“As Australians of faith we celebrate that we live in a democratic, multicultural and secular nation. We believe that the law should reflect the widely held conviction that LGBTI Australians should be treated equally and be able to marry the person they love.
“We see marriage equality as a positive development for Australian society because all couples, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, deserve social recognition and legal protection for their families.
“Understandings of marriage have evolved through history. In times past, marriage was often determined by concerns about procreation, inheritance and gender inequality. Today marriage is characterised by love, friendship, compassion and commitment. As such, marriage is a social good that strengthens the relationship between two people and enriches wider society …
“Our failure to enable LGBTI people to marry has had human consequences. Relationships have not been protected at times of trauma and death. Parents who want to celebrate the marriages of their LGBTI sons and daughters have seen them travel overseas to marry without the loving support of family, friends and colleagues. Children of LGBTI parents experience the stigma of discrimination …
“We are not concerned about where equal marriage will lead us, because it is clear to us that it will lead to more love and more justice.”
In a recent homily at South Sydney Uniting Church, the Rev. Andrew Collis (a signatory to the above statement) offered a reflection on 1 John 4 (“God is love”): “Faith is ever a movement from idols to icons of love – from slavery to freedom as the Bible story presents it – from stale answers to nourishing questions, from staid conventions (patriarchal marriage, for example) to renewed commitments (marriage as mutual care, respect and joy; marriage equality), from cruel arrogance to prayerful awareness, from objectification of the world to something the mystics (following Saint John) call ‘mutual indwelling’. We imagine this love in and through our being caught up in it – in and through our being included.”
Vote Yes for Marriage Equality.
