Letters | 12 July 2018

Marriage proposal

Sir: Matthew Parris’s proposal that marriage be abolished, and civil partnerships installed in its place, is absurd (‘The term “marriage” needs to be untangled’, 7 July). This would not simplify the ambiguous connotations that the word ‘marriage’ has come to hold; rather, it would diminish its importance at a time when it is greatly needed. Committed and legally recognised relationships are a salient component of a functioning society: providing a stable environment in which to raise children, and serve as a welcome source of privacy in an era where such a concept is scarce. However, the distinctive quality of matrimony — at least in a Christian sense — is that it is a sacrament: the establishment of a covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God.

If Britain were to replace marriage with a secular alternative, one of the features that defines our country as Christian would be relinquished.