61% of Christians say gays should have equal legal rights: UK study

An Ipsos MORI poll out of the UK indicates that Christians in that country have overwhelmingly secular views on gay issues.

From the results:

  • Six in 10 respondents (61%) agree that homosexuals should have the same legal rights in all aspects of their lives as heterosexuals, and those who disapprove of sexual relations between two adults of the same sex (29%) are greatly outnumbered by those who do not (46%).

And some interesting results on faith-based education:

  • While Christians are more likely to support than oppose state-funded faith schools, this support is reduced when non-Christian faiths schools are included. Less than half (45%) support state-funded faith schools for any religion, whether Christian or non-Christian, while just over half (53%) are in favour of state-funded schools for any Christian denomination.
  • Less than a quarter (23%) think religious education in state-funded schools should teach pupils to believe in a religion: 15% think it should teach pupils to believe in Christianity and 8% to believe whatever faith the school subscribes to. Most (57%) think state-funded schools should teach knowledge about the world’s main faiths evenhandedly, without any bias toward any particular religion, and without trying to inculcate belief.
  • More Christians oppose (38%) than support (31%) the teaching of six-day creationism in state-funded school science lessons.
  • The current law in England and Wales requiring state schools to hold a daily act of broadly Christian worship is not strongly supported, either, with almost as many Christians opposed to it (36%) as in favour (39%).

The poll was commissioned by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.

It’s as if Christians in the UK are more secure in their spiritual beliefs. If only there were a way to turn the hearts of more Canadian and US Christians in this direction. Check out this video of a talk entitled a Ten-Point Vision of a Secular America by author Sean Faircloth.

Keep Reading

Job discrimination against trans and non-binary people is alive and well

OPINION: A study reveals that we have a long way to go to reach workplace equality for trans and non-binary people

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight