On March 2nd, the House of Lords is due to return to the government’s Equality Bill. Lord Waheed Alli will be putting forward an amendment to the Bill. The amendment is designed to allow faith communities who are willing to host civil partnership registrations on their premises.

At present, the law does not allow civil partnerships to be registered on the premises of a religious organization. But a number of faith communities – Liberal Judaism, Quakerism, Unitarianism and the Metropolitan Community of Churches – have considered the matter prayerfully and have determined that they would like to be able to host civil partnerships registrations on their premises.

The proposed amendment is not intended to place any obligation to host such ceremonies on those faith communities who are unwilling. The supporters of the amendment believe in religious liberty. Those faith communities who wish to be able to host civil partnership registrations on their premises should be free to do so. And those communities with a corporate view against allowing this should be no less free to refuse to do so. Thus, the amendment, placed by Lord Alli before the Lords this Friday afternoon, states that: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, this clause does not oblige any religious organisation to host civil partnership ceremonies if they do not wish to.’

The proposed amendment was supported by a strong leading article in The Times this week, and an accompanying article reported that the Conservatives are ‘likely’ to support it.

However, when my fellow Quaker Jill Green wrote to her MP, David Cameron, about the matter a few weeks ago, David Cameron responded by saying that he did not support a change in the law. He gave no reason. He merely stated that ’…I think it best for the moment that the present arrangements continue.’

Do conservatives support the amendment? This is a golden opportunity for conservatives everywhere to show that they value both religious liberty and the equality of gay and lesbian citizens – citizens who are currently denied the liberty to enter into a fundamental, life-shaping commitment in a religious context, even where their own faith community wishes to offer them the chance to do so.

But I think the opportunity is also a test.

It is a test for progressives everywhere - Including those who profess allegiance to the Conservative Party - and a test of those progressive credentials.

And so, if you are a progressive of any political affiliation reading this post, here’s what you can do: get on the phone, email, twitter and the blogs and urge your party’s leaders to support Lord Alli’s amendment on March 2.

Thanks to Stuart, for his eloquent missive. We are delighted to host this debate and look forward to seeing the argument unfold. Ed.