Christians called to pray at Parliament in opposition to equal marriage bill

Christians are being encouraged to attend organised prayer meetings near the Houses of Parliament this month, in order to oppose the equal marriage bill, and to coincide with its third reading.

The Adamantly homophobic group Christian Concern, has organised the intermittent prayer meetings to take place outside Parliament on the two days of the bills third reading.

To coincide with the Bill’s third reading, Christian Concern is organising prayer meetings outside Parliament at 12:00 – 14:00 and 17:00 – 19:00 on 20 and 21 May.

Amendments have been proposed to exempt religious schools from “promoting” equal marriage, and to grant conscientious objection on the grounds of refusal to conduct same-sex ceremonies. Another amendment proposes a referendum on the issue.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller told the Commons in December that she was putting in place a “quadruple lock” of measures to guarantee religious organisations would not have to marry gay couples against their wishes.

She also announced that the Church of England and the Church in Wales would specifically be banned from opting into the legislation.

Lord George Carey of Clifton, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, told the House of Lords on Thursday that the Government has painted opponents of marriage equality as a “strange breed of non-relevant dinosaurs” while ignoring minority ethnic and religious communities.

Following comments by Lord Fowler on the recent Queen’s Speech, Lord Carey said the Conservative’s push for same-sex marriage had helped create a “broken society”, rather than their intended “big society”.

He has previously argued that David Cameron of has made the UK’s Christians feel persecuted through his push for marriage equality.

Christian Concern has a history of campaigning against LGBT legislation and is a staunch critic of the government’s pending same-sex marriage bill for England and Wales.

Its founder, Andrea Minichiello Williams, has also been listed as a director of the limited company behind the anti-equality Coalition for Marriage campaign.

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