A New Reformation?

Why is it that, in the UK, the SORs are being promoted as being about allowing homosexuals the right not to be discriminated against, while overseas, the truth (namely that the regulations are about stopping people of faith from being able to live according to their consciences) is clearly seen? On LifeSite (which is Canadian, I think) they have summed it up pretty accurately:

"The UK's Sexual Orientation Regulations, that will make it illegal for Christian schools, services and businesses to operate according to their religious principles, passed its last hurdle last night in a vote in the House of Lords...

"...With the passage of the SOR's, [Baroness Detta O'Caithain] said, the state had decided that "a citizen's right to manifest sexual orientation is absolute, but the right to manifest religious belief is not."

"...Since the January decision by Prime Minister Tony Blair, a government document was released indicating that the school curriculum would be included and faith-based schools would not be allowed to teach traditional social mores "as if they were objectively true.""

Fr. Tim Finigan (Blogger Extraordinaire) is quoted at some length:

"LifeSiteNews.com spoke to Fr. Timothy Finigan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Southwark and the founder of the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life who said, "I don't think it will be productive to negotiate with the government over this. Clearly the regulations are as they are and they have shown that they are not prepared to negotiate or make concessions. The offer of the adjustment period shows that."

"While the exemption requested by the Church for the adoption agencies was turned down by Tony Blair, what they got with the government's offer of a delaying period, said Fr. Finigan, "was a kind of stay of execution. But there's nothing there for them. In the meantime, they still have to refer children to be adopted to homosexual couples."

"Militant gay activists, he said, will almost certainly now move on to the next phase of test legal cases against smaller Christian or Muslim institutions such as schools or boarding houses.

"The one thing the government doesn't want to see right now is priests and ministers in prison. That means they are going to start with schools or businesses. They've been pushing hard in education for years," Fr. Finigan said."

Watch this space. There is a distinct whiff of Henry VIII about this whole thing. The Bishops didn't do much then either...