There have been high-profile cases concerning gender, race and sexual orientation in recent weeks, and the most superficial knowledge of any of them is all that is required to dismiss calls for special treatment in cases involving faith.

There are now seven equality strands in UK law. Imagine each of them having to be determined by judges with special sensitivity to that particular experience. This scenario – a natural outcome of claims last week by Lord Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, that Christian-rights cases need faith-sensitive judges – is totally unworkable.

Carey’s comments reflect a wider perceived bias against the Christian faith that is fast becoming an election issue because of a spate of recent court decisions. An election guide, launched today by the Catholic Union, points to rulings that Catholic adoption agencies and Christian officials cannot discriminate against same-sex couples, and to two recent judgments about the right to wear a crucifix at work, and to the Debbie Purdy case, which required prosecutors to be clearer about assisted suicide. The union, which describes these as “manifestly unjust laws”, urges voters to spurn candidates who are unlikely to promote the Christian cause.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/apr/19/faiths-treatment-court-equality