|
Saturday
25 January 2003
Euro rules force Church
bodies to employ atheists.
By Jonathan Petre.
Religion Correspondent
THOUSANDS of religious schools, charities and organisations
could face legal action if they refuse to employ atheists
or sack staff who become Satanists under proposed Government
regulations.
The laws, which are based on a European Union directive and
which have to be implemented by December, ban discrimination
in the workplace on the grounds of religion, belief or sexual
orientation.
But a report from the Christian Institute says the laws will
restrict the freedom of religious organisations to employ
solely staff who are practising believers.
Christian groups are particularly angry that the Government
has chosen to exempt political parties from the laws, so that
the Labour Party will be able to continue its policy of employing
only party members.
"While the Vegetarian Society can refuse to employ meat-eaters
and the RSPCA can sack an executive who is found to have invested
in the fur trade, churches which employ Christians could now
face legal action for doing so," the institute said."They
could face the possibility of crippling legal actions just
for following their beliefs."
Under the new regulations, all religious organisations, including
schools, charities, parishes and mosques, will need to have
a very strong case to require recruits to share their beliefs.
The laws could, for example, prevent Christian bodies refusing
to employ practising homosexuals or bisexuals on the grounds
that sex outside marriage is against Christian teaching. Moreover,
the regulations protect existing staff, so that if a youth
worker employed by a Christian Church converts to Islam, but
argues that he can still do the job, the Church cannot dismiss
him.
Teachers in maintained schools escape the regulations on religion
or belief but not sexual orientation. Vergers, youth workers,
evangelists, pastoral staff in parishes and caretakers could
all be seriously affected, however.
In its report the institute said that the proposed regulations
undermined religious freedom.
One of its authors, Prof Ian Leigh, of Durham University,
a human rights lawyer, said: "The Government regulations
have all the potential seriously to undermine freedom of association
for religious people. They place the modern concept of `equality'
over and above religious liberty."
© Daily
Telegaph
|
|
Resources
from
The Christian Institute: |
|
|
