An Open Letter to the British Prime Minister David Cameron concerning the British Government's Intention to Redefine the Law on Marriage

10 December 2012

Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA

Dear Mr Cameron,

I have held back in writing to you for sometime and I believe that I can no longer remain silent. I am specifically writing to express dissent to your policies as a Conservative Party and as a Coalition government to forcefully push through legislation to redefine marriage in order to obliterate long-held views in our country. I honestly do not believe that your advisors and yourself have intelligently thought through the long term implications of these policies. My suspicion is that on the basis of Mr Osborne’s somewhat hollow comments in the Daily Telegraph (Saturday 8th December) where he stated that “he was ‘proud’ to be part of a Government that planned to introduce a law to redefine marriage” that this is indeed your determined goal.

Such an assertion indicates that the top leadership in the Coalition, though they may have a grasp on fiscal policies, that they have little or no grasp of Christianity, faiths of all kinds, social theory and the potential long-term divisions that this legislation will produce, long after this Coalition government ceases to be in office. To attempt to reshape British law with respect to marriage, does not redefine marriage, it simply places UK law out of step with the historic understanding of marriage. This political move will “cross a line” that will cause regret for years to come. In a democracy, vulnerable minorities should always be protected, however, in contemporary British society, active discrimination is pursued against those who hold differing moral viewpoints to the political elite. A deliberate scheme of anti-marriage and other propagandas are pursued in the public sphere. I dissent to this political move by the Coalition in three areas.

1). The Judeo-Christian understanding of my country on marriage is based on the teaching of the Book of Genesis which states: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others. To attempt to amend the definition of marriage is a serious mistake.

2). To interfere with the Church of England, and all other faith based groups, which is the intent and implication of your leadership, is politically wrong. Our historic creed in this country believes in the liberty of conscience in matters of faith and practice. Why do you “cross a line” to interfere in matters of Christian religion when you are not ordained as a Christian minister or theologically equipped to do so? To change the law on marriage will cause deep divisions in society. To assert that a church should marry people of the same sex is beyond the jurisdiction of any government.

3). The end result under Tony Blair’s government, and now this Coalition, is to “fence off” people in the public sphere, so that anyone who disagrees with the government concerning this “new morality” is effectually side-lined, excluded and forbidden to speak out. The next step will no doubt be, to make it illegal for anyone to discriminate on the basis of the new marriage proposal and then to to promote this redefined view of marriage within the education system. To this, I and others dissent.

I have a single question for you that I sincerely would value a written answer to. Will it become illegal to voice an opinion in the public sphere, including within schools and universities, to make it known that the government are wrong concerning their new legalised revision of marriage and that marriage should only be between a man and woman?

If it becomes illegal, then you have “crossed a line” again, of which faith-based groups will not be able to back down upon. The Bible transcends culture, gender, new social fads and atheistic morality. I do sincerely hope that this government intelligently takes the time to think things through in order to reconsider their actions and then permanently abolish the notion to redefine the current British law on marriage.

Yours in concern,


Dr Kevin J. Bidwell