Friday 9 November 2012

Has the Charity Commission declared war on Catholic moral theology?

From The Christian Institute a deeply worrying report about the prevalent attitude in the statutory body responsible for the regulation of Britain's registered charities:

"People who support a Roman Catholic adoption agency that won’t do gay adoptions are like racist bigots, a lawyer for the Charity Commission suggested.
But a judge rejected the astonishing attack, saying beliefs about the traditional family have a legitimate place in a broadminded society.
The case centres on whether a charity called Catholic Care can amend their legal documents so that it isn’t forced to place children with gay couples.
The judge ultimately ruled against the adoption agency, but he rejected the racist bigots jibe which was aimed at the group’s donors.
The judge said: “to support adoption within a traditional family structure cannot be equated with racist bigots, as Ms Dixon sought to suggest.”
The judge said such beliefs “have a legitimate place in a pluralist, tolerant and broadminded society,” although he ultimately ruled against Catholic Care.
The agency is considering whether to keep fighting against the Charity Commission in its long-running legal battle.
Catholic Care wants to clarify its legal documents, so that it will be able to provide adoption services to heterosexual couples only.
But the Charity Commission refuses to authorise the move, saying it would be discriminatory and unlawful. The judge agreed with the Commission..."     

Full report here


The judge's comments are to be welcomed, even if his decision again imposes a uniformity of practice which seems out of place in a supposedly pluralist society. 
However, what do the remarks of the lawyer representing the Charity Commission say about both the attitude and policy objectives clearly prevailing within the Commission itself, and the future prospects for Christian charities in what is equally clearly becoming a hostile culture, purposely forgetful *, even antagonistic towards its own formative historical influences? This will be of huge concern to all of us.

* For confirmation of this, my thanks to the comment below for including this link [here
The constitutional position of the modern British State, ushered in by New Labour's equality legislation, is bizarrely schizophrenic:
In a letter to the[Plymouth Brethren] community, the Commission wrote of a tribunal decision that found “there is no presumption that religion generally, or at any more specific level, is for the public benefit, even in the case of Christianity or the Church of England” - i.e. the Church of England, established by law. Need one say more?
Having tangled with the Charity Commission in the past over its interpretation of 'public benefit,' suffice it to say that this is a potential minefield. 
Contemporary secular western liberalism reminds me more and more of the Soviet Union in its determination to 'marginalise' (make invisible) those who disagree with its ideology.

1 comment:

  1. Father,
    You may also care to look at
    http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/uk-catholics-might-lose-charitable-status-for-not-offering-communion-to-eve

    Kind regards,
    John

    ReplyDelete

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