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Rendering to Caesar
• YOUR correspondent (Protected by law, August 22) is confused as to the sense of my meaning in my earlier letter (Indulging personal prejudices, August 15)
The exercise and practice of one’s religious beliefs as a right is a personal right adhering to that person only. It does not give that person the right to dictate the exercise and practice of a religious belief on behalf of other people.
The Bible makes clear the distinction between spiritual and secular duty. The Centurion asked Christ: “Whom should I obey? God or Caesar?” Christ replied: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.”
In her personal practice of her religion, Lillian Ladele renders her duty to God. As a legally contracted employee of Islington Council, Ms Ladele is bound to carry out the council’s policy and render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.
The council has brought in a just, enlightened, equality policy which strives to give full equality to all. This means not only that everyone secures equal treatment from the council but that everyone is treated equally by all the employees of the council.
Ms Ladele is a member of an ethnic minority group which in past times suffered racial discrimination. Today, such discrimination is rightly outlawed, although there are still those who would practise racial discrimination if ethnic minorities were not protected by law.
Homosexuals, lesbians and transvestites are sexually orientated minorities who have achieved equality in the civil, public domain with regard to legally recognised partnerships. The blatantly prejudiced and intolerant custom of allowing persons to opt out of serving these particularly sexually orientated groups is as wrong in this day and age as the practice of racial discrimination.
It is obvious that religiously prejudiced discrimination against any form of sexually orientated minorities breaks the laws protecting said minorities from unfair and unequal treatment on the basis of sexual orientation.
S MOBERLY
N1
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