The role religion plays in a constitutional, democratic and secular Namibia in relation to same-sex marriages

Abstract

Abstract provided by author

There are a number of social as well as legal issues raised generally when we hear about same-sex cohabitations. The issue raised in this work piece, relates to the religious standing regarding homosexual relationships and whether it should influence legal reasoning when interpreting the Constitution

Religious objections remain the foundation on which same-sex marriages are prohibited, and the Namibian approach when interpreting the Constitution include taking into consideration the values and morals of the Namibian people. Other cases however, such as South Africa, tend to give the words of their Constitution a broader meaning, so as to place same-sex relationships under the same umbrella as that of heterosexual relationships, without bringing the people's views into the debate. They also prefer to interpret the spirit and purport with which the Bill of Rights was written

Regardless of the approaches taken, the issue of homosexuality remains one of controversy and touches the very point of each society's heart, because even if some states in the United States have extended the status of marriage to same-sex relationships, the Federal Constitution has not so extended the status as such and one can assume that it concerns to some extent the reason of morality

No matter how controversial the issue of homosexuality in any country, this generation demands, stronger than ever, a certain degree of recognition. Will this recognition be rejected or accepted, and what should religion say?