Is it right that the church should be obliged to recognise gay union?

Question

UK legislation will be passed soon which forces churches to recognise gay couples and their union.

Should congregations be forced to accomodate against their wishes? Should gay people expect organisations that disaprove of their lifestyles or orientation to bend over backwards for them in this manner?

Are politicians fair or unfair to be pressing this issue?

Of those in the congregation that agree with the coming law and not the dictates of their denomination: should they be going to that church or forming their own with like minded people?

Who is right here?

jon X I was as flaberghasted and disbelieving as you when I heard about it. I heard it discussed on a talk show and then did my research. It's true my friend. It won't affect my life personally but I think it's a step back for both gay people, christians and especially politicians.

My personal view is that anti-gay groups should be allowed to die out. I can't wait for when that happens. The world will be better when prejudice is in our past. i don't advocateconverting and prissying up old defunct things, I would rather attend a church where I know everyone's welcome and i'm not tacitly standing for the exclusion of anyone else. That's why I think your statement about me is slightly unfair.

farien3 i am very impressed by your argument.

i disagree because i am too liberal to wish to offend the masses that following your route will affect for various reasons

but i must admit your argument is salient, poignant and very appealing.

this isn't overtly about civic union guys, they're calling this proposed thing a 'blessing'

I've just had a thought: which priest or church official would deny a blessing to anyone in the first place? why does law have to come into it? my issue is mainly about their being 'obliged' to do it by law and how much of an insult this is to gay people and civility.

Answer 1

Having recently had a Civil Ceremony (U.K.) with my partner in a registry office, followed by a blessing in a non denominational church we can categorically state that we had no wish for any Church, organization or any person to be forced to accommodate our wishes. All my partner and I wanted was to be given the opportunity to have the same legal standing and to celebrate our life past and present, as enjoyed by heterosexuals.
I, we have never expected any one or any orginasation to accomodate our orientation, let alone the church or their congregations. Do you honestly believe that politicians can enforce their will on the Church. Can you see gay couples lining up to be married in a place, by a person who has been forced to do so, I think not.
Trying to force your will on anybody eventually fails, look to the history books.

Answer 2

This is about the church being obliged to bless gay couples? I've heard the same but I think it's no big deal. The church does recognise gay people but only as sinners. The church has a self appointed obligation to bless sinners, so if this new legislation accepts that this is the spirit in which gay couples will be accepted then fair enough. But I can't imagine any gay person wanting this. Even having the option to me is offensive.
Is it right that the church should be obliged to issue 'blessings'?

Religiousness is all about like minded people getting together to celebrate and perpetuate their belief. It's not about this kind of accomodation and change! The politicians are so out of touch on this.

When divorce became an issue for christians Church Of England was formed, when the rest day became an issue Seventh Day Adventists were formed, they argued about Baptism and the Baptists were born... Pentecost, Anabaptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians... that's how you get a denomination!

Nobody should be forced to privately accomodate people whos views they disagred with. Does this law include the jews, the muslims and the sikhs? I don't know but I think so. if it did I think the crowds wouldn't leave number 10's gates until this was changed! Christians will probably mope around and talk about 'turn the other cheeck' this is just a political stunt. It can't be anything else surely!

Religion has always been separated from civic society and once enough people disagree with one denomination's view moving on from there shouldn't be about changing the beliefs of that church because it goes against what the church is all about and it puts unfair stress on people who joined that church to express their ideology. What should happen is the age old pattern that other
denominations have realised. I don't see anything wrong with that.

The church is an institution comprised of a majority of members and denominations who feel that homosexuality is a sin. most of them are anti-gay. Aren't they entitled to their prejudices? Until these opinions are obsolete they deserve the privacy they look for in their church! Just like what other religions in England also enjoy.

I feel like a hypocrite going to a church where I know the priest and the congregation would only accept my gay friends as sinners. It needs to change but the way people are going about it is all wrong.

No one has tried to impose rules on people who disagree like this before and I think politician's high handed bullying of innocent and perhaps misguided people is wrong. It strikes me as too much of a violation of their human rights for my comfort.

Answer 3

No, if churches are against gay marriage, I don't see why they should be forced to accomodate these. Here in the US, that isn't going to happen, I don't think. Although sooner or later gay couples with the same rights as marriage will exist in some form, but that will only be for civil purposes. The churches will never have to perform those ceremonies.

That being said, unless the government is church related, I don't think that they should have any real means of denying those rights to gay couples.

Answer 4

If you bother educating yourself about that proposed legislation, the only time in which the Civil Unions would be forcibly recognized would be in instances of Business transactions(as in discount for products or services to those that are "married" but not available for single people). Are marriages from other religious persuasions recognized within the Church? Are Civil Marriages recognized? If so, then refusing to recognize a legal Civil union of a same sex couple would be considered a form of illegal discrimination.

Answer 5

No but what does the church have to do with the state. A civil union is not the same as a marriage. A marriage is recognized by the government and church. A civil union is recognized only by the government and it gives homosexuals all the rights that heterosexual get when they marry. It's extremely sad that we can't even get the right to obtain a civil union.

Answer 6

I'm American so I may be totally off base about UK law....BUT the in the US the laws proposed to allow gay marriage have no bearing whatsoever on churches...they are about civil unions.

I can already get married in my church. What is needed is legislation to allow legal rights the same as heterosexuals get currently.

Answer 7

It's a matter of human rights. If we decide that all consenting adults have the right to be married, then we need to assure that all the parts of the culture recognize and respect those rights.

Consider when slavery was abolished. Would it have been feasible or right to allow the church to continue treating blacks as slaves because they disagreed with the governments policy on abolishing slavery? Of course not. Well this is the same thing. If we are going to afford equal rights and protections to all our citizens, then ALL our citizens need to respect those rights.

Answer 8

The church can only be free of the requirement to follow 'accomodation' laws if they own up to being what they actually are, businesses, and stop taking the ridiculous tax advantages they currently enjoy as "houses of worship".

Answer 9

First off, YOU"RE LYING, secondly grow up and stop trying to stir the pot of intolerance through made up bogeyman type stories. There is NO legislation pending that I have heard of that would require church recognition of Gay unions.

Just another Shi.t disturbing Uber Christian trying to cause trouble.

Answer 10

The prohibition against homosexual marriage is as great as the prohibition against pedophilia in some churches. So that's the depth of moral outrage the government should expect to encounter.