Churchgoers told the Island’s MP of their concerns and priorities for action at a meeting over the weekend. About thirty people from all Christian denominations met Andrew Turner on Sunday and raised many issues with him, from abortion to religious hatred but with a focus on family breakdown.
Andrew Turner said,
“In the last four years I have received lots of letters from churchgoers and others on issues like same-sex adoption, civil partnerships, the recent Mental Capacity Bill – now an Act of Parliament – and, most recently, the proposed crime of incitement to religious hatred. I felt it important to consult more widely among representatives of Island churches to see what their priorities are.
“The issue of greatest concern appeared to be the effects of family breakdown – the lack of male role models for boys, the length of family court proceedings and the enforcement of their decisions, the extra pressures on lone parents, and poor educational achievements of some youngsters who live apart from a parent. Some of the causes of family breakdown were thought to be unrealistic expectations, and poor examples set by the media and people in the public eye.”
Mr Turner added,
“Government is not well placed to solve these problems, but it could at least stop making them worse by – for example – allowing the tax and benefit system to disadvantage families who stay together. We need to turn that on its head and also to help faith groups and charities which offer support for families and young people.”
