Guardian online has a nice opinion piece by Andy Pakula about same-sex unions in England. Andy is the minister of the Newington Green and Islington Unitarians in London. Andy writes in part:

Since 2004, pressure has grown to remove the ban on mixing religion and civil partnership. Three religious groups – the Unitarians, Quakers, and Liberal Jews – have come to their own decision that they must treat all couples equally and have pressed for changes to give permit them this element of religious freedom. The gay Labour peer, Lord Alli, recently tabled an amendment to the Civil Partnership Act that would lift the ban on civil partnerships in religious premises. Opposition from the bishops in the House of Lords, however, led to its withdrawal.

A letter to The Times today from a group of senior Anglicans strongly supports the repeal of this ban.

Andy’s piece is short and well-written — definitely worth reading.