Someone's lying Lord...Carey

O.K, It’s difficult to know if the language as expressed in this Telegraph story is actually Lord Carey’s or just the journalist’s interpretation. Either way it is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey has apparently made a direct appeal to the Court of Human rights in regard to two workers “forced out of their jobs” over the wearing of crosses and the case of Gary McFarlane, a counsellor sacked for saying that he “may not be comfortable” in giving sex therapy to homosexual couples.

For the record Nadia Eweida, an airline stewardess for BA was acting in direct contradiction of her airline's dress code, which forbids any visible jewellery being worn over the uniform. She was not “forced out” or suspended, she removed herself from the post for not being especially privileged due to her faith.

Similarly Helen Slatter a Hospital Nurse resigned, and was not “forced out” by the Devonshire Hospital where she worked, and which forbids all dangling jewellery because it is an infection source and also a potential choke hazard should a patient grab it.

Gary McFarlane refused to council gay couples, he didn’t just say he “may not be comfortable,” he refused to do the job he was employed to do in a non-discriminatory way, therefore he was dismissed.

I have no issue with these people seeking legal redress if they really believe they are being discriminated against, although needless to say in my opinion they aren’t. But, it is dishonest of the Telegraph, and perhaps Lord Carey if he is being quoted directly, to insinuate that such discrimination is religiously motivated. In fact someone is lying, and knowingly so, in order to present these people as victims of a more general oppression of Christians. Certainly this statement:

Lord Carey says worshippers are being “vilified” by the state, treated as “bigots” and sacked simply for expressing their beliefs.

Is a bit rich from someone who is a Lord, purely by being a Bishop of the Anglican Church: would that we were all so "vilified". As I have said before, being a bigot because you are religious does not make you any less of a bigot, if you don’t want to be treated as a bigot, don’t behave like one. And, as for people being “sacked simply for expressing their beliefs” this is just a lie: it hasn’t happened and Lord Carey and the Telegraph should be more respectful of the truth.