Comments on: Christian registrar demoted for refusing to officiate civil partnerships

By: Reality Check

Reality Check — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:17:40 +0000

CIVIL PARTNER SAID – Registrars who object on religious grounds are simply against same sex relationships and use their interpretation of their religion to support their prejudices.

Just a small correction – to support their convictions. Homos are prejudice against christians.

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By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:15:05 +0000

See this excellent article on the subject.

xxx//www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1195606/Martyr-Just-job-dear.html?ITO=1490

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By: TomPaine

TomPaine — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:43:55 +0000

I agree with Civil Partner. Indeed what is to stop muslim check out personnale from refusing to sell alcohol? If this woman wins the case, we shoud simply cause trouble and support all religious privileges. All or none!

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By: Dave North

Dave North — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:14:11 +0000

She is a bigoted bitch. End of. Brainwashed by her cult.

Have a deck at this one.

hxxx://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,528960,00.html

This is what these people want.

Well tough sh!t. They can take their brain washed nonsence
and

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By: Civil Partner

Civil Partner — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:47:34 +0000

Civil marriage and civil partnership ceremonies must contain no religious references. There are therefore no religious grounds to same sex civil unions.

Registrars who object on religious grounds are simply against same sex relationships and use their interpretation of their religion to support their prejudices.

If such registrars are allowed to opt out of same sex civil partnerships duties, what is to stop doctors refusing to treat certain patients, teachers refusing particular pupils, supermarket checkout cashiers refusing to handle alcohol, vegetarians refusing to deal with meat eaters and so on? The latter cases sound absurd, so does refusing to perform a civil ceremony.

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By: marjangles

marjangles — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:53:20 +0000

@Tiglathpileser – it seems interesting for you to be so condescending about checking facts when you haven't bothered with them yourself. She isn't arguing that her terms and conditions have been changed presumably because they haven't been (have a look at the terms and conditions of a registrar, they are required to do whatever the law says a registrar must do from time to time and that now includes civil partnerships). She is actually arguing discrimination because the Council haven't made special arrangements for her, she is asking to be treated differently from everyone else because she is a Christian. She wants to impose her own terms and conditions into her contract based on her religion. If we allow this then where does it stop? Should firemen be allowed not to attend a fire at the house of a gay couple because his religion says homosexuality is wrong? If not, why not?

Also, you are not simply allowed to opt out of something due to religion, if you were this wouldn't be an issue. There are a very few number of circumstances where you can but they are few and far between and deliberately so.

Whether she likes it or not, she is there to provide a service to the people of Islington – all people, not just the ones she wants to. He wages are at least part paid by gay council tax payers, I would suspect she doesn't refuse the proportion of her wages that come from gay council tax payers.

Nobody is asking her to accept homosexuality or be in favour of it. She is being asked to carry out her job, plain and simple. If she can't do that then she should find another job.

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By: AdrianT

AdrianT — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:49:31 +0000

"If so, she is not obliged to accept changed conditions if it is detrimental to here ability to perform her duties, which in this case it was."
- It isn't, and she is free to find another job any time she likes. You religious people are so hypersensitive.

"And in case you have forgot, you can claim exemption on the basis of religious belief."
- No you can't. You are not above the law as previous cases have shown. Feel free to pour Christian donation money into the pockets of lawyers.

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By: Jesus

Jesus — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:14:00 +0000

Find a new Job, Bitch. Sell your body in the barooms. Lots of good heterosexual action available there. you can scream all you want about gay people being horrible……….

While we videotape you secretly and sell the videos via the porn industry.

Fitting Justice.

Or maybe she can just go rim the pope.

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By: marjangles

marjangles — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:03:36 +0000

Tigathpileser – she is not claiming a unilateral change to her terms and conditions of employment because there hasn't been one. She is required to carry out the duties of a registrar as they may be from time to time. These duties now include civil partnerships. What she is seeking to do is add her own terms and conditions to her contract which state that she is only required to do what she wants to do in terms of the duties of a registrar. Neither this woman, nor the previous case of Lilian Ladele argued on a contractual basis. Instead they argued that they have been discriminated against which is patent nonsense.

You can't claim exemption for things in terms of religious belief except in very rare circumstances such as a doctor refusing to provide an abortion. The reason these circumstances are rare is precisely to prevent people like this woman imposing their own demands on their employers based on whatever whim they like. If we support her right to be allowed not to carry out civil partnerships then we have to support the right of a muslim not to transport alcohol in a warehouse because that is against their religion. And what if a gay registrar decides he doesn't want to provide services to a

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By: Tiglathpileser

Tiglathpileser — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:15:07 +0000

[She should never have ben given a job in the first place and there are good grounds to just give her the sack.]

Lets not get tied up with the facts as they will ruin our opportunity to vent our hate for christians.I note she had been doing the job for 18 years. 18 years ago the issue of marrying two men wasn't part of the job as it wasn't done.

Now that the Council has been forced to if they don't want to be called "homophobic" this lady has had the terms and condition of her workplace altered.

Have you bothered to find out if she was advised of this and whether she was forced to accept the changed conditions. If so the Council is in breach of the employment act.

If so, she is not obliged to accept changed conditions if it is detrimental to here ability to perform her duties, which in this case it was.

And in case you have forgot, you can claim exemption on the basis of religious belief.

To say that she is discriminating against homosexuals is complete and utter rubbish. You are so over sensitive about everything. There would have been no issue if the Council had used a brain and appointed someone else to perform the ceremony. After all, how many homosexuals are lining up in Islington to get married? One a month? It is obvious that someone wanted a stoush to get back at christians. So much for tolerance.

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By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:28:57 +0000

Another "Ladele" case. More and more people will try and use the excuse of "religious beliefs" to try and justify all manners of bigotry and discrimination. The only thing one has to do is claim his beliefs should be taken into account. Racists and all other forms of bigots are just waiting in the pew for their turn.

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By: Ray

Ray — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:15:49 +0000

Keep up the fight for rights to equality and until every god fearing idiot is pushed to the back of room, too ashamed to show their faces anywhere.

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By: 21stCenturySpirituality

21stCenturySpirituality — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:14:35 +0000

Theresa Davies does not know God and if she thinks she does, believing what she currently believes about God, then she is sadly mistaken. Any belief that creates exclusion and unfair discrimination is not a belief that will be part of the new spirituality that is steadily emerging in the 21st century. The days of the kind of exclusivist philosophy and separatist theology to which Theresa Davies currently ascribes such importance are numbered. Yesterdays God is dead. Yesterdays God does not exist. Yesterdays God is not real. Yesterdays God is a lie. There is no form in which the expression of a love that is pure and true is inappropriate.

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By: John K

John K — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:41:44 +0000

Another Christian refusing to do her work . . . have we not been her before?

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By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:07:29 +0000

Apparently, according to colleagues, she has been trying to get breast re-augmentation (massive reductions) on the NHS for years. She’s currently on steroids and other medication for depression, all of which could be relevant in this case.

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By: AdrianT

AdrianT — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:29:42 +0000

Respect for people not beliefs. Enough said.

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By: Brian Burton

Brian Burton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:23:36 +0000

Coemgenus,

So, Which will it be–do it or RESIGN?
I know exactley what you mean. That registra had a choice, it's silly to throw away your job in this credit crunch climate for a principle like anti Gay. I must tell you, in 1965, before the concenting adults bill in the uk came to pass in '67. A friend of mine lost his Teaching job for 'cottaging' Later, he applied to another school with a Head-Mistress, he admitted to being Gay and he still got the Job. That was in London. He'll be retired by now if he was able to stay clear of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s.

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By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:57:37 +0000

Well done Islington council – nice going. I agree with Coengenus I too am a gay teacher and I teach homophobes and Roman Catholics. It is part of the job.

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By: Coemgenus

Coemgenus — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:50:57 +0000

Well, I am a gay teacher and I don't feel like teaching the children of Christians or members of the BNP – I feel I should be excused from that part of my job – it's against my sincerely held conscience.
Oh, yes, I forgot, I signed a contract in a job the SERVES THE PUBLIC. Oh well. I'll just have to do it, or RESIGN !