Church Calls for Religious Freedom in Same Sex Marriage Bill

Friday June 28 2013

The Church of Scotland has called for freedom of religious belief and practice to be respected after the Scottish Government today published its bill which will legalise same sex marriages.

The Rev Dr Alan Hamilton, Convener of the Church of Scotland’s Legal Questions Committee, said: “We hold to the historical understanding held by most Christians around that world that marriage is between one man and one woman.

“As politicians consider the bill, the Church of Scotland asks for space for itself and for its ministers to decide whether to celebrate same sex marriages.

“We seek similar freedoms for all people of faith and particularly for others, such as teachers or local authority registrars, who fear that they will be expected to support same sex marriage as part of their jobs contrary to their genuinely held beliefs.

“The Church will continue to be a constructive voice in the national debate. We will consider the details of the bill carefully and we await clarification on key issues such as education.

“As a national Church which cares for all the people of Scotland, we repeat our conviction that homophobia is profoundly wrong. We are committed to sharing the love of God with all, regardless of sexual orientation or beliefs.”

Post Tags: same sex marriage

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Comments

Rev Dr John Cameron - Friday, February 26th, 2016

“"we repeat our conviction that homophobia is profoundly wrong " - but allowing people to discriminate against gays is OK?”

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