Politics
Thursday April 17, 2008
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
Dutch Gov't to Marriage Commissioners: Won't do Gay "Marriages"? Then No Natural Marriages Either
By Hilary White
THE HAGUE, April 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Netherlands equality commissioners have ruled that if a civil marriage commissioner refuses to conduct wedding ceremonies for homosexual partners, they must be barred from conducting ceremonies between men and women as well.
The Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) ruled yesterday that local authorities are "not violating the equal treatment law if it refuses to appoint a marriage registrar who does not wish to marry persons of the same sex on grounds of religion".
The judgment comes after the municipality of Langedijk placed advertisements for two marriage registrars and demanded that applicants be prepared to conduct wedding ceremonies for natural couples and for same-sex partners.
The Christian Union party called the ruling an "unnecessarily harsh approach."
The party, Christen Unie, is a Dutch orthodox-protestant and Christian-social party that holds "conservative" social views and centre left ideas on economic, migration, social and environmental issues.
A party spokesman said, "This ruling does not help us further in the search for a careful balance between groups in society with differing beliefs" about homosexual "marriage".
When it comes to freedom of conscience for Christians and anyone who objects on moral grounds to homosexuality, however, it seems that homosexual political activists are only willing to apply tolerance to those who agree with their views.
In 2007 in Canada, homosexual activists fought efforts to allow marriage commissioners the right to exercise their freedom of conscience. When a Conservative MLA in New Brunswick tabled a piece of legislation meant to protect Christians and others who objected to the imposition of "gay marriage", homosexual activists responded with outrage, saying the legislation would grant rights to individuals who "discriminate" and would be an affront to the "equal marriage" movement.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Manitoba Marriage Commissioner Ordered to Perform Gay 'Marriages' Fights in Court for Freedom of Religion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06101904.html
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- Vatican Cardinal: Damage to the Church from the Dissent on Paul VI Contraception Doc Continues Today
- "Heaps of Empirical Evidence" Vindicate Pope Paul VI's Dire Warnings 40 Years Ago About Contraceptive Culture
- William Wilberforce Relative to Speak at International Pro-Life Conference in Toronto October 2-4
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules that Homosexual 'Hate Crimes' Law Violates Pennsylvania Constitution
- Lawsuit: Wayne State University Denied Funds, Access to Pro-life Student Group
- Man Booted from Leadership in Monarchist League for Objection to Morgentaler Order of Canada
- Spanish Pro-Family Group Files Charges Against Homosexual Groups for "Hate Speech"
- Nurse Suing Fort Worth Catholic Charities over Condom Prohibition
- German Government must Recognise "Sex-Change" of Married "Transsexuals"
- Letter to the Editor for Friday, July 25, 2008
Most Read this Week
- Sex-Selective Abortions Happening on Wide Scale in United States: Population Research Institute
- Atheist Professors Follows Through on Promise and Desecrates Eucharist
- Last Abortion Clinic in South Dakota Closes after Law Requires Patients be Informed of Possible Side Effects
- Prominent Christian Theologian Dr. James Packer Speaks Out on Homosexuality
- Massive New POLL: 56% of Canadians Oppose Morgentaler Order of Canada
- South Dakota Law Goes Into Effect: Women Must be Told They Are "Terminating the Life of a Whole Separate, Unique Living Human Being"
- Dr. Henry Morgentaler and "the Goddess with the Golden Breasts"
- Planned Parenthood Forces Clients to View Graphic Photos of Abortion
- 2008 World Youth Day Brings Together Largest Crowd in Australian History
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules that Homosexual 'Hate Crimes' Law Violates Pennsylvania Constitution
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any Internet re-publishing of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews that have come from other news sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.