The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill cleared its final Commons hurdle today in a vote of 366 to 161, although the victory for Government comes at a costly political price.
More than half of the Tory party voted for one or more amendments that would have protected liberty of conscience, but these amendments were cut down by David Cameron.
The Prime Minister is now facing a rebellion of 130 Tory MPs in a groundswell of opposition that could culminate in him being ousted as the Conservative leader prior to the 2015 general election.
The bill, which seeks to redefine the meaning of marriage, will now move to the House of Lords, which is expected to hold its first debate in July.
‘SOVIET-STYLE PERSECUTION’
The cat was out of the bag that the marriage bill is not about freedom at all after Government rejected three amendments that would have protected liberty of conscience, including one that would have allowed registrars to opt out of conducting gay marriages where another registrar was available and willing.
Former Tory Minister Ann Widdecombe declared that “this Bill is not about liberty and equality but about oppression and state orthodoxy, about Soviet-style persecution in the work place for an opinion given in a private context, about compelling conformity even where conformity is not necessary.”
Many senior Tories are beginning to worry that David Cameron’s pro-Europe and pro-homosexual policies have come at the expense of being able to hold the party together. Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, echoed the concerns of many senior Tories when he stressed last week that voters are angry.
The infighting was punctuated by a YouGov poll that showed the Conservative Party is at their lowest rating since 2000.
Meanwhile, David Cameron not only faces opposition from his own ranks but also from hundreds of Islamic leaders. Church leaders as well have warned that the Bill could have the effect of isolating young Christians who believe in the traditional definition of marriage.
Find out how to join Christian Voice and stand up for the King of kings (clicking on the link below does not commit you to join)
Please note that persons wishing to comment on this story must enter a valid email address. Comments from persons leaving fictitious email addresses will be trashed.
You’re right. After the dreadful slaughter by religious extremists of a young man in Woolwich, it’s the same-sex marriage issue that should be preoccupying us. It seems to me that the great evil among us is not homosexuality, but religion in all its odious and sanctimonious forms. Of course your brand of Christianity is the exception because it is the only true one among the thousands of belief systems that exist.
Or not.
Of course, Christians are rampaging through the streets slaughtering unbelievers and flying planes into buildings all over the world, aren’t they?
Where do you think I suggest this? I don’t. Nonetheless, the influence of even moderate religion is a pervasive, unhealthy presence in our society.
No, you don’t rampage in the streets or fly planes into buildings but you contribute to the medium in which more extreme forms of Christianity flourish. Westboro Baptist Church, for example, is a brand of Christianity, is it not? Likewise the churches in Africa that torture young children that the ‘Holy Spirit’ has marked out as being demon-possessed (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01swd7g/Branded_a_Witch/), and the ‘Christian’ policy makers in that same continent who seek to imprison and execute homosexuals.
You and Christian Voice contribute to the general levels of misery in the world by constantly telling the rest of us what sinners we are; misrepresenting and denigrating minorities; opposing same-sex marriage; boycotting businesses that don’t hold the same views as yourself; rubbishing science (see your hilarious posting about evolution/creation/crested ducks) and trying to influence the democratic process with the ‘power’ of prayer.
Though I know you can’t see it and are convinced that your personal version of Christianity is the right one, religions are all of a kind, Stephen; nothing more than harmful superstition. If a ‘faith’ entails belief in supernatural beings, for which there is no evidence whatever, and puts them above fellow human beings, it has no merit and is, as I said originally, the evil among us.
So these are the only two examples you can find of Christian ‘extremism’. But the Westboro Baptist People are not bombing public transport or murdering infidels. Witchcraft is a big problem in Africa. And so is the corruption of young people by western sex tourists.
It is pandering to the evil of sodomy which results and will result in misery. Opposing it and delivering people from same-sex attraction is a good thing.
The only ‘hilarious’ thing about our post on Michael Gove forbidding teaching of Creation or Intelligent Design was how all the evolutionists promised ‘mountains of evidence’ for evolution and when pressed, didn’t have any at all.
Atheism is even more superstitious than the worst non-Christian religious belief. Despite the evidence, atheists retain a blind faith in the goodness of man. Atheists also put themselves above other human beings as a supposedly more ‘highly-evolved’ or more intelligent class of people, who alone have the right to boss the rest of us around.
As for you, yes, you are a sinner in need of repentance and a new life in Jesus Christ. But you clearly believe in the power of prayer. That’s a start.
I saw your comments and you are one of a number of religion haters/ atheist arising now. We were told to expect you and in your name many of us will probably be killed in the years to come. That we accept, but as an atheist how do you explain the sad state of the world? Probably religion and Christianity in particular. But what is the answer? Logical, rational social engineering like communism? national socialism?. Re-educate mankind out of badness to perfection? You could try. Like Pol Pot in Cambodia — kill all the old thinkers/culture and start afresh with children. I suppose you believe in Darwin. Darwin inspired euthanasia of the feeble and men like Hitler and Stalin. He also wrote that “black” people were less developed than “white” people – this is not taught in evolutionary lessons in schools.
It is easy to have no moral absolutes only dumb Christians and other religions lay these down. Freedom and equality to do what ever you want is that your idea of a new order society?
I wont go on save to ask you to look at these YouTube clips if you have the stamina and if your intellect can get round the arguments put forward
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0xyapiZ2pM Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, John Lennox : Is there a God?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTVOufIzyPY The Existence of God – Ravi Zacharias
At the end of the day the non existent God still loves you.
Finally, If you are right and Christians are wrong when we die we switch off and cease to exist. No problem.
But …………………
If Christians are right and you are wrong you will have a problem.
Have a nice life.
So you think that it’s acceptable to tell other people that they are wrong for being who they are ? I’m not against people who choose to practice a religion, but Neil is correct with his observations about “constantly telling the rest of us what sinners we are”. If you’re happy to tell atheists/Muslims/whoever that they are wrong for what they believe, then you have to be prepared for the same criticism to be leveled at you.
No, we think it is acceptable to tell people not to behave in ways which are harmful and anti-social.
Puppet man Cameron is nothing more than a windbag, and a hypocrite, despite telling the rest of us to holiday and spend our money in the UK he has just jetted out to ibiza, what a douche, i hope his party waken up and kick him into political wilderness
[…] Gay Marriage Bill Threatens to Divide Tory Party […]