Blacks, Gays And The Church: A Complex Relatnship : NPR

Contents:

• ON GAY MARRIAGE IN CHURCH, STANC VARY AMONG RELIGNS, CLERGY, MEMBERS
• 3 OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMATNS THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS
• WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• CHURCH THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE
• EXCLUSIVE: TAYLOR MARSHALL SAYS POPE FRANCIS MAY CHANGE POSN OF CATHOLIC CHURCH ON GAY MARRIAGE
• BLACKS, GAYS AND THE CHURCH: A COMPLEX RELATNSHIP
• WHY HAVE SO MANY CHRISTIANS AND CHURCH BEE PRO-GAY?

ON GAY MARRIAGE IN CHURCH, STANC VARY AMONG RELIGNS, CLERGY, MEMBERS

Though the Supreme Court has clared the Defense of Marriage Act unnstutnal and validated California's gay marriage ban, marriage remas a plited and ntted issue among relig nomatns. (The urt lg on California's Proposn 8 effectively will allow gay marriage the state, but do not change same-sex marriage laws or bans other stat). Yet, while surveys have shown that people who are agast gay marriage most equently pot to relig views to expla their objectns, the number of nomatns that perform same-sex marriage and blsg ceremoni is growg.

3 OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMATNS THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE

In 2004, after Massachetts legalized gay marriage but before the ph for same-sex marriage legalizatn picked up steam natnally, the church voted to support state efforts to legalize civil unns.

Most mosqu do not allow same-sex marriag, and a high-rankg cleric at Egypt's Al-Azhar Universy, one of Islam's most rpected schools, recently clared gay marriage to be agast the fah. Hduism do not have an official posn on gay marriage, though some Hd and scholars have poted to ancient relig texts as ndong homosexualy.

Although polici among relig groups on gay marriage differ wily, recent surveys have shown that members of many relig groups are creasgly supportive of legalizatn. PerryhomosexualyRelign and SexualyDefense of Marriage ActBefore You GoSCOTUS Decisns On Prop 8, Defense Of Marriage Act. It has weled gay people sce 1976, when s General Conventn cid that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim wh all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral ncern and re of the Church.

GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS

Statistics suggt, however, that gays and lbians are not creasg number, if we accept the bt rearch data of Edward Lmann, who puts the number at about 5% of the populatn1.

What has grown is a much greater acceptance of gays and lbians our culture, as well as the social and enomic eedom for gays and lbians to emerge om the closet that has nfed them for so many generatns. The recent addn of same sex mment ceremoni the Sunday New York Tim weddg and engagement announcements and the populary of shows as "Will and Grace" and "Queer Eye…" dite a shift our culture's attu toward gays and lbians. My tent was two-fold: first to ve stunts to dialogue wh people different om themselv; send, to work to elimate, whatever small way I uld, homophobic attus on our mp and our muny.

WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

My purpose today is not to support or fend gay and lbian marriag—ed, many gays and lbians do not want to marry—but simply suggt a theologil approach that might open up the possibily for greater Christian acceptance of, and eccliastil approval for, same sex unns.

A person is born gay and lbian and grows up this way; is not a matter of cisn, one possibily among others for the mature dividual.

"Consiratns Regardg Proposals to Give Legal Regnn to Unns Between Homosexual Persons" (CDF): nnot promote any form of civil regnn of same-sex unns, formally or materially.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

Catholic sistence: one n uphold the digny of homosexual people while not upholdg their right-to-marry; no unjt discrimatn towards homosexuals is acceptable; they mt be treated wh rpect, and their rights fend.

The Supreme Court lg earlier this year legalizg same-sex marriage natnwi has ntued to raise qutns about how the cisn will affect relig groups – pecially those that rema opposed to allowg gay and lbian upl to wed. ) (not to be nfed wh the Prbyterian Church Ameri, which oppos same-sex marriage) and the Epispal Church have wrtled wh the issue for years, often as part of a larger bate on the role of gays and lbians the church. Schaefer’s se has spl the church, wh some clergy floutg the l and marryg same-sex upl and other, more nservative members threateng to leave if the church do not hold to s current l prohibg gay marriage.

CHURCH THAT ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE

Overall, a solid majory of whe male Prottants (62%) now favor allowg gays and lbians to wed, wh jt 33% opposed, acrdg to a 2015 Pew Rearch Center survey. This is an important lson for church and nomatnal bodi to learn as they nsir one of the most challengg qutns of our time: how to addrs the cln of persons who are gay, lbian, transgenr or otherwise nonnformg to tradnal rol. An example on each si: One iend believ the church should allow gay ans bee a an body should reprent the life of the church, where there are undoubtedly gay members.

EXCLUSIVE: TAYLOR MARSHALL SAYS POPE FRANCIS MAY CHANGE POSN OF CATHOLIC CHURCH ON GAY MARRIAGE

If you don’t normally ask straight sgle adults if they’re celibate, why should you ask gay sgle adults if they are celibate? Crics of LGBTQ cln the church often talk about a “gay liftyle” as a broad assumptn that all people wh same-sex attractn are livg promiscuy and bchery.

This is problematic, however, if the church expects a standard of sexual relatns only wh marriage but do not acknowledge marriage as a realy for gay and lbian Christians. | Getty ImagThe four ndidat for bishop of an Epispal Church dce that recently garnered headl for refg to bls same-sex marriag have dited that they will allow the Epispal Dce of Albany has been whout a bishop sce the rignatn 2021 of William Love, who had issued an open letter 2020 refg to enforce a nomatnal le requirg all dc to allow for the blsg of gay marriag. ”Ward wrote that he believ the issue of gay marriage is “tly plited” and that he rpects all sis on the issue, addg that if elected bishop, “honorg theologil diversy would be a prry.

BLACKS, GAYS AND THE CHURCH: A COMPLEX RELATNSHIP

”“Seekg rolutn and a mutual path forward would volve a basic mment to rpectg the digny of every person, affordg genero pastoral attentn to every voice, and seekg Holy mon ground on nonilly sound footg, ” Ward July 2018, the Epispal Church General Conventn passed Rolutn B012, which required all dc to bls same-sex unns, removg earlier provisns that allowed several dc to prohib such measur, due to them beg nflict wh the biblil standard of B012 allowed clergy to refe to perform gay weddgs, required bishops who oppose them to let another bishop provi pastoral support for the same-sex uple and to provi a prit to perform the November 2018, Albany Bishop Love released an open letter statg that he refed to enforce the rolutn his dce. But has led to a of eccliastil disrd as liberal members of the church argue for the right to perform or partake gay marriag. A group of mps led by Ben Bradshaw, a gay Anglin, is lookg at ways to amend the legislatn to allow willg prits and parish to take part, which they argue uld also help boost dwdlg numbers the aisl.

Wh the recent cisn to allow gay marriage natnwi, there has been nsirable ntroversy over church’ rights to refe gay marriage their church.

WHY HAVE SO MANY CHRISTIANS AND CHURCH BEE PRO-GAY?

It’s important to note that even though church may be open to gay marriage, they may not be willg to perform ceremoni for same-sex upl.