I see that a group calling itself "Coherent and Cohesive Voice" is campaigning to have the draft regulations in England which outlaw discrimination against gays include an exemption to the effect that "Nothing in these regulations shall force an individual to act against their conscience or strongly held religious beliefs". Bishops from the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church have expressed similar sentiments.

Some people's consciences tell them that a religion which preaches that they, members of their families and all other human beings are sinners at birth is highly offensive and outrageous. Some people's consciences also tell them that a belief system which makes a virtue of torturing a person to death in order to atone for the crimes of others is morally repugnant. They tell them that those who preach the virtues of belief without evidence, i.e. "faith", are corrupting innocent minds and threatening the progress of civilized humanity. Furthermore, their consciences are firm in the view that any person who attempts to deny rights to others on the grounds of race, sex or sexual orientation does not deserve to enjoy the benefits of a free society. The people who offend consciences in these ways should not be encouraged, supported, served or helped. Or, at least, they should not be were it not for the fact that they are human beings, and are as entitled to human rights anyone else. Gays, too, are human beings, and entitled to all the same rights.

If the "Coherent and Cohesive" amendment is included in the regulations, then any person who feels about Christianity (and other religions) in these ways would be entitled to discriminate against believers on grounds of conscience. That, of course, would be unfair on the many believers who do respect others' rights, but it would surely be legal. However, discrimination against discriminators on grounds of conscience would not only be legal, but also right and fair. Is that what they want? Of course not - if anti-religious discrimination laws contained the same exemptions which they want for anti-gay discrimination laws, they would be up in arms. The hypocrisy stinks.

These people need a simple lesson in the concept of human rights. By definition, there is only one criterion which determines when someone is entitled to human rights, including to the right not to be discriminated against, and that is that they are human. Inevitably, that will create difficulties for some people at times, but if human rights do not take precedence over all other matters of conscience, then they are not human rights, but merely selective privileges.