Church 'Does Not Own Tradition Of Marriage'

No the Church does not 'own the instiution of marriage.' Marriage has existed since pre-christian times in all societies. This therefore is a rather rediculous and pointless statement. If persons of the same sex wish to 'marry', surely they can hold a civil ceremony in a court where the ceremony is more of a legal contract that a religious one. Religious ceremonies of all faiths, tend torwards the idea of 'those whom God has joined together..', in other words, the idea that the couple are spiritually joined by God, therefore the marriage union is more than a legal contract. The point is, that as religions see marriage is a broarder spiritual light, they are unlikely to accept the marriage of same-sex people. They may, if forced by law concede to a blessing or some other ceremony, but not to the ceremony equalling marriage. It would go against the institution of marriage as it stands in most religions and neither the religious establishment nor the faithful are likely to willingly accept it.

Church shouldn't enforce law, but church should also not submit to the authorities when the authorities are contravening God's institution. If state wants to perform marriages, let them do it in their registry offices.

church might not own marriage but surely it can decide on who enters its property and who does not

Should be up to the church if they want or not want to marry a same sex couple. Why would a couple want to get married in a church when the clergy don't agree with them? It would be like me joining the Hells Angels when I don't like motorbikes.

It is true that the Church does not own marriage; Civil Marriage has been available for well over a century in this country and long before that there were informal marriage customs which did not involve the Sacramental Marriage as recognised by Christian faiths. I know a couple who had a hand-fasting ceremony on Glastonbury Tor; a marriage that the State chooses not to recognise. Also, as our country is a multi-cultural state, new marriage customs have come into the country with Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, etc. which are not owned by the Church.

The State has the right to define Civil Marriage in whatever way it wants. It can say men can marry men, women can marry women, dogs can marry chickens, it can decriminalise bigamy - and so on and so forth. However the State may choose to define it, such marriages could be held in Register Offices and non-religious Authorised Premises anywhere in the country.

However it does not have the right to impose that change on Faith communities who have their own traditions and their own systems of governance to decide on the changes that they wish to bring about. Some changes may be welcomed by individual Faith communities - the law on bigamy for example, which some faiths allow under certain circumstances. Faith communities have to act within the law and that is only right, but just because the State says you can do something, does not mean that you MUST do it. The State says that I have a right to smoke tobacco products, it cannot tell me that I must smoke them.

As a Roman Catholic I have friends and family who attend Church but are denied Sacramental Marriage because one or both are divorcees. They may or may not have had a Civil Marriage and in many cases they would love to have married in church but they continue to attend church services and lead Christian lives. If they can live under Canon Law in this way, I see no reason why same sex couples cannot also accept that while they may want to be part of the faith community, the Church is unable to sanction their relationship.

In the past the Church has often been seen as meddling in the affairs of the State. Now it seems that the State is meddling in the affairs of the Church. Britain needs total separation between State and Church.

CAINT WAIT TILL TWO GAYS ASK TO BE MARRIED IN THE MOSQUE

AS THIS LAW IS FOR ALL CHURCHES

THIS LAW IS TO SLANDER ISLAMS BELIEF IN GAYS

AND TO CAUSE REAL UNREST

WHAT NEXT IS SHE GOING TO LEGISLATE PEDOPHILIA AS ISLAM

CONDONS THAT ?

"The church doesn't own marriage" And the government doesn't own the church.
And will the government insist all churches (all religions) do this...l think not.
The government should get on with running the country (and they can't even do that right) instead of trying to run the church.

The government already decides who should be the Archbishop of Canterbury, as usual they have poked their oar into religion, as well as every other facet of normal life. The shame is that they have singularly failed to tackle Crime,Immigration, Social Care whilst at the same time spending money we don't have support despots across the world, fighting the Arab Leagues local difficulties,in their assumed role of the World's Policemen. It appears more detailed interest needs to be directed to domestic matters, rather than dabbling in religion, which is after all the cause of all the world's current upheaval.....Ends.

We are fighting a war in Afganistan so they can have what we don't have,democracy. The majority would overwhelmingly oppose this measure yet the Lib Dems (the party heading for extinction) will now set about forcing it on us. A new term for a same sex union in needed. Does anyone have any suggestions? I thought about calling it a a genderbender2.

If Gays are so anti christian and are against the beliefs of the church why do thy want to take on the trappings of normality by getting married in the church? Is it because the teachings of the church are against their way of life that they want to prove a point at all times? Why don`t they get their own places to get married in? Of course this would not score a point very highly politically would it in their agenda to brainwash everbody to accept their "liberal" way of life.

If she is so interested in equality perhaps she should get off her privileged arse and make sure that the elderly can sleep easy without worry about how they will pay for food and heating, or those thrown out of work can have a few million to cushion the blow - what does this stupid idiot who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth know about equality. her past performance in parliament shows what a lazy prat she is jumped into the fire over a bogus email that she and her staff were too bone idle to check out and then rather that admit her incompetence tried to blame all and sundry...................

And the State doesn't own the Morals of the country

What she means is she will use the law to take marriage away from the church. Time we got rid of these insane leftie marxists who infiltrated our government in the dark ages of the Blair gov't.

Marxist-Feminists do not own the instution of marriage but they would like too and this is another one trying.
"The nuclear family must be destroyed... Whatever its ultimate meaning, the break-up of families now is an objectively revolutionary process." -- Feminist Linda Gordon.
"Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice." -- Feminist Andrea Dworkin
"All men are rapists and that's all they are"
-- Feminist Marilyn French, Authoress; (later, advisoress to Al Gore's Presidential Campaign.)

Marriage is pre-defined as being the lifelong union of two people of the opposite sex. The complementarity of male and female, as between light and dark, summer and winter, positive and negative, yin and yang, north and south, matter and dark matter, and in many other cases where opposites are bound together in balanced harmony has existed as long as the universe. Neither Church nor Government have any right to alter this.

What Church merely does is to formalise a state of human union that has existed through time; it is the fickle hand of politics that chooses to tinker with it, and then project accusations of meddling onto others.

this woman does not speak for the majority of britons, as usual we're being pummeled and browbeaten into submission to accept the unacceptable. romt.

This is a case of Don Quixote tilting at windmills. No-one owns marriage any more than anyone owns sex - or half day closing. What a bloody stupid statement - but at least it grabs a headline - and this kind of Government huffing and puffing costs nothing whilst at the same time they would have us fall for the guff that they are standing up for some mighty moral principle as people's champions. Absolute, unutterable meaningless rubbish.

I'm still puzzled as to what Priest married Adam and Eve?

I am a straight man though I am not anti gays as long as they dont try and force gayness upon me, If two gays want a relationship thats ok by me. I am of mixed opinion as to getting spliced in a church though as if that church rules are against same sex marriages thats their opinion so why should they be forced to go against their beliefs. Where in the good book does it state that you have to get married anyway, if you are happy as a couple just stay that way as it can cost a fortune when you split up anyway LOL

Marriage should be entirely separate from the church and the state; and as far as I am concerned any 2 consenting adults should be able to get married.