4 posts tagged “gay marriage”

Bishop Gene Robinson: "Religion in general still presents the greatest obstacles we face in full equality," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the oppression that we know in our lives comes from the religious community."

"A lot of New Hampshire families have come to know people in their families who are gay, co-workers, former classmates and that's what really made this difference.

We are no longer talking about an issue," he said. "We are talking about people."

Gay bishop rejoices in NH's gay marriage vote

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/a...

ONCORD, N.H. (AP) — It was tough enough to get New Hampshire's lawmakers and governor to approve gay marriage, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson says there's an even tougher job ahead: getting churches to fully embrace gay marriage and gay people. "What we have to work against is countless centuries of tradition which has judged homosexual people to be an abomination before God," said Robinson, the Episcopal church's only openly gay bishop. Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote. In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones. The gallery erupted and Robinson was caught up in a sea of hugs, which continued as he walked through the Statehouse to a rally outside. "There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes." But Robinson, who was elected bishop six years ago this month, said more must happen to change attitudes in churches. "The law says that every church gets to choose what it will do," he said, meaning they can refuse to perform gay marriages. Robinson approves, saying the law protects religious freedom. "But now we need to be working in our religious institutions to come to this new place about what is God's will about this," Robinson said. "I think a close look at that will reveal God loves all of God's children, not just certain ones, and that's the harder work." The law spells out that churches, their employees and religious groups cannot be forced to officiate at gay marriages or provide other services. They were key elements pushed by Gov. John Lynch to win his approval. But gay marriage opponents said the constitution already provides those protections to religious institutions. Th...

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ONCORD, N.H. (AP) — It was tough enough to get New Hampshire's lawmakers and governor to approve gay marriage, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson says there's an even tougher job ahead: getting churches to fully embrace gay marriage and gay people.

"What we have to work against is countless centuries of tradition which has judged homosexual people to be an abomination before God," said Robinson, the Episcopal church's only openly gay bishop.

Robinson sat in the front row of the gallery in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, hands clasped at times, praying for lawmakers to push a little green button that indicates a "yes" vote.

In the end, there were 198 green lights to legalize gay marriage, and 176 red ones.

The gallery erupted and Robinson was caught up in a sea of hugs, which continued as he walked through the Statehouse to a rally outside.

"There are a lot of people standing here who, when we grew up, could not have imagined this," Robinson said. "You can't imagine something that is simply impossible. It's happened, in our lifetimes."

But Robinson, who was elected bishop six years ago this month, said more must happen to change attitudes in churches.

"The law says that every church gets to choose what it will do," he said, meaning they can refuse to perform gay marriages. Robinson approves, saying the law protects religious freedom.

"But now we need to be working in our religious institutions to come to this new place about what is God's will about this," Robinson said. "I think a close look at that will reveal God loves all of God's children, not just certain ones, and that's the harder work."

The law spells out that churches, their employees and religious groups cannot be forced to officiate at gay marriages or provide other services.

They were key elements pushed by Gov. John Lynch to win his approval.

But gay marriage opponents said the constitution already provides those protections to religious institutions. They argued the protections should be expanded to cover commercial vendors, such as photographers and caterers. That drew fire from gay marriage supporters who said the state's anti-discrimination laws would be unraveled by allowing people to discriminate at will.

The law goes into effect in January.

In a speech in Washington last month, Robinson said despite recent momentum, the struggle continues for gay rights supporters in churches.

"Religion in general still presents the greatest obstacles we face in full equality," he said. "Ninety-five percent of the oppression that we know in our lives comes from the religious community."

Robinson's election in 2003 caused a rift in the global Anglican Communion, intensifying a long-running debate over what Anglicans should believe about salvation, sexuality and other issues. The Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the U.S., is more liberal than growing Anglican churches in Africa and elsewhere.

Meeting in Egypt in February, Anglican leaders requested their churches continue a temporary ban — enacted after Robinson's election — on consecrating openly gay bishops and writing prayers for gay unions.

New Hampshire legalized civil unions for gay couples last year, but in a pastoral letter, Robinson told Episcopal clergy he would prefer they not preside at civil unions, instead, presiding over a blessing, afterward.

"It is my hope that we will be able to provide for the private, pastoral needs of the faithful people entrusted to our care, while causing a minimum of further furor in the Church," he wrote in February, 2008, a month after civil unions became legal in the state.

But he said he would be "personally and institutionally supportive" of clergy who did not want to bless a civil union.

Robinson and his partner of 20 years were united in a civil union a year ago this month.

He said legislators recognized that gay marriage is more than a policy question and hopes churches will do the same.

"A lot of New Hampshire families have come to know people in their families who are gay, co-workers, former classmates and that's what really made this difference. We are no longer talking about an issue," he said. "We are talking about people."

I couldn't agree more.

To This Minister, Prop. 8 Is Repugnant

By The Rev. Madison Shockley

As a minister for almost 30 years I have had the joy of performing many weddings. Ministers are called upon to participate in a variety of important moments in the lives of their people; none is more filled with joy than a wedding. In recent years, I have had the opportunity to perform same-gender wedding ceremonies with the blessing of my denomination, the United Church of Christ. But it wasn’t until recent months (June to be exact) that I was able to perform such weddings with the authority of the state of California.

Since the state court ruling legalizing equal marriage in California, I have performed eight weddings for same-gender couples. Only one of them had not previously had some other kind of religious or social ceremony to celebrate their relationship. What I find most interesting is how important it is for couples, many of whom have been together for decades, to have the opportunity to be legally married. For most of us straight allies, the right to marry is so fundamental it is difficult to imagine what it would mean to be prohibited from marrying the person we love. Even more difficult to imagine is that the voters of California could conspire to negate my marriage of 25 years! And that brings us to the situation in which we find ourselves regarding Proposition 8, on Tuesday’s ballot in California.

The thousands of same-gender couples who have married in the few months since the California Supreme Court cleared the way are in fact married. The notion that a majority vote by people who are not party to these marriages of love, commitment, care and family will have the power to impose a divorce on these couples is flatly repugnant. The idea that those who wish to form relationships that will enhance their lives, provide a framework of support and nurture for their relationship, protect their families (especially their children) from uncertainty at the most vulnerable times in life (particularly illness and death) should be prohibited because of the religious feelings of some and the blatant bias of others strikes me as un-American.

It has often been noted that the Bill of Rights would have a difficult time passing today. The freedom of religion goes both ways. One is free to marry according to one’s faith (or personal beliefs) and others are free to marry according to their faith (or personal beliefs). As a minister of one of the oldest religious traditions in America (the Pilgrim Congregationalists are our ecclesiastical ancestors) I stand in the tradition of the freedom of conscience that was the basis not only of Protestantism but of democracy and liberty at the founding of the United States.

“The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice” are words made more famous by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the course of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It was his subtle way of warning those wedded to the ideology of segregation that they were not only inevitably wrong but that the world, despite their best efforts, would inevitably change. Many of the advances of the civil rights era were won at the bar of the court and not at the ballot box. It is sad to see black clergy of the megachurch movement, like Frederick Price of the Crenshaw Christian Center, sullying the moral authority of the black church by partnering with the right-wing evangelicals, Mormons and Knights of Columbus to pass Proposition 8. It is a travesty to see the proponents of Prop. 8 use children like human shields against any charge of homophobia that might rightly be leveled against them. They send out mailers and produce ads that use words like violated and child sacrifice in the same sentence with their protestations against gay marriage. The most ironic part of this unholy alliance is that removing discrimination against a class of people is at the heart of equal marriage. The proponents feel if they can leverage the symbol of the struggle against discrimination (black folks) they can blunt the edge of the argument for equal marriage.

I do pray that voters in California will get on the right side of justice and the right side of history on Tuesday. If Proposition 8 passes it will be a devastatingly painful affirmation of our culture’s capacity to inflict intentional harm on millions of persons whose only crime is a desire to live and love honestly. This time it is different from 2000 when Californians voted on Proposition 22, a measure to block same-sex marriage. Then, we had inherited a world in which these relationships were not recognized by law or custom. But now we have entered, although only recently, a brave new world in which all persons may live and love with equality before the law. To go backward would be a tragedy; not just for them but also for all of us who regard as more civilized a society that offers more and not less opportunity for meaningful, legitimate participation by all its citizens.

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Hell we have to blame someone for all of the wrongs and the natural disasters in the world so it may as well be the gays and their evil ways. 

Then if not we can blame the Jews, the blacks, the Muslims, the elderly, the sick, the poor, the atheists, the Catholics, the liberals, the socialists, the communists, the intellectuals, the artists, the gypsies, the ......., the ......., the ......., the ........ oh to hell with it, I will let you fill in the gaps.

PrideSource: Bishop calls for gay Christians to come out of the spiritual closet

http://www.pridesource.com/article.sh...

The most visible and powerful voice for LGBT equality in the Christian community will address thousands of activists on Feb. 9 during the National Creating Change Conference in Detroit. In 2003 Rev. Gene Robinson's consecration as the U.S. Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop sent shockwaves across the globe that threatened to divide the Anglican Church. Despite death threats, relentless media attention and political fallout, Robinson has become a beacon of hope and reason for those focused on working for change within faith based communities. "Because religion has treated LGBT people so horribly it is the last place we will look for support," said Robinson during an interview with BTLlast week. "There is no civil rights issue so closely tied to religious issues as homosexuality." His plenary address at Creating Change will outline the connections between the fight for LGBT rights and religion. "We cannot ignore the religious piece of the argument, since it is the greatest stumbling block to us making progress. I think it will take religious voices to counter the religious right." Coming out as people of faith The very nature of the "religious right" and the pervasive use of the Bible to justify denial of LGBT rights, said Robinson, has made tackling faith based roadblocks the last priority for many activists, leading many into a spiritual closet. "LGBT people need to come out as being religious. I think it sometimes easier to come out as gay than it is to come out as religious." During a recent visit at the D.C. offices of the Human Rights Campaign, he asked a group of 100 staffers to raise their hands if they were active in a church. "About two-thirds of them raised their hands," recalled Robinson. "But only 3 people said they had told other people in the building that they were religious." To create change, Robinson believes that LGBT people of faith need to view themselves as missionaries - building bridges between churche...

Gays and God

Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop
Steven Greenberg, rabbi
Zina Jacque, Baptist minister
Cheryl Giles, moderator
Diane Moore, moderator

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What really impressed me above all else was their sense of humanity and humility which seems to be lacking when I listen to many Christians.  For me these three gay religious teachers gave a real sense of what Christianity and Judaism should be about, and that is love, acceptance and compassion.  In my opinion if there were more religious people such as these either gay or straight, the world would be a much better place.

On another note I have mentioned this organisation before but I think it is worth mentioning again.

Fortunate Families

Grounded in Catholic tradition, Fortunate Families ministers primarily with Catholic parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender daughters and sons—but welcomes families of all faiths. When parents explore and value their personal stories, they are empowered to share that story with their family circle, their faith community and the larger society. 

Parents just learning that a son is gay or a daughter is lesbian will find resources—including the Fortunate Families Newsletter—and support to help them understand, accept, and affirm their child who is a child of God. Catholic parents will find information regarding Church teaching and pastoral responses to the gay or lesbian child. Parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender daughters and gay sons who yearn for a more welcoming church and society will find strategies for making their faith communities and their world safer and more just for their children.

Grounded in Catholic tradition, Fortunate Families welcomes families of all faiths.

At the moment this group is releasing some fantastic information leaflets on a weekly basis titled:

Let’s Talk About Homosexuality I have currently read the first 4 weeks and I was impressed with the series so far, hopefully the remaining modules will be just as interesting and impressive.

Let’s Talk About Homosexuality

A Catholic conversation for:

The series, originally created as an adult education program and carried for 14 weeks on the website of a Midwest Catholic parish, is intended for anyone interested in learning more about homosexuality and the pastoral challenges it raises for Catholics.  Click to read how and why Jerry Furlong, parent of a gay child, came to develop the series.

Week 1: Common Questions about Homosexuality  Now available.
The Basic Stuff
Scientific Perspectives

Week 2: Common Questions about Homosexuality  Now available.
Social Perspectives
Family Perspectives

Week 3: Putting a Human Face on Homosexuality  Now available.
Parents Talk of Their Experience

Week 4: Putting a Human Face on Homosexuality  Now Available.
Gay and Lesbian Persons Talk of Their Experience

Week 5: Moral and Pastoral Considerations  Now available.
What the Church Teaches

Week 6: Moral and Pastoral Considerations  To be posted February 11
Other Catholic Voices: So What Are We To Do?
The Role of Conscience

Week 7: Moral and Pastoral Considerations  To be posted February 18
Other Catholic Voices: Shared Thoughts on Vatican Documents

Week 8: Moral and Pastoral Considerations  To be posted February 25
Other Catholic Voices:
The Question of “Finality”
“A Biblical Understanding”
Can Teaching Change?
One Last Question

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I would also recommend this book if you are a gay Christian.  I know that many mainstream Christians will not agree with its interpretations, but scripture is supposed to be living and interpretation is not fixed despite what we are continually told and interpretation is influenced by certain prejudices.

Gay Christian 101

Read what others have said about this book.