Liberal Burblings

Strangely enough, as a Christian I don’t feel discriminated in this country, as the Daily Express tendency seems to have suggested. In fact, with Christianity as the established faith, the very idea that Christianity is discriminated against is laughable.

It has already been mentioned that wearing a cross is not a religious requirement of Christianity. What hasn’t been mentioned is that, according to Matthew, Jesus actually spoke out against Christians advertising their faith at all (“So what are you doing writing a blog saying “as a Christian”?”, I hear you ask – “It’s a fair cop, gov”, say I). These three quotes from Matthew 6 make this pretty obvious:

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

…And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full

…When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

I really think that the Christian thing to do is to quietly wear a cross under your shirt, if you want to wear a cross with a uniform when you are representing a major corporation dealing with clients from all faiths and none. Having said that, I have enormous sympathy for Nadia Eweida who wants to wear a very tiny cross outside her uniform. But I don’t think BA have done anything wrong and their policy is shared by other airlines. She can wear a cross – under her clothing if she continues the uniformed job or outside her clothing if she takes the non-uniformed job that has been offered.

I am afraid that any sort of Daily Express story like this (last week it was the poor headteacher who made a minor menu booboo with halal chicken) immediately puts me into laid-back, couldn’t-give-a-proverbial mode. There is a fraternity in this country who seem to be sitting around waiting to be outraged about something which they think is an attack on “traditional British values”. I say: “Get a life”.

Related posts:

1. BA cross row provokes Widdecombe to fury
2. Is the veil the most important public issue in Britain today?