I am pleased to announce that the Religious Institute, a multi-faith organization dedicated to sexual health, education and justice, has issued a statement regarding The United Methodist Church's decision General Conference not to remove the doctrinal language that states, "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."
Twenty-four major mainstream religious leaders have endorsed the statement, which reads:
As religious leaders, we are speaking out against the decision of The United Methodist Church's General Conference not to remove the doctrinal language that states, "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching." Using the Bible to exclude or attack people violates the very spirit of our traditions and is morally unconscionable. We affirm sexual and gender diversity as gifts people offer to their congregations and communities. We stand in solidarity with those United Methodists working to transform their denomination into one that celebrates sexual and gender diversity as a blessing that enriches all.
Too many religious institutions have failed to embrace sexual and gender diversity. Some have mistakenly called homosexuality sinful, when the real issue is heterosexism or the unjust privileging of heterosexuality. Silence, misinformation, and condemnation of differing sexual and gender identities have created despair, destroyed relationships, and led to violence, suicide, and even murder. Sexual and gender oppression can no longer be portrayed as virtuous and morally defensible.
Loving, just communities embrace everyone; they are strengthened when all people are able to live fully and express their gender and sexuality with holiness and integrity. There can be no turning back from the goal of the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in our faith traditions and communities. Surely, that day is coming soon.
Rev. Dr. Michael J. Adee
Executive Director
More Light Presbyterians
Dr. Ellen Armour
Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality
Vanderbilt University Divinity School
Karen Barr
Moderator of Council
GLAD Alliance
Meredith Bischoff
President, Board of Directors
Welcoming Community Network
Francis DeBernardo
Executive Director
New Ways Ministry
Marianne Duddy-Burke
Executive Director
DignityUSA
Yolanda Elliott
President
SDA Kinship International
Rev. Yvette Flunder
Presiding Bishop
The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries
Dr. Sharon Groves
Director, Religion and Faith Program
Human Rights Campaign
Rev. Debra W. Haffner
President
Religious Institute
Dr. Alice W. Hunt
President
Chicago Theological Seminary
Dr. Mary E. Hunt
Co-Director
Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER)
Rev. Dr. Jay Johnson
Senior Director
Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry
Pacific School of Religion
Dr. Joel L. Kushner
Director
Institute for Judaism, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
Andrew G. Lang
Executive Director
United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns
David Lohman
IWR & Faith Work Coordinator
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Institute for Welcoming Resources
Jon O'Brien
President
Catholics for Choice
Marilyn Paarlberg
Executive Director
Room for All (Reformed Church in America)
The Very Reverend Dr. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale
President
Episcopal Divinity School
Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer
Executive for Health and Wholeness Advocacy, Wider Church Ministries
United Church of Christ Office for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Ministries
Howard Solomon
President
World Congress of GLBT Jews
Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Director
The Shalom Center
Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches
Rev. Dr. D. Newell Williams
President
Brite Divinity School
(List in formation)
Follow Rev. Debra Haffner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/revdebra
It is protected by the constitution in the U.S.
The Christian Church has a right to set law, doctrine, values, beliefs, practices and standards.
The Christian Church has always reserved the right to excommunicate or exclude.
2 Thessilionians 3, Romans 16, Matthew 15 and many other books of the Bible give reasons for exclusion or excomminication.
We see Paul exercising that right in 1&2Corinthians.
It is not discriminatory.
You do not see whites in the Miss Black America Pagent do you?
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
This denouncement void of direct Biblical scriptural, support is baseless and seen by those who know better as having specious religious backing at best
Add 24 more "teachers" to the list.
Flat earth biblical truth
Slavery biblical truth
Stoning of aldultry biblical truth
Mental health was just demon possession bibilcal truth
Adam and Eve biblical truth
The Great Flood biblical truth
Not eating port biblical truth
Women are unclean during menstration biblical truth
Kill disobedient children biblical truth
Sacrifice of animals to god biblcial truth
Don't eat shellfish biblical truth........
The list goes on and on.
One final note - if the bible was the end of spiritual knowlege why do Christians believe in the Holy Spirit?
Stoning and slavery hasn't applied as far as the Bible is concerned in over 2,000 years
Sure there are mental health issues that are real, there are also things far more insidious than just being bipolar for example
Adam and even and Noah are a matter of faith if you don't believe those then there's no point in discussing believing anything in the Bible, which would put you at odds with even Rev. Haffner.
The rest of your list ceremonial and sacrificial laws that haven't applied in since the time of Jesus, if you were aware of theological truth, you'd know that. I'm sure most of the rest of your "list" would fall into that category.
Who said the Bible was the end of spiritual knowledge?
The Holy Spirit is an additional guide to help us understand the Word of God and to comfort and guide us.
You are welcome to your take on the issue, however attempting to place your group in a position yourselves as righteous enough to "denounce" a group taking a stand is vain and transparent.
Furthermore secular organizations have no place dictating to a religious organization what they should believe theologically. Their opinion is moot.
1) most Christian religions do not follow other parts of that passage or book to the letter
2) the meaning had a different contect to the readers and writers of the time when it was written (context DOES matter)
3) there have been a multitiude of mis-translations of the "Bible" to today's form
4) Please show me the words - Homosexual, gay, lesbian, same-sex or other explicet mentions of same-sex partnerships in the Bible - they do not exist!
1) That's a fallacy. Failure to adhere to Biblical laws does not validate other laws. That's like telling a police officer after you get caught speeding that its ok because people run red lights all the time.
2) No it did not have a different meaning. Where is that in the Bible?
3) And yet ALL the translations say refer to the same group of people
4) Men laying with men? I guess you deny that. Women leaving men to be with women?
Many translations NOW include HOMOSEXUAL in the versions, yep its in the Bible.
Show me where anywhere in the Bible their is scripture that specifically supports "Homosexual, gay, lesbian, same-sex or other explicet mentions of same-sex partnerships"
You cannot. Now THAT is what does not exist.
If you are going to claim that several different passages written across different time periods, in different contexts in both the old and new testaments are some how ALL incorrect, mistranslated and misunderstood, then where do tell are the scriptures that directly support such relationships? Jesus' explicit support of such relationships?
When you overturn something you actually have to have support and evidence that directly contradicts it, not "interpretations" and claims of mistranslation.
Religions have failed to understand suffering.
Most religions have failed to understand the evolution of consciousness process.
Religions have failed to understand the very necessity of unawareness for creation i.e. expression to even manifest.
The Christian religion with a few exceptions has failed to understand the very essence of the teachings of Jesus. Christian preachers have to pick and choose his teachings to make them fit their religious ideologies.
The idea that humankind has fallen is still teachings that belong in the dark ages.
The idea that a sacrifice of blood was needed to get into heaven is indeed beliefs from the dark ages.
If love, acdceptance, humility and "judge not" means so little to you, why do you claim to be more Christian than others.
So many in our modern culture throw out the whole 'judge not' mantra because they don't want any standard of right or wrong in their lives. You violate your own 'judge not' standard by judging those who try to live as close to what is biblical as we can.
they were actually against worked. "VOTE FOR MARRIAGE," signs were plastered all over town; their aim, to mislead voters and influence results...was a whopping success. Such tactics may be particularly effective when a large proportion of voters have limited literacy in the language used on the ballot paper. These tactics are usually not illegal but often work, by using similar names or symbols as their opponents.These tactics work against the very principles of democracy. I stood outside the church I voted in yesterday (in my town, most of the voting took place in churches) and polled some of the voters coming out. One older couple was visible shaken, after I explained the amendment to them. They have a gay son...their Pastor told them, they would be they would be "helping" their son by voting for the amendment...need I say more?
That said, this statement is total nonsense: "Loving, just communities embrace everyone; they are strengthened when all people are able to live fully and express their gender and sexuality with holiness and integrity. There can be no turning back from the goal of the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in our faith traditions and communities." There is no justification for any Christian minister to sign on to this statement. I fully support gay marriage as a civil right, but don't expect me to embrace it as a Christian.
I have not expressed a word of hatred toward anybody. I have simply stated my belief that Christian churches should not (and most will not) marry gay couples, as this would be seen as an endorsement of a sinful lifestyle (the practice of homosexuality). That does not mean that gays or even gay couples should be shunned from church - church is a place for all, and everyone there is a sinner. Every Christian has fallen short in the eyes of God. There are many sinful lifestyles that the Christian church does not endorse - adultery, fornication, incest - just to name a few. But the Church is not now nor should it ever be in a position to turn away anyone who comes to worship.