The secular Left hates Christians and it seems that they hate Christians with a passion. Recently we’ve seen Kate Forbes the contender for the leadership of the Scottish National Party get seriously monstered by Leftists and the mainstream media, which also leans left, because she is a committed Christian.

Ms Forbes like the former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron before her is being subjected to intense scrutiny and criticism because although these politicians are liberal and support secular liberal policies, they hold private beliefs about stuff like homosexuality that are relatively traditional. There’s a lot of mud being currently flung at Ms Forbes over her membership of a Scottish church that has traditional beliefs about issues such as marriage.

Sebastian Millbank writing in the Critic magazine has called this undue attention and criticism of Christian politicians as ‘a new Test Act’ in reference to the discriminatory legislation called Test Acts that once existed in the UK to prevent Roman Catholics from employment in certain positions. Mr Millbank has also pointed out that these sorts of questions about personal and private belief that are aimed at Christians are not being asked of politicians who profess faiths other than those of Christianity.

Mr Millbank said:

Of course, we don’t ask every candidate such questions. In fact, it seems we only ask traditional Christians these sort of questions, in some kind of grotesque modern form of bear-baiting. “Wouldn’t it be funny, if instead of treating the future leader of a political party like a normal candidate, we decided to ask them very pointed questions about whether Jesus approved of gay sex?” Kate Forbes privately believes (like the majority of people in human history) that marriage is between a man and woman, and that’s just not OK in the year 2023, even if it has no implications whatsoever for gay rights or public policy. This was the approach taken to Tim Farron, who like Kate Forbes was a traditional non-conformist Christian proposing to lead a liberal political party. 

Yes indeed. I don’t think that those who hounded Tim Farron or who are currently hounding Kate Forbes, would ever think of behaving in a similar manner to those from example the Islamic community, which like traditional Christians are often socially conservative on matters pertaining to sexuality. I certainly don’t think that Hamza ‘Useless’ Yousef another contender for the leadership of the SNP would be questioned or criticised in a similar way.

Mr Millbank added:

This approach adds up to a new Test Act, with politicians expected to prove they hold no religiously conservative views on sexual ethics before being allowed to take high office. Curiously though, it is reserved for Christians, with Muslim politicians (like fellow SNP leadership hopeful Humza Yousef), mysteriously spared the inquisitorial treatment. You’d think by the media’s own standard, given that over half of British Muslims think homosexuality should be illegal, this was a question that would be put to every practising Muslim politician. 

Mr Millbank is correct here. We do seem to have created, in fact if not in law, a new Test Act but one that only applies to Christians. We now have a situation where religious freedom and freedom of spiritual conscience applies to some but not all and especially not to Christians.