PM’s speech criticised by church leaders
The Prime Minister has faced a backlash from Christian leaders after stating in his speech yesterday at the Conservative party conference that he backed legalising homosexual ‘marriage.’
Mr Cameron said in his speech: “We're consulting on legalising gay marriage. To anyone who has reservations, I say: Yes, it's about equality, but it's also about something else: commitment.
“Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other.
“So I don't support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I'm a Conservative.”
The PM’s remarks were made in the context of setting forth his vision of making this “the most family-friendly government the country has ever seen.”
His comments on homosexual ‘marriage’ were picked up on by a number of church leaders.
One of the most senior Roman Catholics in the UK, the Most Rev Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, said: “Whilst we welcome the Prime Minister's support of marriage, family life and especially the care of children, the proposed redefinition of marriage cannot be right.”
“Marriage by its very nature is between a man and a woman and it is the essential foundation of family life. The state should uphold this common understanding of marriage rather than attempting to change its meaning.”
A spokesman for the Church of England responded to the speech by saying: “The Church’s view remains of marriage as the life-long union between a man and a woman.”
On Monday the Work and Pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, had urged the government to re-introduce a tax break for married couples.
Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, wrote on her blog: “Somehow I don’t think that Mr Duncan Smith had homosexual ‘marriage’ in mind.
“Yet, the PM has seamlessly woven together these two disparate strands and said that he wants to give married couples a tax break, whilst arguing that ‘marriage’ is a term that should be extended to same sex couples.
“It seems the PM is trying to gain the approval of both camps: those who believe in true marriage and those who champion the ‘equality’ agenda and want full homosexual marriage.
“He cannot have it both ways. Received wisdom says that you can please some of the people all of the time, or all of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time.”
She added in a comment to the Daily Telegraph that the Prime Minister’s plans to redefine marriage would have “catastrophic consequences” and that “The complementary union of a man and a woman in marriage is where love, life, stability and the full flourishing of society begins. He ignores this fundamental principle at his peril.”
Source
Christian Concern
