A letter to the Daily Telegraph on equal marriage

Your leader warning of how “the churches” will react to equal marriage (12 December) overlooks two key points.

First, there are religions, with deep roots in Britain stretching back over centuries, who are in favour of equal marriage, including both Liberal Jews and Quakers. Second, even within other faiths whose official position is one of opposition to equal marriage, there are many devout believers who also support equal marriage.

Equal marriage is not a matter of believer versus unbeliever. Those who think the law should ban all religions from conducting a marriage between two people of the same gender are wanting the law to make it illegal for Liberal Jews, Quakers and others to exercise their faith as they wish.

As your leader says, Britain has a proud tradition of religious toleration. Toleration means letting those religious faiths conduct marriages as they wish, not insisting it must be illegal.

Yours etc.