Christianity, Secularism & Same-Sex Marriage

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------------------------------------------------- Same-sex MARRIAGE CHRISTIANITY & sECULARISM Ross Everdell Evaluate how the sexual ethical principles of three Christian variants are applied to the contemporary debate about same sex marriage and contrast this to the current secular debate in Australia. Ethics are the philosophical and religious reflections on moral beliefs and practices. Most religions have an ethical component, often derived from purported supernatural revelation or guidance, which supposedly provide structure and direction in everyday life. In religion, the word ethics is an umbrella term that refers to the definitive moral guidance of numerous societal elements, including sexual ethics; which are principles concerned with issues from all aspects of human sexuality. As well as discussing human sexual behaviour, they also regulate the proper religious attitude on homosexuality and other alternative lifestyles. Broadly speaking, sexual ethics relate to community and personal standards regarding the conduct of interpersonal relationships. Over the centuries, Christianity has divided into numerous denominations with each denomination having its own distinctive beliefs, practices and ethical teachings. The Roman Catholic Church, being the largest Christian denomination, upholds a firm stance on same-sex marriage, but is by no means as militant as Jehovah’s Witness, or sympathetic as The Uniting Church. The current secular debate regarding same-sex marriage concludes that the majority of citizens are in favour of marriage equality [1], but political format and order so far prevents any further action being taken in the development of nationwide, legal and religious same-sex recognition. The debate over marriage equality has always been a divisive issue. The Catholic Church argues from a theological perspective against recognizing same-sex

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