Comments on: Shocking! Only 28% of Home Affairs offices will marry lesbian and gay couples

By: Vee

Vee — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 18:14:38 +0000

Just saying none of the so called Christians can keep the 10 commandment of which one of them are “do not judge ” but they have to most to say about lesbian and gay couples. Each to it’s own and let God be the judge. Not forgetting that the most cheating are married men married with married woman or single woman and in society this is not an issue. However “they” have the ordacity to point fingers.

By: Hendrik Jordaan

Hendrik Jordaan — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 10:27:11 +0000

Still some sanity in South Africa!

By: Same Love

Same Love — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 22:43:36 +0000

With all due respect Reverend, the only “damn disgrace” is your narrow-minded viewpoint on who other human beings choose to love. So, let me dissect this a couple of ways since your comment lies in 2 extremely shaky premises.
Firstly, as much as the freedom to religion is a right enshrined in the Constitution (s 15), so is the equality clause in s 9; so when assessing conflicting rights, we have to assess which right is “greater” in the circumstances and subsequently, how and why we can limit the “lesser” right to have a just and reasonable outcome. S 9 (3) highlights how the State may not in/directly discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation, amongst other things. Furthermore, in S 9 (4) it highlights how no PERSON must unfairly discriminate on the same grounds and national legislation must be enacted to PREVENT/PROHIBIT UNFAIR DISCRIMINATION. Now, your advocacy for this discrimination based on your religious beliefs further entrenches the regression that is actively being fought against in the Constitution and it wants to deny LGBTQi people the same right that heterosexuals have in formally and legally recognising their INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP. Therefore, the freedom of religion can justifiably be limited on these grounds to allow people of the queer community to carve their love in stone.
Secondly, the notion that your religious doctrine permits homophobia: the underlying principle of any religion is to worship the Higher Being and to love each other peacefully. There is no qualifier as to only people with certain sexual orientations, or certain races, or certain genders, or any other socially constructed idea for that matter. Even in the Bible after God had given Moses the 10 Commandments, He had said that above all we must love Him and love each other. That’s equality, in cased your bigotry lenses missed it. And, even if we can find evidence in these religious books of advocacy of hate towards people based on their characteristics, then we should criticise it! Don’t just have blind faith with no rationality involved. If we really accept and believe the premise that religion is a spiritual guidance on how to live our lives according to the word of a benevolent being who is forgiving, loving and peaceful then surely that extends to EVERYONE and ANYONE; anything that is a deviation of that is the actual perversion and needs to be heavily castigated. Oh, and just so you know, I am a theist myself and I do believe in the good of religion-I just try to apply those principles consistently and am not a fundamentalist at heart.

By: Palina

Palina — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 14:28:14 +0000

In reply to Rev Oscar Peter Bougardt. So a Pastafarian can refuse to serve a Christian at a Home Affairs Office because the Christian's obviously false man-written religious beliefs run contrary to theirs?

By: Njabulo

Njabulo — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 20:57:09 +0000

In reply to Rev Oscar Peter Bougardt. To you,Rev Oscar Peter Bougardt. You do not know the bible well enough to begin with. The same bible you claim forbids same sex marriages speaks of love. speaks of unity. if a man and a woman can love and unite,why can't a man and a man or a woman and a woman do the same? FYI,the bible says the everyone needs a helper,for straight men,their helper is a straight female (woman) that is not the case where homosexual people are concerned. For a gay man,a helper,or their helper is another gay man ,that goes for lesbian women too. Do not speak for the bible. Do not call people perverts. No one is seeking your validation here. We are gay and happy. You are straight,GREAT! and you should be happy (which i doubt you are) and focus on that and ONLY that,No homosexual is out here speaking about how disgusting you straight folks are,because REALLY,HONESTLY,TRULY,we couldn't careless.

By: Rev Oscar Peter Bougardt

Rev Oscar Peter Bougardt — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 14:58:06 +0000

I am a registered marriage officer and I refuse to officiate same sex marriages. Staff who work at Home Affairs offices are also protected under the constitution and if its against their beliefs to officiate same sex marriages its against their beliefs. Once again here we have homosexuals trying to force their perverted lifestyle down the throat of people who don’t believe in their lifestyle. This is a damn disgrace, we are all South Africans and protect by the same constitution as homosexuals. Nobody should be forced to officiate these perverted unions. The Bible teach marriage is a sacret union between a man and woman.