For your reading pleasure, here’s a collection of items (to date) on the current SSM debate from the News Ltd, Fairfax and Guardian press.
I’m a Baptist minister and I’ll be voting ’yes’ for same-sex marriage (Sydney Morning Herald)
Aug 21 – (Opinion: Simon Carey Holt ) I am a Christian, a person deeply formed by the Church and its gospel.
Religious freedom at risk (The Australian)
Aug 22 – (Opinion: Paul Kelly) There are strong warnings that the right to same-sex marriage will be won at the erosion of other rights.
Same-sex marriage: What does the Bible really have to say? (ABC News)
Aug 24 – (Opinion: Robyn J Whitaker) As Australia faces a postal survey on same-sex marriage, we are seeing a steady stream of articles arguing the Yes or No case.
St Michael’s Uniting Church in Melbourne wants to be first church to marry Aussie same sex couples (Adelaide Now)
Aug 24 – A CHURCH in Melbourne has shown its support for marriage equality, and said that it wants to be the first church to marry a same-sex couple.
Catholics defy church leadership to become biggest backers of same-sex marriage: poll (Sydney Morning Herald)
Aug 27 – A majority of Catholics, Christians and other religious groups support same-sex marriage and are inclined to vote for it in the forthcoming postal survey, according to new polling commissioned by advocates.
Elite Catholic schools defy church leadership on same-sex marriage (The Age, Melbourne)
Aug 30 – Two of Australia’s most prestigious Catholic schools have cautiously endorsed same-sex marriage in messages to parents, staff and students, directly rebuking recent statements from church leaders.
Same-sex marriage debate was always going to get ugly (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 2 – (Opinion: Nick O’Malley) Perhaps it was George Brandis who put it best. People do indeed have the right to be bigots.
Legalise same-sex marriage for the ’common good’, says Catholic priest Frank Brennan (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 2 – Same-sex marriage should be legalised for the “common good”, one of Australia’s leading Catholic thinkers has urged, arguing civil marriage cannot be seen as an instrument of the church.
Welcome to the ’No’ case (The Saturday Paper)
Sept 2 – (Opinion: Sean Kelly) It was a fairly stunning admission to make at the beginning of a long campaign.
’Not everything is about same-sex marriage’: Father’s Day ad deemed too ’political’ for TV (news.com.au)
Sept 3 – A NOT-FOR-PROFIT group behind a heartwarming Father’s Day ad pulled from TV for being too “political” in the lead-up to the same-sex marriage postal vote has taken its website and social media pages down for “security reasons”.
Dads4Kids ad is ’dodgy campaign tactic’ in marriage debate, says LGBTI activist (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 3 – A fathers group that claimed its political ad was blocked from television is engaged in a “dodgy campaign tactic” to claim victimhood in the same-sex marriage debate, according to a senior LGBTI advocate.
The Christian reasons I’ll vote yes (The Australian)
Sept 6 – (Opinion: Greg Sheridan) Christians should compromise on same sex-marriage but fiercely defend religious freedoms to the very death.
These religious leaders are putting dogma aside to support same-sex marriage (ABC News)
Sept 7 – It is well known that the majority of the world’s religions stand in opposition not only to same-sex marriage but homosexuality.
Conflict, religion and dignity (The Australian)
Sept 8 – Two leading NSW legal voices explore some of the key judicial arguments for and against same-sex marriage.
Supporters, opponents of same sex marriage clash outside Brisbane church (The Courier-Mail, Brisbane)
Sept 8 – SUPPORTERS and opponents of same sex marriage have clashed outside a Brisbane church following the High Court decision allowing a postal vote to go ahead.
Christian school urges ’no’ to same-sex marriage in letter to parents as ’yes’ supporters rally (ABC News)
Sept 9 – An Adelaide Christian school has sent a letter home to parents urging them to vote ’no’ in the upcoming postal survey on same-sex marriage.
My dad’s incredible reaction when I came out as gay (news.com.au)
Sept 9 – PEOPLE often ask me how I reconcile my faith with my sexual orientation.
Melbourne reverend speaks out as the Uniting Church debates its position (ABC News)
Sept 12 – When she was freshly ordained, the Reverend Robyn Whitaker believed homosexuality was a sin.
Marriage trashed by straight people not gays, says Christian Lobby boss Lyle Shelton (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 13 – Straight people have trashed the institution of marriage, and gays and lesbians have been subjected to “hateful and hurtful” things by Christians, a Canberra audience heard on Wednesday.
Police called as hundreds of protesters surround Sydney University ’vote no’ rally (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 14 – Police have been called to the University of Sydney after a rally encouraging students to vote “no” in the same-sex marriage postal survey drew hundreds of counter-protesters.
Same-sex safeguards just ’gesture politics’ (The Australian)
Sept 14 – Two NSW Catholic bishops have broken ranks with the No side in the same-sex marriage debate.
Conservative Christians’ anti-marriage equality lines ’betray gospel of grace’, says reverend (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 14 – The Parramatta Catholic Diocese and the St James Anglican church have both rejected the anti-marriage equality lines of conservative religious leaders in Sydney.
Also: Church split over anti-marriage equality views of the Australian Christian Lobby (news.com.au)
Sept 16 – TWO major Sydney churches have hit back at the Australian Christian Lobby’s conservative marriage equality views.
Church cancels wedding because bride and groom supported gay marriage on Facebook (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 15 – A Victorian church refused to marry a young couple and cancelled their wedding plans because the bride-to-be expressed support for same-sex marriage on Facebook.
Turnbull defends church that refused to marry couple backing same-sex marriage (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 15 – Malcolm Turnbull has defended a Victorian church that cancelled the wedding of a local couple after they posted their support for same-sex marriage on Facebook.
Also: PM’s focus on freedom for religion (The Australian)
Sept 16 – The PM has declared he believes in religious freedom ’even more strongly’ than in same-sex marriage.
Same-sex marriage: many synagogues reject rabbinical council’s ’no’ (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 17 – Australia’s peak Jewish body and many synagogues have rejected a statement by the Rabbinical Council of Victoria urging people to vote no in the same-sex marriage postal survey.
