Faith in Marriage

It has been brought to my attention that there is a group Faith in Marriage who are campaigning religious groups  to be allowed, but not forced, to carry out same-se marriage in Scotland.


It has the backing of:

• United Reformed Church (National Synod of Scotland)
• Scottish Unitarian Association
• Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Scotland
• Liberal Judaism
• Iona Community
• Humanist Society Scotland
• Metropolitan Community Church
• Open Episcopal Church in Scotland
• Pagan Federation (Scotland)
• Community of Interbeing (Zen Buddists)
• One Spirit Interfaith Foundation
• Edinburgh Shamanic Centre

As well as support from

• Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement
• Quaker Lesbian and Gay Fellowship
• Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group
• Gay And Lesbian Vaishnava Association (Hindus)
• SARBAT – LGBT Sikhs
• Affirmation Scotland
• Changing Attitude Scotland
• CourageSCOTLAND
• OneKirk
• Scottish Rainbow Covenant – LGBT Jews in Scotland
• World Congress of GLBT Jews: Keshet Ga’avah
• Ekklesia

And individual support from

• Rev. David Coleman, Convenor, Church and Society Committee, United Reformed Church (National Synod of Scotland)
• Rev. Fiona Bennett, Minister, Augustine United Church 
• Rev. Zam Walker, Minister, Greenock West United Reformed Church 
• Roddy Macpherson, President, Scottish Unitarian Association
• Rev. Maud Robinson, Minister, St Mark’s Unitarian Church, Edinburgh 
• Robin Waterston, Clerk, Religious Society of Friends in Scotland 
• Phil Lucas, Religious Society of Friends in Scotland (Quakers)
• Nicola James, Honorary Quaker Chaplain, University of Glasgow Chaplaincy 
• Rt. Rev. David Gillham, Bishop of Scotland, Open Episcopal Church in Scotland
• Rev. David Furniss, Vicar General, Open Episcopal Church in Scotland
• Rev. Jane Clarke, Minister, Metropolitan Community Church, Glasgow
• Rev. Maxwell Reay, Minister, Metropolitan Community Church, Edinburgh
• Rev. Peter Macdonald, Leader, The Iona Community
• Rabbi Danny Rich, Chief Executive, Liberal Judaism
• Rabbi Shulamit Ambalu and Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, Co-Chairs, Rabbinic Conference of Liberal Judaism
• Rabbi Mark L Solomon, Rabbi, Sukkat Shalom: Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community
• Louise Park, Presiding Officer & Celebrants Coordinator, Pagan Federation (Scotland)
• Suzanne Dance, Facilitator, The Community of Interbeing
•  Rev. Jane Patmore, Interfaith Minister and Celebrant, One Spirit Interfaith Foundation
• John Bishop, Secretary, Humanist Society Scotland
• Stephen Chinn, Policy Development Officer, Humanist Society Scotland 
• Ross Wright, Marriage Celebrant, Humanist Society Scotland 
• Rt. Rev. Richard Holloway, Former Bishop of Edinburgh & Primus, Scottish Episcopal Church.
• Rev. Kelvin Holdsworth, Provost, St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow, Scottish Episcopal Church
• Rev. Donald Reid, Associate Rector, St John’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh & Co-Convenor, Edinburgh Interfaith Association (EIFA)
• Rev. Ross K. Bell, Priest, Diocese of Edinburgh, Scottish Episcopal Church
• Rev. Lindsay Louise Biddle, Chaplain, Affirmation Scotland & Minister Locum, Anderston Kelvingrove Parish Church, Glasgow (Church of Scotland)
• Rev. Peter Johnston, Convenor, OneKirk
• Rev. Dr. John W. Mann, Minister, St. James' Parish Church, Glasgow (Church of Scotland)
• Rev. Scott S McKenna, Minister, Mayfield Salisbury Parish, Edinburgh (Church of Scotland)
• Rev. David McLachlan, Minister, Langside Church, Glasgow (Church of Scotland)
• Claudia Goncalves and Mark Halliday, Co-founders, Edinburgh Shamanic Centre
• Rev. Sharon Ferguson, Spokesperson, Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM)
• Mary Woodward, Membership Secretary, Quaker Lesbian and Gay Fellowship
• Peggy Sherwood, President, Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group (JGLG)
• Amara Das Wilhelm, President, The Gay And Lesbian Vaishnava Association 
• Rev. Ruairidh MacRae, CourageSCOTLAND 
• Jaye Richards-Hill and Beth Routledge, Co-Convenors, Changing Attitude Scotland
• Rebekah Gronowski, Co-Founder, Scottish Rainbow Covenant – LGBT Jews in Scotland
• Howard Solomon, President, The World Congress of GLBT Jews: Keshet Ga’avah
• Jonathan Falk, Secretary, The World Congress of GLBT Jews: Keshet Ga’avah
• Simon Barrow, Director, Ekklesia

Quite a list there including some whose church stance is still undecided of being dictated from the top is opposed to idea of same-sex marriage. 

So next time anyone says that same-sex marriage has no merit with people of faith maybe you should direct them to this list, which is only in Scotland and point out that they are those who want the freedom of religion to carry out equal marriage regardless of the sexuality of the couple before them and God.

The next time someone goes on about how churches are opposed to same-sex marriage, point them to these groups and others that say they want the freedom, but not forcing others to have to, to practice their faith AND carry out same-sex marriage. That is surely true freedom of religion not what leading members of the Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian Church in Ireland and others are saying. 

Jewish Letter to Cameron

Yesterday I covered the anti-homophobes letter from amongst others Stephen Fry, Partick Stewart, Eddie Izzard and Jo Brand. Today there is news that the he president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Vivian Wineman, has also sent a letter to the Conservative leader over his alliance with far-right groups in Poland and Latvia.

There is rising concern about just what some of the Tories partners stand for. In the same way that under the gloss that Nick Griffen likes to put on the BNP there is a lot of concern about the core values of what he party actually stands for. We're well aware of the underlying message that the far right parties in our own country have, yet the so-called new social liberalism that the Conservatives want to portray turned their back on the central right parties in Europe and heading off to find more extreme colleagues to form a group.

This is the party that all the while is claiming to bring a new progressivism, but over at over at this conference is defending Poland and Latvia for being less progressive. Well there are some in those countries that are looking to be progressive but the Tories haven't aligned with them, they have gone with the far right wing. They have partnered up with those that have banned the right for Gay Pride marches to take place in Latvia, opposed gay rights from the EU convention of Human Rights to be ratified, that celebrate the Waffen-SS in annual parades.

It truly is a case of double speak and the Conservatives are trying to put the con into their answers by denying some of the stuff that these leaders are doing and are saying. Zile has tried to defend himself by saying it was back in WWII. Wrong! Look at the violence meted out on Government orders to a peaceful Gay Pride event but a few years ago. This is real, this is current and the Conservatives are being apologists for it, and then some, much as Chamberlain was for the Germans in the late 30s.