Dr Martin Parsons
Dr Martin Parsons
  • Home
  • Consultancy
  • Persecution of Christians
    • International Relations >
      • UK national identity and values >
        • Cleaning up Politics
  • Books

Persecution of Christians

Martin has been involved in helping persecuted Christians, particularly in the Islamic world. He previously worked in both Pakistan and Afghanistan where he was involved in helping local Christians including when the Taliban threatened Afghan Christians with execution. Martin currently works as an independent consultant on freedom of religion or belief. He has been an expert witness in this area in the UK court system. 
He has been repeatedly quoted on the growing global persecution of Christians in both national and international media including the Sunday Times, Daily Mail and Sunday Express (front page) and has done live broadcast interviews in both the UK and USA.

About Martin

Tercentenary of British Parliament leading the global development of freedom of religion by beginning repeal of the Test Acts

8/26/2019

0 Comments

 

Daily Telegraph 26 August 2019

Charles Moore (Telegraph 24 August) rightly observes that universities should be as concerned about the Test Acts as they are about past complicity with slavery. The Test Acts excluded Catholics and Dissenters from education as well as certain professions and political office. Between 1719 and 1871 the British parliament abolished the various Test Acts beginning with the Schism Act which had excluded non-Anglicans from being school teachers and prohibited higher education establishments known as dissenting academies. In 1871 the Universities Test Act repealed laws requiring academics at Cambridge, Oxford and Durham to hold Anglican beliefs.
Although little remembered today it is hard to overstate the importance of repeal of the Test Acts as they marked the achievement of full freedom of religion in the UK and its spread across the world. Countries such as the USA and Australia, which branched off from Britain during or immediately after this period, wrote specific clauses into their constitutions prohibiting any future government from requiring assent to particular beliefs for those in public office.
This is a history that universities should carefully reflect on, not least in the light of current attempts on some campuses to censor students and outside speakers who dissent from politically correct orthodoxy or hold minority religious beliefs.
Dr Martin Parsons
Devizes, Wiltshire
 
 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.