A British Christian human right group’s survey has found that Christianity is being “marginalised” in the UK and that many believers who profess their faith are “regarded with contempt.” It was compiled by Voice For Justice (VfJ) which reported its findings made “alarming reading” about widespread intolerance of, and discrimination against, Christians.
More than half of the 1,562 Christian respondents said they had experienced hostility or ridicule for discussing their religious beliefs. Three quarters did not believe religious discrimination was treated as seriously as other forms of discrimination. Many observed British authorities sought to respect believers of most faiths, but not Christians.
The survey found Christians whose beliefs contradict the prevailing LGBT ideology are “most likely to be attacked.”
It cited as evidence of the anti-Christian agenda, a calendar produced by the National Trust, Europe’s biggest conservation charity, for its volunteers. Christian Today reports it included significant events of other religions such as Eid, Ramadan and Diwali, and even LGBT+ history month, but not Christmas or Easter.
However, nearly 80% of Christian respondents were still comfortable talking about their faith and beliefs. Around half of them (53%) said they felt free to say what they think about social issues. That fell to 38% of under-35s.
A quarter of all respondents felt they needed to hide their beliefs in the workplace. Half of them said there were negative stereotypes about people of faith in their place of work or study. 56% reported experiencing hostility or ridicule for discussing their religious beliefs, rising to 61% among under-35s.
Christian Today reports one of the respondents was a young Catholic student who described being “ostracised” by most of his university friends for holding pro-life views. “When they found out they began to question whether it was moral to stay friends with me and a lot of them decided against it,” he said.
Another respondent reported “a lot of sneering and mockery” when they worked for a local council, while a former local authority worker said their council was “very LGBT supportive, but had no support for alternative positions”.
A former National Health Service (NHS) worker said that “as a Christian I would often be ignored (shunned) or ridiculed for my beliefs” in the workplace, Another respondent described “a measured push from the hierarchy to promote LGBT issues”.
British Conservative Christian MP Nick Fletcher asserted: “Christianity is the cornerstone for so many of the values we take for granted. If it were not for Christianity, our tolerance, our diversity, freedom of conscience and love for our neighbour would become a thing of the past.”
“This report needs to be circulated widely among those working in human resources, those responsible for education, as well as employers, Church leaders, civil servants and those responsible for policy making. We all need to wake up to the attack on Christianity in our society, before it turns into something even more sinister. This report is a vital step in sounding the alarm,” Mr. Fletcher avowed.
VfJ director Lynda Rose agreed, saying: “Christianity lies at the foundation of British society, underpinning our tolerance and acceptance of diversity. But our survey shows Christians in the UK, both in the workplace and socially, are increasingly subjected to discrimination and marginalisation.”
“Society has fallen victim to an ideology actively hostile to Christianity. This is a contravention of our law. If we want to safeguard our tolerance and freedom then we need to protect Christianity itself,” she declared.
The report was compiled in response to research by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe which ranked the UK among the top five worst countries in Europe for anti-Christian hate crimes.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently criticised several European governments that had “targeted individuals for their peaceful religious expression”, including the UK over its treatment of pro-life supporters who have been charged for praying silently near abortion clinics.
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