Editor Reports: Anti Gay Marriage Group Claims Incest Will Be Legalised Next

An anti-gay marriage group has claimed if the UK government does legalise same-sex marriages then incest and group marriages will be legalised next.

In a new glossy leaflet the Keeping Marriage Special campaign has claimed the next logical step after same-sex marriages would be the legalisation of incest and group marriage. The group also claims that opposing gay marriages isn’t homophobic but merely in line with bible scripture and that Christians have a duty to “tell the truth about what is right and what is wrong!”

The new lobby group has the support, surprise surprise, of several Bishops and some MPs and joins similar groups such as Coalition for Marriage who already oppose marriage equality in the UK. The glossy pamphlet claims that “if the only basis for marriage is the desire of the parties to get married then there is, according to the logic of this proposal, no reason not to open up marriage to more than just same-sex couples. Polygamy, polyandry and incest would all be permissible.”

That argument has already been used by some religious leaders in the UK but has widely been dismissed. In America Rick Santorum, one of the Republican hopefuls in the presidential candidacy race, also had a similar position. Santorum, who has since dropped out of the race, once claimed that marriage was a “privilege” not a right and therefore gay and lesbian couples should have be allowed to marry. Santorum also argued that if gay marriage was allowed then group and incestuous marriages would follow.

“Christians must show love to all people and are themselves sinners whose sins have been forgiven. They have a duty to tell the truth about right and wrong and to proclaim the good news that God forgives the sins of all who repent and trust in Jesus Christ.” – Keeping Marriage Special

Love is one thing many would argue, in the UK at the moment, that the Christian Church has shown anything but to the gay community. The Catholic Church and the Church of England have been vocal in their opposition to gay marriage with one cardinal describing same-sex marriage as a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right”. The two Churches have also claimed gay marriage would undermine society and the traditional family unit. Throughout the entire gay marriage debate there has been little love parts of the Christian religion towards the LGBT community.

It is important to state though that not all within the Christian religion are opposed to gay marriage and there have been calls for the Church to change its stance and embrace marriage equality. Other faith groups in the UK such as Pagans, Quakers and liberal branches of Judaism have also called for marriage equality in the UK.

The coalition government’s public consultation on gay marriage in England and Wales has now closed. Last week Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minster, said it was no longer a matter of “if” gay marriage was introduced but when. Earlier this year Clegg promised his Liberal Democrat party gay marriage would be legalised in the UK “by 2015”. A number of high profile politicians, including Mr. Clegg, have recorded video messages for gay marriage campaign group Out4Marriage. Other politicians besides Mr. Clegg to have recorded video messages include Theresa May, Ed Balls, Jack Straw, Lynne Featherstone, Caroline Lucas and MEP Michael Cashman.