UK: Lord dismiss case and vote to abolish blasphemy
The BBC reports (3.5.2008):
The House of Lords has refused to hear a petition of appeal brought by a Christian activist group trying to prosecute the BBC for blasphemy. Christian Voice had sought to overturn a High Court ruling that prevented it bringing a case against the BBC for screening Jerry Springer - The Opera.
The Lawyer’s Christian Fellowship and Christian Concern for Our Nation emailed this information earlier today:
Lords vote to abolish blasphemy
The House of Lords voted to abolish the common law blasphemy offences last night.
Baroness O’Caithan in a courageous and powerful speech argued for keeping the blasphemy laws and said that the “fundamental question is this: should we abolish Christian beliefs and replace them with secular beliefs?”
Several Peers voiced concern about abolishing the blasphemy laws because of the deep symbolic nature of removing them and due to the signal this would send, possibly resulting in a drift towards secularism.
The move to repeal blasphemy was pushed through by the Government within a very limited time frame and with little or no consultation.
Lord Kingsland QC added: "Christianity has been absolutely fundamental to the development of our constitutional freedoms and I worry a little that this is no longer understood in our society."
The Government whipped the Labour vote but the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had a free vote. The amendment to repeal blasphemy was won by 148 to 87 votes.
The House of Commons has yet to vote on the matter.
The link for the debate on 5th March 2008 can be found at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldhansrd/text/80305-0005.htm
Please see the LCF briefing opposing the abolition of the blasphemy laws. To read this briefing, click on the link below:
http://www.ccfon.org/docs/Blasphemy_Briefing_29_Feb_08_TL.pdf
Michael Phillips, Solicitor to Stephen Green, wrote a letter to The Times in response to the decision of the House of Lords in the ‘Jerry Springer—the Opera’ blasphemy case. To see the letter, click on the link below:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/global/article3485331.ece
2 Comments
I have deep admiration for the LCF, Baroness O’Caithan, and others. May God bless you for your courage to speak Truth in the face of a morally relativist opposition.
It’s not enough to say that our civilization in in decline. It appears to be collapsing.