Every so often something happens to create a flurry of news
about Christians being under siege in the UK.
There’s been another couple of examples this week, and so various
commentators and websites have a go around things like:
- · This never happens to Muslims/hindus (insert other faith of choice here) because that wouldn’t be politically correct (the Left Wing/Labour conspiracy argument)
- · Christians are being persecuted and they shouldn’t be because this is a Christian country
- · All religions are fairy tales so no religion should be allowed to say or do anything in public
And so on.
I’m a Christian, so I’m coming at this from a particular
point of view. I’m also a minister so I
have a public role, and am involved in some community things because of
it. I do feel slightly irritated about
things like the anti-gay B&B owners row, because it is true that many Jews
and Muslims have issues with
homosexuality in the same way many Christians do, and for the same reasons, but
they don’t seem to find themselves in the media spotlight in quite the same
way.
However, I don’t think that Christians are being persecuted
in this country. I can say and do mostly
what I like, as long as I don’t break the law, and I don’t feel that I am in
danger of my life because of my beliefs.
There are Christians in the world who cannot meet together to worship
without fear, or who are imprisoned or executed because of their faith. That’s persecution.
I also don’t feel we are particular victims of any kind of
campaign. I think we sometimes fall foul
of the complex web of tolerances and freedoms that are at work in British
society at the moment. This web means
that there is freedom of speech, but not if what you say incites racial
hatred. There is freedom of sexual
expression, but not if you want to have sex with children. There is freedom of religion, but not if you
are teaching killing people as part of your religion.
In my view, as a Christian, I have to earn the right to a
public say on things by what I am involved in.
So in my role as a Youth Pastor I am talking to the local council as
they build a new Young People’s centre.
I get to be involved because I am encouraging my youth group to get
involved in their community through this.
I don’t get asked because I’m a church leader, though, and it wouldn’t
be right if I did. And I definitely
don’t expect to be invited to say a prayer at any point – why in earth would I? However, I do expect to be able to talk about
faith matters with young people if that’s what they want because that’s
enshrined in the government’s own agenda for young people*.
I also wouldn’t want there to be religious exception clauses
for matters of conscience. That’s a
slippery slope I don’t want to see. If
we had that, then some sections of the community could argue that it’s alright
to mutilate a woman’s genitals when it is done for religious reasons, or that
it’s a religious practice to beat up a child because they are a witch. If I had a job which challenged my conscience
then I have to make a choice between staying or leaving, and would have to
choose leaving.
As Christians we need to remember our founder’s words about
losing our lives, taking up our crosses and be prepared to not grasp at
equality but to be servants to the world.
Salt is strong, with a powerful flavour, yeast has an amazing effect on
dough, but both disappear into the foods they are flavouring, preserving and
leavening.
And we definitely should not respond like the good folks of
Cranston, Rhode Island who made death threats against 16 year old Jessica Ahlqvuist
and referred to her as an “evil little thing” because she claimed that the
display of a prayer on school premises violated the 1st Amendment of
the US constitution and went to court to make her case (and won).
*Every Child Matters
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