RELIGIOUS LEADERS: NO TO GAY MARRIAGES

RELIGIOUS LEADERS  across the country yesterday condemned a decision made on Tuesday in Toronto, to start issuing marriage licences to gay couples.

The legalisation of gay marriages, followed a decision of the Ontario Court to set aside the heterosexual definition of marriage as unconstitutional, making it legal for gay couples  to get married. President of the Inter-Religious Organisation Brother Noble Khan yesterday said the decision made in Canada goes against all the principles set aside for a family. He stated that the principle of a family is that a male and a female come together to create a life for themselves, to have children and to raise a family. “This position taken by Canada goes completely against that principle and the people who choose to embark on this course of action are going against the moral and spiritual values that are set aside for us to follow,” said Khan. The IRO’s President noted that this country had a practice of following everything other countries did, and he advised that this practice and principle should not be followed.

Dean of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Knolly Clarke stated that the decision  goes against the laws of God, which state that a man leaves his mother and father and clings to his wife. He said the emphasis was on the word wife. He noted that nowhere in the Bible is a man marrying another man or a woman another woman sanctioned. “That does not say that we don’t care about the people who have their preferences. We will reach out to them with love and care, but we are not going to condone it to the extent of marrying them. There is nowhere in the prayer book for an Anglican Priest to conduct such a marriage,” said Canon Clarke. Other religious leaders echoed Khan’s views on the issue. Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Satnarayan Maharaj stated, that as far as he was concerned this practice goes against the laws of nature, and against all religious teachings. He said he is aware of statements that people experienced bodily imbalances that cause a male to act like a female and the female to act like a male. However, this problem should be left to medical science for a solution, he noted. Asked if he thought the government should legalise gay marriages, Maharaj stated that gay couples have a right to use and abuse their bodies in whatever way they see fit. “However,” he added, “the people in this country also have a right to refuse to accept such an action, and refrain from making same sex marriages legal, since this is not the way the creator designed the world.”

Also responding to the decision by the Canadian Court, was Stephen Borris of the Bahai Religion, who noted that it was wrong in the sight of God to condone same sex marriages. He stated that Canada was a secular state that condoned secular practices. However the Bahais did not agree with the decision that was made. President of the Tackveeyapul Islamic Association of Trinidad and Tobago Incorporated Haji Zainol Khan said that the Muslim’s point of view is that this type of union is wrong and should not be condoned. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port-of-Spain Edward Gilbert is out of the country and several attempts to reach the Vicar General Fr Christian Perreira yesterday failed. However, late last night Perreira, sent Newsday  a copy of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ letter to Canadian Attorney General Martin Cauchon regarding the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision to redefine marriage in order to allow same-sex unions. In it, the Church stated, “Marriage as a public commitment between a man and a woman has profound cultural, religious and social significance. As a word and as an institution marriage is full of history, meaning and symbolism. The State has a fundamental interest in this social institution where most children are procreated and nurtured and, according to recent statistics, continues to be the most stable environment in which to raise a family.”

Attempts were made to contact Attorney General Glenda Morean with respect to Trinidad and Tobago laws on gay marriages, but she did not return calls made by this newspaper. Attempts to contact the Gay Enhancement Advocates of Trinidad and Tobago (GEATT) proved futile since the organisation is no longer in operation. Newsday was informed that the organisation folded some years ago following the migration of some members and the deaths of others. The Canadian Court made the ruling on Tuesday after several gay couples brought a legal case stating that the federal laws that limited marriage to heterosexuals, violated the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the Canadian Constitution. The three-person Ontario Court ruled in favour of the submission.