Marriage.

Christian Concern responds to public consultation on Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 - Shared Building Regulations

Last month, the UK Government launched a public consultation seeking views on its proposals to permit a building to be registered to perform same sex 'marriages', where it is shared by more than one religious group, including churches.

The consultation, which forms part of the implementation of the (Marriage Same Sex Couples) Act 2013,  focused predominantly on churches with informal sharing arrangements, though churches with formal agreements are also covered.

Worryingly, the Government has proposed to introduce the new concept of a "qualifying sharing church" whereby churches who make only "minimal" use of a building would not have a say in whether or not a building is registered for the purposes of conducting a same sex 'marriage'.

At Christian Concern, we responded the consultation to express our opposition to the Government's proposals, noting in particular the threat to freedom of religion and conscience posed by both the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act as a whole, and the new resulting shared building regulations.