Churches versus State

The Church of England’s Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, have echoed the opposition of the Catholic Church to the provisions of the Equality Act in a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair – full letter here – They have argued that “rights of conscience cannot be made subject to legislation, however well-meaning” and, as I suggested in the comments here, have pointed to arrangements for exceptions allowed on that basis for medical staff in cases of terminations of pregnancies. A good time to recall Fred Halliday’s article on religion in politics.. and another post on the supernatural basis of certain beliefs.

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