Editor Reports: Gay Marriage – Should Faith Groups Be Allowed To Conduct Religious Wedding Ceremonies?

In this Editor Reports our boss is pondering an LGBT question.

The coalition government’s public consultation about introducing Civil Marriages for gay and lesbian couples in England and Wales ends today. At present the government is not proposing to introduce religious gay marriages but if faith groups wish to conduct wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples then should they be allowed to?

That’s the question ATV Today’s editor Doug Lambert is asking our readers. If groups such as Quakers, Liberal Jews and other religious groups & organisations support gay marriages and want to conduct religious same-sex marriage ceremonies then shouldn’t they be allowed to? Why should they be stopped from doing so because of opposition from the likes of the Catholic Church and the Church of England?

Now we want to stress here that this question is very simply about should faith groups be allowed to hold religious same-sex marriage ceremonies if they wish to. Our question is NOT about whether gay marriage should be allowed at all and is NOT about forcing religious groups to conduct gay marriage ceremonies.

From our own point-of-view we see no reason why groups such as Quakers shouldn’t be allowed to conduct religious same-sex marriage ceremonies. After all if Quakers and other groups are comfortable, open and supportive of doing so why should the law prevent them? If the Catholic Church and Church of England doesn’t wish to conduct such ceremonies then it shouldn’t be forced to but that shouldn’t be at the expense of those who do wish to. There should merely be an opt out for faith groups who do not want to conduct such ceremonies.

However, you may feel differently? You may feel that at the present time it is more important to allow Civil same-sex marriages and that religious ceremonies are of a secondary importance.