Presbyterians Move Closer to Full Inclusion of Gays

Timothy Kincaid has a lengthy piece at Box Turtle Bulletin that looks at events transpiring at the Presbyterian Church (USA) Assembly which is meeting in Minneapolis this week. Hopefully, predictions that the Presbyterian Church will move toward accepting committed same sex couples will prove accurate. Indeed, if the Presbyterians join the United Church of Christ, the Quakers, the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the case will become even stronger that anti-gay constitutional amendments and DOMA laws are enshrining one particular religious dogma on all citizens and discriminating against gay- accepting denominations. As I have argued many times, the only real reason opponents of gay marriage can fall back upon is religious belief and I'm sorry, but that does NOT cut it in a nation that alleges that it has religious freedom for all and where one's adherence - or one's non adherence - to one set of religious beliefs is not supposed to limit one's civil rights as a citizen. The time has come for the United States of America to either admit that the nation is a fraud when it comes to religious freedom or strike down religious based anti-gay laws and state constitutional provisions. Here are highlights from Kincaid's piece:
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The Presbyterian Church (USA) is meeting in Minneapolis this week and high on the agenda is how to deal with gay and lesbian Presbyterians in committed relationships. And two decisions made so far give promise that this year may result in steps towards greater inclusion. The first action was the election of gay ally Cindy Bolbach as Moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010).
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Additionally, the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues seems to be making some astonishing adjustments to church language. For example,

1. Shall W-4.9001 be amended as follows: “Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a civil contract between two people. For Christians marriage is a covenant through which two people are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong commitment is made by between two people, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith.” The vote was affirmative 34 to 18 with two abstentions.
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We must keep in mind that these committee decisions do not, in themselves, place gay people on an equal standing in the Presbyterian Church; there are still a number of hurdles to clear. But they are steps towards that standing and are encouraging signs of what the future holds for gay Presbyterians and gay Christians on the whole.