Memorandum submitted by Rev. G Barrett (CJ&I 25)
I am writing to express my deep concern and that of many
members of my congregation about the proposed amendment to the Criminal Justice
and Immigration Bill, which would make it a criminal offence to 'incite hatred
on the grounds of sexuality'. As committed Christians we firmly believe that we
should love and show respect to all people, irrespective of their lifestyle,
beliefs and sexual practices. God's love for all people is an important part of
our Faith and is expressed in various practical ways in our Church. However, we also feel that the introduction
of this proposed amendment is ill advised and poses a considerable danger to
freedom of speech and freedom of religion in our nation.
I must make it clear that Christians do not hate anyone but clearly the Bible
to which Her Majesty vowed allegiance at her coronation promulgates a very
strict moral code not only in respect of moral practice but on many other
issues. For example, the Bible teaches
that God's intention is demonstrated in traditional heterosexual marriage. It is true that there are those who reject
this teaching today but it seems odd that by adhering to the teaching of the
State Church - the Church of England - I could under the new Act be
criminalized for refusing to preach favourably in support of homosexual
practice. Will Parliament ask the
Church to delete certain passages from the Bible that do not support this and
other practices that it does not support!?
Some Christians are already living in an atmosphere of fear when it comes to
being allowed to speak openly about their beliefs regarding sexuality. There
have been a number of examples in the media where people have been reported to
the police, interviewed by police, taken to court and even prosecuted for
speaking openly about sexuality, lost their positions at work. A respected
Bishop has already fallen foul of the law for standing by his ordination vows.
In light of these above concerns I would urge the Committee to uphold freedom
of speech and to recognise that the proposed amendment is not only an
unnecessary measure, but that it would endanger the freedoms that we now enjoy.
I am most grateful to the Committee for taking the time to read my submission.
October 2007
