Election 2010: Christians highlight party policies on religious liberty

With stories of sidelined Christians hitting the headlines, one Christian group has published an election briefing highlighting where the parties stand on religious liberty and other issues.

The Christian Institute, a leading defender of religious liberty for Christians, has published the briefing and is sending it to 2,951 churches, 18,066 individuals and has emailed it to 11,943 contacts.

The briefing helps Christians cut through the election spin, and see where the parties really stand on things like religious liberty, the sanctity of life and marriage.

The briefing can be downloaded from: https://www.christian.org.uk/electionbriefing2010

The printed version of the briefing includes a credit-card sized ‘question card’ which Christians are encouraged to carry with them in the weeks leading up to the election to help them quiz their candidates.

On the card are six key questions about free speech, euthanasia, abortion, smacking, marginalisation of Christians and protecting marriage.

The Christian Institute’s Mike Judge said: “Many Christians feel ignored and sidelined by a secular climate which regards religion as a private eccentricity rather than an every-day public reality. Added to this, our major political parties are extremely nervous about ever mentioning anything to do with God, church or the Bible other than in the vaguest of terms. How are Christians to weigh up the parties when the parties are too afraid to speak about traditional Christian values? We hope our election briefing will help Christians understand where the main parties stand.”

The Christian Institute’s legal defence fund has recently backed:

Jennie Cain: Devon mum and part-time school receptionist reprimanded over a prayer email. Her employment tribunal claim for religious discrimination was settled this week after an undisclosed payment was made by her employers.

Lillian Ladele: Islington registrar disciplined for asking for an accommodation of her religious beliefs on same-sex civil partnerships. She won an original tribunal claim, but Islington successfully appealed. Miss Ladele is considering appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang: Hotel owners charged and prosecuted under public order laws after being accused of offending a Muslim guest during a breakfast-time debate about religion. A district judge dismissed the criminal case, ruling the complainant’s evidence was unreliable. But the couple’s hotel business has been ruined.