Gay Danish Couples win right to marry in church

[sailor]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...in-church.html

Homosexual couples in Denmark have won the right to get married in any church they choose, even though nearly one third of the country's priests have said they will refuse to carry out the ceremonies.

Norway is still trying to figure out what ceremony to use in it's churches.

Not clear if this only applies to the state churches or to all churches.

[RandallS]

Not clear if this only applies to the state churches or to all churches.

My guess (from the statement by the Bishop of Viborg mentioned in the article as warning that the new law risks "splitting the church") is that it only applies to state churches. While I'm sure that the far right in the US will try to use foreign events like this to scare people into thinking that their church could be forced to marry gays too that cannot happen in the US unless the First Amendment is modified and that would be a nearly impossible task.

[Altair]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...in-church.html



Norway is still trying to figure out what ceremony to use in it's churches.

Not clear if this only applies to the state churches or to all churches.

Go, Denmark!

[mandrina]

My guess (from the statement by the Bishop of Viborg mentioned in the article as warning that the new law risks "splitting the church") is that it only applies to state churches. While I'm sure that the far right in the US will try to use foreign events like this to scare people into thinking that their church could be forced to marry gays too that cannot happen in the US unless the First Amendment is modified and that would be a nearly impossible task.

Ah, the dangers to the church of taking state money. The churches in the US should take note.

[Altair]

Ah, the dangers to the church of taking state money. The churches in the US should take note.

Yup. That's playing out here in the U.S. as well, esp. as more and more states give legal recognition to same-sex couples. The Catholic Church in Illinois is a prime example:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_933996.html

This, for me, hits the nail on the head: "No citizen has a recognized legal right to a contract with the government."

[sailor]

Yup. That's playing out here in the U.S. as well, esp. as more and more states give legal recognition to same-sex couples. The Catholic Church in Illinois is a prime example:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_933996.html

This, for me, hits the nail on the head: "No citizen has a recognized legal right to a contract with the government."

On a related note:
Is Gay Parenting Bad for the Kids?
http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...c-w-cooke?pg=1

[MadZealot]

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...c-w-cooke?pg=1

Says a lot.
But at the same time... says very little.

[Skyth]

On a related note:
Is Gay Parenting Bad for the Kids?
http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...c-w-cooke?pg=1

At least the article points out the major flaw in the study. That it's really about instability versus stability. It would be interesting to have a study comparing children from unwed teenage mothers to children brought up in a stable (married) homosexual couple.

One thing it mentioned is that the majority of children studied are in gay-unfriendly areas. The stigma (And attached bullying) of having a homosexual parent in that area could have a traumatic effect on a child and could also be the cause of being lower-performing.

[RandallS]

Is Gay Parenting Bad for the Kids?

Depends on the parents, I suspect. Just as it does for hetero parents, single parents, foster parents, etc.

It will also depend on what the opinions on what is good/bad for kids the study authors have. I once saw a study by a Christian group that "showed" that being raised by non-Christian parents was bad for children -- and by the standards set (about half were things like knowledge of the Bible, being saved, etc.) I suppose the study was likely quite accurate.

[sailor]

At least the article points out the major flaw in the study. That it's really about instability versus stability. It would be interesting to have a study comparing children from unwed teenage mothers to children brought up in a stable (married) homosexual couple.

One thing it mentioned is that the majority of children studied are in gay-unfriendly areas. The stigma (And attached bullying) of having a homosexual parent in that area could have a traumatic effect on a child and could also be the cause of being lower-performing.

Uh, no. You would need to compare kids in homes of stable gay couples with kids from stable straight couples. Then control for social and economic stuff.

From a stability point of view, lesbians with kids are worse than gay men with kids; although the sexual abuse numbers mentioned in the article need amplification.

Uh, you are presuming that most of the US is anti-gay. The article only said that they were not concentrated in the few coastal cities with large gay populations (SF, NYC). Doesn't say they were mostly in hicksville, TX as opposed to say Austin, TX or Moonshine, GA as opposed to the Atlanta Georgia metro area.