between people is not a function of gender. (Homosexual couples) can express love, faith and affection just as we all can … it’s blessed by God.

“Love trumps chromosomes.”

“With all that,” he said, “I can’t say what brought me to that place, except that God, through the Holy Spirit, is revealing to me that homosexuality — in the context of the same thing as marriage — is blessed by God.”

Polls show that religious Americans are indeed increasingly supporting LGBT rights. A ABC News/Washington Post poll from March, for instance, found that 53 percent of white Catholics and 57 percent of non-evangelical Protestants support marriage equality.

From Think Progress

Well. At least he’s sort of getting there, I suppose. 

~Mooglets

The American Family Association is at it again. According to AFA spokesman Bryan Fischer, people who have sex before marriage or engage in acts of homosexuality should be charged with a crime.

“These are behaviors that can be made illegal, and should be made illegal: those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral — that means it’s perfectly appropriate to have laws against what the law calls fornication, absolutely appropriate to make that illegal; men who practice homosexuality, perfectly permissible,” said Fischer.

“In fact, we’re directed, we’re told in the Scriptures that it’s a good idea, this is the purpose of the law, it’s for the lawless and disobedient to engage in homosexuality — it’s perfectly appropriate for that kind of behavior to be against the law,” he said.

It’s absurd really. Millions of people around the country would be locked up if Fischer and the AFA had their way. And it’s quite interesting that Fischer would use Bible scripture to push his agenda, since the Bible also says that the only sexuality people should worry about is their own. Just reading Matthew 7:1-5 and John 8:3-11 will make this apparent. In other words, Fischer and the AFA shouldn’t concern themselves about what other people do in the bedroom. They should only be concerned with themselves.

From AddictingInfo

Right. Great. Now lets go through all the numerous laws and rules in the Bible and see how many he himself has broken and lock him up for them, shall we? I mean, the being gay thing isn’t even on the top ten, so he’s had to go through Leviticus to get that particular law, so he must have seen the other ones in there alongside the gay bits, right? And lets take a guess at how many he’s likely broken without even thinking about it. 

These people sicken me beyond all measurement.

~Mooglets

THE Catholic Church has warned government ministers that they face a major rebellion over same-sex marriage plans, after sending 100,000 “protest cards” to its parishioners.

The Church warned that the SNP would pay the price at the ballot box, with those practising the faith unlikely to back a party “that would dismantle the meaning of marriage”.

Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said feelings on the issue dwarfed opposition to parts of the offensive behaviour at football bill, which is aimed at ridding the game of sectarianism.

“In terms of an issue of importance to the Catholic Church, this is fundamental, utterly fundamental,” he said.

“Our concerns about the offensive behaviour at football [legislation], on a scale of one to ten, is a two or a three. Same-sex marriage is a ten. We always took the view that things like the football bill can be improved, resolved, amended – there’s always scope for change. This is a line in the sand, an issue where there is complete unanimity.”

One side of the protest card has five bullet points explaining what marriage is. The other side is designed to be filled in by people who oppose the proposed laws, and then returned to the Catholic Church’s parliamentary office, which will present them to the Scottish Government.

First Minister Alex Salmond has tried to attract Catholic voters since coming to office, and he met the Rt Rev Philip Tartaglia, the Bishop of Paisley, on Friday after he warned of a “serious chill” in the Church’s relations with the SNP.

Mr Kearney said: “I can’t see how any Catholic, in good conscience, could support a party which would enact such a law. It’s impossible to imagine.

“We know Catholic voters are a spectrum of people, with those who practice and uphold their faith and those who are pretty much lapsed. But it’s impossible to see how a Catholic who upholds their faith could support anyone who would dismantle the meaning of marriage.”

Cardinal Keith O’Brien has said the legislation would be a betrayal of Scotland’s 750,000 Catholics.

And, in a letter to parishes, Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow wrote that any move to redefine civil partnerships as marriages “is of serious import and will be rightly resisted by many”. He added: “The Catholic Church, for one, will not accept it.”

The Scottish Government has launched a 14-week consultation on allowing “gay marriage” – a change to laws that allow same-sex couples to enter a civil partnership, but bans the ceremony from taking place in a church or other religious premises.

A spokesman for health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “We expressed our initial view in support of same-sex marriage when the consultation was launched –which is of course reflected in all the political parties, just as there will be diverse views within parties – but we have given an assurance that all opinions will be listened to, no final views have been reached and no decisions have been taken.

“When the consultation was issued, we also made it clear that we would be seeking meetings with religious groups, including the Catholic Church, to ensure their views can be taken into account.”

Patrick Harvie MSP, who is gay, urged the Church to focus its efforts and finances on other matters.

“There are people in Scotland whose religion motivates them to devote their time to making this world a better place for everyone; issues from global poverty and climate change, to the peace movement and protection for asylum seekers,” he said.

“It’s truly sad that with this deeply negative campaign, a handful of cardinals can undermine that work by pretending that the great moral issues of our age are all about who goes to bed with whom, or whether gay people should be treated equally.

“I hope they eventually get over this hang-up they seem to have, but, in the meantime, I’m confident that parliament will continue to work towards equality with the support of most Scots.”

From New Scotsman

Can I just burn all the things, please? Please?

~Mooglets

As anger mounts at the visit of the pope to Germany, local authorities have banned demonstrations in the vicinity of papal events. The German-born Ratzinger will begin his three day tour on 22 September in Berlin before continuing to Erfurt and Freiburg. Anti-Pope rallies are expected in all three cities. Unlike in Madrid two weeks ago, the protests are not about the cost of the visit, but about the Vatican’s reactionary teachings on birth control, abortion and the rights of homosexuals.

Plans are afoot to challenge the ban on protests by some of the 54 groups that have come together to oppose the pope’s visit. “It must be possible to hold a peaceful demonstration within ear-shot of the Bundestag,” said German Gay and Lesbian Association director Joerg Steinert. The association has spoken out against the decision to allow the Pope to speak in the German parliament.

The protesters want to rally at the Brandenburg Gate at the same time Pope Benedict is due to address parliament.

Officials gave no explanation for the ban. When Ratzinger’s predecessor, Karol Wotjyla, visited Berlinin 1996 he faced hecklers who hurled abuse and made obscene gestures as he made his way by Popemobile to the Brandenburg Gate for a farewell ceremony. Some shouted “Go to hell” and “Get lost” while a naked woman protester streaked in front of the glass-sided Popemobile. Some media reports said the vehicle was also hit by eggs or tomatoes.

Meanwhile, Berlin’s mayor, Klaus Wowereit is put into a difficult position – he is obliged to say that he welcomes the pope’s visit to Germany later this month, but he’ll be doing it through gritted teeth. Mr Wowereit is openly gay and living with a partner, something that he isn’t sure the pope is aware of. “I assume that the Pope will be informed, if it interests him, that I live with a boyfriend,” he said.

Mr Wowereit isn’t really able to officially condone the protests that are planned during the visit, but he says (not very diplomatically): “I understand, and it’s also in order, that citizens are using the Pope’s visit to draw attention here to the fact that the Catholic Church’s teaching represent theses that belong in past centuries, but not in the modern era,” he said. I have great understanding for these protests, assuming they take place within a peaceful and democratic framework. The Catholic Church will have to live with that. This also does not contradict the hospitality we should show during a state visit.”

Wowereit will meet the Pope on September 22 before the Mass at Olympic Stadium, where Ratzinger will sign the city’s golden guest book.

His welcome for the pontiff will be formal, he said. “The mayor is the mayor of this city – and that means that state visitors will be treated according to protocol and according to hospitality. This means that my personal life should not play the leading role,” said Wowereit.

He also said that Berlin’s new archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki was far from being progressive, but said there appeared to be an opportunity for dialogue. Mr Wowereit is obviously an optimist if he thinks that the Vaticanwill in any way “dialogue” with someone who defies its rules so openly. Or, in fact, hold dialogue with anyone at all. The Vatican, in its own eyes, rules the world and has no need to discuss anything.

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: “It seems the pope’s visits are now always accompanied by protest. But the Vatican is becoming wise to the disastrous PR effects these protests have on the perception they try so hard to create that the pope is universally loved and respected. Some commentators have made the point that there were vast crowds of Catholics to greet the pope in Madrid last month and hardly any sign of protestors. They seem blind to the brutality with which the police drove those opposed to the visit out of the city centre.

“It looks like the pope’s little helpers in Germany are similarly seeking to dampen down any sign of dissent. First there is the ban on assembly and if anyone defies it, police brutality will follow, and the protestors will be branded as violent thugs. Soon it will be a dangerous business to express any direct opposition to these visits.”

From the National Secular Society

Interesting. See - it wasn’t only we Brits who were pissed at the Papal visit.

~Mooglets

Stigma and homophobia against gay men is hampering efforts to manage a growing epidemic of HIV in Islamic countries, warn epidemiologists this week.

“The stigma is a barrier to HIV prevention services,” says Laith Abu-Raddad of the Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar in Doha. He heads up a team that is assembling, for the first time, data from the Islamic world on the growing prevalence of HIV in practising gay men.

They report that the arrival of HIV in the gay community has been relatively recent compared with other regions of the world, but warn that it is on the rise. In Pakistan, for example, the prevalence of HIV in transgender male sex workers rose from 0.8 per cent in 2005 to 6.4 per cent just three years later.

Historically, HIV epidemics have often begun in minority, high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men or intravenous drug users, then spread to the general population. A problem in much of the Islamic world is that men having sex with men is illegal. That, coupled with homophobia, hampers efforts to contain the virus by making gay men too scared to seek treatment, a pattern that has been seen in eastern European countries, India and sub-Saharan Africa.

Abu-Raddad says that governments are managing “to deal with [HIV] discreetly” by inviting non-governmental organisations to provide testing, counselling and treatment for gay men.

The spread of HIV is at a relatively early stage in Islamic countries, so there is an opportunity to stop it growing. But this will only happen if governments accept that it is spreading among gay men, and that action is required.

“We need much better HIV prevention, surveillance, testing, counselling and treatment, but NGOs can only do it with resources from governments,” says Abu-Raddad.

Journal reference: PloS Medicine, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000444

From New Scientist

Anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church has announced plans to picket in Edinburgh and Aberdeen at the end of October.

The church, which is based in Kansas, intends to picket at talks concerning the ordination of openly gay clergy within the Church of Scotland. 

The first protest will be staged at the Church of Scotland Ecumenical Autumn Conference in Edinburgh on Friday 28 October. The extremist group will then picket at Queen’s Cross Church in Aberdeen on Sunday 30 October. 

Speaking of the Church of Scotland’s ongoing dialogue about gay clergy, a Westboro Baptist Church press release states: “It’s starting to look like Scotland is doomed!” 

It adds: “What part of ‘Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, it is abomination’ (Lev. 18:22) don’t you understand?” 

Westboro Baptist Church, brought to international attention by Louis Theroux’s documentary The Most Hated Family in America, also plans to picket the funerals of the victims of mass murderer Anders Breivik in Norway.  It claims that picketing the funerals will serve to “warn the living” that the victims “died for your sins.” 

From Pink Paper

Gotta love the Westboro’s.

Y’know what - strike that - stay the fuck out of my country, Westboro’s, you’re neither wanted nor welcome. This is a secular country, with a secular Government and we are far less tolerant of you assholes than our american brethren. Seriously. Fuck the hell off.

~Mooglets

An inquiry will be held later this year to clarify how hard equality laws should be applied to religious people who oppose or disagree with homosexuality.

The move comes after a number of high profile cases involving believers reached the courts – including former Islington council registrar Lilian Ladelle.

The public hearings, scheduled to last for about three months this autumn, will invite peers and politicians to examine legislation on hate crime and equality and evaluate whether changes are needed, The Guardian report.

The inquiry is the brainchild of Christian MP Gary Streeter who chairs the cross-party group Christians in Parliament. 

Streeter said the panel would invite submissions from legal professionals, businesses, individuals and social policy groups from faith and non-faith backgrounds.

“The outcome of our inquiry might be that the law needs to be nudged back in certain areas and we won’t shy away from saying so,” he said.

“The public at large don’t care what we do but, in the Christian community, there is a measure of concern about the issue. They will be pleased to see Christian parliamentarians doing something. They will be pleased to receive some reassurance that the fear whipped up is not necessary.

“It’s only people of the Christian faith running up into the law; secularists aren’t doing that. We are not putting one group of people above one another.”

Earlier this month, PinkPaper.com reported that the Equality and Human Rights Commission suggested there should be a compromise between gay equality and religious exemption.

The equality watchdog claimed that judges have interpreted equality law “too narrowly” and suggest that they should accommodate both sides more.

From Pink Paper

How about - you keep your bigoted Bronze-Age beliefs to yourself and out of Parliament, and then - oh, we won’t have anything to complain about anymore, so equality all round. Right? 

Seriously. More of the Christian Majority whingeing about being oppressed. Gotta love it.

~Mooglets