Christians divided as Lords back equal marriage Bill
The House of Lords has backed a Bill to allow same-sex couples in England and Wales to marry, by 390 votes to 148. After a long debate in which Christians argued for and against the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill, a bid by opponents to block a second reading was heavily defeated.
In the Bill “Marriage is abolished, redefined and recreated," Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby warned. “The concept of marriage as a normative place for procreation is lost. The idea of marriage as a covenant is diminished. The family in its normal sense,” he claimed, “is weakened.“
He argued that, “rather than adding a new and valued institution alongside it for same-gender relationships, which I would personally strongly support to strengthen us all, the Bill weakens what exists and replaces it with a less good option that is neither equal nor effective.” This was “not at heart a faith issue. It is about the general social good.”
But other peers, including clergy and lay Christians, highlighted the flaws in these arguments. They included retired Bishop of Oxford Richard Harries, now Lord Harries of Pentregarth, who became an honorary theology professor at King’s College London. He pointed out that many gay and lesbian people “want to enter not just into a civil partnership but a marriage: a lifelong commitment of love and fidelity, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.”
He believed, “with the Jewish rabbi of old, that in the love of a couple there dwells the shekinah – the divine presence; or, to put it in Christian terms, that which reflects the mutual love of Christ and his church. I believe in the institution of marriage and I want it to be available to same-sex couples as well as to males and females.”
Another former senior cleric supporting the Bill was Baroness Richardson of Calow, a minister who once served as president of the Methodist Conference and later moderator of the Free Church Council.
Lay Christians also spoke out for marriage equality, including Baroness Brinton, who outlined the shift in theological thinking on sexuality and other issues, quoting the Bishop of Salisbury (not a peer), who supports marriage equality.
Lord Jenkin of Roding questioned exaggerated fears about the Bill’s impact, pointing out that it was hardly likely to harm the quality of his sixty-year marriage, nor that of younger couples. He described a scenario: “A young man poses the question to his intended, ‘Will you marry me?’ and she replies, ‘Oh no. This Bill has made it all totally different. It’s for gays and lesbians—I can’t possibly marry you’. That is pure fantasy and I do not think we should pay too much attention to it.”
Instead the Bill would “to put right at the centre of marriage the concept of a stable, loving relationship.” To him, “The character of love which marriage reflects—that it is faithful, stable, tough, unselfish and unconditional—is the same character that most Christians see in the love of God. Marriage is therefore holy, not because it is ordained by God, but because it reflects that most important central truth of our religion: the love of God for all of us.”
“I am a Christian and I believe we are all equal in the eyes of God, and should be so under man’s laws,” said Lord Black of Brentwood. To him the debate was not simply about abstract principles: “I am gay. I am in a civil partnership with somebody with whom I have been together for nearly a quarter of a century. I love him very much and nothing would give me greater pride than to marry him.”
Baroness Morgan of Ely, “a committed Christian, an active member of the Church in Wales and the daughter of a much-loved priest” and wife of an ordinand, spoke movingly of her belief that “equal marriage is in the best interests of my children and everyone else’s children.” She warned that “We risk making marriage into a stone idol, rather than a living, life-enhancing experience, by denying it to same-sex couples.”
To her, “Marriage is a vocation, a response to a divine call rather than a set of dusty, ancient rules. For those who celebrate their Christian faith, marriage is far more than a legal contract. Marriage is a response to God’s call to love, and I see no reason why that should be limited to being between women and men.”
She agreed with the Archbishop of Canterbury that the quality of gay relationships could be “stunning” (a point he had made in an interview). “My gay friends are not beating down my door demanding that we recognise their ‘stunning’ relationships as marriage. It is people like me—mothers, sisters, friends—who look at their relationships and recognise the vocation of marriage when we see it, and are demanding that we should recognise and celebrate their calling and not try to hide it in some dark corner by calling it something else.”
Among other faiths too, differing views were apparent. Keen supporters of equal marriage included Lord Alli, a Muslim, and Jewish peer Baroness Neuberger, a rabbi.
The large majority in favour of the Bill, in free votes in the Houses of Commons and Lords, indicates a major shift in public opinion, and also Christian thinking, in recent decades. While opponents may still try to undermine it at the Committee stage and third reading, the strength of support may make this difficult.
By the same author:
* Should equal marriage be rejected or celebrated by Christians? - http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17245
* Marriage, union or contract? The flawed ResPublica case against equality - http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17935
----------
(c) Savitri Hensman is a regular Christian commentator on politics, social justice, welfare and religion. She was written extensively on the theological and religious issues involved in debates about sexuality and marriage equality. She works in the care and equalities sector and is an Ekklesia associate.
Diaspora*
Digg
Reddit
Newsvine
Technorati
StumbleUpon