Four British Christians who say they lost their jobs because of their Christian beliefs on Tuesday took their cases to the European Court of Human Rights.
In a challenge to what former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey described as the “reigning orthodoxy of diversity and equality”, the four alleged they suffered discrimination as a result of their Christian values.
Two of the four lost their jobs over their conviction that homosexual relationships are contrary to God’s law and that it is incompatible with their religion to do anything to condone homosexuality.
One, a registrar, objected to officiating at civil partnership ceremonies between same-sex couples, while the other, a therapist, did not wish to give counselling to same-sex couples.
The other two – an airline worker and a nurse – fell foul of their employers after wearing necklaces with crosses at work.
Carey said that in most of his lifetime the beliefs of the four Christians would “have earned widespread respect”.
