British Christians charge discrimination

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LONDON, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Four Christians who have lost job discrimination cases in Britain are taking them to a higher tribunal, the European Court of Human Rights.

One of the plaintiffs was fired for refusing to stop wearing a cross and another was switched to a desk job, the BBC reported.

The other cases involve plaintiffs who say they believe gay sex is sinful. A counselor in Bristol lost his job with Relate, a non-profit group that provides counseling and therapy, because he said he could not advise gay couples on sex while a registry office official was disciplined for refusing to perform civil union ceremonies for gays.

The European Court has consolidated the cases into one.

Andrew Marsh of Christian Legal Center said the four have clearly suffered anti-Christian discrimination.

"The crucial question in these cases is this: could these four individuals have been reasonably accommodated and their Christian faith respected without detriment or damage to the rights of others -- and the answer to that question is clearly yes," he said.

The court is expected to rule in the next few weeks.