Latest case of absurd secular intolerance
Duke Amachree, a homelessness worker for Wandsworth Council, was suspended from his job in January because he had suggested to a woman with an incurable illness who was being evicted from her home that she might try putting her faith in God. He was told in an investigatory interview in March that "God had to be kept out of the workplace". He asked whether it would be appropriate to say "God bless" and was told that it would not. On Monday he was sacked.
See the full story at the Christian Legal Centre: Wandsworth Council have today sacked London Homelessness Prevention Officer after previously threatening "say 'God Bless' and we'll sack you".
The Christian Legal Centre is representing Mr Amchree who is taking Wandsworth Council to an employment tribunal. This is the latest in a series of recent cases. Some may be won, some lost, who knows? The effect of them on ordinary employers and employees will be one of intimidation. Whatever the legal outcome of the various appeals, the message is getting across that you dare not express your Christian faith at work, or allow your employees to do so. If there were a massive damages award against an employer for this sort of thing, it would help, but in the present climate of opinion in secular Britain, I don't hold out too much hope for that. The Dictatorship of Relativism is gathering pace in Britain.
In fact, Pope Benedict addresses precisely this problem in his new encyclical Caritas in Veritate:
The Christian religion and other religions can offer their contribution to development only if God has a place in the public realm, specifically in regard to its cultural, social, economic, and particularly its political dimensions. The Church's social doctrine came into being in order to claim “citizenship status” for the Christian religion. Denying the right to profess one's religion in public and the right to bring the truths of faith to bear upon public life has negative consequences for true development. The exclusion of religion from the public square — and, at the other extreme, religious fundamentalism — hinders an encounter between persons and their collaboration for the progress of humanity. Public life is sapped of its motivation and politics takes on a domineering and aggressive character. Human rights risk being ignored either because they are robbed of their transcendent foundation or because personal freedom is not acknowledged. (n.56)UPDATE: Oliver has forwarded a link to the Wandsworth Guardian which gives an alternative account of the case, strongly denying Duke Amachree's story and making serious counter-claims. Here, I think, we have to await the outcome of the tribunal.
5 comments:
Careful, Father!
Wandsworth Council is hardly a hotbed of militantly intolerant radicalism. Quite the reverse! It's just about the most Conservative local council in the country.
The council's own version of events is in the local 'paper here.
In my opinion the threat of secularism is massively overstated. Christianity in this country faces far bigger problems than this sort of thing.
Many thanks, Oliver. I've add a link to the post.
It does look rather as though there is some aggressive litigation going on. The article reports "a source" who claims that the lady was "subjected to a 30-minute “barrage” from Mr Amachree who told her that the only reason she was ill was that she did not believe in God." The Council spokesman does not seem to be saying that (unless he and the "source" are the same person.)
I suppose we will have to await the outcome of the hearing
If you want to hear some examples of aggressive secularism, you'll likely not be disappointed by this: 8th July Moral Maze on Radio 4.
This is heartless and cruel. Faith in God has saved many people in distress from giving over to despair and/or suicide. These people have no conscience.
Let's all hope that the trial is fair and not a 'set-up' to bash Christianity and belief in God.
The following section taken from your post Fr Tim shows a creeping cancer of intolerance within the secular political structure to even the mention of God:
"He was told in an investigatory interview in March that "God had to be kept out of the workplace". He asked whether it would be appropriate to say "God bless" and was told that it would not.
So we are all to keep God out of the workplace, that's an interesting one for Opus Dei and the teachings of St Jose Maria Escriva!
Next we'll have the PC 'religious snoop' officers sniffing outside our Catholic Churches in case the slightest mention of the word 'God' or a Hymn praising God might be heard outside on the street pavement and that will of course construe evangelisation, which dear folks, might be illegal in Britain sooner than we think.
They will ask our children when at school on these awful PHSE days if they pray at home with their parents and the penalty for that could be very severe - child abuse and brain-washing they would cry!
We need to fight back and fight back hard - with our Bishops leading from the front! Many have noted quite correctly on many Catholic Blogs that "we fight from the position of Victory"!
Jesus has already won the war by His Precious Blood, the least we can do is fight and win as many of the skirmishes and clashes which the devil's demons continue today in their search for the ruin of more souls. We need to foster and train the Cardinal virtue of Fortitude.
Holy Michael the Archangel - defend us in this day of battle....
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