Conservative believers across the United Kingdom gave thanks to God for their victory in the House of Lords on Monday over a proposal that would require churches to hire homosexuals.

In a stunning upset, peers voted down the government three times over amendments that many were concerned would leave religious organizations "more vulnerable" to legal attacks.

"This is a great day for religious liberty in the UK," said Andrea Minichiello Williams, director of Christian Concern for Our Nation. "We are thankful that the law has not been changed and the freedom of Churches to control their own affairs has not been restricted any further."

"The results show what can happen when Christians pray and take action," she added. "Let us be encouraged that even in an increasingly secular society, the voice of the Church can still be heard."

"Most of all we are thankful to God for answering our prayers. We serve a mighty God!"

Lady O'Cathain, who had tabled the amendments against the government, commented: "I know that very many Christians were praying that justice would prevail as the House of Lords voted on this important issue. Many also wrote wise, sensitive letters to peers, seeking to persuade them of our case."

"We give thanks to God for the outcome, and we continue to pray for our Government, as Scripture exhorts us to do, that God would bless their counsels."

Not all Christians were as jubilant, however, particularly those from the interfaith coalition The Cutting Edge who had supported passing the Equality Bill.

"This vote will be disappointing for many people, of various faiths and of none, who want to see the staff of religious organizations enjoying the same legal protection as other workers" said Symon Hill, co-director of the Christian thinktank Ekklesia.

"The amendments' supporters have tended to give the impression that Christians as a whole are behind them. However, it is important that the media and policy analysts acknowledge the presence of Christians on all sides of this debate," he added.

Meanwhile, liberal and conservative believers will have another chance to spar on Wednesday in a parliamentary debate over whether the House of Lords should remove clerics from its rankings.

The Labour Humanist Group, who is hosting the debate, claims that the presence of the "Lord's Spiritual" is unsupportable in a country where less than half of the population is Christian.

Those debating in support of the reform motion include Polly Toynbee, President of the British Humanist Association, and Jonathan Bartley, Co-director of Ekklesia. Those in opposition include the Rev. Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester and Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, and Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss.