We can do no better than quote from our response to the 2010 Government Consultation on the Registration of Civil Partnerships and Same Sex Marriage. The fourth paragraph contains the policy statement:
We are the largest provider of humanist marriage ceremonies in Scotland. Government statistics for 2010 show that the 2092 weddings conducted by the Society’s Celebrants outnumbered the 1776 weddings conducted by the Catholic Church.
This makes humanist weddings the third most popular form of marriage ceremony in Scotland, and even as marriages overall are in long term decline, humanist marriage ceremonies are the only form that is growing in popularity.On a current linear projection, humanist weddings are set to overtake those provided by the Church of Scotland in 2015.
This is part of the trend away from religious, and towards secular, weddings. In 2010, 58% of weddings in Scotland were secular (51% civil, plus 7% humanist). This compares to 21% Church of Scotland, and 6% Catholic.This, in turn, is part of the long term turning away from formal religions and religious observance in Scotland.The Humanist Society asserts that these facts mean the churches are no longer entitled to claim a right to regulate the institution of marriage.
Humanist ceremonies were legalised in 2005, making this country one of only six in the world where humanist weddings are legally recognised. The Society has recently reached 99 Celebrants, of whom 72 are authorised by the Registrar General of Scotland to conduct legal weddings. Our Celebrants work all over the Scottish mainland and islands, and wedding venues can be anywhere safe and dignified; this has included the summit of Ben Nevis.
The Humanist Society Scotland has a membership of 7069, and is committed to working for a Scotland that is fair and equal, in which personal autonomy is respected, and all voices are heard. On this basis, the core position we adopt in this consultation response is that in principle, both statuses (civil partnership and marriage) ought to be available to any couple (same or mixed sex), in either form (religious or non-religious), and to any celebrant to perform and register (with the proviso that no celebrant should be obliged to perform and register any particular civil partnership or marriage, subject of course to the requirements of existing anti-discrimination laws, and the obvious exception that Civil Registrars do not perform religious ceremonies).The overriding reason for this position is that the personal motivations for, and the social benefits of, marriage are universal, irrespective of the gender and sexuality of the couple.We repeat this core position only as required to make each response robust.
We fully acknowledge and support the commitment of the Scottish Government to achieving a fair and inclusive Scotland, and stand ready to play our part. We understand that the job of Government is to reconcile conflicting points of view, and that those who oppose Same Sex Marriage are committed to their position. But – for the reasons given in this statement and in the submission below - we assert that their arguments are out of date, regressive and (in effect if not in intention) discriminatory. Since the Reformation and the Enlightenment, Scotland has been at the centre of progressive and civilised values and practice.This is the heritage that we, alongside a majority of Scottish adults and the present Government, wish to see furthered now.
Download our full submission on the Same Sex Marriage (Scotland) Bill made in December 2011.
Members can discuss our same sex marriage policy, or join the team.
