Are religious people being opressed?

interesting article from Daily Telegraph citing one

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/rel...Muslims-says-Governments-equalities-boss.html


Christians are more militant than Muslims, says Government's equalities boss
Muslims are integrating into British society better than many Christians, according to the head of the Government's equality watchdog.


By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent

Trevor Phillips warned that "an old time religion incompatible with modern society" is driving the revival in the Anglican and Catholic Churches and clashing with mainstream views, especially on homosexuality.

He accused Christians, particularly evangelicals, of being more militant than Muslims in complaining about discrimination, arguing that many of the claims are motivated by a desire for greater political influence.

However the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission expressed concern that people of faith are "under siege" from atheists whom he accused of attempting to "drive religion underground".

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph ahead of a landmark report on religious discrimination in Britain, he said the Commission wants to protect Christians and Muslims from discrimination, admitting his body had not been seen to stand up for the people discriminated against because of their faith in the past.

In a wide-ranging intervention into the debate over the role of religion in modern Britain, Mr Phillips:

* warned it had become "fashionable" to attack and mock religion, singling out atheist polemicist Richard Dawkins for his views;

* said faith groups should be free from interference in their own affairs, meaning churches should be allowed to block women and homosexuals from being priests and bishops;

* attacked hardline Christian groups which he said were picking fights - particularly on the issue of homosexuality - for their own political ends;

* told churches and religious institutions they had to comply with equality legislation when they delivered services to the public as a whole.

The report, published by the Commission tomorrow, says that some religious groups have been the victims of rising discrimination over the last decade.

It shows that in the course of the last decade, the number of employment tribunal cases on religion or belief brought each year has risen from 70 to 1000 - although only a fraction of cases were upheld.

Mr Phillips spoke after a series of high-profile cases which have featured Christians claiming they have been discriminated against because of their beliefs, with a doctor currently fighting a reprimand from the General Medical Council for sharing his faith with a patient.

While the equalities boss promised to fight for the rights of Christians, he expressed concern that many cases were driven by fundamentalist Christians who are holding increasing sway over the mainstream churches because of the influence of African and Caribbean immigrants with "intolerant" views.

In contrast, Muslims are less vociferous because they are trying to integrate into British "liberal democracy", he said.

"I think there's an awful lot of noise about the Church being persecuted but there is a more real issue that the conventional churches face that the people who are really driving their revival and success believe in an old time religion which in my view is incompatible with a modern, multi-ethnic, multicultural society," Phillips said.

"Muslim communities in this country are doing their (*)(*)(*)(*)edest to try to come to terms with their neighbours to try to integrate and they're doing their best to try to develop an idea of Islam that is compatible with living in a modern liberal democracy.

"The most likely victim of actual religious discrimination in British society is a Muslim but the person who is most likely to feel slighted because of their religion is an evangelical Christian."

Senior clergy, including Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, have attacked equality laws for eroding Christianity and stifling free speech, but Phillips said many of the legal cases brought by Christians on issues surrounding homosexuality were motivated by an attempt to gain political influence.

"I think for a lot of Christian activists, they want to have a fight and they choose sexual orientation as the ground to fight it on," he said.

"I think the whole argument isn't about the rights of Christians. It's about politics. It's about a group of people who really want to have weight and influence."

He added: "There are a lot of Christian activist voices who appear bent on stressing the kind of persecution that I don't think really exists in this country."

However, Mr Phillips, who is a Salvationist from a strong Christian background, expressed concern over the rise in Britain of anti-religious voices, such as Richard Dawkins, who are intolerant of people of faith.

"I understand why a lot of people in faith groups feel a bit under siege," he said.

"There's no question that there is more anti-religion noise in Britain.

"There's a great deal of polemic which is anti-religious, which is quite fashionable."

Phillips said that the Commission is committed to protecting people of faith against discrimination and also defended the right of religious institutions to be free from Government interference.

The Church of England is under pressure to allow openly gay clergy to be made bishops, while the Catholic Church only permits men to be priests, but the head of the Government-funded equalities watchdog said they are entitled to rule on their own affairs.

"The law doesn't dictate their organisation internally, in the way they appoint their ministers and bishops for example," he said.

"It's perfectly fair that you can't be a Roman Catholic priest unless you're a man. It seems right that the reach of anti-discriminatory law should stop at the door of the church or mosque.

"I'm not keen on the idea of a church run by the state.

"I don't think the law should run to telling churches how they should conduct their own affairs."

The intervention by the Commission comes after criticism of its £70 million annual budget, which is to be cut drastically.

Mr Phillips, a former Labour chairman of the Greater London Assembly and television producer was criticised for his £110,000 a year salary and was accused of "pandering to the right" by Ken Livingstone, the former Labour London mayor, for saying that multiculturalism had failed.

 

That's the new thing.. Christians whining that they are victims.. Must be taking pointers from the Zionists.

 

Are you religious?

do you feel that Atheist are unjustly taking your rights, or opressing you, or trying to exclude you from society?

 

Yep.. and Christian, but this is a new trend among the Christian Zionists and Evangelicals.

Its BS.

No I have never been oppressed as a Christian .. not even as a minority in Saudi Arabia.

 

Christians face nothing like the discrimination that atheists face. To suggest that Christians are some sort of oppressed majority because a few atheists publicly discredit their religion is insane.

 

That's maybe true. For example: The catholic church had to separate itselve from lots of social institutions in England - main reason: abortions and adoptions in case of homosexual parents. The incompatibility between the new western societies with the christian religion grows very fast - nearly day by day.

http://youtu.be/QEuvlVve2ys

 

Help! Help! I'm bein repressed! Come and see the violence inherent in the system!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q58nTiZrJ0"]YouTube - ‪monty's repressed scene‬‏[/ame]

 

Give me please an example what you are thinking about if you say so. In my ears this sounds completly absurde.

http://youtu.be/BHHk3PZiiP4

 

Monthy Python is a very nice summary of prejudices - but it has absolutely nothing to do with real history. Unfortunately I'm not able to see this video here in Germany.

http://youtu.be/c3ay1kAK0YA

 

LOL Classic!

Reminds me of this ...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFBOQzSk14c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFBOQzSk14c[/ame]

"Don't you oppress me!"

 

Zionist Israeli Jews ? Nahhhhhh

 

Something doesn't become true only beause it is made from some comedians in a very nice way. Specially in this case I'm really not able to follow you in your not existing argument.

http://youtu.be/I6DjQ1-T3z8

 

LOL

Gotta love Monty Python!

 

But you are only able to enjoy Monty Python if you know someting about the not existing reality of his/their prejudices. It has nearly nothing to do with the christian religion and the middle ages or the roman time what he/they are speaking about. It has to do with an inner psychological view of the english society.

Let me say it in the way of Augustinus: 'There's only a present in relation to the past (memory) - a present in relation to the present (awareness) - and a relation of the present to the future (expectation).' Monty Python itselve is today also history - and I would not say that he/they would think in the same way today. They made the experience that a frog is dying if he/they are throwing with stones at it. I guess they didn't expect this really.

http://youtu.be/jHPOzQzk9Qo

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM[/ame]

 

I realise this. For me, it's just bloody good comedy. Everyone needs a good laugh once in awhile.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yjNbcKkNY&feature=related"]YouTube - ‪French Taunter‬‏[/ame]

 

Agreed. Although some may think it's spam.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE[/ame]

 

The argument here "It's perfectly fair that you can't be a Roman Catholic priest unless you're a man." is for example a completly nonsense. It's for example also not fair that economy is nearly without any democratic structures - and it is also not fair that children don't have a vote and so on and so on. ...

http://youtu.be/sCFsYPrLm4U

 

Cheer up Anobsitar, you know what they say ...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ&feature=related[/ame]

 

And?

http://youtu.be/xCFEk6Y8TmM

 

Enough said

 

Yes We are. And these days it's a good idea to keep shut during certain situations. But If I have to I'll talk! But we are being prosecuted every day.

 

Awww, that's terrible. I want to help but you'll have to tell me how. Do you think you'll you feel less oppressed the moment everyone shares your beliefs?

 

What's really absurd are the religious folks crying oppressing when people deny them special consideration. They cry oppression whenever the government treats them like it treats any other religion, and doesn't give them special benefits.

Atheists run the risk of losing their jobs, losing leases on homes, and sometimes face threats if they stand up for their right to be free from religion. Christians? They might get ridiculed occasionally, but that's nothing by comparison. There is no social stigma against Christianity, but Atheists, on the other hand, are the most distrusted minority in the US.

 

Hhhhm ...

Example?

Some years ago I made a little experiment - so I would not give any Christian the advice to say that s/he's a Christian if s/he's looking for a job in Germany.

Where do you live?

A right to be free from religion is not existing - there's only a right of the freedom of religion existing.

I'm a Christian.

"They might get ridiculed occasionally" hmm - difficult - one moment: "Sie könnten gelegentlich belächelt werden" ... polite sentence ... Nevertheless why?

Why should someone trust Atheists?

http://youtu.be/GZKD8aQy71A