A Modest Proposal

Broadcast:

Sunday 9 October 2011 7:10AM

The marriage amendment act of 2004 states that 'marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others'. That's also the view of Christian opponents of marriage equality, who argue that there is no room in the theology of marriage for same-sex couples. So what is a Christian theology of marriage, is it really so exclusive, and are the concerns of those opposed to marriage equality justified by the evidence?

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2011/10/eer_20111009.mp3

Montage:

Imagine marriage, the oldest institution of any kind, created and defined by God himself, is under attack.

A child needs the equal love of a mother and a father, and that is what marriage calls us to honour as a society.

There is no widespread agitation for changing the definition, only a small minority who wish to reorder society in their own vision.

There is no greater evil.

Gary Bryson: Some rather direct views from a rally against same-sex marriage held in Canberra in August. And that's our subject today, the debate over marriage equality. I'm Gary Bryson, welcome to Encounter on ABC Radio National.

Montage:

We want equality, so we want the same rights as heterosexual couples.

I don't want to ask you 'Will you civil ceremony me?' or 'Will you be my de facto?', I want to get married. I've found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, and that's the next step for me.

He's my husband, and we are a marriage.

One of the things about marriage is it's a hard thing to walk away from and it does act as a certain form of glue because you can't just slam the door and walk out and go, 'Well, I'm off, see ya.'

This is not a phase we're going through, for God's sake, we're both in our 50s, I'm nearly 60. But we consider each other in every single decision we make, and that to me just feels like what people do when they live in a marriage.

Gary Bryson: The marriage equality debate in Australia has been simmering along for some time. Most recently, Tasmania's House of Assembly voted to give in-principle support for same-sex marriage, the first state parliament to do so.

But the issue is set to come to the boil as the Greens pursue their Marriage (Equality) Amendment Bill in the federal parliament, and the Labor Party debate the issue for the first time at their national conference in December.

To supporters of marriage equality, it's a serious matter of discrimination; to opponents, a last ditch attempt to preserve what they see as the sanctity of marriage. And for some politicians, like Bob Katter, it's all a big joke.

For the rest of this podcast go to the ABC