THE ASSAULT ON MARRIAGE CONTINUES

A week ago the Government announced its intention to allow Civil Partnerships (i.e. the formal commitment of gay and lesbian people to each other) to take place in religious meetings (something hitherto not permitted). At the same time it announced it might seek to consult on whether such civil partnerships should be defined as “marriage”.

The first proposal will effectively give “religious sanction” to same sex unions and further undermine the strength of the traditional Christian principle of recognizing only heterosexual unions. Unfortunately it has come about, not simply because of the pressure of the gay lobby, but as a result of religious groupings themselves departing from traditional standards of sexual relationships. There are those in every denomination, and at the highest level of leadership, who are anxious to secure this “religious sanction”. This is the most tragic aspect of the whole affair. The church has too many holes in its “front line”!

The government is anxious to make clear that no church will be forced to “host” a civil partnership; they will simply be allowed to if they wish. On the surface this seems at least a safeguard, but there is a real problem as to whether any such safeguard can be made water-tight. What is certain is that a militant gay lobby will test such safeguards by applying to churches that refuse such “hosting” of civil partnerships, and then seeking to challenge any refusal on some other ground such as “discrimination”. The militant gay agenda envisages a complete social revolution not a state of “live and let live” The battle is incredibly determined, indeed vicious.. It could be a devastating battle ground for many a “parish” church! The pressure on all churches to host “civil partnerships” will inevitably grow to breaking point.
It is astonishing how blind governments can be to the shortcomings of seemingly helpful legislation and the utter weakness of safeguards. We have seen it time and again: this is a case in point. (If you write to your M.Ps. simply challenge them on the integrity of the safeguard in the proposed legislation.)

The second Government proposal, to widen the meaning of “marriage”, is equally pernicious. Christian marriage in its basic concept is the foundation of society’s wellbeing, and no individual marriage failures can ever constitute a valid argument against the underlying principles of this Christian concept. It insists on one man and one woman, joined for life by covenant vows, and it insists that such a union is essentially the best place for the conception and nurturing of children. It represents the fundamental natural order of life. Up to now, that has been the common concept of “marriage”, and as such has carried a clear message to society even if people have preferred co-habitation. If the word is made to include any other types of sexual union, it will confuse and blur any real meaning for the word “marriage”, and will be a severe blow for morality and truth. Sadly, neither of those latter two terms has any coinage in the cult of political correctness.

This is another reminder of the devastating inroads that a secular culture continues to make on fundamental Christian principles. The secular concepts of freedom and equality are fundamentally flawed at critical points. We have reached a stage where we are seeing, not the waters getting close to the top of the flood barriers but rather a stage at which they are breaking through them and about to unleash appalling devastation. The times are very grave.


Bob

To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue