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The Newsletter of the Interfaith Working Group
September 2001
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Definition of Marriage Amendment Introduced
The Alliance for Marriage
is proposing a radical change to the
U.S.
Constitution. If adopted, the
amendment would add the words: "Marriage in the
United States shall consist only of the union of a man and
a woman. Neither this constitution or the constitution of
any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to
require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof
be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups." The
Alliance's advisory board includes representatives from
the Archdiocese of Philadelphia,
Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary,
American Anglican Council,
National Association of Evangelicals,
Presbyterian Coalition,
Toward Tradition,
Evangelicals for Social Action,
Institute on Religion and Public
Life,
National Black
Leadership Round Table,
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church,
African Methodist Episcopal Church,
AME Zion Church,
Episcopal Diocese of Illinois,
Muslim American Society,
Islamic Society of North America,
Church of God in Christ,
and the
Presbyterian Layman.
Nathan Diament of the
Orthodox Union (OU)
was at one point listed as an
advisory board member, and a
July 13
statement supporting the amendment is on the OU web site.
The proposed amendment is consistent with several of
the groups' ongoing opposition to equal rights for gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, though using
the Constitution to define marriage is not listed in the
Alliance's agenda of reforms, which their mission says
are designed to "restore a culture of married fatherhood
in American society."
Reform Judaism Responds to Marriage Amendment
Mark J. Pelavin, associate director,
Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism
(Washington office,
Union of American Hebrew Congregations
and
Central Conference
of American Rabbis) issued this statement:
The proposed "Federal Marriage Amendment" to the
U.S. Constitution unveiled today would defile the Constitution, enshrining
homophobia and intolerance in a document which protects the
rights of all Americans. We believe as a fundamental tenant of our
faith that all human beings are created b'tselem Elohim (in the Divine
image), as it says in Genesis 1:27, "And God created humans
in God's own image, in the image of God, God created them; male
and female God created them." Over and above the legal issues, we
find it difficult to understand why some feel threatened by the
loving and committed relationships of gay and lesbian couples
throughout the United States. As others today seek to increase the
chasm between individuals within this great country, we seek to recommit
ourselves to ensuring that no one--whether male, female,
straight, or gay--be excluded from right to establish and maintain
lasting and loving partnerships. The proponents of this offensive
Amendment are right to point to the need to strengthen America's
family, but we believe that loving and committed family relationships for
gay men and lesbians are part of the solution, not part of
the problem.
We understand how controversial marriage between same-sex
couples is in the eyes of some; but how can a committed relationship
between two individuals be constitutionally wrong? How can
two loving adults coming together to form a family harm family
values? Are America's families and marriages and communities so
fragile and shallow that they are threatened by the love between
two adults of the same sex?
We are confident that this Amendment will find little support
among the American public, and commit ourselves to work against
its ratification.
National Religious Leadership Roundtable
The National Religious Leadership Roundtable met in
Salt Lake City in early August. A public event at
St. James Episcopal
Church in Midvale, UT, focused on
spiritual discovery and GLBT youth, and included a discussion with the
Hardy family, recently profiled in a
Newsweek article on the Boy Scouts. David Hardy is a former
Mormon Bishop who resigned after he was unable to
reconcile his son's sexual orientation with the teachings
of the church. Two other discussions included clergy and
youth outreach workers, and local GLBT youth. The
event was well-covered in both the Deseret News and the
Salt Lake City Tribune. The Tribune quoted the Rev.
Lee Shaw of St. James: "All too often in our particular
state, issues around sexuality, especially with young
people, are hidden. They are not dealt with in a way that
is helpful for anyone--the young person, their friends,
their families or their religious institutions."
Other Reactions to the Marriage Amendment
A week before the marriage amendment was announced, William F. Buckley's
National Review
published a supporting editorial, arguing that "To defend a
valued institution, an institution the importance of which
can hardly be overestimated, from what amounts to an
ideological attack is a cause that all conservatives should
support." In response, contributing editor Deroy Murdock wrote,
"...such profound and deeply personal moral
issues belong in America's churches and synagogues rather than
Congress or City Hall. Let reverends and rabbis
decide what the meaning of the word 'marriage' is."
An Associated Press article characterized the coalition
as "religious leaders and family-policy experts," and quoted the
Alliance's executive director, Matt Daniels:
"Let's challenge the homosexual movement to play fair
on the playing field of democracy."
(There was no explanation as to how requiring amending the
U.S. Constitution to equalize marriage laws in any state is playing
fair.) The Conservative News Service article began:
"Determined to block the courts from legalizing homosexual
marriage, a coalition of minority and religious leaders unveiled plans
Thursday to wed traditional marriage with
the U.S. Constitution." .
In the Wall Street Journal, Robert Bork called the
amendment "an attempt, and perhaps the only hope, to
preserve marriage as an institution of incalculable value."
Focus on the Family
quoted the
Urban Family Council's
William Devlin: "We have a crisis across the country.
"We've seen (it) not only in places like Hawaii and other
states on the West Coast, but we've these so-called
'same-sex' civil unions now in Vermont." FoF also
quoted Matt Daniels: "We still have public consensus on
our side, but that consensus will evaporate over time
under the effect of a decade of adverse court rulings."
A Culture and Family Institute
report noted that
Concerned Women for America, the
Family Research Council,
and the American Family Association
had expressed reservations because it would "protect marriage
in name only." The report also stated that "homosexual
activists denounced [the amendment] as 'anti-gay,'" even
though the coalition said they "welcome 'gay and lesbian'
support for the amendment."
An Omaha World-Herald editorial said "We wish the
people who are intent on fighting the so-called 'culture
wars' would select some other battleground than the
Constitution. It was designed as a blueprint for self-government and an
enumeration of political rights and responsibilities--not as a
bludgeon for one segment
of society against another."
The Washington Times
editorialized against marriage for same-gender couples and
the amendment, concluding that: "While marriage is a
building block of civilization that has been dangerously
undermined, it should not fall to our guide to governance
to shore it up. The Constitution may foster this republic,
but it is too much to expect it to settle our most fundamental moral
and behavioral questions."
IWG Responds to Marriage Amendment
On July 11 the Interfaith Working Group released the
following statement:
The United States Constitution is not a dictionary, a religious document, or a tool for oppression. The proposed amendment would
give the civil institution of marriage a religious definition that is
not shared by all religions. This is oppressive to religious and
governmental bodies that may wish to define marriage differently, and
to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who will be
denied equal protection under the law. It would trample on free
speech, free exercise of religion, freedom from the establishment of
religion, free association, and the right to redress for grievances.
We are opposed to this misuse of the Constitutional Amendment
process. We support equal civil marriage rights for same-gender
couples, and the right of religious institutions to define religious
marriage for themselves.
Spinning the Census
Focus on the Family
published a peculiar item in
CitizenLink in which they claimed that "homosexual
groups proudly point to the 2000 census as evidence of
their dramatic growth in the United States. However, the
Census Bureau itself says there is no evidence to support
those claims." In fact, national GLBT advocacy groups
and newspapers around the country stated that the 2000
census numbers more accurately (but with a great deal of
room for improvement) reflected the number of households with same-gender partners. The CitizenLink article
then went on to quote
Peter LaBarbera
and
Michael Johnston
saying that the supposed claim of increase in
numbers was a trick or political ploy and that "Christians
should be concerned about any increase in same-sex
households."
Letterhead Change
Michael Morrill, one of the first clergy on the IWG
letterhead,
is currently pursuing political interests that
preclude him being listed. We thank him for all his help.
There's always room for names. Please call to be listed.
ACLU Responds to Marriage Amendment
In a
statement and letter to Congress, the
ACLU said
"This amendment is the legal equivalent of a nuclear
bomb. It will wipe out every single law protecting gay
and lesbian families and other unmarried couples." Specifically they stated that it would "reverse the tradition of
protecting, not harming, individual liberty...end the role
of state governments in protecting unmarried couples and
their families in their states...invalidate all state domestic
partnership laws....undermine state adoption, foster care
and kinship care laws..." and "destroy a wide range of
other rights provided to unmarried persons."
United Methodist GLBT and Allies
Several announcements came out of the
Reconciling
Ministries Network (RMN) 7th Biennial Convocation.
Sixty-seven clergy signed on as members of the new
Clergy Alliance, to "provide a network of support and
strategy for clergy committed to a fully inclusive church
and ministry" and to "challenge UM Church policies and
practices that exclude or discriminate against people because of their
race, gender, sexual orientation, or other
condition of identity." The stated strategies of the Alliance include
working to change the denomination's discriminatory policies; challenging
"the unjust laws and policies of the denomination through non-violent
confrontation;" and establishing a "Professing Church,"
within the denomination, "developing the parallel infrastructure and
resources needed for full inclusive ministry." The Rev. Gregory Dell,
pastor of
Broadway United
Methodist Church in Chicago, Illinois
and the Rev. Marilyn Meeker-Williams, pastor of
Bering Memorial United Methodist Church
in Houston, Texas were named as cocoordinators of the Clergy Alliance.
The Rev. Douglas Fitch, minister of
Glide Memorial
UMC, vowed to forge a coalition between the UMC
Inter Ethnic Caucus and the LGBT advocacy caucus.
A statement was issued by
United Methodists of Color for a Fully
Inclusive Church, Clergy Alliance,
Parents
Reconciling Network,
MOSAIC--Methodist Students for
a Fully Inclusive Church,
Affirmation: United Methodists
for LGBT Concerns,
Methodist Federation for Social
Action, and the
Reconciling Ministries Network. The
statement called the denomination to accountability following the launch of a $20 million advertising campaign
touting "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors."
Soulforce and the ELCA
Fifty
Soulforce
supporters were arrested while kneeling in prayer outside the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America's Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis after the
Assembly voted to study same-sex unions and the ordination of
non-celibate GLBT clergy for another four
years. Arrestees included Rev. Jeff Johnson (one of the
first irregularly-ordained GLBT clergy), Bishop Emeritus
Paul W. Egertson (who resigned from the office of
Bishop after the irregular ordination of Anita Hill
[June, 2001]),
Soulforce Chair Jimmy Creech, Jacob Reitan (a
19-year-old openly-gay Lutheran youth) and his parents
Randi and Phil from Eden Prairie Minnesota, Robert and
Jeannie Graetz (who stood with Martin Luther King
during the Montgomery bus boycotts), and Rev. Mel
White (co-founder and executive director of Soulforce).
Orthodox Jewish Documentary
Variety reported that Trembling Before G-d, Sandhi
Simcha Dubowski's portrait of gay Orthodox Jews,
received the grand jury award for documentary feature at
the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. For more
information
visit www.tremblingbeforeg-d.com.
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