2. What is marriage?
 A socially recognised lifelong union between a man
and a woman
 All societies have marriage
 Form varies – monogamy to polygamy but it is always
between different sexes
 All religions support marriage
 They create rituals to formalise marriage and
theologically invest it with meaning and standards to
protect it such as rules against adultery
 As it is a social institution government does not have
the authority to radically change it. Only to support it

3. What is marriage?
 A socially recognised lifelong union between a man and
a woman for
 Conjugal love
 Different to other forms of love
 Union at every level
 Sexual love is at the heart of marriage
 Consummation of marriage defined as union of sexual
organs of the husband and wife
 Adultery defined as having sexual relationship with a
person one is not married to

4. What is marriage?
 A socially recognised lifelong union between a man
and a woman for
 Conjugal love
 Companionship
 Friendship, partners, create a home

5. What is marriage?
 A socially recognised lifelong union between a man
and a woman for
 Conjugal love
 Companionship
 Mutual support
 Love, care, look after, encourage

6. What is marriage?
 A socially recognised lifelong union between a man
and a woman for
 Conjugal love
 Companionship
 Mutual support
 Procreation
 Conceiving and giving birth to children
 Creates life
 Creates a lineage

7. What is marriage?
 A socially recognised lifelong union between a man
and a woman for
 Conjugal love
 Companionship
 Mutual support
 Procreation
 Upbringing of children
 Education, socialisation of the next generation

8. Upbringing of children?
 Statistically the best outcomes for children occur
when they are brought up in a family headed by a
husband and wife that are also their father and
mother

9. What about homosexual
“marriage”?
 Traditional understanding of marriage includes union
of the sexual organs of a man and woman
 How does this work for homosexuals?
 Can’t have a definition of marriage that fits both
hetero- and homo- sexuals
 So the notion of non-consummation as grounds for
annulment removed from 2013 Act
 Traditional marriage for procreation
 Homosexuals cannot procreate

10. Why not other relationships?
 Traditional marriage involves a sexual relationship
between a man and woman
 If definition changed and no sexual consummation and
no possibility of procreation necessary:
 Why shouldn’t two sisters be married?
 Or a brother and sister who don’t have a sexual
relationship?
 Or parent and child who don’t have a sexual relationship?
 Or any two (or more) random individuals who don’t have a
sexual relationship but can enjoy the financial benefits that
come from marriage such as avoidance of inheritance tax?
 Or polygamy?

11. Implications
 Homosexuals can never get married as the word will
no longer have the same meaning as it had before
 Therefore marriage as it has traditionally been
understood will no longer exist
 So no one can get married anymore

12. Suggestion
 Keep marriage for relationship between a man and
woman
 Create a different legal institution with a different
name for homosexuals with similar legal rights and
tax status

13. Religious implications of
homosexual “marriage”
 What to do about religions that regard homosexuality as
a sin or unnatural?
 Ban them from teaching their beliefs so as not to cause
offence?
 Demand they change their moral teachings?
 Does the government have the right or authority to regulate
the moral teachings and rituals of churches and other
religions (other than the Church of England)

14. Religious implications of
homosexual “marriage”
 What to do about religions that regard homosexuality as
a sin or unnatural?
 Ban them from teaching their beliefs?
 Demand they change their moral teachings?
 Force them to marry homosexuals?
 Ban teachers from teaching the beliefs of religions?
 Churches that refuse to marry homosexuals will be
accused of discrimination under equality legislation and
prosecuted

15. Conclusion
 This legislation by redefining marriage effectively
abolishes marriage as traditionally understood.
 Homosexual “marriage” will lead to the loss of
religious freedom
 Homosexuals who wish to make a special
commitment to each other can do so under the civil
partnership legislation
 We need to revive marriage and bring up our
children to aspire to it