Friday, May 31, 2013

Once Again, Human Rights v. Religious Freedom

Last month I wrote about Human Rights and Religious Freedom and now over in Europe their high court has ruled on a case of religious freedom to discriminate…
European Court Rejects Religious 'Right to Discriminate'
The European court of human rights on Tuesday rejected an appeal brought by three British Christians, two of whom say they were punished at work for not wanting to serve same-sex couples.
Advocate
By Sunnivie Brydum
May 29 2013

The European court of human rights flatly rejected an appeal Tuesday requested by a trio of British Christians, two of whom were hoping to receive a religious exemption from the county's nondiscrimination law because they did not want to counsel or serve same-sex couples.
[…]
The executive director of Britain's National Secular Society lauded Tuesday's ruling as affirming the United Kingdom's stringent antidiscrimination laws, noting that the court rejected the argument that "religious freedom" trumps individual liberty and equality.
We have a number of similar cases here in the U.S. which I wrote about it in “Trans Rights v. Religious Freedom” including the case in 2007 where a lesbian couple wanted to rent a pavilion on the boardwalk in Ocean Grove NJ that was owned by a Methodist organization.

But that doesn’t stop from claiming rights that they do not have, in the National Catholic Register they wrote…
“The policy also attempts to create what is essentially a speech code in schools, that if any student stands up for biblical truth that recognizes that God created man and woman in his image and that your anatomy actually matters, then those students from Christian families will be disciplined by the schools for speaking the biblical truth, not in a hateful way, but for refusing to deny a biological and spiritual reality,” Beckwith [attorney and executive vice president of the Massachusetts Family Institute.] added.
If they want to teach their religious doctrine they can open up a religious school and teach it, but they cannot force public school to adherer to their religious beliefs. However, if they open a religious school and they accept any public funding they have to accept all students, including those of other religious beliefs and LGBT students. They can teach their doctrine, but it has to be open to all students.
 

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