Current prayer needs and praise reports.Online giving.Short-term mission trips.Our first plant: Harvest Christian FellowshipThe Caledonian Call
Article Links

Same Sex Marriages Arrive in Scotland…
A man leans over the side of a ship leaving for America, watching the home country disappear on the horizon. Another asks him: "so, why are you leaving Scotland?" The reply comes: "Well, 20 years ago homo- sexuality was illegal, and now it's not. I'm just worried that in 20 years it'll be compulsory.

Today marks the introduction of same-sex civil marriages, and to every lucky couple and their guests, we should raise a glass. Congratulations on being part of a nation which learned to hate less and love more.

Twenty five years ago, when the man in the joke was setting sail, he was a popular guy. Black-eyed Protestant preachers such as Jack Glass were matched word for word by Catholic priests warning of the social woe that would follow. As the gag shows, this climate of fear extended well beyond the pulpit to the body of Scots life, the bar. Within a generation, the once-heretical notion of two men getting so far out of the closet they can make it to the fitting rooms at Moss Bros for their wedding suits has become fact. So what happened to make that possible? Where did Pastor Jack Glass and the cohorts of repressed and angry men go?

Supermarket chains are offering wedding packages to gays. This is a good indicator of social change. The superstore is the place of worship for modern consumerism, its shelves betray the whims of the market like the lyrics of a hymn. What this shows is how successful secularism has been. We are no longer a god-fearing nation.

In short, this is a triumph for human rights. A concept which only really took off after the Second World War has now advanced so far that homosexuals, one of history's preferred victims, have not only state protection, but social blessing. Human rights is not, as it is so often portrayed, some fiddly bit of legislative meddling, but the liberation of people from hatred to live meaningful lives.

To those getting hitched today, think of this as you walk up that aisle. You are not treading on fresh ground. Every step you take has been trodden by past generations, by thousands of good people before you, fighting for your right to stand in the eyes of the law and say "I do". You are the latest, lucky beneficiaries of liberalism and human rights and the campaign for equality across gender, race and religion.

More than 140 same-sex couples in Scotland are to take advantage of the Civil Partnership Act to formalise their relationships in the coming months. The legislation became law yesterday, allowing gay couples to register their partnership and gain entitlement to the same rights and responsibilities as married couples.

Civil partners will have equal access to social security, tax benefits and rights of inheritance. Like married couples, they will become each other's next of kin and will be legally required to support each other and each other's children. It must be remembered what an extraordinary change this is. Until 1981, sex between men was illegal in Scotland, even in private."