Last night (25 Jan.) an important vote to protect religious liberty was won by 216 votes to 178, in support of Baroness O’Cathain’s amendment to the Equality Bill in the House of Lords.

If the amendment had failed, churches would have had difficulty restricting employment only to people who adhere to the bible’s teaching on sexual ethics. The amendment keeps the current status quo and gives churches significantly more freedom to self determine how they are organised and by whom they are lead than the original Government proposal would have allowed.

Many Lords and Bishops spoke passionately and well on the issue, arguing for the importance that churches and faith based organisations have had to the development of this country and her fruits.

Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend John Sentamu, told peers: “Noble Lords may believe that Roman Catholics should allow priests to be married; they may think that the Church of England should hurry up and allow women to become bishops; they may feel that many churches and other religious organisations are wrong on matters of sexual ethics. But if religious freedom means anything, it must mean that those are matters for the churches and other religious organisations to determine in accordance with their own convictions. They are not matters for the law to impose.”

Labour peer Lord Davies of Coity said: “It was my Christian faith that guided me into the trade union and political movements and that led me to be for the abolition of the capital punishment long before it was abolished in this country. My support for my Labour Government is second only to my Christian faith. The standards and morals of the Christian church makes this country a much better place, and I shall always oppose any measures that seek to marginalise the Christian church.”

Conservative peer Baroness O’Cathain said in the debate: “A belief in freedom of association demands that, even if we do not share the beliefs of an organisation, we must stand up for its liberty to choose its own leaders and representatives. That, in essence, is what this debate is all about.”

The Conservative Party front benches supported Baroness O’Cathain’s amendment.

To read the whole debate please click here.