Don't indulge same-sex marriage "madness": Scottish cardinal

The British government is contemplating following the lead of Canada and several US states, in legalizing "gay marriage". The UK's most senior Roman Catholic bishop, Keith Cardinal O’Brien, has issued a strong warning against the move.

The prelate begins by saying, "Those of us who were not in favour of civil partnership, believing that such relationships are harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of those involved, warned that in time marriage would be demanded too. We were accused of scaremongering then, yet exactly such demands are upon us now.

"Redefining marriage will have huge implications for what is taught in our schools, and for wider society," he continues. "It will redefine society since the institution of marriage is one of the fundamental building blocks of society. The repercussions of enacting same-sex marriage into law will be immense.

"If same-sex marriage is enacted into law what will happen to the teacher who wants to tell pupils that marriage can only mean – and has only ever meant – the union of a man and a woman? Will that teacher’s right to hold and teach this view be respected or will it be removed? Will both teacher and pupils simply become the next victims of the tyranny of tolerance -- heretics whose dissent from state-imposed orthodoxy must be crushed at all costs?"

Judging from the US and Canadian experience so far, the answer to the Cardinal's rhetorical questions is YES.

What Cardinal O'Brien is saying is that no government has the moral authority to dismantle the universally understood meaning of marriage.

And the Cardinal is not speaking only of the moral authority conferred by God and His Church. Walt presumes non-believers and secular humanists would still consider themselves bound by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Here's what it says in Article 16: marriage is a right which applies to men and women. "The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State."

Cardinal O'Brien writes, "This universal truth is so self-evident that it shouldn’t need to be repeated. If the Government attempts to demolish a universally recognised human right, they will have forfeited the trust which society has placed in them and their intolerance will shame the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world."

In his article, the Cardinal urges those who wish to speak up for traditional marriage and family values to sign a petition being organized by the UK Coalition for Marriage. This link will take you to the website, but at the moment it appears to be under construction. However, the Massachusetts Coalition for Marriage & Family has a good website, which Walt encourages those in MA (or anywhere) to visit and support.