Christians Urged to Oppose U.K. Government's Pro-Gay Agenda

By Jenna Lyle, Christian Today Reporter Saturday, June 19, 2010

LONDON – Christian Concern for our Nation is calling on Christians to take action after the U.K government outlined its pro-homosexual agenda this week.

Minister for Women and Equalities Theresa May set out plans on Wednesday to tackle prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in all aspects of life, including education, the workplace, the criminal justice system and international rights.

The announcement signals the coalition government's intention to continue the work of promoting homosexuality started under the previous government and will see it take up Labour's drive to allow same-sex couples to register their relationships in a religious setting.

May also said that the government would work to remove historical convictions for consensual gay sex from criminal records and lobby other countries to repeal 'homophobic' legislation and recognize U.K. civil partnerships.

CCFON said the government's pro-homosexual agenda was "aggressive" and "radical."

In new guidelines drawn up to help Christians respond to the government's plans, CCFON accused the government of adopting a "highly misleading and even manipulative" use of the word "homophobic."

"It gives the impression that any opposition to homosexual activity is driven by phobia, widely understood to be 'irrational fear,'" it said. "It does not allow for any distinction to be made between opposition to particular sexual activity and hatred or ill-treatment of a person.

"It therefore pre-judges the argument about the legitimacy or otherwise of particular sexual activity and hinders rather than helps discussion of these important issues."

In the guidelines, the group accuses the government for imposing a particular ideology on the issue of homosexuality "despite the fact that there is not widespread consensus on that ideology."

CCFON goes on to raise concerns over the rights of Christians to express their religious beliefs about homosexuality.

"Christians are of course opposed to bullying and torture in all its forms," the group states. "However, the framework does not define what constitutes these things in this context. Will explaining that homosexual activity is morally wrong be construed as bullying?

"The section in the Equality Act that allows civil partnerships to be formed in religious premises could lead to church officials who refused to conduct such ceremonies being put under enormous pressure to do so."

CCFON is urging Christians to write to May, Prime Minister David Cameron and their local MPs to voice their opposition to the government's plans.