Christian Counselor in UK Fired after Refusing to Give Sex Advice to Gay Couple

[Zaac]

In the UK it is illegal to refuse both employment and services on the basis of orientation and I think (although im not sure) its illegal to refuse someone rental of a property/room etc..

Can you reference a law because if I'm not mistaken, the UK law references employment hiring/firing practices. I don't remember it addressing a prohibition against not being able to choose to whom services are offered.

 

[Zaac]

He wasn't just supposed to "deal with couples with sexual problems" in any way he wanted to, but he had to deal with them based on some standards, which I suppose were based on official psychology.

You suppose, but you don't know what the standard is that Relate put forward. Regardless, Relate does not have a valid reason to fire him unless they told him that in spite of his religious beliefs,he has to counsel homosexual couples on how to fix their sex issues. If Relate has any sense, they didn't do that because that would be religious discrimination, and subsequent termination in violation of their own Employment Equality Regulations as they apply to orientation, religion,belief or age.

And official psychology is incompatible with the idea that homosexuality is something bad, just like it's incompatible with Dianetics.

But he didn't say it was bad according to the article. The article says that he :... told his employer his Christian faith prevented him from promoting homosexual sex.

The company cannot make and enforce a law that goes against their federally mandated laws. The UK EERs protect the employee from discrimination because of their orientation, religion, belief and age.

And Relate has basically said, we fired you because you're a homophobe. And we decided that you are a homophobe because your coworkers learned of your Christian stance and branded you a homophobe.

We based our decision on additional complaints from the same folks who branded you a homophobe based upon your previous Christian stance.

That's religious discrimination and IS in violation of UK law.

 

[HaloHope]

Can you reference a law because if I'm not mistaken, the UK law references employment hiring/firing practices. I don't remember it addressing a prohibition against not being able to choose to whom services are offered.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20071263_en_1#l1g4

 

[D.W.Washburn]

Our church just happens to be part of an alliance that adopted the Kurdish people. You'd be surprised just how much I know about what's really going on up in Mosul and Dohuk and Arbil.

The people of Northern Iraq love us. Contrary to the reports you hear from the anti-war crowd, these folks are ecstatic that someone cared enough to come help them.

Time and time again we hear them saying that Islam has brought us nothing but death and destruction. We want something else.

Good for you and good for your church. I mean that sincerely.

This is not, however, what set off my hyperbole detector.

Mr. McFarlane, may or may not have been the object of dicriminatory employment practices based upon his religion. The courts will determine that. Discrimination is not equivalent to persecution.

To equate this man being fired from his job to the killing of Iraqi Christians in Mosul is hyperbolic, at least.

 

[artybloke]

Oh No! Relate won't emply bigots! What next? Do you think they'll fire someone next because he refuses to counsel black people and Jews?!!!!!

What is the world coming to?

I'm sure that there's a nice rightwing pit for this guy to crawl into.