Peer quotes from Quaker publication
Sarah Brinton quotes from 'Towards a Quaker View of Sex'
An influential Quaker publication from the 1960s was quoted in the House of Lords debate, earlier this week, on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.
Sarah Brinton, the Liberal Democrat peer, who contributed to the debate, referred to Quaker support for the Bill. She said:
‘The Quakers, as ever, set the pace on this. In 1963, in their paper Towards a Quaker View of Sex, they said: “Surely it is the nature and quality of a relationship that matters; one must not judge by its outward appearance but by its inner worth… We see no reason why the physical nature of a sexual act should be the criterion by which the question whether or not it is moral should be decided. An act which expresses true affection between two individuals, and gives pleasure to them both, does not seem to us to be sinful by reason alone of the fact that it is homosexual”.
‘The Quakers see God in everyone and all commitments to relationships as of equal worth. So, I am pleased that the Quakers have said publicly that they will opt into the registration arrangements and carry out equal marriage with enthusiasm.
‘The quadruple lock protects and facilitates same sex marriage for religious groups.’
Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, had written to all members of the House of Lords, prior to the debate, outlining the position of the Religious Society of Friends.
