Dr Nazir-Ali spoke in the wake of the protest by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols against Government interference in the moral beliefs of Christians.

His intervention meant ministers are faced with a united front of hostility from churches over the Sexual Orientation Regulations, due to become law next April.

The new laws are meant to prevent discrimination against gays. But the Church of England has said they mean priests could be sued for refusing to bless same-sex unions and Catholics say they will close their adoption agencies rather than give children to gay couples.

Leaders of the increasingly influential black churches added their voices to the protest, saying that pastors and churchgoers will go to jail rather than accept rules that will mean they must open their meeting halls to gay lobby groups.

Pakistani-born Dr Nazir-Ali said: "I welcome warmly what the Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham has said about the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

"In the proposed regulations there is no clear exemption for religious belief even though it is widely known that several of the faiths in this country will have serious difficulty."

He added: "Religion affects every area of life and cannot be reduced to just worship.

"These regulations will certainly affect a great deal of charitable work done by the churches and others. It is the poor and disadvantaged who will be the losers."

The warning means Dr Nazir-Ali believes the new gay rights laws are a threat to the Church of England's continued influence in inner cities and deprived areas of the country.

Despite its internal arguments and financial troubles, the CofE has been widely praised in recent years for its efforts to maintain its presence and its charity efforts in the toughest parts of cities.

Archbishop Nichols warned earlier this week that Catholic schools, adoption agencies, welfare programmes, halls and shelters would all be threatened by the pressure to accept "moral standards at present being touted by the Government".

Black church leaders, who have paid for newspaper advertisements warning that the new rules will force schools to promote gay civil partnerships as the equal of marriage, said the laws would bring civil disobedience.

Pastor Ade Amooba of Christian Voice in Brixton, South London, said: "Homosexuals are set at liberty to enjoy their way of life. Why does the Government want to take away ours?

"Christianity is our identity. We will not surrender it. People will not obey these rules, no matter that they are taken to court."

He added: "We will shut down the youth clubs and welfare projects rather than obey these laws. That will have very damaging effects. We will be losing something valuable."

George Hargreaves of the Hephzibah Christian Centre in Hackney said: "I have already bought my orange jumpsuit, for no doubt prison awaits us as we fight against the tyranny of the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

"If opposing this law is to be counted as an act of civil disobedience, than in obedience to God we must act in loving and peaceful civil disobedience."

Final details of the new laws have yet to be made public because of delays following a Cabinet row. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, a staunch Catholic who is in charge of pushing the regulations through, only gave way and ordered the rules to go ahead last week.

Their are threats of rebellion in Northern Ireland, which is being used as a test bed for the gay rights laws. The rules will go into force there at the beginning of January.

DUP leader Dr Ian Paisley has handed a letter of protest to Tony Blair amid signs that politically powerful church leaders in the province are preparing to try to stop the new laws.

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Seven out of 10 say beliefs should not be abandoned over gay rights

By STEVE DOUGHTY
He Evening Standard

11/28/2006

Seven out of ten people believe people should not be forced to abandon their deepest beliefs for the sake of gay rights, a new poll has found.

It found deep-set public opposition to new laws that will compel businesses, charities and churches to give equal treatment to homosexuals.

Churches have launched a furious campaign to block the laws, saying they will force priests to bless same-sex couples; force schools and youth clubs to promote gay rights; and mean that Christians will have to accept moral rules handed down by the Government.

The opinon poll - taken before Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols accused ministers of acting like 'moral tutors - found a majority believe the Government should not make laws to promote one moral view over another.

And two thirds think that laws promoting gay rights should not discriminate against religious groups.

The laws which are meant to prevent discrimination against gays - for example when hoteliers refuse to allow homosexual couples to rent rooms - are set to come into force next April.

But churches have protested furiously that the Sexual Orientation Regulations will cut to the heart of Christian morality and practice.

The Church of England has warned that the laws could make it possible for vicars who refuse to bless same sex civil partnerships to be sued.

Roman Catholics say they will close adoption charities rather be compelled to place children with gay couple, and all churches worry that they will be forced to make facilities from parish halls to conference centres available to gay pressure groups.

The survey, carried out by CommunicateResearch for the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, found that 72 per cent of those polled agreed that the new law "should be applied selectively so as to ensure that people with strong religious beliefs are not forced to act against their conscience".

Fewer than one in five, 19 per cent, disagreed. Two thirds, 66 per cent, agreed that the law should not discriminate against religious groups in order to promote gay rights. Only 28 per cent disagreed.

Some 57 per cent thought the Government should do more to protect traditional family and marriage values and less to promote gay and lesbian lifestyles. The poll found 38 per cent disagreed.

Just over half, 56 per cent said the Government should not legislate to promote one moral view over another, against 38 per cent who disagreed.

Thomas Cordrey of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship said: "The proposed Sexual Orientation Regulations display a startling contradiction.

"They are introduced under the Equality Act and yet with the same sweep of the brush that creates a right to non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, they discriminate heavily against Christians by forcing them to promote and assist homosexual practice contrary to the clear teaching of the Bible."

He added: "It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the Government believes the right to equality is somehow weaker for someone who holds a religious belief."

The new laws provoked a Cabinet row after Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, a staunch Roman Catholic who is in charge of pushing the regulations through parliament, delayed over implementing them. But Miss Kelly has now bowed to pressure from colleagues. She said this week that she was dedicated to equality over sexual orientation.

The CommunicateResearch poll was taken among 1,000 adults on 15 and 16 November.

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