Yet again a reminder has popped up that not all Christian clergy and religious leaders of other faiths are the enemies of LGBT equality and marriage equality. This time, the reminder stems from a statement sent to the New York State Senate urging the passage of the pending marriage bill that would give full marriage rights to same sex couples in New York State. The list of supporters was released by Empire State Pride Agenda and includes religious leaders from all over New York State, including the central New York area where I lived through high school. The Empire State Pride press release reads in part as follows:*
The geographic list of clergy and faith leaders in support of New York State allowing same-sex couples access to marriage includes a number of denominations including Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, United Church of Christ, American Baptist, Reformed Church in America and Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism. It also includes influential leaders like Bishop Prince Singh of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, Bishop Robert Rimbo of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary.
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“This list represents a diverse group of faith traditions and congregations from all corners of our state. The leaders of these religious institutions understand the spiritual value of respecting all members of their community, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender,” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle.
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“These faith leaders—a number of which are not allowed to perform marriages of same-sex couples themselves because of their faith traditions—consider this to be an issue involving the rights and protections of civil marriage, not the traditions and ceremonies of a religious marriage.
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The statement itself is very simple and reads as follows: We, the undersigned, urge the New York State Legislature to protect families in New York State by extending marriage to same-sex couples. For a full list of signatories, see the Empire State Pride Agenda website. I am proud to note that among the signers are a number of representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ("ELCA").
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“This list represents a diverse group of faith traditions and congregations from all corners of our state. The leaders of these religious institutions understand the spiritual value of respecting all members of their community, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender,” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle.
*
“These faith leaders—a number of which are not allowed to perform marriages of same-sex couples themselves because of their faith traditions—consider this to be an issue involving the rights and protections of civil marriage, not the traditions and ceremonies of a religious marriage.
*
The statement itself is very simple and reads as follows: We, the undersigned, urge the New York State Legislature to protect families in New York State by extending marriage to same-sex couples. For a full list of signatories, see the Empire State Pride Agenda website. I am proud to note that among the signers are a number of representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ("ELCA").
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