<blockquote><em>Conservative: holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics</em></blockquote>
As the Church of England <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/12/gay-marriage-anglican-church-editorial?INTCMP=SRCH">continues its journey</a> to oblivion as a result of its war over marriage I find myself asking a question: where have all the conservatives gone? Let me explain by taking a step back in time.

It is the thirteenth century and England had just emerged from the six year strike by England's priests. Jack, a peasant farmer, wishes to marry Florence a young girl from the neigbourhood. Jack asks his Parish Priest what he must do to be wed. The priest explains to Jack that the Westminster church council at the turn of the century did set out some preferences such as marrying in church and the Bann being issued but that this was not necessary for a marriage to be recognised in canon law.

For a marriage to be valid in church law, the priest explained, Jack must exchange marriage vows with Florence and not been 'within the prohibited degrees' (e.g., closely related). And that was it! And so the canon law remained the law of England right up until 1753 and the passing of the Marriage Act (it continued thereafter across the border in Gretna Green).

In other words, for centuries the English church was satisfied that valid marriages could be contracted without recourse to the State. How sad that the Church in the thirteenth century (at a time, remember, when slavery, trial by ordeal and capital punishment were seen has unremarkable the English church was still more progressive on marriage than it is today.

Certainly the church was not blessing same sex marriages but neither was it coercing all persons everywhere to bow to its will. God that we would have some conservatives rise up in the CofE prepared to defend tradition! If the Church of England determines that a marriage is not valid according to its law then fine (well, not fine but legitimate) but the overwhelming majority of the UK disagree.

It is time for the troublemakers who are trying to bully the English people to return to their parishes and, whilst their parishioners can stomach their irreligion, care for those same souls. As for the rest of us, thank you for your interest but we don't want you.