just a thought…

Citizenzero.us

Wonderful for the Episcopal church. 4-5 years ago I attended a gay wedding in an Episcopal church. Substitute the words” committment ceremony” for marriage, and it was identical to hetero marriage.

If you are Christian, and still believe that there is good in religion, and you church condemns you – directly, or out of the corner of their mouths, you have the Episcopal church to go to and be loved. Sure, about 5% of the church has left,and prob another 5% will leave.

And by that act, they will discover when they stand before the Pearly Gates, that their is another gate for them – the trap door underneath that will send them to God’s own -re-education camp.

And it is now a good bet that this summer, the Evangelical Lutherans ( actually the most progressive branch, though they are not a hate filled organization by any means) will vote on allowing gay pastors who are also in relationships. Prob will happen. And then we will be at the tipping point. Presbyterians got close this year.

In the end, the homophobic churches will be exposed.

Much of what you’re saying is misleading. For example, you say, “There are some retired mainline Christian ministers who will perform gay marriages, but not in the church.” That seems to imply that no active mainstream Christian ministers perform same-sex marriages, and that no mainstream ministers perform them in the church. Neither of these is true. Similarly, “some denominations may allow celibate gay clergy” implies that no denominations allow practicing gay clergy. Again, this is untrue. Your statement that ELCA unofficially “tolerates” gay clergy and has a DADT policy would more accurately describe any of several conservative Baptist or Pentacostal denominations.

I have to compliment you on something, though. You’re very good at making these denominations seem very unaccepting of gay people. Your last post was misleading, but it was also very shrewd. You switched from denomination to individual church and back again whenever it allowed you to paint a group as antigay. And you often created a desired impression by simply leaving out important information, such as the fact that ELCA is by far the largest Lutheran group in the U.S. While I vehemently disagree with this approach, I have to admit that – assuming it’s deliberate – you’re very good at it. Your writing could become a powerful force for good, if you used it to promote tolerance rather than prejudice and made up your mind to convey a complete and accurate impression.

Unless they changed recently, Presbyterian and Methodist do not perform gay marriages in the church or allow gay clergy (the Presbyterians have came very close to doing so). Some Quaker Meetings allow gay marriages and many don’t. Unitarian-Universalist is not a Christian denomination (I go to one). Like the Episcopalians, some Christian denominations will allow “blessings” of gay couples, but very few will allow gay marriages in the church or allow active clergy to perform gay marriages. ECLA Lutherans are probably the most liberal of Lutherans and they do not officially allow gay clergy (although there are indications that they may be unofficially tolerated — a sort of DADT).

There are some retired mainline Christian ministers who will perform gay marriages, but not in the church. Some Christian denominations or churches may allow celibate clergy, but this is just as bad as not allowing gay clergy at all.

I agree that many mainline congregations accept and welcome gays, but in the vast majority of Christian churches, gays are still not allowed to get married in the church or become clergy; although some denominations may allow celibate gay clergy.

As we fight anti-LGBT prejudice and discrimination, I think it’s important not to perpetuate prejudice and discrimination against other demographic groups. In the U. S., mainstream Protestants and Roman Catholics are actually more likely than the general public to accept gay people: 56% and 58% vs. 50% in a recent Pew Center poll. Opposition to our rights from within Christianity comes mainly from evangelicals – and even then, evangelicals under 30 diverge, with 58% of them supporting either civil unions or marriage equality. We have major and growing support both inside and outside the church, and I think it’s to our benefit to welcome and encourage our supporters, regardless of their demographics.

Now, as for all those deriding organized religion just because of some sort of personal antipathy, you would do well to note the irony: You who rail against organized religion’s historic tendency to scapegoat the LGBT community are yourselves making a scapegoat of the religious community now, which includes more than a few of your own. That, my friends, is the very epitome of hypocrisy–in my estimation, anyway. So long as humankind’s deep-seated desire for the transcendent remains, so too will religious institutions. Rather than childishly condemning and blaming, we of all people should be modeling cooperation and promoting understanding.

Something to think about.