Christians In Britain 'Forced To Hide Their Beliefs', Dominic Grieve Says

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="main-visual group embedded-image" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; direction: ltr; float: left; margin: 0px 20px 10px auto; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 570px;"> <div class="fmvps-wrapper" id="SmartPlayer_0" style="-webkit-border-image: none; -webkit-box-shadow: none; border-image-source: none; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; direction: ltr; float: left; height: 411px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: 570px;"> <div class="fmvps-limited-mode" id="adaptvDiv0" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; height: 411px; left: 0px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 570px;"> <div id="playbuttonDiv0" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; height: 411px; left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 570px; z-index: 100;"> <div style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; border: none; bottom: 0px; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; direction: ltr; float: none; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 61px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: absolute; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: 570px;"> <br /><table style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; height: 58px; margin: 8px auto; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; table-layout: auto; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: 330px;"><tbody> <tr style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: auto;"><td style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; direction: ltr; height: auto; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; position: static; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: 1px;"><div style="-webkit-border-image: none; -webkit-box-shadow: none; background-image: linear-gradient(rgb(51, 51, 51), rgb(38, 38, 38)); border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-color: rgb(77, 78, 84) rgb(64, 63, 65) rgb(78, 79, 85); border-image-source: none; border-style: solid; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border-width: 1px; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; direction: ltr; float: none; height: 56px; margin: 0px auto; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: 56px;"> <div style="-webkit-border-image: none; -webkit-box-shadow: none; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) rgb(212, 212, 212); border-image-source: none; border-style: solid; border-width: 16px 28px; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; direction: ltr; float: none; height: auto; margin: 12px 0px 0px 15px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: auto;"> </div> </div> </td><td style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; border: none; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; direction: ltr; height: 58px; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: static; vertical-align: middle; visibility: visible; width: 264px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Church Of England Changes Tune, Allows Women Bishops</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Christians in Britain are being forced to hide their beliefs and exclude themselves from public life because of efforts by "an aggressive form of securlarism" to "push faith out of the public sphere," the former attorney general has said.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dominic Grieve, who lost his post in the July reshuffle, said the "sanitisation" would "lead to people of faith excluding themselves from the public space and being excluded".</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mr Grieve, who is a practising Anglican, said Christianity could be a “powerful force for good” but said that Christians should not be “intimidated” or “excluded”.</span></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="dominic grieve" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1982265/thumbs/o-DOMINIC-GRIEVE-570.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span><br /> <center style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Grieve said it was 'more important than ever' for politicians of faith to express it</strong></div> </center> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I worry that there are attempts to push faith out of the public space. Clearly it happens at a level of local power," <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11053037/Dominic-Grieve-British-Christians-forced-to-hide-belief.html" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">he told The Daily Telegraph</a>.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“You can watch institutions or organisations do it or watch it happen at a local government level. In my view it’s very undesirable."</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He decried the fact that some public sector workers have been disciplined or sacked for displaying signs of their faith at work.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When Mr Grieve was attorney general, the coalition government legislated to protect councils that conducted an act of Christian worship at their meetings - after a legal challenge to the practice.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Religion appears to be in decline among UK politicians. Two of three major party leaders - Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband - are atheists.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">David Cameron has previously said his own faith is "like Magic FM in the Chilterns... it comes and goes".</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Though Tony Blair is himself very religious, his spin doctor Alistair Campbell once famously said his administration didn't "do God".</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/16/travelodge-have-made-a-decision-to-remove-bibles-that-could-really-upset-christians_n_5684258.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-christianity" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_hplink">The Travelodge hotel chain has just ended the age-old hotel practice of placing a bible in each room</a>, saying it does not reflect "multi-cultural" Britain.</span></span></div> <div> <br /></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mr Grieve said it was "more important than ever" for politicians to express their faith, in light of "appalling" scenes in Iraq where Islamic State (IS) fanatics were using religion to justify their actions.</span><br /> <div class="content" id="mainentrycontent" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 20px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He added: “I think politicians should express their faith. I have never adhered to the Blair view that we don’t do God, indeed I’m not sure that Blair does.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"I think that people with faith have an entitlement to explain where that places them in approaching problems.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I think that those of us who are politicians and Christians should be in the business of doing it."</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He continued: “It doesn’t mean that we have the monopoly of wisdom, but I do think Christianity has played an enormous role in shaping this country.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“It’s a very powerful force in this country but I think it’s underrated, and partly because in the past it has failed to express itself as clearly as it might."</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Recognising people’s right to manifest their faith and express it is very important.”</span></div> </div> <footer style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><section class="also-on" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="promo_holder" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="hp-slideshow-wrapper no-pin" data-beacon="{" data-slideshow-id="358075" id="hp-slideshow-wrapper-358075" p="" slideshow_id="" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 570px; z-index: 5000001;"> <div class="hp-slideshow-top" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; min-width: 555px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: 5000002;"> <div class="hp-slideshow-main" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; display: inline-block; float: left; height: 554px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 570px; z-index: 5000002;"> <div class="hp-slideshow-header" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; direction: ltr; display: inline; height: 40px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="hp-slideshow-title-icon hp-slideshow-icon" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; display: inline-block; float: left; height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; speak: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 22px;"> </div> <div class="hp-slideshow-title" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; direction: ltr; display: inline-block; font-style: italic; height: 40px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 15px 10px 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 380px;"> The Annual Church of England General Synod</div> <div class="hp-slideshow-slide-position" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; display: inline-block; float: right; margin: 0px; padding: 13px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span class="current-slide" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span> <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">of</span> <span class="total-slides" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">29</span> <div class="hp-slideshow-previous-arrow" data-beacon="{"p":{"event_action":"arrow_top_corner_left"}}" style="background-image: linear-gradient(rgb(252, 252, 252) 0px, rgb(196, 196, 196) 100%); border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 4px 5px 4px 8px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span class="hp-slideshow-icon bN" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; speak: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>  <div class="hp-slideshow-next-arrow" data-beacon="{"p":{"event_action":"arrow_top_corner_right"}}" style="background-image: linear-gradient(rgb(252, 252, 252) 0px, rgb(196, 196, 196) 100%); border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 4px 5px 4px 8px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span class="hp-slideshow-icon bN" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; speak: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div> </div> </div> <div class="hp-main-slide" style="border: rgb(0, 0, 0); box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; height: 430px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 550px;"> <div class="hp-main-slider-content" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; display: table; height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; width: 550px;"> <div class="hp-slideshow-img-container" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; height: 430px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: right;">Christopher Furlong via Getty Images</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img src="http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/358075/slide_358075_3973016_compressed.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(60, 60, 60); box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-height: 400px; max-width: 96%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto !important;" /></span></div> </div> </div> <div class="hp-slideshow-main-nav" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; top: -48%; vertical-align: baseline;"> <ul style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <li class="hp-slideshow-nav-prev" data-beacon="{"p":{"event_action":"arrow_in_slide_image_left"}}" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; height: 60px; left: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; vertical-align: baseline; width: 40px;"><a alt="Previous" class="hp-slideshow-flex-prev" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/24/christians-in-britain-hiding-beliefs_n_5704227.html?utm_hp_ref=uk#" id="main_prev" sl-processed="1" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.3s ease; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 74px; left: -18px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-decoration: none !important; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.298039) 1px 1px 0px; top: 12%; transition: all 0.3s ease; vertical-align: baseline; width: 40px; z-index: 10;"></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section></footer></div>

Christians In Britain 'Forced To Hide Their Beliefs', Dominic Grieve Says

Church Of England Changes Tune, Allows Women Bishops Christians in Britain are being forced to hide their beliefs and e...

Read more »