Darkness
Cal Thomas
The release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the final book in the series, has momentarily diverted the public’s attention from certain realities: The weather, which normally depresses during winter months when there is less sunlight, has been crying unmercifully on Britain, bringing what the Daily Telegraph calls “chaos and misery” as homes are flooded, flights are canceled or delayed, and train and subway service is disrupted.
A government document obtained by the media reveals Britain has nearly “run out of troops” to defend the country or fight abroad. The Conservative Party, under leader David Cameron, failed to win the first by-election since Gordon Brown assumed the premiership, coming in third. The Tories appear to have gotten the message not to mimic the Labor Party. A Tory supplement recently published in the Daily Telegraph titled “Breakdown Britain: A Guide to Our Broken Society and How to Fix It” mainly emphasizes those issues — family breakdown, economic independence, personal responsibility, education choice — the Tories had downplayed in a failed attempt to cross-dress as “compassionate conservatives.”
Nowhere does Britain’s breakdown and loss of direction appear clearer than in the inconsistent ways the courts treat faith. A nation that has had its ups and down with religion throughout its long history — and is now challenged over how to accommodate its growing Muslim population — appears openly hostile to anything that resembles Christianity and the dwindling number of churchgoers who still practice that faith.Three recent legal cases highlight the British establishment’s growing anti-Christian animosity and spiritual confusion.
An employment tribunal ruled that a Church of England bishop, the Right Rev. Anthony Priddis, discriminated against a homosexual man who applied for a position as a youth worker when Bishop Priddis questioned him about his sexual practices and a previous same-sex relationship. The bishop said he asked the man about his lifestyle because it “has the potential to impact on the spiritual, moral and ethical leadership within the diocese.” The tribunal ruled the youth worker position falls outside the religious exemptions allowed in the country’s Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003.
The British media are full of stories about pedophiles, as they have been about Catholic priests, who have preyed upon young boys. In rational times, the sexual behavior of one applying for a youth worker position might seem a plausible line of questioning, but these are not rational times. The court is considering what damages to award the 42-year-old applicant.