{"id":1057,"date":"2012-09-12T18:02:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T18:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/uk-lawyers-say-christians-may-have-to-choose-between-faith-and-job\/"},"modified":"2012-09-12T18:02:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-12T18:02:00","slug":"uk-lawyers-say-christians-may-have-to-choose-between-faith-and-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/09\/uk-lawyers-say-christians-may-have-to-choose-between-faith-and-job\/","title":{"rendered":"UK lawyers say Christians may have to choose between faith and job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Strasbourg, France, Sep 12, 2012 \/ 12:02 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Attorneys representing the United Kingdom said last week that Christians might have to forfeit their jobs if they wish to express their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cEmployees are free to resign if they find their employment incompatible with their religious beliefs,\u201d government lawyer James Eadie said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThey can obtain alternative employment in which they can reflect their religion as they wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHis comments were made at a Sept. 4 hearing in Strasbourg before the European Court of Human Rights, involving four cases of British Christians who claim to have suffered faith-based discrimination at their places of employment.<\/p>\n

\tThe plaintiffs assert that existing U.K. law insufficiently protects their rights to freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination at work.<\/p>\n

\tTwo were kept from wearing crosses, Nadia Eweida, an employee of British Airways, and Shirley Chaplin, a long-time nurse.<\/p>\n

\tThe remaining two are Lilian Ladele, who lost her job with a London borough government for refusing to conduct civil partnerships, and Gary McFarlane, a therapist who was fired for saying he was unable to give sex therapy to homosexual couples.<\/p>\n

\tAccording to the Daily Mail, Eadie claimed there is \u201ca difference between the professional sphere where your religious beliefs conflict with other interests and the private sphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cEveryone has the right to express their beliefs, including the right to display religious symbols, but not an absolute right or a right without limits,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThat does not mean that in their professional sphere anyone can manifest their religious belief in any way they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe lawyers maintained that because the wearing of a cross is a not a \u201cscriptural requirement\u201d of Christianity, employers are not obliged to allow it, also noting that the government believes same-sex couples have a right to equal access to public services.<\/p>\n

\tHowever, leaders of both the Catholic Church and the Church of England have expressed concern that Christianity is unwelcome in the public sphere in Britain.<\/p>\n

\tPrime Minister David Cameron had told the House of Commons in July that the right to wear crosses at work was \u201can absolutely vital freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tPope Benedict also spoke to the tensions in the case when he addressed Parliament during his papal visit to the country in 2010.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThere are those who argue \u2013 paradoxically with the intention of eliminating discrimination \u2013 that Christians in public roles should be required at times to act against their conscience,\u201d the pontiff told lawmakers.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThese are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also the legitimate role of religion in the public square.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAll four plaintiffs brought their cases before the U.K. Employment Tribunal, which dismissed their claims. Their lawsuit before the court is based on the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights which concern freedom of religion and prohibition of discrimination.<\/p>\n

\tThe court's deliberations are held in private, and the ruling will likely be made in a few months, reported the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Strasbourg, France, Sep 12, 2012 \/ 12:02 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Attorneys representing the United Kingdom said last week that Christians might have to forfeit their jobs if they wish to express their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n

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