David Lammy has discovered Westminster’s latest solution to Britain’s family crisis: make marriage matter less. The man who claims to be a Christian has come up with a stupid idea because he fails to seek the Lord:<\/p>\n
Psa 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.<\/b><\/p>\n
Jer 4:22 For my people are<\/i> foolish, they have not known me; they are<\/i> sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are<\/i> wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.<\/b><\/p>\n
Under proposals being considered<\/b><\/a> by the Ministry of Justice, couples who have lived together for three years or who share a child could be granted inheritance rights similar to those enjoyed by married couples and civil partners. Cohabiting partners may also gain legal claims over property when relationships break down. The justification is “fairness”. Yet one awkward question remains. If marriage and cohabitation are effectively the same thing, why does marriage exist at all?<\/p>\n The Justice Secretary argues that many unmarried couples lack “adequate legal protections” when a relationship ends or when a partner dies. Well, yes. That\u2019s because society should recognise marriage not as a private arrangement between two people, but as a public commitment that benefits children, families and communities. That\u2019s why there has been some sort of ceremony or celebration for a marriage for millennia:<\/p>\n John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.<\/b><\/p>\n Mr Lammy has not told us why cohabiting couples should receive the same inheritance protections as married couples. Marriage and civil partnerships already provide a clear legal framework, together with the rights and responsibilities that accompany them. Those who choose to cohabit have consciously decided not to enter those arrangements, despite being fully aware of the legal protections the state affords to marriage and family life. The result could easily be fewer people deciding to cohabit, and fewer still deciding to make that permanent with marriage and\/or have children at a time when we are failing even to replace our population.<\/p>\n And if avoiding inheritance tax is an issue, the answer is simple. It\u2019s ungodly, as we explain below. Abolish it altogether. Let the state raise money honestly in accordance with scriptural principles.<\/p>\n Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.<\/b><\/p>\n For decades, the British state has devalued marriage, risk making it increasingly irrelevant. Marriage is the bedrock of a stable society, but our Establishment have stopped encouraging marriage in the tax system.<\/p>\n David Lammy’s proposals overlook a simple reality repeatedly confirmed by social research: marriage benefits not only couples but society itself.<\/p>\n Marriage provides stability, responsibility and permanence. Children raised<\/b><\/a> in stable married households generally experience better educational outcomes, stronger emotional wellbeing and lower levels of poverty. Married couples often enjoy better health, longer life expectancy and greater financial security. These are not just religious observations. They are conclusions supported by decades of evidence, and by scripture:<\/p>\n Gen 1:28a And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:<\/b><\/p>\n Yet while marriage rates continue to decline,<\/b><\/a> Britain’s political class seems more interested in diluting the institution than strengthening it. The irony is difficult to miss. As family breakdown rises and birth rates fall, ministers remove the few remaining incentives for people to marry.<\/p>\n Marriage is a covenant, not a temporary arrangement. It is designed to provide stability for husbands, wives and children alike. Rather than extending marital privileges to every other arrangement, perhaps government should be asking how it can make marriage attractive again. After all, if every relationship receives the same recognition, eventually none of them mean very much at all.<\/p>\n Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.<\/b><\/p>\n Support NCCSS \/ Christian Voice \u2192<\/a><\/p>\nThe Forgotten Benefits of Marriage<\/h2>\n
The Death Tax That Refuses to Die<\/h2>\n