The Scottish Government’s consultation on redefining marriage has revealed widespread opposition to the plans, according to media reports.
It is reported that around 70,000 individuals responded to the consultation – making it the biggest ever response since devolution.
About 50,000 of the respondents are understood to be opposed to changing the definition of marriage, winning the consultation battle by more than 2:1.
Majority
The campaign to keep marriage between one man and one woman is being led by umbrella group Scotland for Marriage.
A spokesman said: “It’s hoped the Scottish Government will take account of the breadth, depth and determination of the vast majority of respondents who made clear their view that marriage should not be redefined.
“It would be an abandonment of every principle of justice to ignore such a majority.”
Dwarfs
The number of overall submissions dwarfs that of the Government’s flagship consultation on an independence referendum, which only attracted 21,000 responses.
At the time, First Minister Alex Salmond said 21,000 was a “mighty” response, causing one religious campaigner to joke: “If that’s a mighty response, then ours is almighty.”
Meanwhile, critics have attacked a “flawed” poll purporting to show 64 per cent of Scots are in favour of gay marriage.
Distorted
The poll was commissioned by activists who are pushing for marriage to be redefined, and it phrased the question in terms of human rights.
But Peter Kearney of the Scottish Catholic Media Office said: “The public in general are very wary and unlikely to suggest a person shouldn’t have a right.
“When you begin your question by saying should someone have the right to same-sex marriage you automatically have distorted the result.
“To be honest the poll that matters is the three-month-long consultation that took place at the end of last year and in that one we know that the vast majority said marriage shouldn’t be redefined.”