Double jeopardy?

Credit: Wales Online

Same sex marriage in the Church in Wales (CinW) will be the last straw for many worshipers if approved by the Governing Body. And for what? Forget the false propaganda about equal rights and talk of love which can be expressed in many forms. That led the new Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church to declare that the Supreme Court "affirmed the authenticity of love" by legalizing gay marriage as if marriage were the only manifestation of love. The plain fact is that marriage is between a man and a woman. It cannot be redefined. If 'love' were all there would be all manner of odd unions.

There is nothing to stop same sex couples loving each other, living together and entering into civil partnerships to obtain the same benefits as heterosexual couples. They do not have to be "married" to demonstrate their commitment to each other.

When drafting legislation HM Government ensured that the Church of England and the Church in Wales would be banned by law from offering same sex marriages with a "quadruple lock" to protect religious freedom. But advancing his personal agenda the Archbishop of Wales has claimed that making it illegal for the Church in Wales to offer same-sex marriages would be a "step too far". He said "In my personal opinion it's a great pity it's illegal for us not to even have the possibility to do it. It should be left for us to opt in or opt out".

Following the example of the US Episcopal Church which has adopted new marriage rites with language which allows them to be used by same sex or opposite sex couples replacing the terms "man and woman" with "couple", Dr Morgan is attempting to force his personal opinion on the Church in Wales using typically devious tactics to get his own way regardless of the possible consequences for fellow priests and laity.

Clergy and laity should be protected from being compelled to take part in same sex marriage ceremonies under the same sex marriage legislation but history shows that it will not stop determined people from trying to get around the law by any available means. The CinW had no regard for conscience following the decision to ordain women with many faithful worshipers becoming marginalised while in the Church of England WATCH has been picking away at the agreement which permitted women to become bishops. But there is a more serious danger, the Extremism Bill.

From Coalition for Marriage:

"Last month we uncovered a letter from MP Mark Spencer to a constituent calling for Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs) to be used against teachers who teach that gay marriage is wrong.

Mr Spencer’s letter followed suggestions from Education Secretary Nicky Morgan that if a pupil believes that 'homosexuality is wrong', it could raise extremism concerns.

Now the independent watchdog for terrorism laws has cautioned that proposed Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs) would put “all sorts of people under suspicion”. Unless the Government performs a dramatic U-turn this could well include supporters of traditional marriage.

Speaking on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme, David Anderson QC said that if current laws are extended then controversial views could trigger “the whole apparatus of the surveillance state”.

He acknowledged that it was important to be able to challenge different views but warned: “I don’t always think the State is the right body to be doing that”.

If we look across the Atlantic we can see how the law of the land can be used to criminalise those who hold the sincere view that marriage is only between a man and a woman. Kim Davies, a Kentucky marriage registrar was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples on religious grounds. She was released on Tuesday.

And in the UK last week, the Times Educational Supplement revealed that police told more than 100 teachers that environmentalists, including Green MP Caroline Lucas, would be regarded as potential extremists under the Government’s Prevent counter-terrorism strategy.

It seems environmentalists, like traditional marriage supporters, are being equated with violent extremists in the eyes of the authorities."

With so many gay clergy around him the Archbishop seems to have lost all sense of proportion putting clergy and laity in jeopardy instead of the "quadruple lock" intended to protect religious freedom.