Posted on 09/06/2011 6:43:10 AM PDT by marshmallow
Mike Weatherley, the Conservative MP for Hove, has called for churches to be banned from holding marriages if they refuse to perform civil partnerships for gay couples.
He says that the idea will bring more equality for gay couples.
In a letter (see below) to prime minister David Cameron, Mr Weatherley wrote: “As long as religious groups can refuse to preside over ceremonies for same-sex couples there will be inequality.
“Such behaviour is not be tolerated in other areas, such as adoption, after all.
“Until we untangle unions and religion in this country we will struggle to find a fair arrangement.”
Mr Weatherley said that 2005′s Civil Partnership Act was an “uneasy truce” between religious groups and gay rights campaigners and that lawmakers knew an “inherent inequality” would persist.
Hove, which neighbours Brighton, has a large gay community. The area has one of the highest rates of civil partnerships.
Ministers say they plan to move forward legislation to allow civil partnerships in religious buildings.
However, the amendment in the Equality Act stresses that the choice is down to churches. While the Unitarian Church and the Quakers as well as Liberal and Reform Judaism want to hold ceremonies for gay couples, the Catholic Church and Church of England say they will not.
(Excerpt) Read more at pinknews.co.uk ...
Personally if my Baptist Church agreed to "marry" two men, or indeed two women, I would walk out.
oh, I’m not tarring all of Blighty. I lived close to Seven Dials for some time and well, it is a nice place to live — great part places near Churchill Square! But this tory mp is nutz!
Churches unite people in HOLY matrimony. Homosexuality isn't HOLY. It's an abomination. It goes against the God of nature and natures God.
It's impossible to unite homosexuals in HOLY matrimony. All they can get is a sheet of paper.
The Muslims will take care of the homosexuals. Whatever happened to tolerance? Remember the call to be tolerant of alternative lifestyles?
Millions of idiots voted for that fluke.
Remember when Britain was Great?
No - our head of state is also head of the church.
My word, an American Freeper advocating absolutist monarchy!
This is exactly what we will have here if all the lilly-livertarians get their wish of “civil unions” for all.
In other words American, don't think that's going to save you. The constitution is not much use without the political and moral will to uphold it.
It shouldn't have. But it does.
That is indeed my current understanding.
In other words, it's a geographical term, not a political assertion.
Exactly. And some of the densest still can't seem to get it.
The pink mafia really doesn't care if destruction comes in the form of direct legal confrontation at the behest of their fascist puppets and lap dogs in the government or by emptying your pews as they've successfully done with the ELCA and other denomination who've taken their bait.
Some of those dense folks are on our side of the aisle.
They got their way in setting up the destruction of our military, it is becoming less and less moral with the repeal of DADT.
Now it is the churches. Best way to clear the pews on Sunday is force the gay agenda from the pulpit.
Oh, brother.
I did not know this “conservative” was the archbishop... I mean, it’s not like he is being an Imam, commenting mosques, but instead dignifying them above their reputation for untold homosexuality
Well, this is the end result of gubberment defining marriage. People have been conditioned to think a piece of paper from the state determines if one is married or not, to the joy of the statists and homosexualists. So a marriage becomes just a lousy state contract that can be broken and resumed as long as the state says its OK. And many accept any impossibility as marriage as long as the state says it is marriage.
Live by the sword, die by the sword. The more people rely on their faith to define and protect marriage, the better of the institution will be, just like edjumcations and charity. Its just a shame the state has the power to punish when folks reject the homosexualist and statist take on marriage. Pope Leo XIII saw this coming 130 years ago.
Freegards
So this “Tory” is against freedom of religion. Got it.
Great Britain is the name of the island, on which most of the United Kingdom subsists.
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