2004
Volume 4, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2212-4810
  • E-ISSN: 2212-6465

Abstract

This article analyzes the increasing tension between equality in legal discourse and the moral argument of religious communities concerning same-sex relationships. It argues that a key component is skepticism of a prominent brand of rights language. The Anglican Church in New Zealand, Aotearoa, and Polynesia is raised as an example. The article traces the debates of this group over same-sex relationship recognition and argues there has been a shift: appeals to rights language, which were previously common within this community, are now more muted. Revisionists have responded to a skeptical claim: that rights language presents a roadblock to discussion and an unsound account of the person, our common life, and public goods. The article contrasts the claims of equality typically emphasizing self-identity and self-actualization, with the attempts of a religious community to discuss competing views on the recognition of same-sex relationships within a framework of gift-giving, duty, and virtue linked to sexuality.

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2016-06-23
2025-12-18
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References

  1.  See also Harrison and Parkinson, supra note 2, 425.
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  43.  See, e.g., supra note 160 and accompanying text.
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): Anglican; Equality; religion; rights skepticism; same-sex relationships
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