Evangelical Alliance

Christian groups: The Scottish government’s plans to redefine marriage are deeply flawed   

A group of Christian and pro-family organisations have strongly criticised the Scottish government's plans to redefine and devalue marriage.

Today, the Scottish government launched its consultation on redefining marriage to include same-sex relationships and to allow civil partnership ceremonies to be conducted on religious premises. CARE and the Evangelical Alliance have responded by calling on the Scottish Government to maintain the established  societal definition of marriage which has universally stood the test of time.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, parliamentary officer at CARE for Scotland, said: "Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman and not two people of the same sex. It provides the best context for raising children and contributes to social cohesion. The Scottish government is making a grave mistake by seeking to redefine marriage."

Rev Dr Fred Drummond, Scotland director of the Evangelical Alliance, stated: "Marriage is the bedrock of a stable society, allowing children to be produced and raised by a committed mother and father. Marriage is God-ordained and overwhelming sociological evidence points to the benefits of marriage for children in terms of emotional security, educational achievement, health and other life prospects. Marriage has already been undermined in our society and the consequences are easy to identify. At this time of social fragmentation and instability, any attempts to redefine the traditional value of marriage will further damage the well-being of our society."

The overwhelming majority of the population know very well what marriage is and what it isn't. CARE and the Evangelical Alliance call on the Scottish government to acknowledge the widespread concerns throughout Scotland over any attempts by government to redefine marriage at the behest of a tiny minority for largely political reasons but which will have massive consequences for society as a whole.