I am surprised your correspondent is offended by the poster which says “marriage = 1 x male and 1 x female”. I would suggest that he (or she) has misunderstood it.

Far from being an attack on those in loving relationships it is in fact an attack upon a government who seems determined to redefine marriage come what may. Those who oppose the proposals for same sex marriage feel let down. It was not part of their manifesto and they are choosing to ignore a petition signed by more than 600,000 people of all and no religions.

They are blind to legal opinion which suggests that the proposal to exempt the Church of England could be illegal and that EU Human Rights will override any form of protection the government can devise.

In short the only way churches can be sure of not being sued for discrimination is to stop marriage all together. Individuals who fail to promote gay marriage will lose their jobs, the terms “husband”, “ wife” and “adultery” will at best be redefined and could well disappear altogether. In short many people see this as the thin end of a very large wedge.

He (or she) also says “that the Church has dwindling numbers, particularly with the younger generations.” There are many thriving and growing churches in this area who hold the views expressed by the poster and which attract a range of ages including young people and families. It is Christians who are being discriminated against because of their beliefs. This Bill is yet another example of that.

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