tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929507697960917128.post8545270736584688123..comments2023-09-13T14:52:56.968+01:00Comments on Unitarian Communications: The complexity of marriage lawYewtreehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929507697960917128.post-62398051142036469182011-06-15T16:10:33.849+01:002011-06-15T16:10:33.849+01:00Stephen Lingwood has now blogged about this issue....<a href="http://reigniteuk.blogspot.com/2011/06/do-civil-partnerships-undermine.html" rel="nofollow">Stephen Lingwood has now blogged about this issue</a>.Yewtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929507697960917128.post-68170653647363538432011-06-09T11:15:37.230+01:002011-06-09T11:15:37.230+01:00To be honest though, there is a similar separation...To be honest though, there is a similar separation between the signing of the register and the actual religious marriage ceremony in an opposite-sex marriage. <br /><br />But I agree that it would be better to campaign for same-sex marriage and not faff about with civil partnerships any longer.Yewtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929507697960917128.post-48459423313785313722011-06-09T10:02:25.977+01:002011-06-09T10:02:25.977+01:00I am really disappointed to hear that Stephen.The ...I am really disappointed to hear that Stephen.The Devil is in the detail!And if that is all they are changing how come its taking so long? That's not what we want.We want to be able to marry same-sex couples in our churches and chapels- legally.This is looking like another example of state faith(Cof E) in action. And it has a dog in the manger element. 'We don't want to do them so no-one else can either'- grumpy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929507697960917128.post-73418259873132912112011-06-07T11:15:00.846+01:002011-06-07T11:15:00.846+01:00I agree Stephen. I also think there should be a wi...I agree Stephen. I also think there should be a wider change in the law, as Pagans are currently massively disadvantaged by the current set-up.<br /><br />One change that has been suggested is that religious weddings of any kind would have no legal standing and everyone should go to register their marriage with the state separately. Personally I think that would be a retrograde step.<br /><br />Scotland has managed to recognise opposite-sex Pagan handfastings; why can't England?<br /><br />Of course Scottish Pagan celebrants want to do legal same-sex handfastings too, but they are not allowed to at the moment.Yewtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929507697960917128.post-39193400108819897482011-06-07T10:54:06.330+01:002011-06-07T10:54:06.330+01:00Thanks for starting this conversation off. I'm...Thanks for starting this conversation off. I'm going to blog about this in a few days. Last week I went to a governrment consultation on civil partnership changes. <br /><br />In fact there is no such thing as "religious civil partnerships." Civil partnerships have to be non-religious, they can have no religious component, they have to be performed by a registrar, not a religious celebrant. None of this is proposed to change. All that will happen is that the BUILDING where this can happen can be a place of worship. It will still be a civil signing of a civil partnership, it's just that immediately afterwards /before you could have a religious ceremony.<br /><br />I don't think we Unitarians have actually worked out all of this. For me this a lot of fuss for a tiny change, that does not remove any of the institutional inequality. <br /><br />I think it's time we stopped messing about with this stuff and start campaigning clearly for marriage equality.Stephen Lingwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05785168356362616200noreply@blogger.com