Does this mean that the days of jews and mohamadans opting out of animal welfare legislation to produce kosher and halal meat are numbered.
2007-01-26 08:55:51 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
The government has issued a diktat that the Catholic adoption service cannot discrimate against homosexuals on religious grounds.
2007-01-26 09:06:17 · update #1
Oh I sincerely hope it means exactly that!
There should be no exemptions from things like animal welfare, and equally there should be nothing to stop children in need of a good home being adopted by anyone who will give them exactly that - a good home, regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation.
To Nancy Kay above - in the UK, we have laws against discriminating against people on the grounds of their sexual orientation. However, the Catholic Church is stating that its adoption agencies will not, under any circumstances, agree to children from its agencies being adopted by gay couples. This contravenes the laws non-discrimination. The Church is using emotional blackmail saying that if it is forced to accept gay couples as potential adopters, it will close its adoption agencies, thereby leaving thousands of children without a chance of adoption.
2007-01-26 09:06:30 · answer #1 · answered by emsr2d2 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The human rights act provides for religous freedom, and they cannot yet legistlate against thoughts and beliefs and hope to win in court. If the Catholic Church closes its orphanages because of this stupid and ill thought out bit of legislation. I hope the blame is layed firmly at the Labour party's front door. ps they are already free to kill animals in a kosher and halal way under supervision.
2007-01-26 16:43:50 · answer #2 · answered by COLIN H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
(For those answerers confused, this is *British* legislation, so American "separation of church and state" replies do not apply.)
Effectively the secular state has firmly stated that its commandment "Thou shalt not discriminate." trumps religious beliefs when it comes to the provision of public services.
Just as you could not turn people away from your guest house on the grounds that they were black, this makes it clear that you cannot run an adoption agency (Catholic) and refuse to consider gay couples as clients. At the very least, not with the assistance of public funds, as happens currently.
And yes, I can see this encroaching on ritual slaughter of animals, if it is held to be unnecessarily cruel.
Female circumcision (mutilation) has already been outlawed. Court cases have occured over parents refusing medical treatment or blood transfusions for their children on ther grounds of religious belief.
So yes, freedom of religion is far from immune from the views and laws of the state. But to allow utter immunity on the playing of the "belief" card? The would let the KKK and worse back with a vengence. That doesn't work either.
2007-01-26 09:23:52 · answer #3 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
+ Homosexuality +
The Catholic Church believes there is nothing sinful about being homosexual. But homosexuals like all unmarried people are called to celibacy.
Unmarried cohabiting couples, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are living in sin.
+ Adoptions +
The issue at hand is that Catholic adoption agencies in the England and Wales handle about one-third of all private adoptions.
The Catholic Church regularly matches orphans with married (heterosexual) couples. People who are living as our religion believes God intended.
There is a new law taking effect in April that says that the adoption agencies will have to place children with homosexual couples.
Catholics believe that not only it is not in the best interest of the child to place them in an environment of immorality and sin that if they follow the law then they themselves will be sinning in the process.
Catholic doctors are not forced to perform abortions. Catholic prison workers are not forced to execute prisoners. Catholics are not forced to commit what they believe to be sinful acts in any other part of society.
What happened to freedom of religion?
+ With love in Christ.
2007-01-26 18:13:46 · answer #4 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Catholic Church will not compromise their beliefs for any one group of people, and will stand on the grounds of the separation of State and Church.
As believer I wouldn't want to see my religion tampered with, to accommodate another persons lifestyle that I don't condone myself. What's next......it never ends!
2007-01-26 09:24:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In case anyone is wondering, this is in the UK, not the US. (I wish Yahoo would mark things by country!).
The two are not the same. The bible says it's OK to own slaves, and to sell your daughter into marriage. These customs however are against modern societal interests, and are forbidden by UK law.
Meat is meat. We are going to kill animals for food, and if that means for some religions offering prayers and using a knife instead of a stun gun, I don't think anyone is going to worry about it.
There is a vast difference between issues affecting fairness between humans, and the need to control the level of cruelty in meat production.
2007-01-26 09:11:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You obviously don't get this Labour government and its EU masters - they love pandering to Muslims and gays. When the two clash they often side with the Muslims - eg: by welcoming homophobic Muslim clerics from the Middle East. So they're not going to risk the Muslim vote by taking on halal practices. Running roughshod over Christian beliefs, though, they will do with impunity.
2007-01-26 09:11:49 · answer #7 · answered by Dunrobin 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
its worse than that and its not just catholics. its all christians and muslims who need to follow gods laws rather than the sexual desires of the sodomite. its the begining of the expected prophesy that the christians shall be persecuted by gods enemies, the sodomites are ancient enemies of god because they denied him and his laws. you are witnessing the changing of good to evil and evil to good forced on people by our corrut legal system. it will effect heathens athiest anybody who does not want their sons and daughters conditioned by the government into becoming homosexual as they are growing up which could deny them a normal married life. this could also increase the curse on the sodomite that god has inflicted on them. to destroy thousands of years of passionat beleif at the hands of a mere sex act should land the judge in the dock as a national sex pervert, and enemy of the family unit and the british way of life
2007-01-26 09:13:29 · answer #8 · answered by trucker 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
not so sure that there is animal welfare legislation that would outlaw halal killing of animals. it's not really anymore cruel than the way we do it. and they're called muslims not mohamadans.
2007-01-26 09:10:54 · answer #9 · answered by anonymouse 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Huh? Makes no sense. And how is the Catholic Church involved in legislation, if there IS a separation of church and state?
2007-01-26 09:01:05 · answer #10 · answered by mountain woman 3 · 2⤊ 4⤋