Living with the enemy: A gay atheist couple and a conservative Anglican priest cross over to each other's worlds

• David Ould, an Anglican minister in Sydney, met with Melbourne couple Michael Barnett and Gregory Storer for SBS series Living with the Enemy
• Both parties came together to discuss their views on same-sex marriage
• Fr Ould believes marriage should not be redefined
  
• Michael says he's unfairly been denied the right to wed the love of his life
  
• The six-part documentary explores other controversial issues from immigration and animal rights to decriminalisation of marijuana and Islam
• The SBS series premieres on Wednesday night at 8.30pm

By Sally Lee for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 10:16 EDT, 2 September 2014 | Updated: 12:08 EDT, 2 September 2014

Same-sex marriage is one of the highly debated controversial issue which has divided our nation.

Australians - for or against - have failed to reach common-ground on their views while under the current law, same-sex marriage remains illegal.

But a new SBS six-part documentary has captured the raw realities of how two completely different worlds collide.

Living with the Enemy firstly documents a Sydney-based Anglican minister and an engaged gay Melbourne couple who are required to spend five days in one world, then five days in the other.

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Melbourne couple Gregory Storer (left), Michael Barnett (middle) and Anglican minister David Ould (right), from Sydney, who feature in Living with the Enemy

The three spent 10 days with each other to discuss their views on same-sex marriage

Anglican minister David Ould from Macquarie Fields, Sydney's south-west, first met Michael Barnett and Gregory Storer in January.

Both parties signed up for the SBS six-part series, with hope that they will conquer what has previously proved to be difficult - even in today's day and age.

Fr Ould believes same-sex marriage is an emotionally laden topic of debate, which is why neither parties haven't been able to see eye-to-eye.

'It's often a discussion we don't have due to the stigmatisation of gay people and the stigmatisation of those who hold traditional views,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'I went into the show not because I wanted to persuade the couple but because I finally wanted to have a gracious conversation about the issue.'

But while Fr Ould acknowledges that there is a stigma surrounding homosexuality, he says they're not alone.

'There's a horrible irony to it,' he said.

'I've been called a homophobe, gay-hater, fundamentalist and worse. You should see my email this week, it's a treat.'

Fr Ould says receiving hate mail and being denounced for this views has become the norm.

'Most days I get told I'm stupid,' he said.

'Any Christian learns the reality quite quickly that we are branded in certain ways.'

Fr Ould is a minister at Macquarie Fields in south-west Sydney

Fr Ould believes marriage is a lifelong union between a man and woman and should not be redefined

Michael and Gregory, who got engaged in August last year and married in New Zealand during the documentary, also hoped their opposing views with Fr Ould would 'meet somewhere in the middle'.

'But we didn't move very far because there was a stalemate,' Michael told the Daily Mail.

We weren't able to talk to David about issues objectively as he had a vested interest due to his professional capability.'

Michael, who previously had long term relationship with an Anglican priest, says he wasn't surprised or shocked when he met Fr Ould.

'His religious views are very crippling for him and in some way I feel sorry for him,' he said.

The couple, who are both passionate atheists, chose to take religion out of their lives as they were sick of being told they were 'sinners' for being homosexual.

Thus Michael cannot fathom why he's being refused a right that's entitled to any other Australian.

'I feel as though I'm being denied the opportunity to be equal to others based on things that is beyond my control like my sexual orientation or sexual identity,' he said.

For Michael and Gregory, their definition of marriage is a simple one.

'It's a legal contract between two consenting adults,' Michael said.

'It's literally a piece of paper that shows the love and commitment to each other.'

Gregory and Michael got married in New Zealand during the filming of the documentary earlier this year

But Fr Ould says marriage is more sacred than just an affirmation of love.

'It's an important social structure and has been for hundreds of years,' he said.

'It's a lifelong union between a man and woman, who normally produce children and a place where children are best raised.'

The Melbourne couple listen to Fr Ould's sermon at his Sydney Anglican church

What Fr Ould stressed was that he wasn't against 'gay marriage'.

'Greg and Michael have the right to live an unhindered life and the right to a contractual relationship but we're opposed to the redefinition of marriage,' he said.

When asked whether he thought that the biblical idea of marriage was outdated, he said: 'the idea isn't archaic because it's a timeless part of nature and God stands above time.'

'While the world around us is changing, marriage doesn't – the biology and physiology of it doesn't change,' he said.

Michael says Fr Ould's views are disingenuous.

'Marriage is redefined constantly from women being owned by their husbands to men having multiple wives,' he said.

'While the religious approach may not change, marriage can be redefined because it already has been.'

Michael believes with the growing support for marriage equality in Australia, it's only a matter of time that the law will be altered.

While Fr Ould's stance remains the same, he says the overall experience has been enlightening.

'It made me more acutely aware of the pain gay, lesbian and bi-sexual people feel from our community,' he said.

For Michael and his husband, they just want to be treated equally.

'We no longer want to be treated as second class citizens,' Michael said.

Living with the Enemy, produced by Shine Australia for SBS, explores other controversial issues such as immigration and animal rights to Islam and the decriminalisation of marijuana.

The documentary premieres on Wednesday night at 8.30pm on SBS One.