18 February 2011

Rt Hon David Cameron MP

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

LONDON
SW1A 2AA

Dear Mr Cameron

An open letter to the Prime Minister regarding Homosexual Marriage and the registration of Civil Partnerships in places of religious worship

We are writing further to recent press reports that your government intends both to allow the registration of civil partnerships in places of religious worship and to develop civil partnership legislation to permit same-sex marriage. These news stories cause us very considerable concern. We appreciate that allowing civil partnerships to be registered in religious buildings is simply the implementation of legislation already passed in the 2010 Equality Act, but we are not aware of any formal announcement by your government that you intend to legislate for homosexual marriage.

The pressure for same-sex marriage is being exerted by a very small minority in our country. Even many of the people involved in homosexual rights groups either don't want it or think that pushing for it so hard isn't helpful to their cause. Our argument is that to legislate for same-sex marriage would be to change the very definition of marriage as understood by civilised cultures everywhere throughout human history. Not only that, as Protestant Christians we turn, like our forebears in previous generations, to the Bible as God's authoritative revelation of His will for the universal good of mankind. The Bible quite clearly informs us that marriage was ordained, as part of God's creation order, as an institution given by God and consists of the lifelong, exclusive union of a man and a woman. As such it is to be honoured and cherished. Marriage is not a project fashioned by different or changing cultures. By definition, any other kind of human relationship, or partnership, is not marriage and necessarily falls short of marriage, not only as defined by the Bible, but also as recognised under English law throughout the long years of our national history.

Therefore, we must express our wholehearted opposition to any plans you may have to change the law in this area, and would request that your government thinks long and hard before legislating to permit same-sex marriage in the face of biblical teaching, our national history, and popular opinion. We would also repeat our opposition to allowing civil partnerships to be registered in churches.

Please be assured of our prayers for you and your government in all the many responsibilites that fall to you at this critical time in our national life.

Yours sincerely

The Council of the Protestant Truth Society

with the support of the Council of Church Society

and the Management Committee of Christian Watch