Trevor Phillips wades into debate on religion in modern society

[rug]

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph before the publication of a landmark report into religious discrimination over the last decade, he attacks "fashionable" views mocking and marginalising religion and say his Equality and Human Rights Commission will stand up for believers.

But he also warns religious groups of the danger of extremism, saying some Christian activists are not fighting for their religion but for political influence - and says that his own background as the son of immigrants from Guyana means he fears "undiluted" attitudes to homosexuality risk Afro-Carribean communities not integrating into the mainstream.

FASHIONABLE ATHEISM

Mr Phillips today becomes one of the first and most high-profile figures in public life to warn people of faith feel "under siege" from "fashionable" anti-religious views - which he admitted the Equality and Human Rights Commission had been wrongly identified with.

"The thing I've become anxious about in recent times is this – there is certainly a feeling amongst some people of belief that they are under siege, that they are often disadvantaged, that they are looked at and considered in some way different and their faith makes them less worthy of regard," he said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8583922/Trevor-Phillips-wades-into-debate-on-religion-in-modern-society.html

[polmaven]

1. K&R...but..

this is likely to be a very interesting discussion....gonna pop some corn and watch the battle.

[Fumesucker]

2. Interesting quote from Mr Phillips...

""Our business is defending the believer. The law we're here to implement recognises that religious identity is an essential part of this society. It's an essential element of being a fulfilled human being."

:popcorn:

[MineralMan]

3. Hmph. Some folks fear God. I fear the godly.

They're in a position to do me and other harm. God's nowhere to be seen. Rational people fear what can harm them.

[LeftishBrit]

4. Trevor Phillips also says...

"I think 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," he said.

"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. There are some Christian organisations who basically want to have a fight and therefore they're constantly defining the ground in such a way that anyone who doesn't agree wholly agree with them about everything is essentially a messenger from Satan.

"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. I think that 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 and they've chosen that particular ground...


"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."


Quite.

[darkstar3]

5. Hmm.

"The thing I've become anxious about in recent times is this – there is certainly a feeling amongst some people of belief that they are under siege, that they are often disadvantaged, that they are looked at and considered in some way different and their faith makes them less worthy of regard," he said.

Yet these people, even in England, make up the majority. How can they possibly be disadvantaged when they make up the majority not only the in general public, but also in the ruling bodies?

Statements like this one from Phillips are just like those that come white people in this country who say that they are disadvantaged by being white.