Quote:
Marriage without a church or temple wedding isn't going to be the real thing. Why can some people have all the bells and whistles in the church of their choice but not me? Of course, there have been and will be congregations and churches that allow gay men and lesbians to be married in their midst and to bless those unions, recognizing that God loves them just as much as Governor Andrew Cuomo does. But some rich and influential religious institutions are not only free to continue to reject gay men and women as equal beneficiaries of all aspects of faith but will now rally their congregants to reject politicians who are willing to abide with this extension of secular civil rights — no matter how much acceptance there is of same-sex marriage elsewhere, no matter how many wedding announcements appear in the New York Times.
I write this as a deeply religious Christian who is pained that the church that otherwise provides me with so much spiritual comfort and joy will never allow me to marry within its walls. Some clerics may be "liberal" enough to turn a blind eye to gay relationships so long as they do not have to recognize them, much less grant them any kind of imprimatur. And, as of now, even in New York, religious institutions cannot be compelled to perform such a simple act of charity.
The state cannot force a church to change its beliefs. Even gay people realize that is wrong. And so, just to remind folks that we're here we will have to continue to march in our parades and to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Nonetheless, waking up this morning, I was very happy not to be in Kansas anymore.[/u]
Quote:
The annoying part is highlighthed.
The truth is bolded.
Even if New York did not include a provision to permit churches to excluded gays, it still would have been legal under the federal case law Boy Scouts of America v. Dale. Private organizations are free to choose who they want to allow in. Different religions have different rules, but for Christianity, you cannot be a Christian and gay at the same time. The Bible is specific not to keep company with people that try to be both gay and Christian. Rather than trying to create a thought crime by trying to change core doctrine, gays are free under the 1st amendment to find a [apostate] church that accepts them, or create a whole new [apostate] church, find a new religion, or even create a new religion.
Please provide a book, chapter, and verse where it says in the Bible that says Christians should not keep company with gay Christians.
26 Jun 2011, 12:20 pm
