In a briefing paper on opposition to the Sexual Orientation Regulations, the Trades Union Congress has quoted a number of opinions of Christian organizations and individuals opposed to traditionalist views and advocating change:
The General Secretary of the Modern Church Union, Jonathan Clatworthy, told the TUC:
'The campaign by some Christians to exempt religious organisations does not represent majority Christian views in the UK, but it does discredit Christianity by presenting it as committed to inferior moral standards. Church leaders who claim that most Christians oppose homosexuality are only hearing the echoes of their own voices ...'
Similarly, the organisation Inclusive Church's chair, Giles Goddard, stated:
'We believe that the churches should be sent to be willing to engage with the world around them. The continued campaign for exemption from the Goods and Services Regulations is not only ill-conceived but a distraction from the concern the churches should be expressing for the well-being of all people.'
Young religious believers also reject the approach of the opponents of equality. The Student Christian Movement's coordinator, Liam Purcell, told the TUC:
'The Student Christian Movement does not support the 'Coherent and Cohesive Voices' campaign for religious organisations to be exempt from new regulations outlawing discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. We support the Inclusive Church campaign for gay people to play a full role in the life of the Church...'.
Even in the Catholic Church, where the Vatican bans placing adoptees with same sex couples, some Catholic adoption agencies in Britain and in the USA have taken a more pragmatic approach by referring cases to another agency to complete the process, where the adopters are (and are known to be) lesbian or gay. Clearly, their experience did not suggest that they found that such adoptions were harmful to the interests of the children involved. If they were, why would they continue to make them?
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