Hmm perhaps I should try and explain.
I'm fully in favour of civil partnerships, but I am in two minds about 'marriages' being performed in churches (although churches should all be far more accepting of homosexuality anyway) - do things need to go that far to be performed in church, even forcing gay marriages on the Church, even if churches themselves should be far more tolerant of homosexuality anyway? Thing is if both parties are religious and worship regularly, then shouldn't a marriage be recognised and performed in their church? I think it should. That particular aspect does create a dilemma for me.
However, the main point I was trying to make is the outstanding hypocrisy of the Catholic church given their record on the priesthood ruining thousands of young lives from predatory priests abusing children, boys as well as girls, whilst going on to thunder from the pulpit about sin and immorality, and then protecting those very priests within the church itself. How dare they criticise gay weddings given their history on paedophilia and then to cover it up?
I wouldn’t disagree with any of that statement, but I just think it should be down to the church in question to decide who they are happy to marry. I would question why you would want to hold your gay marriage in a place where the people think it is a sin, but if both “grooms†(or brides) are members of said church then you would hope the congregation and minister would be more understanding and might be happy to conduct the service. I still think it should be down to the church to decide rather than have the law twisting their arm.
With regards to the comments on paedophilia in the catholic church, religion has always been a “do as I say not as I do†basis, that will never change.
Biblical views on homosexuality were formed when people thought it was a disease that could be cured rather than a perfectly natural thing. I fully support the right of homosexual couples to get married in a church like everyone else. A civil partnership may be the same but there are homosexual couples who are religious and are being denied something that is afforded to other members of the same faith based on an outdated understanding of homosexuality. If a homosexual can be a Christian (which I suggest they can, others may disagree), why can't they be afforded the same oppurtunity to marry as other Christians?
It doesn’t matter when the views of a religion were first formed, whatever people believe as part of their faith who are you or I to tell them they are wrong? The bible says homosexuality is a sin, I know some Christians who would say it’s not a sin and I also know some Christians who would have a fairly heated discussion with me if I suggested I don’t think it is a sin. But it’s written in the holy book that they try to live their life by.
Religion is a very delicate subject and as much as I think we can try and nudge it in the direction we see fit, we shouldn’t be forcing people to do something their faith tells them not to.
