Damien Penny, of all people, shares my opinion that legal recognition of gay marriage is a good thing, not a bad thing. And I may surprise some of my left-leaning readers that I share his opinion that religious organizations do not have a duty to perform those marriages, though they may elect to do so. I strongly suspect my own church, the United Church of Canada, will be among the first; they've already been performing various joining ceremonies in a few congregations.
"The United Church seeks to support the diversity of families who uphold a secure environment for nurture, growth, and development and that will contribute to the spiritual, social, psychological, sexual, physical, and economic wholeness of the members," explains [Rev. Jackie] Harper. "It is the experience of the United Church that non-traditional family forms equally advance these family values."The real trick, I suspect, will be convincing individual congregations to open their doors to these marriages... the central office can't legislate acceptance, and the Moderator doesn't issue encyclicals in the UCC.
...
Harper acknowledges that while some people within the United Church will find the concept of same-sex marriage a challenge to their understanding of the Bible, she says it is important for people of faith to explore scripture within the overarching theme of "a God who seeks people to live in loving, just relationships, and who longs for all God's people to know life in all its fullness" (John 10:10b).
What the hell... let's give Damien more props for noticing this appropriate little jewel in the Onion.
times since January 6, 2003.
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