NOT IN OUR NAME!

On Wednesday 27^thMarch, the House of Commons approved the draft Relationships and Sex Education Guidance by a massive 538 votes to 21.

An Ipsos MORI report on responses to the Government online consultation, that closed in November last year, showed that:

• 58% of respondents thought the content of Relationships Education for Primary schools was inappropriate, with 60% disagreeing that such information would help pupils ‘have positive relationships’
• 64% thought the content of Relationships and Sex Education for Secondary schools was inappropriate, with 66% saying they did not think the content would help pupils ‘have positive relationships’
• 58% disagreed with withdrawal of the parental right to withdraw their children from sex education classes
• The Government has admitted that the majority of all respondents opposed the teaching of LGBT issues, which were seen as both inappropriate and contentious.

In addition, as part of the wider formal response to the Consultation, the Government also included signatories to two petitions – one submitted by Voice for Justice UK – both of which opposed the Draft Regulations and called for the legal right of parents to have children educated in line with their religious beliefs upheld.

In other words, a clear majority of respondents strongly opposed the Government’s proposals.   Even more to the point, however, the new Regulations contravene UK law, under which parents have the right to have children educated in line with their religious values and belief (see ECHR, Article 1, Protocol 2; The Education Act 1996, s.9; The Human Rights Act 1998, Schedule I, Part II, Article 2).  They also contravene the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, which lists as characteristics to be protected from discrimination:  age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

All the major religions prohibit sexual licence, promiscuity and homosexuality.  The new Regulations, however, state that all teaching must now be framed so as to include and promote LGBT behaviours and gender choice. Children must of course be taught to respect and care for all equally as made in the image of God – but teaching that gender is a matter of choice, not biology, that LGBT and heterosexual sex are the same, and that same sex marriage is the same as traditional marriage is incompatible with religious belief.  Reconciliation of the two approaches is impossible!  So the conclusion is inescapable – the new Regulations are prioritising LGBT so-called rights over religious belief.

This is not right.  By their actions, MPs scorn and deride the very ideas of democracy and respect for the law.    Their attitude indeed seems to be that, whatever the will of the people, they know best!    Thus, they have taken away the God-given right of parents to protect and educate their children, passing on the values by which they live – and have transferred control to a godless State.   To a demonic State – because what we are seeing now is straight ideological indoctrination into views and behaviours that are overtly hostile to Christianity.  The State is peddling bigotry and hatred!

It may be that some MPs will say that they have been too preoccupied with the debate over Brexit to have had time to consider the Regulations properly – that they have been so concerned with attending to the political and economic future of the country that they have had insufficient time or enthusiasm to consider the future moral and spiritual wellbeing of our children.  That can never be an excuse.  We look forward to a better attitude from the House of Lords, which still has opportunity to do the right thing, and put child safety and protection over ideology.

VfJUK can do no better than repeat the words of Oliver Cromwell, on his dissolution of Parliament on 20th April 1653.

“It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation…

In the name of God, go!”

We say to Parliament – NOT IN OUR NAME

 Hands off our children!