The other way around - Co-op bank bars Christian group

[Jawawithagun]

The Co-operative Bank has asked an evangelical Christian group to close its account because of its anti-homosexual views.
The bank said the opinions of Christian Voice were incompatible with its support for diversity.

Christian Voice said the Co-operative Bank was discriminating against it on the grounds of religion.

It is now waiting for other religious groups with similar opinions to be asked to close accounts, it added.

Christian Voice has held an account with the Co-operative Bank for about three years.

It has come to the bank's attention that Christian Voice is engaged in discriminatory pronouncements based on the grounds of sexual orientation

Co-operative Bank

But now the bank has decided the group's stance on homosexuality is so extreme, it has asked members to look for a new bank.

"It has come to the bank's attention that Christian Voice is engaged in discriminatory pronouncements based on the grounds of sexual orientation," a spokesman for the bank said.

"This public stance is incompatible with the position of the Co-operative Bank, which publicly supports diversity and dignity in all its forms for our staff, customers and other stakeholders."

Controversial musical

The decision was based "purely on the issue of diversity" and not "on the grounds of religion", the spokesman added.

The Co-op bank, for all its fine words, is discriminating against us on the grounds of conscience and religion

Christian Voice

The evangelical organisation says it now expects the bank to inform other Christian, Muslim and Jewish groups that they will not be able to bank there on the grounds that they all share the same view on homosexuality.

National director Stephen Green said: "The Co-op bank, for all its fine words, is discriminating against us on the grounds of conscience and religion."

Christian Voice first came under the spotlight earlier this year when it took on the BBC over its the decision to screen controversial musical Jerry Springer - The Opera.

Christian Voice complained the show was blasphemous and portrayed Jesus as a "sexual deviant".

as reported by the Beeb

[Nephtys]

Ouch, how does THAT feel? Oh, no. Wait. Christians are being 'persecuted' again in America. Goddess, save us from that bunch. *rolleyes*

[wautd]

this news made my day

[Darth Raptor]

Oh noes!!! Discrimination against bigotry!

They should boot out those Muslim and Jewish organizations too. It's not discrimination on the grounds of religion if certain religions just happen to be incompatible with company policy.

That'd be like rejecting some bizzaro cult because the company was officially against boiling cats alive and the cult screaming about "religious discrimination." Wahh, society is advancing and we don't want it to!

Eat it.

[Plekhanov]

Ouch, how does THAT feel? Oh, no. Wait. Christians are being 'persecuted' again in America. Goddess, save us from that bunch. *rolleyes*

This is a UK not a US story other than that I agree.

Oh noes!!! Discrimination against bigotry!

They should boot out those Muslim and Jewish organizations too. It's not discrimination on the grounds of religion if certain religions just happen to be incompatible with company policy.

That'd be like rejecting some bizzaro cult because the company was officially against boiling cats alive and the cult screaming about "religious discrimination." Wahh, society is advancing and we don't want it to!

Eat it.

I doubt the Co-op bank has any other Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups which are as viciously homophobic as Christian Voice who go beyond the “homosexual acts are sinful” approach taken by most religious groups in the UK. These are the guys who threatened a cancer charity because it was set to receive money from a charity performance of Jerry Springer the Opera, they are not your run of the mill religious group.

[Glocksman]

I don't know about the laws in Britain, but I do believe that bankers cannot refuse to do business with you here based on religion because religion is one of the protected categories mentioned in most of our civil rights laws.

[General Zod]

I don't know about the laws in Britain, but I do believe that bankers cannot refuse to do business with you here based on religion because religion is one of the protected categories mentioned in most of our civil rights laws.

You did read the article right? They weren't kicking them out due to religious beliefs, they were kicking them out for being extremely vocal bigots. Simply because they label their bigotry as a religious belief doesn't mean that their religion is what's being discriminated against.

[El Moose Monstero]

From reading up on the bank in questions terms of service, they reserve the right to terminate an account without having to give a reason providing 30 days notice is given. This may be me not quite grasping the various bits of jargon in the terms of service, but similar clauses can be found in other banks, shops and public houses about reserving the right to refuse service for any reason they please.

I don't really see a problem with any business terminating a contract with another business on the principle that their beliefs/ideologies don't mesh.

[Guy N. Cognito]

Glocksman, Read what Plekhanov has to say about this group. It wasn't religious based. They just wanted no association with a bunch of bigots.

[Firefox]

Their website:

++http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/

Among other gems, the home page has a list of grievances against the British government, including:

Marriage vows don’t matter, half a generation of children are growing up without a father, the government is encouraging children into promiscuity, homosexuality and infertility

The other two are par for the course as far as fundies go, but encouraging infertility? That doesn't compute.

[Chmee]

I don't know about the laws in Britain, but I do believe that bankers cannot refuse to do business with you here based on religion because religion is one of the protected categories mentioned in most of our civil rights laws.

Fortunately, 'idiots' is not a protected class yet .... so since they're being discriminated against on the basis of being idiots, I see no problem.

[Melchior]

The other two are par for the course as far as fundies go, but encouraging infertility? That doesn't compute.

Maybe they are talking about birth control. Still moronical, but makes sense.

[Nephtys]

Ah, they're British. Out here in the colonies, those groups would try to claim lynching is protected under the 1st Amendment.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Yea seriously. This would NEVER Happen in the states. The Religious Right would have a Field day press wise in talking about "Secular Fundimentlists attack on God" by kicking these good church going people out of their Bank...

[NecronLord]

Fucking A. This is why the co-op is cool.

[Firefox]

The other two are par for the course as far as fundies go, but encouraging infertility? That doesn't compute.

Maybe they are talking about birth control. Still moronical, but makes sense.

I suppose I should give you that. They can be dumb enough to believe that contraception is tantamount to infertility.

[Vicious]

Damn, if that didn't give me a big-ass grin. Shame they won't do that here. If only companies would stand up to the Church, they wouldn't be so damn powerful. Everyone's scared of 'em for no real reason.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Yea seriously. This would NEVER Happen in the states. The Religious Right would have a Field day press wise in talking about "Secular Fundimentlists attack on God" by kicking these good church going people out of their Bank...

It kind of gives you a sense of how many more fundies exist in the United States as opposed to the UK. This UK bank can afford to lose their right-wing nut clients where any sane US bank cannot.

[Plekhanov]

Yea seriously. This would NEVER Happen in the states. The Religious Right would have a Field day press wise in talking about "Secular Fundimentlists attack on God" by kicking these good church going people out of their Bank...

It kind of gives you a sense of how many more fundies exist in the United States as opposed to the UK. This UK bank can afford to lose their right-wing nut clients where any sane US bank cannot.

You're right about the low numbers of fundies over here though another factor in this story is the nature of the Co-op Bank which grew out of the Co-operative movement founded back in the 1840s.

The Co-op has always been a socially conscious, left leaning movement and the Co-op bank has always made a great play of it’s Ethical Policies. Its reputation as a progressive organisation is actually responsible for a great deal of the Co-ops business, practically all of my politically active friends and all the campaigning groups I know bank with the Co-op.

As such I’m not at all surprised that they got rid of Christian Voice, something which I expect they did pretty much as soon as they realised who they were, I am however surprised that a regressive bunch like Christian Voice would choose to bank with the Co-op.

[mr friendly guy]

National director Stephen Green said: "The Co-op bank, for all its fine words, is discriminating against us on the grounds of conscience and religion."

Ah, but when you do it, its A-Ok. Gotcha.

The Christians are being persecuted line got old when the Roman empire was still around. But for some reason certain Christians seem stuck in a perpetual time warp.

[Sephirius]

National director Stephen Green said: "The Co-op bank, for all its fine words, is discriminating against us on the grounds of conscience and religion."

Ah, but when you do it, its A-Ok. Gotcha.

The Christians are being persecuted line got old when the Roman empire was still around. But for some reason certain Christians seem stuck in a perpetual time warp.

I nearly spat my coke on the screen I laughed so hard when I read that time warp comment. It's so true in every aspect.

on a more oddball line, as soon as I read the article, I imagined Dave Chappelle yelling 'OH SNAP!' for some reason. I found it amusing.

[Dalton]

Christians will always cry persecution, even when the population consists of over 80% of them - like in America, where they more or less run the nation.

[Exonerate]

Christians will always cry persecution, even when the population consists of over 80% of them - like in America, where they more or less run the nation.

But not all those people who say they're Christian are true Christians!

[Plekhanov]

Christians will always cry persecution, even when the population consists of over 80% of them - like in America, where they more or less run the nation.

But not all those people who say they're Christian are true Christians!

yeah just look at all those people who didn't vote for Bush, not a true Christian amongst them

[Glocksman]

I don't know about the laws in Britain, but I do believe that bankers cannot refuse to do business with you here based on religion because religion is one of the protected categories mentioned in most of our civil rights laws.

You did read the article right? They weren't kicking them out due to religious beliefs, they were kicking them out for being extremely vocal bigots. Simply because they label their bigotry as a religious belief doesn't mean that their religion is what's being discriminated against.

Whether or not the bigotry is religious based (and thus protected) would be for the trial and appellate judges to decide if this was in the States.

But it's not, so I don't think this one will see the inside of a courtroom.

From reading up on the bank in questions terms of service, they reserve the right to terminate an account without having to give a reason providing 30 days notice is given. This may be me not quite grasping the various bits of jargon in the terms of service, but similar clauses can be found in other banks, shops and public houses about reserving the right to refuse service for any reason they please.

I don't really see a problem with any business terminating a contract with another business on the principle that their beliefs/ideologies don't mesh.

Sounds reasonable and is legal under British law.
Under US law though, refusing to do business with someone based on a disagreement of belief is much more problematic due to the various civil rights laws.

Ironically enough, under the Federal laws, race and religion are specifically named while sexual orientation is not.

Therefore it's perfectly legal under federal law (state laws vary) for me as a landlord to refuse to rent to a homosexual, but illegal for me to refuse if the reason was that he was a Satanist.