Equal Marriage


Most people will reading this will probably have worked out where I stand on this incredibly difficult issue from the language I used in the title of the post alone.

I am in favour of both the recent UK legislation on equal marriage and the US Supreme Court decision for exactly the same reason that many opponents give for taking the opposite position.
I don't believe that it is the business of the state to tell two people who love each other and want to share their lives whether they can get married or not. Nor is it the business of the state to tell churches what they should believe and practice about marriage.

And the law that we had until the equal marriage act had precisely that problem - the law refused to let some consenting adult couples who wished to do so to call their relationship a marriage, and refused to let any church which might be willing to marry them to do so.

Let me make crystal clear that I do not believe that any church should be forced to marry two people if that is not in accordance with that church's beliefs about right and wrong, and I am in favour of protecting the religious freedom of those who don't wish in their own church to use the freedoms which the UK government through the equal marriage act, and the US Supreme court, have given.

Those who do not believe in equal marriage should not be persecuted in any way, shape or form - although expressing a different opinion is not persecution.

I have not adopted the "rainbow" personal image on Facebook on aesthetic grounds because I think it looks hideous, but this is not a reflection of my views on equal marriage!

Comments

Jim said…
Equal Marriage - is that like I am not any more or less married than my wife is? :)


On all issues like this I just leave people alone, Why interfere when there is no need to? Why would I care who you or who the next door neighbour is married to? The only marriage I ever need to worry about is mine. I have always figured that there are bigger issues in the world than worrying about who other people choose to live with or marry.
7:41 am
Chris Whiteside said…
People who think that the legal rights and facilities which the state provides in respect of marriage should be equally available to straight and gay couples often refer to this as "Equal Marriage,"

People who think marriage should only be between one man and one woman nearly always refer to the policy above as "gay marriage" (although that term is also sometimes used by people who support it.)

Both sides of the argument often say that it's none of the government's business.

In my opinion the point you make - leave people alone - works better as an argument that the government should not discriminate.

However, I also think that religious organisations should be left along to decide who they will or will not marry in their church, temple, synagogue or mosque.
2:40 pm
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