Push for religious civil unions in UK

Push for religious civil unions in UK

A coalition of high-ranking Christians and politicians is pushing for the UK’s civil partnership laws to be amended to enable religious denominations to marry same-sex couples and to use religious terminology in civil union ceremonies.

Under current laws, civil union ceremonies are banned from being held in places of worship, as is the use of religious terminology, despite three denominations in the UK — the Quakers, the Unitarians, and Liberal Jews — having asked to be allowed to do so.

Twenty leading British Christians, including current and former bishops and members of the House of Lords, signed a letter in The Times last week, calling for the removal of the ban.

“Straight couples have the choice between civil marriage and religious marriage,” the letter said.

“Gay couples are denied a similar choice. To deny people of faith the opportunity of registering the most important promise of their lives in their willing church or synagogue, according to its liturgy, is plainly discriminatory.”

A number of other Lords support the change. One of them, Baron Waheed Alli, an openly gay Muslim peer, is expected to move a House of Lords amendment aimed at ending the ban this week.

Alli has argued that as religious conservatives lobbied to be exempted from having to employ GLBT people in some circumstances to retain the freedom to practise their religion as they see fit, they should now allow religious liberals the same freedom.

However, the changes may come too late for Chris Bryant, the UK’s Minister for Europe, who will shortly wed his long-term partner Jarred Cranney in the Palace of Westminster in the first ceremony of its kind.

All MPs have the right to a wedding on the grounds of Parliament. However, the traditional venue used, its chapel, is currently out of bounds for the couple, even though Bryant is a former Anglican chaplain.

Several British politicians from both sides of politics have wed same-sex partners in civil partnerships, but all outside of Parliament.

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6 responses to “Push for religious civil unions in UK”

  1. Tony Abbott is a 1950’s dangerous far right-wing religious fanatic mindset hell-bent on re-crimilizing homosexuality as a Catholic Moral Code. I JUST KNOW HIS DISTURBING AGENDA!!!!!

    He is “threated” by us homosexuals – well there is the Liberal party agenda for gays in black and white at the next Election.

    This is the exact same man who quoted:

    “you gays are lucky you do not get locked-up”.

    Some people have very short memories – I don’t, my memory is 20 times longer than the Equator!!!!!!

    It does not stop there:

    1. He SUPPORTS the death penalty.

    2. He deeply OPPOSES abortion and outlaw sex and cohabitation before marriage for women – but not men. When he was federal Health Minister he banned the inportation of the famous drug RU-486.

    3. He believes that anti-discrimination laws “were a total mistake”

    4. He is a Catholic (that means he can not be trusted)

    5. He wants to BAN no-fault divorce

    6. He wants to ABOLISH all de facto relationship recognition

    I will find more I am sure – WATCH THIS SPACE…

  2. I think we know where Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party stand, when Abbott said on 60 minutes he is confronted by homosexuals as most people are.

    Tony Abbott illegally vilified us by inciting hate and violence on national television.

    No doubt he will be trying to stop relationship celebrations for same sex couples in Australian Churches if he becomes Prime Minister.

    The Greens are the only Party that supports an end to all discrimination against us.

  3. I’m not religious myself but I know some Gay Christians in Australia, including my ex-partner, who will be very pleased if a bill of this kind passes into law in the UK as it will help put pressure on the Australian government to shift their position.
    Whilst the situation is still not perfect in the UK, the Civil Partnerships Act and this bill to extend it to having religious based ceremonies / ceremonies in religious locations such as Churches and Chapels are a good step forward and show the UK is far ahead of the situation here in Australia.

  4. Instead of expanding thier aparteid system of civil unions, they should first grant same gender couple Civil Marriage Yes, marriage is a civil function first & foremost, and the most urgent thing that needs fixing in the UK is to get rid of the aparteid system & allow everyone access to Equal Civil Marriage. That way, once that has been passed, same gender couples once equal could access religious marriage as well if they wanted, from churches who want to do it…. just how it works in Cananda, South Africa & Spain.

  5. UPDATE: Lord Baron Alli’s bill has passed the House of Lords and will now go to the House of Commons where it is anticipated to be passed as well.