In the letter to the Prime Minister, Lord Carey said Christians were too often "ridiculed? and dismissed as relics of ?a bygone age?.
?Notwithstanding its vast and varied contribution to our society, there appears to be a suspicion about the validity and value of the role that the Christian faith plays in our national life,? he said.
?This has been highlighted by the spate of recent instances in which ordinary Christians who have sought to manifest their Christian faith in the workplace and have allowed their Christian conscience to direct their public service have fallen foul of new employment practices and then discovered that rather than protect them, the law has sided against them.?
Lord Carey suggested that recent legislation was unclear on where the balance of rights fell between different groups. One particularly contentious subject has been the clash of rights between homosexuals and Christians.
?Whatever the explanation, this situation needs urgent review and action from government,? he said.
?It is a remarkable state of affairs that, in such a short space of time and in a country that has been so shaped by, and benefitted so significantly from, a Christian foundation, those who hold traditional Christian viewpoints, in common with millions across the globe and across history, can suddenly find their position labelled discriminatory and prejudiced and then discover that it has effectively become a legal bar to public service.?
His comments follow the case of Owen and Eunice Johns, who were barred from being foster parents after they said their beliefs would prevent them telling a child that homosexuality was acceptable. Their case is currently the subject of a judicial review.
Two bed-and-breakfast owners, Peter and Hazelmary Bull, are facing a civil court claim for �5,000 damages which hinges on an allegation that they discriminated against two homosexual guests by refusing to allow them to stay in a double room on grounds of their sexual orientation.
The Bulls deny the claim, saying they have a long-standing policy of banning all unmarried couples - both heterosexual and gay - from sharing a bed.
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