Episcopal Church: Same-Sex Couples Can Marry Anywhere

Christ & St. Luke, Norfolk, VA.

Again demonstrating that it provides a good alternative for gay Catholics who remain burdened by a hypocrisy-filled, stridently anti-gay Church hierarchy, the Episcopal Church now allows same sex couples to marry in their home parish even if the local diocese remains homophobic.  I have long advised LGBT individuals raised in homophobic religious traditions to walk away and, if they feel compelled to still go to church, to find an LGBT friendly denomination.  Having been raised Catholic, I know too well the soul killing atmosphere of Catholicism.  I opted to leave the Catholic Church and after a stint as an Episcopalian, found a church home in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  UPI looks at this development in the Episcopal Church.  Here are highlights:

The Episcopal Church removed restrictions on same-sex marriage, a move that allows all couples to wed where they worship, even if their bishop disapproves.

The action came out of discussions at the General Convention, which wrapped up its triennial meeting in Austin, Texas, on Friday.

Same-sex couples are already allowed to marry across most Episcopal Churches in the United States, but a few U.S. dioceses had not permitted religious wedding ceremonies for this type union.

Friday's decision overrides previous decisions by local dioceses to not allow the liturgies, which currently includes eight of the of the nation's 101 Episcopal dioceses -- Albany, N.Y.; Central Florida; Dallas; Florida; North Dakota; Springfield, Ill.; Tennessee; and the Virgin Islands.

No one spoke against the resolution during a short debate by the House of Deputies, the news service affiliated with the Episcopal Church said.

The Rev. Scot McComas, a deputy from the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, had told his colleagues if they passed the resolution they would be acting as pastors to all the people of the Episcopal Church.

"For 40 years our LGBT brothers and sisters have been at the back of the bus and, every so often, they are invited to move forward one row at a time," McComas said.  The resolution, while being designed to allow same-sex couples to be married in the church, also does not alienate traditionalists.

Dallas Bishop George Sumner told The Dallas Morning News if the circumstance should arise in his diocese, he would reach out to a neighboring bishop to oversee the ceremony, something that is allowed under the resolution.  "We're probably more traditional than other dioceses in the Episcopal Church," Sumner said. "The convention has given us a space to do that."

"It also preserves the ministry of bishops as chief pastors and teachers in our dioceses," Bauerschmidt said. "We will be working out what it means for our diocese with clergy and congregations in the coming days."

Will There Be A New Post-Homophobic Christianity?

Photo Illustration by Dair Massey/The Daily Beast

As this blog and countless other Internet and media outlets have noted, the Christofascists' reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court same sex marriage ruling has been beyond hysterical.  None of the dire consequences and a smiting of America by God that have been predicted amidst spittle flecked rants  will ever come to pass, but that will not stop the parasitic professional Christian class from trying to shake loose every last dime that they can from the ignorant and gullible.  Meanwhile, some denominations like the Episcopal Church USA have moved closer to full church weddings for same sex couples.  Some have even speculated that in time, there will be a post-homophobic version of Christianity that will come to predominate.  One such piece is in The Daily Beast.  Here are highlights:

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized marriage equality in America, some conservative Christians have been downright apoplectic.

Meanwhile,  Rod Dreher of the American Conservative has, in his own words, a more sober analysis of the decision on Time’s website:“

[W]e have to accept that we really are living in a culturally post-Christian nation. The fundamental norms Christians have long been able to depend on no longer exist. To be frank, the court majority may impose on the rest of the nation a view widely shared by elites, but it is also a view shared by a majority of Americans. There will be no widespread popular resistance to Obergefell. This is the new normal.”

To which the vast majority of Americans say, “Hallelujah!” Dreher is correct—the idea of equal treatment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans (if not its full realization yet) is indeed the new normal in America. Even before the court’s decision, 6 in 10 Americans supported the right of same-sex couples to marry—and over half of Americans said they would be less likely to support any 2016 presidential candidate who opposed marriage equality. 

[S]ome conservatives have tried to paint this cultural evolution—or even revolution—as fundamentally at odds with Christianity. That’s where they’re wrong.

The Episcopalian Church embraced gay marriage last week. Earlier this year, the Presbyterian Church (USA) affirmed its support for marriage equality, joining many other major Christian denominations that officially endorse LGBT rights. And according to an April 2015 poll, majorities of congregants within many Christian faith traditions support marriage equality—including 60 percent of all Catholics, 52 percent of all orthodox Christians and 62 percent of white mainline Protestants. They’re joined by 94 percent of Unitarian Universalists and 77 percent of all Jews.

Perhaps most strikingly, 64 percent of self-identified Millennial evangelicals support same-sex marriage. . . . . they are a portrait of that future—not of a post-Christian America, but a post-homophobic Christianity. That is the “new normal” that Obergefall does not singularly usher in but merely reflects.
Will anti-gay Christians be politically and socially ostracized? I sure hope so. Just as those orthodox Christians who still believe in strict, traditional gender roles have been increasingly mocked as absurd.

There are, of course, still congregations that haven’t caught up with the times. But churches have always been able to use their discretion to decide whom to marry or turn away, and the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell specifically noted such First Amendment protections for religious institutions.

As for everyone else, including florists and county clerks, yes, you will now have to provide the same services to straight couples that you provide to gay couples. Don’t like it? Find a new job. . . . that doesn’t mean the law is trouncing on religion. It means the law is prioritizing equal treatment for all, as it should.

Liberty, freedom and the ever-bending arc toward equality have won. Intolerance and hate have lost. But this was not a war of liberty versus religion; the war itself took place within religion, including within Christianity itself. And Christianity is ultimately taking the side of equality and liberty, too.

To those who remain in the fringe minority stubbornly mired in hatred and the dark rationalizations of the past, please try to lose gracefully. You are not being exiled. The world is simply moving on without you.

If we are lucky, in time the Christofascists - like the angry aging far right whites of the GOP base - will literally die off.  When that happens, the world will be a better place.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Approves Same Sex Marriage

Yet another major Protestant denomination has voted to accept same sex marriage and recognize committed, loving same sex relationships.  Whether the move will help staunch the exodus of younger generations from religion (and Christianity in particular) will remain to be seen.  Regardless of how that issue plays out, the move by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will likely add pressure to other denominations grappling with society's changed views on gays and gay relationships. The New York Times looks at the vote.  Here are highlights:

After three decades of debate over its stance on homosexuality, members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted on Tuesday to change the definition of marriage in the church’s constitution to include same-sex marriage.

The final approval by a majority of the church’s 171 regional bodies, known as presbyteries, enshrines a change recommended last year by the church’s General Assembly. The vote amends the church’s constitution to broaden marriage from being between “a man and a woman” to “two people, traditionally a man and a woman.”

The Presbytery of the Palisades, meeting in Fair Lawn, N.J., put the ratification count over the top on Tuesday on a voice vote. With many presbyteries still left to vote, the tally late Tuesday stood at 87 presbyteries in favor, 41 against and one tied.

The church, with about 1.8 million members, is the largest of the nation’s Presbyterian denominations, but it has been losing congregations and individual members as it has moved to the left theologically over the past several years. There was a wave of departures in and after 2011, when the presbyteries ratified a decision to ordain gays and lesbians as pastors, elders and deacons, and that may have cleared the way for Tuesday’s vote.

With many conservative Presbyterians who were active in the church now gone, as well as the larger cultural shift toward acceptance of same-sex marriage, the decisive vote moved quickly toward approval, according to those on both sides of the divide.

Plenty of moderates and conservatives, however, have chosen to stay within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), one of the nation’s historic mainline Protestant denominations, which has its headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Ministers who object will not be required to perform a same-sex marriage.

Other religious denominations that have officially decided to permit their clergy to perform same-sex marriages include the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Quakers, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Churches and, in Judaism, the Reform and Conservative movements. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America left it open for individual ministers to decide.

Episcopal Church in Utah Welcomes Gay Marriage Ruling

Bishop Scott Hayashi

Too often the "good Christians" remain silent and allow evil to be done by the far right, hate filled elements and anti-gay Christian denominations.  In the wake of the federal court ruling in Utah that struck downs bans on gay marriage that stem solely from anti-gay animus and religious based bigotry, the Episcopal Church in Utah spoke out in support of the District Court's ruling.   Would that more denominations had the spine to do so.  Here are details from Gay Star News:

The Episcopal Church in Utah has welcomed the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state by a Federal Court judge, with the state’s bishop releasing a statement celebrating that gay and lesbian Utahans will be treated with the same dignity as other Utahans.

‘As the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, I rejoice that US District Judge Robert J Shelby has struck down Utah’s Amendment 3,’ Bishop Scott Hayashi said of the ruling.

‘All people should have the right to due process and equal protection enshrined in the 14th Amendment. Gay and lesbian people are human beings with hopes, dreams, and the need for love. I celebrate that now they will have access to the same fulfillment enjoyed by heterosexual people. They are people made in the image of God.’

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution forbids states from denying any person their life, liberty or property without a due process of law and was intended to protect the civil rights of all Americans regardless of their race or gender.

Hayashi also acknowledged that the legalization of same-sex marriage would be troubling for those religious people who disagreed with the concept.

‘We are one people,’ Hayashi said, ‘We are one state.’
‘We can and must work to make Utah into the place where all people are treated with respect and dignity, and where God is seen in the face of each and every person. As the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, I will continue to welcome all people into The Episcopal Church.’
The office of Utah’s Attorney General has said it will appeal the ruling however it seems unlikely that the US Supreme Court would overturn the ruling considering that it struck down the Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage in California.
The Episcopal Church has approved a liturgy for blessing same-sex couples but it is not the same text it uses to join heterosexual couples in religious marriage and it is up to individual bishops whether it can be used in their bishoprics.
- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/utah-episcopal-church-welcomes-legalization-same-sex-marriage221213#sthash.gkS5OuLg.dpuf

‘We are one people,’ Hayashi said, ‘We are one state.’

‘We can and must work to make Utah into the place where all people are treated with respect and dignity, and where God is seen in the face of each and every person. As the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, I will continue to welcome all people into The Episcopal Church.’

The office of Utah’s Attorney General has said it will appeal the ruling however it seems unlikely that the US Supreme Court would overturn the ruling considering that it struck down the Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage in California.

The Episcopal Church has approved a liturgy for blessing same-sex couples but it is not the same text it uses to join heterosexual couples in religious marriage and it is up to individual bishops whether it can be used in their bishoprics.

Kudos to bishop Hayashi!  Obviously, the Episcopal Church's treatment of gays is diametrically opposite of that of the always hate filled, smug and self-congratulatory denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention and Roman Catholic Church (Pope Francis has said nice words but nothing has really changed).

 

The Episcopal Church in Utah has welcomed the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state by a Federal Court judge, with the state’s bishop releasing a statement celebrating that gay and lesbian Utahans will be treated with the same dignity as other Utahans.
‘As the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, I rejoice that US District Judge Robert J Shelby has struck down Utah’s Amendment 3,’ Bishop Scott Hayashi said of the ruling.
‘All people should have the right to due process and equal protection enshrined in the 14th Amendment. Gay and lesbian people are human beings with hopes, dreams, and the need for love. I celebrate that now they will have access to the same fulfillment enjoyed by heterosexual people. They are people made in the image of God.’
The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution forbids states from denying any person their life, liberty or property without a due process of law and was intended to protect the civil rights of all Americans regardless of their race or gender.
Hayashi also acknowledged that the legalization of same-sex marriage would be troubling for those religious people who disagreed with the concept.
- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/utah-episcopal-church-welcomes-legalization-same-sex-marriage221213#sthash.gkS5OuLg.dpuf

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Elect First Openly Gay Bishop

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ("ELCA") has joined the Episcopal Church in advancing LGBT equality by electing its first openly gay bishop.   I applaud the move and it is illustrative of why I became a member of the ELCA after I left the Roman Catholic Church in disgust over the Vatican orchestrated worldwide conspiracy to protect child rapists and avoid compensating victims of sexual abuse.  No doubt far right Christofascists will decry the action of the ELCA, but I hope that gays seeking a new church home - especially former Catholics - will consider the ELCA as an option.  Here are highlights from Gay Star News:

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected its first openly gay bishop just four years after it began ordaining openly gay clergy.

The church’s Southwest California Synod voted Friday to elect the Reverend R Guy Erwin, a North Hollywood professor of theology, to the role during a three day assembly in Woodland Hills.  Erwin has taught theology and the history of Christianity at Cal Lutheran University since 2000 and was ordained in 2011.

Emily Eastwood, executive director of Reconciling Works, the Evangelical Lutheran LGBT network, told the LA Times that Erwin’s election as bishop marked a turning point for LGBTs in the church.
‘One of our own has been chosen not in spite of being gay, but because he is truly gifted and skilled for the office,’ she told the LA Times, ‘Once again, today we are proud to be Lutherans.’

Erwin and his long term partner Rob Flynn are both members of St Matthew’s Lutheran Church in North Hollywood.

It is unlikely that Erwin’s election as bishop will result in any conflict within the church as most congregations that oppose LGBT clergy have already left the church.  In 2009 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America decided that people who are in ‘publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships’ were acceptable for ordination – though Evangelical Lutheran congregations that do not wish to ordain LGBT clergy are not required to.