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July 15, 2005 The United Church of Christ became the first major Christian denomination to officially sanction gay marriages when its general synod passed a resolution on July the 4th affirming "equal rights for couples regardless of gender." About 80 percent of the representatives on the church's 884-member General Synod voted to approve the resolution, a day after a smaller committee recommended it. The United Church of Christ made a crucial statement in favor of human rights at a time when some members of Congress are attempting to pass an amendment banning same-sex marriage. It's a sad indictment on religion that this is such a big story, you would think that religious institutions would have blessed the concept of equal rights for all generations ago. Hopefully other denominations will follow the lead of the 1.3 million strong United Church of Christ, certainly all Christian sects should be united in favor of human rights. Several major religious denominations allow same-sex unions, but do not give them the same status as marriage, including the Episcopal Church, with about 2.3 million members, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, with 5 million members, and Reform Judaism, with 1.7 million members. These religious organizations should take the next step forward and demonstrate they are serious about "family values" by officially recognizing same-sex unions. Gay couples should not be relegated to a second-class status, a gay union is as legitimate as a heterosexual union. I look forward to an Independence Day, some day soon, when all of God's children, including gays, will enjoy the freedom to marry. ------------ About the author: Robert Paul Reyes is a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger. Email: rreyes4966@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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