Letter: Ungodly unions

THE Scottish Youth Parliament's call for gay marriage was driven by a naive notion of "equality" (your report, 2 August).

However, marriage, the union of men and a women in domesticity, sex and permanent faithful commitment, all within a single public covenant, was instituted by God as the foundation for a society of stable families, in which parents and children flourish.

Even despite recent blurring of the ideal of marriage, its effectiveness is attested by countless studies.

Marriage should not be available to anyone wanting to formalise or publicise a relationship. Once the definition of marriage is loosened, the simplistic "equality" argument will be employed to support polygamous, polyamorous, temporary, platonic and "open" marriages.

Thus stripped of its power and clarity, marriage will decline in popularity, and we will all be the losers (relationship breakdown already costs each UK taxpayer 1,350 a year).

Anyone wishing to dismiss this as a "slippery slope" argument must point out what reasoning will be applied to resist further redefinitions of marriage.

A trio of two women and one man have already had a civil partnership ceremony in Holland. What does the Scottish Youth Parliament have to say about that?

Richard Lucas

Broomyknowe

Edinburgh