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THE MORAL RIGHT
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THE DEBATES
- Religious Censorship
- Abortion
- Homosexuality

THE IMPACT
- Is Media to Blame?
- Experts and Lobbyists
- How Religious is UK?

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The Impact

The effect of Moral Right on society

Moralists believe Britain's on a downward path. (picture courtesy of littlewoodenman)

Euthanasia, abortion, gay marriage, academies and religious imagery regularly feature in the news nowadays and detractors say moralists are everywhere.

Government giving in to moral groups

Michael Halls of Intercom Trust says the government "is giving more hearing to moral groups and pushing legislation in directions that do not have the social endorsement at all."

The party leaders' appearance at Christian group Faithworks lectures before election delighted Christians and worried secularists.

Now other luminaries are regulars too. When Channel 4 chief Alan Duncan defended his channel's output, it was through a Faithworks lecture.

Minister, writer, presenter and founder of Faithworks, Steve Chalke

Founder Steve Chalke says Faithworks "isn't about censorship at all,” and prefers "religious responsibility to religious rights."

Segregation a worry

Secularists also gripe about "Working Together" report, published by the Home Office during David Blunkett's reign.

They call it "an exhortation to all government departments to consult religious groups on every conceivable topic, including sentencing policy."

Still, it's faith schools - supported by both Tory and Labour - that worry Keith Porteous Wood of National Secular Society.

"By splitting education down religious lines, they're also splitting it down race lines. I see a terrifying prospect in a generation's time when an awful lot of education in our multi-ethnic conurbation is going to be effectively segregated.

"From both racial and cultural perspectives, that will be a disaster. That's the single biggest worry we have."

Then there are independent faith schools and academies.

Car dealer and evangelical Sir Peter Vardy

The latter doesn't need to follow the national curriculum. Sir Peter Vardy, who believes evolution is just a theory, runs a number of them.

Increasing polarisation

Gay marriage is another touchy issue.

Before Bromley council decides to ban elaborate same sex civil ceremonies, both the Tories and religious groups try to change the civil partnership bill.

Last October, Christian Voice staged an anti-gay rally in Bournemouth.

Its director Stephen Green also work with pro-life groups to protest at abortion clinics.

Ordinary women are increasingly facing pharmacists who refuse to dispense contraception based on religious or moral grounds.

Dr Ellie Lee of Pro-choice Forum says medical professionals should have the liberty to act the way they see fit.

But if pharmacists start to duck out not because of moral beliefs but to avoid the controversy "then you would say the pro-life lobby is really having an impact."

Growing mob mentality

Which is what happened with cancer charity Maggie Centre who declined donation from Jerry Springer: The Opera.

So too is the Birmingham Repertory Theatre's decision to cancel Behzti.

Johann Hari, journalist and playwright

Playwright and journalist Johann Hari says it was wrong to give in to mobs preaching reactionary superstition.

"I would defend anyone's right to protest outside the theatre and say, 'this play is awful, don't go and see it.'

"What they are not allowed to do is to physically force the theatre to stop playing it."

Is the media's pursuit of sensationalism to blame? Or is the government not understanding Britain's religiosity? Listen to experts and lobbyists.