A police chaplain says he was forced out of his post after criticising the Government’s plans for gay marriage on his personal website, MPs have been told.
On his personal website Rev Brian
Ross writes:
I am becoming increasingly aware of the devaluation of the word ‘marriage’. Marriage, certainly in the Christian understanding of it, was ordained by God, and given a blessing by the presence of Jesus at the marriage in Cana of Galilee (see John 2:1 ff). It was given, according to the words of the marriage service that I used, “… for the sake of the life-long companionship, help, and comfort that husband and wife ought to have of each other. … so that family life may continue, and that children, who are a gift from God, may be brought up in the love and security of a stable and happy home. … for the welfare of human society, that can be strong and happy only where the marriage commitment is kept and honoured.”
So I am unhappy when I hear of moves to introduce homosexual ‘marriages’, able to be conducted within buildings that have been dedicated to the worship of Almighty God. And I am unhappy when I learn, in this evening’s news bulletin, of the rise in ‘sham’ marriages, in which foreign nationals pay a great deal of cash in order to have a ‘legal’ marriage arranged with someone whom they have only met, and hired, for that purpose. Where is the “life-long companionship”? When will there ever be any children of such a union? How can any such ‘marriage’ be a commitment to be “kept and honoured”?
Rev Brian Ross said he was summoned to a meeting with a senior officer and told that postings on his blog on the subject of marriage did not fit with the force’s equality and diversity policies. (more) Brian says he was sacked because his views on marriage “went against the force’s equality and diversity policies.”
A spokesperson for the Police said it respects any employees’ personally held political and religious beliefs, but individuals cannot express their views publicly “as it is by law an apolitical organisation with firmly embedded policies which embrace diversity and equality.”
There you have it: to have religious beliefs is a political matter!
It is time Christians wake up to the fact that we do not life in a society of freedom – we are only free to express our views as long as we keep it out of public.
This is what led to the downfall of the Lutheran Church in the time of Hitler; freedom was only allowed in as far as it did not speak out in public against the monstrosities of the Nazis.
It was too late when the likes of Bonhoeffer got the message across to the average Christian.
They killed him before they realised.
Good on you, Rev Ross, for standing on your principles. You are an example to us all.
Ultimate Standards 