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GAY ‘MARRIAGE’?

Why We Need to Speak Out against Government Proposals!

The Government has recently published proposals to redefine the traditional view of marriage. Prime Minister David Cameron has repeatedly declared that he wants to strengthen marriage and family life. Now it appears that he wants to introduce legislation that will allow civil marriage to take place between two men or two women. Make no mistake about it, what is being proposed is not a minor social change, but a fundamental redefinition. It overturns centuries of Biblical understanding about marriage, namely that it is a sacrament “the union of one man and one woman”.

The Government proposal seriously dilutes the nature and time-honoured understanding of marriage. It is being done in the name of so called ‘equality’. Supporters of gay marriage argue that gay people should be able to get married because everybody is entitled to the same status. But why should this be the case if their sexual circumstances are different? Lynne Featherstone, the Government’s Equalities minister goes further. She has declared that opposition to gay marriage fans the flames of ‘dark-ages homophobia’. What a travesty of the truth! For the vast majority of folk, opposition to these proposals has nothing to do with homophobia. A significant number irrespective of whether they are ‘religious or non-religious’ are concerned that traditional family values are steadily being eroded by this kind of legislation. Writing in ‘The Times’, the late William Rees-Mogg argued powerfully that we need to protect traditional marriage for the children’s sake. Extending the right to marry only weakens an institution that society needs to be strong. He adds “A change in the law would gradually and inevitably transform society’s understanding of the purpose of marriage. There would be no recognition of the complementariness of male and female or that marriage is intended for the protection and education of children.” In other words, children are indeed best reared in a loving and stable marriage involving a father and a mother.

The proposals also have implications for churches and schools. Although churches will not be forced to conduct gay weddings, it is almost certain that this stance will be challenged as discriminatory under the equality and human rights laws in the European Parliament. The Church of England will of course get special dispensation making it illegal to ‘marry’ a gay couple. But why does this not extend to other Christian churches and other Faiths? As regards schools, what protection will there be for teachers who believe in traditional marriage. Proposals for gay marriage would have an impact on teachers in Academies and Faith schools in the state sector. In Canada and in some American states where marriage has been redefined, it has caused some serious legal problems in schools.

Months ago many people from this church signed the petition against legalising gay marriage. The House of Commons will probably vote on these proposals soon, probably in the next few weeks. There is still time to write to M.Ps., and in particular to Amber Rudd who is M.P., for the Hastings and Rye Constituency

John Fletcher

From Canon John Fletcher