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Anglican bishop threatens to close youth clubs in protest at gay rights
Last updated at 23:22pm on 28.11.06
The Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali
A senior Church of England bishop have warned that Anglican youth clubs, welfare projects and charities may close because of new gay rights laws.
The Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, said that the Church of England's charities would be "affected" by the rules, which will force them to give equal treatment to homosexuals.
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• Seven out of 10 say beliefs should not be abandoned over gay rights
He declared: "It will be the poor and disadvantaged who will be the losers."
Dr Nazir-Ali spoke in the wake of the protest by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols against Government interference in the moral beliefs of Christians.
His intervention meant ministers are faced with a united front of hostility from churches over the Sexual Orientation Regulations, due to become law next April.
The new laws are meant to prevent discrimination against gays. But the Church of England has said they mean priests could be sued for refusing to bless same-sex unions and Catholics say they will close their adoption agencies rather than give children to gay couples.
Leaders of the increasingly influential black churches added their voices to the protest, saying that pastors and churchgoers will go to jail rather than accept rules that will mean they must open their meeting halls to gay lobby groups.
Pakistani-born Dr Nazir-Ali said: "I welcome warmly what the Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham has said about the Sexual Orientation Regulations.
"In the proposed regulations there is no clear exemption for religious belief even though it is widely known that several of the faiths in this country will have serious difficulty."
He added: "Religion affects every area of life and cannot be reduced to just worship.
"These regulations will certainly affect a great deal of charitable work done by the churches and others. It is the poor and disadvantaged who will be the losers."
The warning means Dr Nazir-Ali believes the new gay rights laws are a threat to the Church of England's continued influence in inner cities and deprived areas of the country.
Despite its internal arguments and financial troubles, the CofE has been widely praised in recent years for its efforts to maintain its presence and its charity efforts in the toughest parts of cities.
Archbishop Nichols warned earlier this week that Catholic schools, adoption agencies, welfare programmes, halls and shelters would all be threatened by the pressure to accept "moral standards at present being touted by the Government".
Black church leaders, who have paid for newspaper advertisements warning that the new rules will force schools to promote gay civil partnerships as the equal of marriage, said the laws would bring civil disobedience.
Pastor Ade Amooba of Christian Voice in Brixton, South London, said: "Homosexuals are set at liberty to enjoy their way of life. Why does the Government want to take away ours?
"Christianity is our identity. We will not surrender it. People will not obey these rules, no matter that they are taken to court."
He added: "We will shut down the youth clubs and welfare projects rather than obey these laws. That will have very damaging effects. We will be losing something valuable."
George Hargreaves of the Hephzibah Christian Centre in Hackney said: "I have already bought my orange jumpsuit, for no doubt prison awaits us as we fight against the tyranny of the Sexual Orientation Regulations.
"If opposing this law is to be counted as an act of civil disobedience, than in obedience to God we must act in loving and peaceful civil disobedience."
Final details of the new laws have yet to be made public because of delays following a Cabinet row. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, a staunch Catholic who is in charge of pushing the regulations through, only gave way and ordered the rules to go ahead last week.
Their are threats of rebellion in Northern Ireland, which is being used as a test bed for the gay rights laws. The rules will go into force there at the beginning of January.
DUP leader Dr Ian Paisley has handed a letter of protest to Tony Blair amid signs that politically powerful church leaders in the province are preparing to try to stop the new laws.
Reader views (6)
As another gay Christian I want to remind people that the bisops pastors and archbishops quoted represent only part of the church. There is a strong movement for an inclusive church respecting gays and lesbians.
If Lawrence looks around he will find a church where he will feel happy and accepted.
- Barb, London UK
Thank you for your coments George. I wish all Christians held your views. As a gay man I have always thought that most of the views put out by senior church officials go against the preachings of Christianity.
I have lived my life by Christian values but would never think about visiting a church out of priciple. I think a lot of my friend hold the same view - gay or straight.
- Lawrence, London
No one will have to give up their deeply held beliefs (no matter how ridiculous or slanderous). The state has a duty to provide services and give equal access to those services. How miserable that these churches would threaten to close their part state funded services rather than provide them to a young gay or Lesbian person in need. It is not acceptable to take public money to provide welfare services only to those you like. It would not be acceptable to deny services to people because they are black or disabled and you don't like them or believe they are therefore less worthy. This is pure bigotry and you don't have to go back very far to see organised religion treating other people exactly the same. I can't understand how religious people cannot see how badly they are acting. So Christian hoteliers will have to provide rooms for gay people, doesn't their bible say anything about hospitality? The state already circumscribes how religous people act. Some would like to see all gay and Lesbian people put to death or jailed and would justify this with their religious beliefs, others would deny things like divorce or would criminalise sex outside of marriage. The state says it is illegal to kill and that people have the freedom to have consensual sex with other adults and may divorce. How can people who claim to be good and have moral answers be so cruel, mean and lack the empathy to see homosexuals as just like themselves only loving their own sex.
- David, London
As a Christian I must say how ashamed I am of my church leaders threatening the "poor and disadvantaged" with a withdrawal of their charity efforts just because they want to continue discriminating against a whole section of the population. I doubt it is an example of which Jesus would be proud.
- George, London, England
It's ironic that these protests are coming from the black and asian communities. Not so long ago, the white Christian movement would have produced almost exactly the same arguments to exclude them from churches.
I thought Christianity was supposed to be about caring for your fellow man; how can this be compatible with closing youth clubs and community centres and deliberately doing something that "will have very damaging effects [...and lose...] something valuable"
- Andy, London, UK
Is it Christian to make others suffer in order to maintain prejudice and inequality?
Aren't children missing out already by not letting gay couples adopt?
Aren't all people equal in the eyes of god?
It seems that the Christian hierarchy are once again being political rather than being Christian. Love one another.
- Craig, London UK
