The Episcopal Clergy Vote is an Important One for Gays

It doesn't matter if you attend religious services weekly or if you have fallen away, if you're atheist or agnostic, if you think religion is the opiate of the people or the road to peace - established religion in America is an important force.

So when the bishops of the Episcopal Church voted this week to affirm gay clergy, it was an important move.

Ever since 2003, when the openly gay Gene Robinson was consecrated as a bishop, the 77-million member Anglican communion -- the worldwide body of which the Episcopal Church is a part -- has been threatened with schism.

Three years ago, there was a moratorium on future elevation of gay bishops until the issue could be more carefully considered. The gay Episcopal group Integrity says that this week's vote effectively ends the ban, though others say that it just affirmed what was already the case, that gays and lesbians are a full part of the Episcopal Church.

Last month, conservative breakaway churches in the U.S. formed their own Anglican group aligned with more conservative South American and African diocese. Called the Anglican Church in North America, they have a paltry 100,000 members compared with 2 million Episcopalians -- yet if the international Anglican groups choose to align with them instead, that could change.

For now, however, their absence has led to a more liberal Episcopal Church. A committee this week voted that the Episcopal Church should also permit the blessing of same-sex couples, though the full body won't vote on it until later this week. When it came to testifying in favor of the measure, 50 people did so -- only six testified against it.

All of this might seem like inside baseball to you if you're not Episcopalian, even more so if you're not Christian or not religious at all.

But it is important to all of us who support gay and lesbian rights, for a couple reasons.

First, the Episcopal Church is seen as the canary in the coal mine by other mainline Protestant Churches. They are waiting to see if accepting gays and lesbians as full members of the church will lead to a breaking away from the international church, or whether different views will be able to co-exist happily.

If the Anglican fellowship survives with an inclusive Episcopal Church, it might lead other denominations -- Lutherans, Presbyterians -- to follow the example of the United Church of Christ and become fully inclusive of gays and lesbians as well.

And once all Mainline Protestant churches start approving of gay marriage, it will be very difficult for politicians and anti-marriage advocates to make a religious argument against gay marriage, since it will be even more clear that not all denominations agree on this issues.

Secondly, however, the entire issue points out something that those of us who are American gays and lesbians often forget: the rights (or lack thereof) of gays and lesbians internationally has an effect on us here at home.

There is the threat of a schism because gays and lesbians in many parts of South America and Africa (South Africa being the notable, progressive exception) lag behind their American counterparts when it comes to how they are viewed by their societies. If gays and lesbians were seen as nearly equal in those parts of the world, we would have more rights in the U.S. now.

That is, mainline churches would have accepted us already -- which would lead to more pressure on politicians -- which would lead to a quicker change in our laws.

Gay and lesbian rights at home are affected by gay and lesbian rights abroad.

A gay rights battle in one place -- whether that place is within the Episcopal Church or in a city in Africa -- affects gay rights in every other place.

We will not have full equality here until gays and lesbians have equality everywhere.

Jennifer Vanasco is editor in chief of 365gay.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/JenniferVanasco; email her at [e-mail].

 

Follow Jennifer Vanasco on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JenniferVanasco

Comments

[Shawn Fraine]

Bible thumpers pick and choose what they want to follow in their Bible. They say, "The bibles says that homosexuality is a sin." But they leave out that eating shrimp is a sin (even if we have red lobster which surely is not going out of business) (Leviticus verses 10-12)

or how the bible says that owning slaves is okay (Leviticus 25:44, 1 Timothy 6: 1-3)

or how you should stone your child to death if they don't listen (Deuteronomy 21:18-21, 2 Kings 2:23-24, Psalm 137:9)

Yet, out of all the ones they fail to quote, one of the biggest from the biggest "Star" of their religion, Jesus, "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:36-40)

I was, at one time, a Christian. These are just a few examples of how Christians (and I do mean all) either don't know what the bible truly says or just pick and choose what they want to take from their bible. Religion is a cancer of the earth, it has held back the evolution of man, it has killed millions of people and won't let us solve major illnesses with programs such as stem cell research.

[poshman]

To be perfectly blunt, most of us non-believers see self-identified Christians as regressive reactionaries who are FAR too interested in other people's sex lives. If one-tenth the energy Christians spend opposing the gays went to feeding the hungry, we'd all be fat and happy! And, yes, I realize there are many good Christians who do fine work in this very area, but still...

As for the Episcopal Church - go for it - but let's tax these Sunday entertainment centers.

I'm gay, raised an Episcopalian and can't imagine anyone gay or straight wasting their time concerned about what the bible says. The church is now a bastion of converts and guilt ridden former Catholics and Mormons.

The Episcopal Church is now just a tax exempt version of the Peace Corps in ecclesiastical drag!

[jrdmopar]

You are absolutely correct in the converts statement. These individuals that have left their churches for the Episcopal church just cant deal with the reallity of scripture. When they are taught that what they are doing is a sin, they choose to go where they dont speak of it as a sin.
Scripture is fact and when we are confronted with the facts we have 2 options. Correct the sin or avoid the teaching. If you attend an Episcopal church you will only get scripture light, because they need the membership.
Read your Bibles, dont put your faith in man/woman. Put your faith in Gods word. It does not change, people change.

[StevenKeirstead]

Scripture is fact? Get real, it's a patchwork of ancient myths, what passed for knowledge of the natural world in the Middle East a few thousand years ago, tribal laws and biased histories. There were hundreds of people involved in writing Biblical scripture, whose words often contradict each other. The first two chapters of Genesis describe different creation myths that came from different semitic tribes. The four gospels each quote different dying words of Jesus. Clearly scripture is flawed and full of falsehoods. It has changed with every added chapter and every translation.

One of the fundamental tenets of the Episcopal church is that everyone gets to decide what they think is right and no one has a monopoly on truth. It is not a fundamentalist church or one lead by an infallible leader. I used to like that but long ago I realized how silly all religions are. I have come to the conclusion that no one really knows if there is a god or gods, how the universe began or if there is life beyond death. All we can do is live our lives the best we can and treat other people as we would have them treat us.

[BeninOakland]

Scripture is fact and when we are confronted with the facts we have 2 options. Correct the sin or avoid the teaching.

So I can now execute you for the abomination of eating shrimp and pork kebabs?

Honey, you don't even believe this yourself. Factual scripture has been interpreted and reinterpreted since before JC's body was cold.

[JohnFromCensornati]

These "mainline" churches represent a small minority of believers in this country and their piece of the pie is smaller all the time. Let me know when anti-gay laws are repealed. Good news for the Log Cabin Christians really doesn't do anything at all for me.

[wpiv926]

About time. Congrats. to the Episcopalians. I know my church, Presbyterian Church U.S.A. will be next. We came very close this year.

[jrdmopar]

SAD DAY!