THE Bishop of Chester claims Christians in Britain are being “treated with disrespect” while followers of other faiths are dealt with more sensitively.
Peter Forster and five other bishops – along with Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury – said the “apparent discrimination” against churchgoers was “unacceptable in a civilised society”.
In a letter to a Sunday newspaper, the bishops point to the case of Shirley Chaplin, a nurse who was banned from working on hospital wards for wearing a necklace with a cross.
They also claim Christian beliefs on issues such as marriage and homosexuality were brushed aside by new legislation.
A group of 640 headteachers, school governors and faith leaders signed a separate letter to the newspaper calling for legislation that will see children as young as seven taught about sex and relationships to be axed.
In their letter, the Bishops said: “We are deeply concerned at the apparent discrimination shown against Christians and we call on the Government to remedy this serious development.
“In a number of cases, Christian beliefs on marriage, conscience and worship are simply not being upheld.
“There have been numerous dismissals of practising Christians from employment for reasons that are unacceptable in a civilised country.”
They added: “To be asked by an employer to remove or ‘hide’ the cross is asking the Christian to hide their faith.”
Their letter said: “For many Christians, wearing a cross is an important expression of their Christian faith and they would feel bereft if, for some unjustifiable reason, they were not allowed to wear it.
“Any policy that regards the cross as "just an item of jewellery" is deeply disturbing.”
