Christian Groups Welcome Court’s Rejection of “Gay Marriage”

The Evangelical Alliance, representing more than 1 million Christians in the UK, has led a resounding voice from numerous Christian groups that have welcomed the decision by the High Court not to recognise the relationship between Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger as a “marriage”.

|TOP|The statement was released as a lesbian couple who had travelled to Canada to legally get “married” under the country’s laws failed in the High Court to have their union given full legal status in the UK.

Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson, of North Yorkshire, were controversially married in Vancouver in 2003, and have been trying to get their marriage legalised in the UK, but their battle ended in defeat as a judge ruled that their union could be recognised as a civil partnership, but not marriage.

In response the pair said that the UK's failure to recognise the legality of their vows was a breach of their human rights.

The Evangelical Alliance has come out to say that it fully “recognises that everyone is entitled to their civil liberties, and holds that all human beings are inherently worthy of respect, regardless of their abilities, status, race, religion, age, gender or sexual orientation.”

The statement went on to say: “However, the decision of the High Court is good for society as it upholds the traditional view of marriage.

“Marriage between one man and one woman is a sacrament, and is the best foundation for family life and a stable society.”

|QUOTE|University of York and Loughborough University academics had rejected the conversion of their “marriage” to a civil partnership under the UK's Civil Partnership Act, saying it was not sufficient.

However, the President of the High Court Family Division, Sir Mark Potter, has said the couple faced "an insurmountable hurdle" in trying to have a same-sex marriage recognised in English law.

The ruling which was given yesterday also stated that the majority of people and governments across Europe regarded marriage as an "age-old institution".

It was regarded as a means to encourage monogamy and the procreation of children, to be nurtured in a family unit with both maternal and paternal influences.

|AD|The Evangelical Alliance release went on to say: “Christians hold to the biblical teaching that monogamous heterosexual marriage is the form of partnership uniquely intended by God for full sexual relations between people.

“We affirm God’s love and concern for all humanity, including those with an orientation towards people of their own sex, but believe homoerotic sexual practice to be incompatible with God’s will as revealed in the Bible.”

Leading Christian Charity CARE has also publicly welcomed the decision by the High Court. Nola Leach, General Director of CARE said, “CARE welcomes the decision of the Judge as we believe that by definition marriage is not the same as a same sex partnership. It is about celebrating difference.

“While there are injustices that need to be addressed if we tamper with the basic principles underlying marriage we are sending a dangerous signpost to society. Research shows that children need both a mother and a father.”

Leach concluded, “Healthy marriages between a man and a woman are the building blocks of a stable society.”

Don Horrocks, the Head of Public Affairs at the Evangelical Alliance, commented, “As we have indicated all along, marriage, by definition, is an opposite-sex institution, and we are glad to see the common-sense decision reached by the Court, which resists the hi-jacking of marriage.”