Britain is ‘INTOLERANT’ to Christianity: Chaplain’s fury over Jacob Rees-Mogg backlash.
BRITAIN has become “intolerant” to Christianity where followers of the religion are mocked for their beliefs, the Commons chaplain said in defence of Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the first black female chaplain to the Commons, said
the nation had developed an attitude where they thought it was accepted to “kick
Christians into touch” or even “out of the public space”.
Her comments comes after Conservative
backbencher Mr Rees-Mogg came under fire for making anti-abortion and gay marriage
comments on ITV’s Good
Morning Britain, in line with his
Catholic beliefs.
Speaking on Newsnight, Reverend Mrs Hudson-Wilkson said Britain was
“intolerant”.
When asked by presenter Kirsty Wark if there was “something
about Christianity where we actually we feel like we can take a pop at
people who have got deep religious faith” she said: “I think at the moment that
is what we are seeing in this country.
“I think we are seeing a level of intolerance that says Christianity ‘oh
lets kick them in to touch’, ‘oh lets kick them put of the public
space’.”
Reverend Mrs Hudson-Wilkin said she applied for her current role in the
commons because she believes “faith ought to be in the public sphere, it is who
we are”.
She added: “After all if you look at our history and where we are coming
from in this county, the Christian faith contributed lots of positive things to
our country…and I think for us to throw it away because there are some raving
secularists saying ‘absolutely not’… I think we are barking up the wrong
tree.”
Mr Rees-Mogg faced criticism earlier this week when he revealed he
opposes abortion in all circumstances including rape because “life is sacrosanct
from the moment of conception”.
He also spoke against same-sex marriage because “I am a Catholic and I
take the teaching of the Catholic Church seriously”.
When quizzed over whether Mr Rees-Mogg should be barred from political
leadership because of his religious views, Reverend Mrs Hudson-Wilkin replied:
“We live in a liberal democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and so
it is important for anyone in any particular role to be able to express this is
what they feel, or this is what they believe.
“I do not believe it should bar anyone from leadership of any kind.
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