Memorandum submitted by Paul Burch (CJ&I 356)

 

I am writing to you to express my concern at proposed amendments to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, which will make it a criminal offence to ^'incite hatred on the grounds of sexuality.

 

As a Christian I am in favour of the Bill protecting the rights of the individual to live the lifestyle they want without fear of persecution or harassment. However, such protection is already provided by the law - all people are protected from assault and threatening words or behavior under existing criminal law. In addition the law concerning incitement to commit criminal offence makes it illegal to incite act of violence against another person for whatever reason.

 

If the law is changed my fear is that certain groups in our society are becoming so strong that their rights are being preferred over those of others. The Bible, when taken at face value, teaches quite plainly that certain lifestyles are contrary to the way God wants us to live. I and the wider Church, base our beliefs and lifestyle on these teachings, and would include such things as, staying married for life, keeping sex, and therefore children, within marriage, and an understanding that anal sex is prohibited, as fundamental beliefs to be taught and encouraged and shared as widely as possible.

 

Non-believers are free to criticize my beliefs, and they regularly do. My children have been laughed at, at school by teachers, when proposing that sexual intercourse is for marriage only. I and they may feel harassed when this happens, but we do not require a law to protect us from such criticism. As an adult I am quite capable of coping with other peoples views and thoughts expressed as a part of a free society, and I have never met anyone who felt that the bibles views, freely expressed, were a bad thing and that the law should prohibit their expression in public. Yet this is the situation we may find ourselves in if you pass the proposed amendment to the Bill. Homosexuals are all adults by definition, and quite capable of coping when they hear that the Bible prohibits anal sex and homosexual relationships. It is not wrong to hold this opinion, and therefore not wrong to express it as a part of the gospel in a free and healthy society. Yet some homosexual groups will undoubtedly try to use this law to make it illegal to express any criticisms of their lifestyle, including describing anal sex as a sin. Far fetched you may feel, but such is the reach and the strength of the pro-homosexual groups that such persecution of Christians has already taken place.

 

As an airline pilot I know many homosexuals and consider a number of them to be friends. It would be unhealthy for our society if it became illegal for me to tell my friends, that in Gods eyes, their lifestyles would need to change if they were to surrender their hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, because homosexual sex is a sin in His eyes.

 

Once this is prohibited where do we go next. Do we prohibit the teaching of sex as only for the enjoyment of married couples because such teaching offends those who live together outside of marriage, and leaves them ^'feeling' threatened and harassed. Grow up and show a little durability and self-belief I would say.

 

This proposed change to the Bill is the beginning of the end for our free society - a large step on the road to a totalitarian state, where we are told what to believe, and to express anything different is a criminal offence - please do not allow this to happen as I know it will make me a criminal!!

 

October 2007