The best form of promotion is controversy, The NSS is doing just that, getting free headline news for a suggestion that will never see the light of day in reality.
The NSS is suggesting that any Religious Charity should be stripped of their charitable registration - some 12,000 organisations would be affected. They state that these charities 'promote activities including 'gay conversion therapy', infant circumcision and non-stun animal slaughter'. Not the type of thing you find in an average Church on Sunday.
While this is not true in the main, they completely overlook the public benefit these charities bring. Around 4 million Christians in the UK are behind these charities making it the biggest sector of charitable social engagement in the UK. Around £20 billion pounds is raised per year and most of that (aside from running the churches involved) is poured back into the community.
The other point is that in the main most Christian Charities don't only have advancement of religion as their only charitable objective.
Let me break that big number down a little. Can you imagine Elim, The redeemed Church of God, The Methodists, Baptists, AOG, Church of England, The Catholics, United Reformed, Presbyterian etc. (I've missed out at least 50 others) all being stripped of their charitable status ?
What then about Tearfund, CAP, Foodbank, Hope Together, Neighbourhood Prayer Network, The World Prayer Centre, Compassion, World Vision all again being stripped of their charitable status.
The main problem is the NSS does nothing that these charities do, they don't assist in relief of poverty, education, overseas development. They don't support or counsel the abused or impoverished, they have no community centres, they just throw stones at the people doing the work.
What they are good at is labelling everyone in this space with their vitriol, when some vexed Christian has a go at them and they blast that moment to represent all of us.
For me. My friendship circle has LGBT, Muslim, Black and Coloured, Scottish, Welsh, English and Irish within it. I say it this way, because I don't differentiate. If I make a friend, they are a friend, regardless of sex, faith, skin colour. I am believe in Jesus and I will continue to advocate for Jesus amongst my friends. They have never told me when I love them in Jesus name, that I am a bigot, biased or focussed on hate. Love of the friendship has been first , but I've always been open and unapologetic about my faith.
In this instance, I think it's rich for an organisation that does little beyond attacking those many of which who's lives are spent helping the those they claim to defend, while not helping anyone else to call for the demise of the Christian faith.
Can you image the chaos in the UK if the Church withdrew from public benefit. The government just simply wouldn't be able to function.
No one of course states the obvious. The service provision of the Church, which is free of cost to the government runs into billions of pounds per year.
So this is a blatant cheapskate attempt for media by the NSS. I'm sure the NSS would have a lot to say if the 12,000 Christian ministries they accuse asked questions about their method, ethos and objectives in a modern world.
If you want to read the full story, google National Secular Society Report - it's a harrowing read for a Christian.
