'very much doubt if you have ever truly felt contrition for your sins.'
suddenly believe in sin Tony. Amazing

Indeed Mark was too rational for Labor. Almost too rational for contemporary AU parliments.

On this gay marriage thing I fail to understand what proponents expect to achieve from it.
"Marriage" is a word, a name. It's what we call the exclusive union of a man and women. Primarily a reproduction union. A same sex union isn't the same thing. It's a denial of logic and fact to suggest it's the same thing.
If a same sex couple want to make a formal and legal union commitment well and good but come up with a name for it instead of trying to say it's something it isn't.

If the want is to not feel different stealing a name isn't going to do it. If anything it'll do the opposite. It'll just make the difference more conspicuous and weird looking.

We badly need competent opposition. Every parliment state and fed is the same at the moment. Silly distractions like the gay marriage thing aren't doing us any good. The current gov' badly needs opposition. It needs to be challenged. So did the last one and the one before that, and the one before that.
There isn't any opposition. The Laborals have met in the middle, their middle, so none of what they agree on gets questioned. No matter how harmful it is.

""Marriage" is a word, a name."

Interesting argument following the posts using the word omnibus.

Yes Toni, "Clapham" is of course, what I meant. Perhaps there was some unconscious resonance with "Latham" in my mind when I wrote "Chatham".

Jamo, I agree with you that this issue is a distraction, so why are you still arguing about the use of what is, as you say is just a name?

Phanto, I may wish to sign a contract to show my own good faith and my hope for the future success of the relationship. A symbol of my own total commitment to the enterprise of marriage.

I have no idea what you might do.

Runner, what do you think "sin" is? What makes something a "sin"? what are the elements of "repentance" and what is the purpose of repenting? I'm genuinely interested to hear your explanations.

While I agree with marriage equality, I also agree with Latham that the issue has been vastly overblown.

The changes from 1990 to 2007 brought the recognition of de facto relationships of all shades close to the point of marriage equality in all but name.

The priority that labor and the greens have given the issue is a reflection of their dearth of substantive policies.

//suddenly believe in sin Tony.//

No, my religious tradition doesn't really have a concept of 'sin' the way Christianity does. But I have been generally led to believe that Christians do believe in sin. Have I been misinformed?