The Free Church of Scotland has added its voice to that of the Roman Catholic Church in speaking out against moves to rewrite the definition of marriage.
The Free Church Commission said that to change the meaning of marriage shows “an irrational determination to force a form of equality upon society, which is not rooted in any recognised moral foundation”.
It warned that “the timeless definition of marriage as the voluntary union of one man and one woman would be changed irreversibly”.
Undermined
The commission said marriage would be “undermined if the government effectively changes its meaning to include same-sex couples”.
The Free Church urged the Scottish Government to ditch its proposals, and ‘applauded the courage’ of the Roman Catholic Church in speaking out against redefining marriage.
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, welcomed the support of the Free Church.
Disappointment
He said: “The supportive comments offered by the Free Church, in regards to the importance of defending marriage from arbitrary redefinition and the seriousness of family as the bedrock of society, are greatly welcomed and appreciated by the Catholic Church”.
Last month the Scottish Government released a consultation on whether to change the definition of marriage for the sake of homosexual marriage.
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Paisley, Philip Tartaglia, wrote to Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond this week, to express his “serious misgivings” at the Scottish Government’s plans to redefine marriage.