Have you signed the Coalition for Marriage's petition? If not, why not?

If you haven't done so before now, please do visit the Coalition for Marriage website to offer your support and to sign their petition. By signing the petition, you will add your name to all those in the UK who: -

"support the legal definition of marriage which is the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others."

As the British Government is determined to redefine the meaning of marriage, it is very important that all those who support life and the family pledge their support to this campaign. It is only when our political leaders realise that many, many people are against their revolutionary proposals that they may decide to think again about legalising "gay marriage".

But...  As the LMS Chairman, Joseph Shaw, points out, there are some fundamental flaws in the Coalition for Marriage's arguments in defence of traditional marriage.

As the C4M is mainly led by Evangelicals, it seems to have very little comprehension of the arguments from Natural Law that could be deployed, resorting to simlpistic reasoning instead. Also, some aspects of its main arguments in support of traditional marriage are unrefined to say the least. Of course, the Coalition does have Catholic support, but as Joseph points out, we need to help it out by raising our voices of reason.

Please read the LMS Chairman's critique of the rather unrefined arguments used by the C4M. Also, check out James Preece's excellent arguments in defence of marriage - which has also been written in response to the Coalition for Marriage's reasons for defending marriage.

Those who are opposed to the traditional understanding of family life, and who wish to equate homosexual relationships with marriage, probably rub their hands in glee when those of us who seek to protect the current definition of marriage resort to simplistic arguments, or just simply quote Scripture. In doing so, as Joseph Shaw says, we can sometimes appear to "conform to the homophobic stereotype". It also gives our opponents the opportunity to claim that those who oppose "gay marriage" do so on religious grounds alone, and should therefore be dismissed in modern Britain - which they often claim is a "secular society".

Whilst arguments from the Bible or the Church's traditions may serve a purpose when conversing with other believers, they will simply be dismissed by those who do not have the gift of faith. The Catholic Church, though, is able to draw on centuries of philosophical reasoning, and can therefore frame entirely arguments based on Natural Law that should appeal to all. The Church, in that sense, has always taken seriously that teaching of St Paul: -

"For what can be known about God [or the absolute truth, or human nature itself] is perfectly plain to them [to all, even atheists], since God has made it plain to them [in the order of Nature]: ever since the creation of the world, the invisible existence of God and his everlasting power have been clearly seen by the mind's understanding of created things [reason and what we call the Natural Law]. And so these people have no excuse." (Rm 1:19-20).

As Joseph Shaw argues: "Traditional marriage, the lifelong commitment of a man and a woman ordered to procreation, is the indispensable condition for the family, and grows directly out of human nature. It is not the product of human convention or law; it is historically and logically prior to the state." It is not, therefore, for governments (or religions, or any other organisation) to tamper with it; rather, we all have a human duty to protect it. The state or other organisations with authority need to avoid the temptation to redefine something that is beyond their competence to do so.

Society has profound responsibility to protect traditional marriage - not devalue it by allowing something that is not marriage to be given the same status as the union of a man and a woman for the begetting of new life. To deny this is, in reality, a sign of true irrationality. To devalue traditional marriage by promoting false marriage can lead, ultimately, to a dangerous devaluing of humanity itself.

Please do read  Joseph Shaw and  James Preece's rational and logical blog posts, both of which refine the C4M's rather crass arguments... And, despite some flaws in their reasoning, please do sign the Coalition for Marriage's petition!