As I have been predicting the culture wars -isues such as same sex marriage - have spread from the USA to Scotland and have now arrived south of Hadrian's Wall. Mr Cameron, leader of the Conservative party, said he was in favour of gay marriage "because (he) is a conservative". The coalition government are starting a consultation this month and the main opponents will come from religious leaders. These religious leaders rarely if ever tell the media that their faith group has a range of opinions about the rights and wrongs of same sex marriage and, certainly in the mainstream Catholic and protestant communities, many lay people support the idea.
Who owns marriage? Who is to say who can and cannot get married? These are real questions.
It is not just in the UK that the question is being taken up. Here is an Australian contribution, schmaltzy but making a point:
If you want to read an intelligent statement look at the website of Stonewall on these matters:http://www.stonewall.org.uk/media/current_releases/7345.asp
For those Catholics and other interested readers who cannot wait for a week to read the letter to be read out next Sunday from archbishops Vincent Nichols and Peter Smith just drop me a note and I will let you have a copy (free). My first reading is that it is carefully drafted but it needs a robust challenge from those who do not agree with its conclusions.
nice video!
ReplyDeleteWhen is the letter to be read out? Would be grateful for a copy if you could send one.
thanks.
I have just read Cardinal O'Brien's piece in the Sunday Telegraph. In equal measure, I am enraged by his views and astonished by the poverty of his argument.
ReplyDeleteI will refrain from a line-by-line rant.
He even has the gall to invoke a "slavery analogy", seemingly without any irony as to the history of slavery and its Biblical support.
No wonder I'm an "agressive atheist".
And, relax.