First it was Tim Farron and then Andrew Turner. There are a few trifling things for the world to worry about, such as the war in Syria, starvation in East Africa, or maybe even a lunatic with his finger on the nuclear button in North Korea. But the first week of the election campaign was devoted to the Lib Dem leader’s views on homosexuality, and specifically to the question of whether he considered sexual acts between people of the same sex to be a sin.
That is interesting phraseology. Sin? Not just “wrong”, but a sin. How often do reporters refer to sin in the normal course of their jobs?
No wonder Farron said that an election was not the forum in which to make theological pronouncements, because the choice of the word “sin” was asking him to do just that. He knew that the overwhelming majority of what is now a theologically illiterate country would not have the smallest idea what “sin” meant. To many, it conjures up something uniquely bad or presages a descent into hell.
Trying to explain that we all sin all day long, because any offence, however minor, against Infinite Goodness is a sin, meets only with baffled looks, and one can only begin to imagine the introduction of such concepts into political hustings.
So Farron spent a lot of time prevaricating. Andrew Turner, the Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, did not prevaricate and as a result fell foul of political correctness (to say nothing of political cowardice). After reportedly telling A-level students that homosexuality was “wrong”, he had to withdraw his candidature, despite having been loyal to the seat when he lost it and having continued to serve it through a major stroke.
It is ironic that a general election which is supposed to be all about free speech and free choice has now become a vehicle for suppressing freedom of belief and conscience. What is more worrying is that such suppression is aimed at Christians. There are practising Muslims standing in this election. Why are they not similarly challenged?
In the end the remedy lies with the Christians themselves. Farron would not have prevaricated at all if he had had the courage of his convictions. His persistent refusal to say whether he considered homosexual acts to be a sin led pretty well everyone to conclude that he did think them to be so. Therefore, when he finally was cornered into saying he didn’t, nobody believed him. He looked merely as if he was giving in to pressure to say what people wanted him to say in order to get rid of the issue. If Turner had gone ahead and stood, the likelihood is that people would have voted for him anyway, because this is not the dominant issue in all but the minds of a few fanatics.
We look back with horror on the Spanish Inquisition, not just because of the torture but because we cannot understand why there should be such a concerted attempt to control thought, conscience and belief. Yet what we have now is the same, minus physical torture. Self-righteous priests have been replaced by self-righteous equality campaigners whose notion of equality is a very unequal right to a conscience. Their notion of equal rights has become the new religion, enforceable by law (Ashers Bakery), tell-tales at work (the Trafford Housing Trust’s Adrian Smith) and witch-hunts (Tim Farron).
Theresa May also used some interesting phraseology at Easter. She said she believed absolutely in freedom of belief, including the right to a faith in Christ. Note that she did not use any woolly term such as “faith in Christianity”, but instead referred to Christ Himself. I was hopeful for all of five minutes, but then along came the Turner incident.
To have faith in Christ means wanting to be true to His teachings, but a source in the Turner case said of his stated beliefs: “There is no place in the party for such views.” If I thought that were true then I would leave said party tomorrow. Is it true, Theresa May?
Of course there is room for argument about the interpretation of Scripture, but why is somebody who accepts the teachings of the Church on this or on any other subject regarded as automatically persona non grata if those teachings do not reflect popular thought?
It is because, as I have said above, popular thought on this issue is now the new religion and all are expected to bow before its altar: Christian bed and breakfast owners, Christian bakers, Christian teachers, Christian writers, Christians who are minor officials in local government, and now Christian politicians.
It will be brought to an end only if it becomes the norm to challenge other religions, too. It is not yet too late to do that in this election.
Ann Widdecombe is a novelist, broadcaster and former prisons minister
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