Denmark approves gay weddings in church.

Bear in mind that Denmark has a state sanctioned church (Lutheran). They were the first to allow same sex unions in 1989, and now this. And yes, it is controversial within the Lutheran church in Denmark. For now, individual priests may refuse to perform the ceremony, however the bishop will then be required legally to find a substitute.

So ATS, how do you feel about the government becoming involved in the affairs of the church, and in this case forcing the church to do that which the church does not agree with?

We obviously don't have a state sanctioned church in the United States, but will activists eventually use the legal system to force unwilling churches to perform gay marriages even if the particular denomination does not agree with gay marriage?

Personally, I believe in allowing my gay friends all the same rights under the law, but meddling in what churches do is where I draw the line. I know there are many churches that would willingly support and offer marriage ceremonies to everyone, but I don't believe that any church should be forced to do so.

Just want to add that I don't really attend a church but if I did I would not have an issue with gay marriage ceremonies. I really just want to know how ATS feels about this issue, thanks!

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reply to post by MsAphrodite


I am all for gay marriage.
But not for the government to force a private institution to allow gay marriage.
It sets a dangerous precedent, if we force them to do this what if they then use the same principle to force a political party to change its policies as a general example?
I still don't get why gays would want to be a part of the church anyway, its a group that has been trying to persecute them for centuries. Not to mention who wants to be associated with pedophiles.

Originally posted by MsAphrodite

So ATS, how do you feel about the government becoming involved in the affairs of the church, and in this case forcing the church to do that which the church does not agree with?

Obviously from an American standpoint any government involvement with the churches would be a blatant violation of the first amendment.

While I fully support gay marriage, I don't think it would ever be appropriate to force a religious organization to perform a ceremony that is against their religious ideals.

However, despite what the religious right would like to believe, marriage (in the United States) is not a religious institution. Marriage holds civil benefits for the individuals involved, and therefore is a state institution. Churches do not the final say in who can or cannot get married, all marriages must be officially licensed by the state.

The case for equal rights does not mean we need to infringe upon religious freedoms. Marriage should be open to all consenting adult couples regardless of gender, but there's no reason to force churches to provide the ceremonies.


Not being a Dane myself, and unfortunately being ignorant to their state-sanctioned religion, I don't feel as though I have a place to comment on their method of achieving gay marriage. However from a personal point of view it makes me happy to see that gay couples in Denmark will now have the right to be wed.

reply to post by drwizardphd


Dane's already have the right to be wed. What is changing is they will now have a right to the full marriage ceremony in the state sanctioned church. The church is being forced to provide this ceremony by the state.

My concern for churches in the US is will activists go after their tax exempt status. I have heard people make these types of comments before.

I tend to believe most people on here just say stuff to please the others on ATS.

"I fully support gay weddings"????

Was nobody raised in the 70's / 80's??

There is no way that all of you are the new age people on ATS!!

My dad would have killed me if I approved gay rights......

My mom would have punished me for coming home with any kind of sexual relationship other than with a woman!

My grandma would have never spoken to me again if I were gay!

My beliefs must be different than most in thinking that gay rights is a joke.....Sorry if I am flamed, or badmouthed for my opinon....But a man should be with a woman.....A woman with a man.....

Of course this is my opinion and belief system, but I am not here to please others like most are.....

It's a complete joke in my eyes and the union of marriage is for a man and a woman or woman with a man......

Bring on the flaming!!

reply to post by MsAphrodite


Yes Denmark is a Lutheran society on the surface, BUT less than 10% of the population visit’s a church every 5 years. More and more people is leaving the church-system because they refuse to pay tax (0,9%) for ideas they don’t really believe in...I'm one of those who left our church years ago. The churches often have to do their Sunday-service for 1-3 people which now is leading to a lot of cancelations in our country.

You need to take our “ignorance to God” into considerations in this discussion, we simply don’t care so there’s no risk for the politicians.

To me it looks like another unusable national prestigious project to say to our surroundings "look at how liberal we can be", when in reality current political scene is very different.

My personal opinion is that gay’s should have the same rights as others, but the church should also be able to rule by its own beliefs as long as it does not violate my human and existential rights (marriage is not one of those) and therefore it should be up to the church to decide how to interpret their writings not the government. It is just loosing more credibility now when they are "forced" to slack on the "rules of the church".

Not going to raise a voice for or against this, because it is a hoax that i can just opt. out of...would be waste of my energy and time. (most Dane's I know would give a silmilar answer)

The reasons for staying could be that it is e easyer to arrange your burial.

Regardless of the government intervention, gays have rights and it is all about who is in power that counts.