Christian Institute launches election briefing

The Christian Institute has launched an online election briefing to help Christians understand the policy positions of the main parties and cast an informed vote in the upcoming general election.

The briefing summarises the parties’ policies and voting track record in Parliament, and how they line up with biblical principles and particularly the Ten Commandments.

“People can only cast an informed vote if they know what the parties and the candidates stand for,” said Christian Institute director Colin Hart.

“Our election briefing makes it easier for Christians to understand the policies of parties and our question card prompts Christians to ask individual candidates about their position on key moral issues.”

The question card which suggests six questions Christians could put to their local parliamentary candidates during a hustings event or surgery.

They include asking candidates if they support raising the status of civil partnerships to that of marriage, making it easier to have an early-term abortion, and whether they think Christians are being sidelined by equality laws.

The Christian Institute believes religious liberty, support for marriage, and protection of the unborn and elderly to be the three “touchstone” issues for Christians in the election.

The briefing argues that religious liberty has come under threat as Christians have become increasingly marginalised and Christians have come under increasing pressure to keep their faith out of the workplace.

The briefing claims that the downgrading of marriage has been “foundational” to social problems facing the UK and urges Christians to pay particular attention to the parties’ policies on assisted suicide, euthanasia and abortion.

Mr Hart said: "There are many ways of being a Christian citizen, but a General Election provides a good opportunity for Christians to be a positive influence in our society."

The briefing can be downloaded at: www.christian.org.uk/election