The Conservative Party could lose the support of millions of British churchgoers over the Government's proposals to legalise same-sex marriage, according to a recent poll carried out by ComRes.
The poll, commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage, found that 58 per cent of regular churchgoers said that the Government's plans to re-define marriage would make them "less likely" to vote Conservative in the next general election.
The backlash could cost the Tories millions of votes in light of figures showing that approximately 7.6 million people attend church services at least once a month, and almost 5 million go every Sunday.
According to the poll, 43 per cent of churchgoers also admitted that they were deterred from voting Lib Dem, and 27 per cent said that they would not back Labour due to the party's support for the Prime Minister's proposals.
Comment
Colin Hart, campaign director of the Coalition for Marriage, said that the results represented a further blow to the Government's same-sex marriage plan, which he said was increasingly “out of touch” with the public’s stance on the issue .
He added: “This is yet another blow for these ill-thought-out and undemocratic proposals.
“Those pushing forward these proposals are increasingly looking out of touch with ordinary members of the public who see this as an unnecessary distraction.
“The high levels of concern reflect those in the wider population. This change is being pushed for by a tiny number of people. Only a minority of gay people believes that these plans are a priority.
“How much longer can the Government ignore the overwhelming weight of the arguments against these plans and the growing public opposition to them? It’s time to ditch them.”
Religious Freedom
The poll also revealed that 79 per cent of those questioned felt that David Cameron's assurances that churches will not be forced to perform same-sex marriages against their will were “worthless”, and 86 per cent said that any statutory exemptions for churches were likely to be overturned by the European Court of Human Rights under anti-discrimination laws.
A further 63 per cent felt that the Prime Minister had been “intolerant” of any opposition to his views on same-sex marriage.
Widespread opposition
The Government’s proposals to redefine marriage have also caused a huge plunge in Conservative Party membership, with membership dropping by 60 per cent from 300,000 to below 130,000 since Mr Cameron took over in 2005.
According to one poll, more than half (56 per cent) of Mr Cameron’s constituents who voted for him in 2010 are opposed his plans to legalise same-sex marriages. Further polls have suggested that the plans could cost the Conservatives between 8 and 28 seats at the next election, and 45 per cent of Conservative MPs reported that the issue was the number one item in their postbags, with the vast majority opposed.
Mr Cameron however reaffirmed last month, at a reception in Downing Street for homosexual activists, that he will press on regardless to legalise same-sex ‘marriage’ by 2015.
Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said:
"There has been widespread opposition to a redefinition of marriage from members of the public, MPs and religious leaders across the board. Yet David Cameron is adamant to press ahead with the plans and reconstruct society according to the ideologies of a minority.
"There is no democratic mandate to redefine marriage, and doing so is a huge mistake. Marriage and the family are crucial to the well-being of society, and re-defining them away from a Biblical understanding will have serious repercussions for us all."
Sources:
Resources:
Christian Concern: Sexual Orientation
Christian Concern: Religious Freedom
The truth about same-sex ‘marriage’