If At First You Don't Succeed.....

[mushroom25]

.....take your bat home.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-24063468

legitimate concern voiced by the kirk? or churchmen just being petty and small-minded?

[EDDIE51]

naomi, possibly we have been at a slight 'tangent' more often than full agreement.
Still I do seem to notice a slightly less vehement ' anti church' stance on your part recently.
Keep the posts coming, I look always look forward to seeing you views.

[naomi24]

I don't care who gets married - that's the business of the couple involved. I'm simply stating the church's position.

[naomi24]

Eddie, //I do seem to notice a slightly less vehement ' anti church' stance on your part recently. //

Oh really! Gosh! Hope I'm not losing my touch! I must try harder. ;o)

[maggiebee]

What surprises me is the number of couples who want to get married in a church. I'm not just speaking of same-sex marriage, but heterosexual marriage too. Most have no religious belief and the vows they make are just empty words. Big white weddings then never set foot in a church again until it's time to have the wee ones baptised. More empty words!

[naomi24]

Maggie, a lot of people have some belief - even though they don't go to church. On the other hand I know a lot of people who do go to church who don't believe a word of it, but like the social life it brings them. You can't judge a book by its cover.

[douglas9401]

I saw a question somewhere earlier asking along the lines of what's going to happen when two homosexual moslems decide they want to tie the knot in the same way as a more conventional moslem couple.
Will the full force of the law be brought to bear or will the special 'bend over backwards' frames be wheeled out for the occasion to ensure peace in our time?

[EDDIE51]

There are a huge number of '3 times in a life' Christians .
Those who go just for baptism. marriage and funeral.

[EDDIE51]

As Islam prescribes a compulsory death sentence for homosexuality, there are not going to be many same sex Muslim couples any time soon.

[askyourgran]

Pixie I get your point regarding couples marrying at 90. Back in the day the young bride was deemed to be a virgin on marrying, in white, in church, and the Church was the place to go for Christenings marriages and funerals. Mostly it is the oldies who went to church when they were younger anyway and would marry there. The unbelievers or those on the cheap went to the Registry Office to get married. There are those who cannot have children, and adopt, it was considered then that a stable marriage between man and a woman was expected to balance the child's upbringing. I have a friend who is now in a lesbian relationship, who has a son from her previous hetero partnership. she maintains that her son is happy, and maintains contact with his father.

[douglas9401]

So their religion will ignore the law of the land Addie51?

[douglas9401]

Sorry, Eddie.

[ludwig]

I think it's perfectly reasonable what they're saying. If they're going to get into trouble for not doing marriages in the way the government thinks they should, then they should probably just steer clear of marriages altogether.

[EDDIE51]

douglas9401, The law just makes same sex marriage legal, it specifically says that a Church does not HAVE to perform them just that it would be legal if they did. The church is not ignoring the law by refusing to perform same sex marriage it is just using the clause which says it can not be forced to perform them.
Same sex couples CAN get married now but it has to be a civil marriage performed by a registrar of births deaths and marriages at a non religious venue.

[mushroom25]

it's a difficult call. on the one hand, by not conducting same sex marriages, the kirk would be exercising its right under the same sex marriage legislation. on they other, by not conducting same sex marriages, they would be discriminating on the basis of orientation, which is of itself illegal.