Estonia: Religious Association Restrictions of Same-Sex Couple Religious Rights

2017

In this article I am investigating the attitudes of Estonian religious communities, represented by the Estonian Council of Churches1 and the Estonian Jewish Centre, towards the LGBT+ community. I will focus on debates surrounding the Registered Partnership Act passed by the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) that allowed the registering of same-sex partnerships in Estonia. I will be arguing that in this debate, politicians went against the will of the people and the religious communities as a survey conducted by Estonian Public Broad Broadcasting showed that over half of the Estonian population does not support the Act. Further, I will argue, that debate surrounding same-sex relationship showed the loss of a privileged place by Christianity in political discourse.

Zeitschrift für Religion, Gesellschaft und Politik, 2019

Exchange, 2018

This article studies the debate on same-sex marriage in the early 21st century, within the two national churches of Finland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Orthodox Church. Legislation facilitating the so-called “gender-neutral marriage” came into effect in Finland in March 2017. In their official teachings, both churches emphasize marriage as a union between a man and a woman. An awareness of the rights of sexual minorities has, however, increased in both churches, and has given rise to the debate on how same-sex marriage should be perceived. While holding on to the traditional view of marriage, both churches have sought ways to recognize and affirm the position of sexual minorities. This has caused tension within the churches. As the majority church, the Lutheran church in particular faces strong pressure to accept same-sex weddings in the church. For the advocates of sexual minorities within the Orthodox Church, recognition of sexual minorities seems to be the main objec...

Religions

In this study, I clarify what kind of attitudes the clergy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) have towards same-sex marriage and how they treat people who disagree with them. The empirical research material consists of 534 answers from Finnish clergy. The ELCF has rejected same-sex marriages, while in all other Nordic countries, the Lutheran churches are marrying same-sex couples. However, over half of the Finnish Lutheran clergy support same-sex marriages in the church. My article shows that the main justifications for their attitudes are: (1) theological justifications, (2) legal justifications, and (3) justifications related to the essence of marriage. Most of the priests treated respectfully those who disagree with them, while a third of the priests had negative thoughts. As a background theory I use the Theory of Moral Foundations, which gives useful tools for understanding why the clergy are divided by same-sex marriage.

2011

In 1994, a Swedish marriage registrar motivated his refusal to perform partnership registrations of same-sex couples by referring to matrimony—even non-religious marriage ceremonies—as a holy act. The perception of marriage as sacred and only intended for the union of man and woman was strong in the 1990s, but there seem to have been a rapid shift in the discursive field since then. Between 1989 (Denmark) and 2002 (Finland), Scandinavian lesbians and gays were granted limited marital rights that also barred them from adoption, assisted fertilization, and joint custody of children. In 2009, however, Norway and Sweden adopted gender-neutral marriage laws, and all other Scandinavian countries have recognized the right of same-sex couples to raise children. The registered partnership laws were narrowly accepted by the parliaments while gender-neutral marriage was carried by broad majorities (67 percent in Norway and 92 percent in Sweden). Shortly thereafter, the State Church in both cou...

Przegląd Prawa Konstytucyjnego

Same-sex marriage has already been recognised in several countries, including Catholic ones. The Catholic Church claims that respect for homosexuals must not lead to approving the legalisation of same-sex relationships. The legal norms in countries are intended to protect heterosexual marriage, as equating homosexual and heterosexual relationships would constitute the loss of fundamental values belonging to humanity’s common heritage. However, the Catholic Church’s position is not monolithic. The supporters advocate changing the Church’s teachings on the inseparability of marriage or the acceptance of homosexual relationships. The paper presents recognition of same-sex marriage in European (and Catholic) countries, shows the links between the position of the Church on such relationships and secular legal systems. There is a discrepancy in attitudes towards homosexuality between Catholic conservatives in West and East Europe. Western Catholic conservatives understood that sexual free...

Michael Owusu Tabiri, 2019

Through investigative and explorative research, it was uncovered that same-sex marriage could be the surest way to check overpopulation and to annihilate mankind from the world. If people everywhere do not marry naturally (male and female union), by fifty years time, the whole world population will drastically dwindle, diminish and hence leading to abrupt usurpation and annihilation of human beings in the next one hundred and twenty (120) years. It was found that one surpassing benefit which is primus inter pares in marriage is continuous procreation and fruitfulness and for that reason as same-sex marriage could not ensure continuous procreation; it would be expedient to kick it out from human society. It was suggested by many respondents that it would be highly beneficial to pray for all those in authority so that they would not be influenced negatively to make such decisions that are disgraceful, shameful and destructive to the present generation and posterity as a whole. Both secular and religious respondents did not endorse same-sex marriage but rather described it as loathsome, inhuman, degrading and destructive practice. It is highly incumbent upon all African countries to adopt a-long time or never-ending/timeless marriage law that prevents any African citizen to engage in same-sex marriage, without that, future leaders who may pursue personal aggrandisement or face some financial constraints, would be compelled to introduce same-sex marriage in African continent. Keywords: Christian, Islamic, Jewish views, Same-sex marriage, Self-aggrandisement

Gay marriage is the marriage of people of the same sex, legally or socially recognized. Homosexual marriages have been recorded at many places in human history. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriages where it gained legal recognition in 2001. Advocates of same-sex marriage argue that irrespective of sexual orientation, the benefits of marriage are a human right; whereas its adversaries oppose it on the basis of traditions, religion, parental concerns and other damages. The combination of gay couples is recognized in 14 countries. The present paper tries to produce a critical analysis on new trend of homosexual marriage in the world.

Religious Rules, State Law, and Normative Pluralism - A Comparative Overview, 2016

BYU L. Rev., 2001