Conservative Election Strategist Wants to Block Humanist Marriages In UK

[Recusant]

It's reported that he sees this as a fringe issue.  ???

I'm not sure if it's a done deal, but it sort of sounds that way. Perhaps it will backfire to some extent on the Conservatives.

"Ban of Humanist Weddings in UK a political decision by the tories" | Skeptical Science

"Number 10 intervenes to block humanist marriages" | British Humanist Association

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has responded with shock and disappointment at reports today that Number 10 is blocking the legal recognition of humanist marriages because Lynton Crosby, David Cameron?s election guru, sees reform as a ?fringe? issue.

Giving legal recognition to humanist marriages had strong cross party support in both the House Commons and House of Lords having been discussed during the course of the Marriage Act passed last year. Since then, MPs and peers from all parties have continued for the past year to call for legal recognition. The public, in response to a recent government consultation, hugely supported legal recognition, and campaigners have pointed out that the huge growth in marriages in Scotland demonstrates very significant demand. However, The Sunday Times today reports a Government source as saying that, although Liberal Democrats remain in favour, the Prime Minister?s office has blocked the legal recognition that humanists were expecting at the end of this year.

[Continues . . .]

[Icarus]

No shit Batman?  WTF is going on here?  Wait, wait, don't tell me. ???

[Firebird]

Are secular weddings not legal in the UK? I'd be shocked to hear if that were true, especially since they're legal in the US.

[Tom62]

In the Netherlands and Germany you can only get officially married at the registry office. It is then up to the married couple to decide whether they would like to have an additional [non]-religious ceremony that has no legal basis.

[xSilverPhinx]

??? How odd.

In the Netherlands and Germany you can only get officially married at the registry office. It is then up to the married couple to decide whether they would like to have an additional [non]-religious ceremony that has no legal basis.

Same in Brazil.

[OldGit]

Same in France.

As for the Tories, I imagine they've done the sums and calculated that humanist marraige would alienate many of their crusty old core supporters.  When it comes to choosing between a moral action and a vote winner ...

[Michael1]

From the fact that most people are religious but only some people are potentially harmful, I have to conclude that some people can't handle true love and most people support those few people who can't handle true love. Because indeed marriage is not institutional, it is much more than that and therefore often misunderstood. First you had the widespread abuse within long lasting marriages, now you have the widespread marriage breakups.

How do we deal with those few?

[Ecurb Noselrub]

In Texas you can get married in a civil or a religious ceremony. Humanist marriages would be just fine.  But then, we've long been more progressive than the UK.