Two Sundays ago many Christians heard a passage from the Letter to the Ephesians which opens the door to the very different world in which the Church first emerged: Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the Read more
Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland has broken off personal discussions with Scotland’s first minister over his government’s continued attempt to redefine marriage. Criticising Scotland’s government for trying to change the definition of Marriage, Cardinal O’Brien told Catholics in a letter read at all masses on Sunday that “marriage is unique” and is a “lifelong union Read more
Fear not, Your Majesty. It’s taken a while – 842 years, to be precise – but they’ve done it for you. Got rid of themselves, it would seem, with nary a murmur of dissent. “We don’t care who’s on top.” No hint of the turbulent Becket there, Your Majesty, no call to sustain the separation Read more
Marriage really matters. Thank God we are talking about it. As Professor Patrick Parkinson said in these pages last week, marriage is ”by far the most stable, safe and nurturing relationship in which to raise children”. However, fewer people are choosing marriage as a way of relating to someone of the opposite sex and fewer Read more
New Zealand Christian Network (NZCN) wants Christians to be aware of misleading information about marriage and the Church. “Contrary to wide-spread reports about divorce rates in the Church being the same as in general society, the strong indications are that divorce rates in the Church are significantly lower,” said NZCN national director, Glyn Carpenter. Regrettably, Read more
Louisa Wall says much of the opposition to the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill was down to inaccurate “scaremongering” such as claims churches would be forced to marry gay couples. But according to Family First’s Bob McCoskrie experience shows that those assurances are shallow promises. To support his contention McCoskrie sites the following facts: Canada: A court has ruled that Read more
Catholic priest Father Merv Duffy argues a change is wrong, dangerous, expensive and unnecessary while Presbyterian minister Margaret Mayman says it is equality that most New Zealanders, gay and straight, want. Father Merv Duffy: I oppose the proposed re-definition of marriage in Labour MP Louisa Wall’s bill before Parliament because it is wrong, dangerous, expensive and Read more
A website launched on Monday to oppose the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill has been taken down after what has been described as one of the “largest unprecedented” denial of service attacks on a website in New Zealand. Family First, which launched the Protect Marriage website, says after being alerted by media that the website was down, Read more
One of the coolest things about documenting the trials and tribulations of this whole experience is I’m never short of conversation or blog post topics. In the miniature kitchen in the newsroom, colleagues searching for an ice-breaker to break the silence while we wait for our lunches to heat, reach to my upcoming wedding with Read more
Britain’s Chief Rabbi and the Archbishop of Canterbury have declared conflicting positions about a Government plan to legalise same-sex marriages. For the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, any attempt to redefine marriage would undermine the character of a sacred institution recognised “from time immemorial”. For the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Anglican Church is Read more