4thought.tv

This is my favourite video view ... thank you sooooo much for this.

I had a civil partnership in August '11. Since then I have been so surprised at the amount of people who have never heard of it! Through my job I meet a lot of different people and I still haven't found a phrase that everyone can understand when explaining about my partner and marital status. "Wife...married...civil parter...same-sex relationship" a lot of lay members of the public haven't heard about civil partnerships.

I like the speaker's point of view because it is coming from a heterosexual viewpoint, and if the law was changed in the way he explains it would make my life a little easier!

Well, of course they should; just as anyone else does, if that's what they want. I can't see why the question is even being asked. Of course, those religions with a homophobic stance won't go for it, but you'd have to be a bit of a masochist as a gay person to want to get married there anyway. Thank god for the quakers, Unitarians and the liberal Jewish community; there are some reasonable religious institutions out there.

it is one of the early beliefs of Friends, that we are all equal and we are all a child of God. It is wonderful to see same couples feel welcomed and loved to participate on a public ceremony of love. Fortunately for me, the Monthly Meetimg I attend has joined same sex couples in love, unfortunately these are not recognized by the state of Florida, yet.
it is a beautiful and wonderful thing that these same sex couples feel the presence of Godmn their ceremony, and it is welcomed by most Liberal unprogrammed Meetings, there are some less tolerant Meerings, these are fine for some, not for me and many same sex couples.

Both marriage and civil partnerships are relationships recognized by a community and each community has the right to either recognize or not. The practice among Friends, from Clearness Committee to Meeting for Worship called for the declaration of marriage/commitment is - appropriately - without bias. Homo- and Hetero- couples should meet the same standard of commitment to each other and the community which will hold them in its care.

As mentioned in the other films, Ian and Kristen hit the nail on the head - the real issue here is that we still don't allow gay couples to marry. A civil partnership is not marriage in the eyes of the law, and it is a shame on Britain that half a century after the civil rights movement of the 1960's that our legal system still discriminates against a group of people because of their sexuality.

The issue of gay marriage in a church is I think less important, because we don't have a law that prohibits this. If we did, if it were illegal for a place of worship to marry a same sex couple, then I would oppose this. However at the moment it is the decision of the specific institution, religious sect or even just that specific community to decide who will get married on that property, and that is how it must remain.

As an evangelical Christian, I would agree that I'm perhaps in the minority of my congregation in that I wouldn't mind same sex marriage at my church. I happen to think that God created us all, and made us all different with purpose; to me if you're gay, bi or straight, you are so by God's will.

My issue with potentially forcing places of worship into performing same sex marriages through legislation is that it over rules the rights of that community. As far as I'm concerned everyone has the right to marry, but no one has the right to get married on someone's property without their consent.

If a religious, or any other group welcomes your marriage on their property, then that is of course ideal, however if a community for any reason opposes your marriage, just don't get married on their property - forcing them to marry you against their will is just as wrong as their attitudes and perceptions of you are.

It is important to remember that it is only by putting the happiness of others before our own wishes and desires that we can grow as individuals. We should not seek conflict, but instead embrace those that hate us as well as those that love us. It does not matter if they are wrong; have faith in yourself that you are right and educate by example.

MGBWY

As a gay man who is also religious I feel tonight's film was GREAT! I think it should be shown to the vicars of church's! Not only would it be a religious advantage but also a financial advantage. Very positive. I think channel 4 should create a full documentary on this subject :) mark

One of my work collegues is gay and I am the only person he has told (his boss) because he is scared of what the rest of the team would say this is wrong on my collegues behalf he should have to feel like this i believe that same sex marriage is just the same as a male and a female getting married that you should be allowed to be husband and husband or wife and wife thank you

Inspector Collin Parkin

Ian has been given a space to air his views. He is young and inexperienced, and as such this clip is not going to help anybody. He voices Quaker views, but doesn't even seem to be aware of the Quaker origins. It is a well known fact that people, whatever their Christian denomination, who receive God's Spirit tremble, or "quake", as they become one with Him. This was noticed by the first Quakers, and that is how they got the name. This, often called "religious" or "conversion" experience, is the "born again" experience which Jesus tells us in John 3:3 must happen before we can know the first thing about God and His Kingdom. Unless you receive the Holy Spirit, no matter how much of the Bible you can quote from memory, you havn't got a clue (John 3:3). Ian needs to be born again -my recommendation is he visits a Pentecostal or Evangelical type of Church, or Holy Trinity Brompton, or Hazel Grove Full Gospel Church in Stockport. Once he is born again, God Himself will tell him all he needs to know about marriage. He invented it.

Of course gay couples should be allowed to be married in places of worship. These people firstly have a religion of which they choose to follow. Secondly, no one should deny any person the right to marry another, regardless of sex, sexual preference and race. Come on, were in the 21st century. 50 years ago, people were against people of other races and now were closer than ever before of removing racism from Britain. We should be thinking the same about gay couples!