Not all religious leaders are anti-gay
II. The Good News
Not all religious leaders are anti-gay
The religious right would have you think that gays are the anti-Christ. They make it seem like you have to be anti-gay to be religious. This is simply not the case. Here are just a sample of religious leaders that stand up and defend gays. They are the ones who "get it."
Many deeply religious people and a number of religious congregations and denominations are supportive and accepting of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and their right to be protected from the discriminatory acts of others. For example, the following organizations have endorsed passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation:
American Ethical Union, American Friends Service Committee, American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Church of the Brethren, Church Women United, Dignity/USA, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Hadassah, WZOA, The Interfaith Alliance, Jewish Women International, National Council of Churches of Christ, USA, National Council of Jewish Women, North Georgia United Methodists, Presbyterian Church (USA), Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Women of Reform Judaism, Young Women's Christian Association
Although "transformational ministry" promotes the message that religious faith and acceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual sexuality are incompatible, that message is countered by the large number of outspoken clergy and people of faith who promote love and acceptance.
http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/publications/justthefacts.html#1j
1. Episcopal Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
Newly elected leader of the U.S. Episcopal Church Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said on Monday she believes, "homosexuality is no sin and homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same gender."
Is it a sin to be gay?
"I don't believe so. I believe that God creates us with different gifts. Each one of us comes into this world with a different collection of things that challenge us and things that give us joy and allow us to bless the world around us," she said. "Some people come into this world with affections ordered toward other people of the same gender and some people come into this world with affections directed at people of the other gender." Entire article here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060619/ts_nm/religion_episcopals_bishop_dc;_ylt=AnVDEclWqWW98D743lWmWMys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060619/ts_nm/religion_episcopals_bishop_dc;_ylt=AnVDEclWqWW98D743lWmWMys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ
2. Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King's widow, has called gay marriage a civil rights issue and denounced proposed amendments to ban it. "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of gays and lesbians and I should stick to the issue of racial injustice. I hasten to remind them that my husband once said, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Coretta Scott King
"State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views undermine all our civil rights." Thomas Jefferson
Constitutional amendment anyone?
3. Al Sharpton 1/21/06
"You cannot talk about civil rights and limit who's included," Sharpton told about 150 people at First Iconium Baptist Church. "Churches have an obligation to help end the "poisoned atmosphere" surrounding the acceptance of gay men and lesbians." Rev. Al Sharpton
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/01/21/AR2006012101164.html?nav=hcmodule
4. The Reverend Howard Hanger 3/27/06
"As a United Methodist Minister, I am prohibited from ceremonially blessing the love of any gay couple. So, with a sad heart and after a long talk with my bishop I have decided that I can no longer operate as a minister under the banner of an institution which so blatantly discriminates against the love of 10 percent of the world's population."
"The choice was clear, however: obey my conscience and my call to follow Jesus (a man who said nothing about homosexuality and everything about love) or obey a policy that clearly and uncompromisingly judges and discriminates against the committed love of God's children. It's a no-brainer; but a heavy-hearter. As a minister, my mission is to bless and encourage love wherever I find it and to bring love where it is not. I must continue to do this."
"My hope and prayer is that United Methodists and all other denominations may soon realize that love is love; and what our world needs now is love, not discrimination."
5. The Rev. Kenneth Samuel, pastor of Victory Baptist Church in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain, received a standing ovation when he called for equality for all people and an end to hate crimes targeting gay men and lesbians.
6. Rev. Clifford Tinney Sylacauga, AL.
Another pastor stating that the Bible Doesn't Condemn Homosexuality:
Genesis 19:1-11
Most Pastors state God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this "sin". Ezekiel states they were destroyed because of their "pride, excess of food and prosperous ease, and not giving aid to the poor and needy and their worship of idols." Even when Jesus spoke of these cities he uses them in context of the reception and treatment of the apostles when they enter a city to minister the gospel. What is at question in this passage is the Hebrew word yadha. This word means, "to have thorough knowledge of." The Kind James version, however, translates this as "to know." Therefore, the sin of Sodom is not homosexuality but their injustice to strangers.
Leviticus
Christians today do not follow the rules described in Leviticus.
If we did, no one would eat pork, shrimp, catfish, or we would be wearing clothes woven with different materials. Thank God we are under grace and not the law.
Romans I.
The homosexual practices cited in Romans resulted from idolatry and the practices associated with the cult. The people engaged in this "worship" were heterosexuals who engaged in homosexual acts with temple prostitutes to please and idol. These were acts that were "unnatural" for them.
Science has proven homosexuality is genetic and determined before one is born. Therefore, for anyone to be anything other than what they were born to be is "unnatural".
Corinthians
In the passages in Corinthians, again is one of mistranslation. What is at question here is two obscure Greek words.
One is malakos and the other is arsenokoitai. The first means "one who lacks discipline or control. This word is used elsewhere in the New Testament but never with reference to sexuality. The King James version translates this as "effeminate," a poor translation. The second word is used only here and in First Timothy, but nowhere in other literature of the period. Some scholars concede the meaning is uncertain, but most agree it pertains to those who have sexual relations with a temple prostitute.
No, the Bible does not condemn homosexuality and neither should we.
Rev. Clifford Tinney
Sylacauga, AL.
7. The Rev. Richard Floyd
Editorial about the gay games Chicago 2006
Christ's infinite love
To the Editor:
Many of the people opposed to the Crystal Lake Gay Games identify themselves as Christians. I respect their faith, but they do not speak for me or my faith.
I am a Christian (and a minister), and I do not oppose the Gay Games, nor do I believe that homosexuality is by nature "sinful" or "immoral" or "wrong." As a Christian, I seek to follow Christ, and in Christ, I see a path of infinite love and boundless compassion. Jesus was radically inclusive. He welcomed and embraced all people, especially those considered "unclean" by the religious and political establishment. I believe, and I'm not alone, that all people are created in God's image, with a divine calling and destiny. And this includes gays and lesbians.
I believe that nothing is inherently "sinful" in homosexual orientation, just as nothing is inherently "holy" in heterosexual orientation. My faith calls me to embrace all God's children, to make room for everyone, to treat everyone with dignity and reverence, and to do everything in my power to encourage and cultivate love and compassion between people - even if those people happen to be gay.
The Rev. Richard Floyd
Ridgefield-Crystal Lake
Presbyterian Church
For article this is the link:
http://archive.nwherald.com/archive_detail.php?archiveFile=./pubfiles/nwh/archive/2006/April/09/Opinion/83189.xml&start=0&numPer=20&keyword=Christ%5C%5C%5C%27s+infinite+love§ionSearch=&begindate=1%2F1%2F2000&enddate=12%2F31%2F2006&authorSearch=&IncludeStories=1&pubsection=&page=&IncludePages=&IncludeImages=&mode=allwords&publicationSearch[]=Northwest+Herald&archive_pubname=Northwest+Herald%0A%09%09%09
8. Bishop against FMA Peter Rogness
"Not a single male/female marriage will be strengthened by the proposed amendment,'' Rogness wrote. "Nothing in society is made unstable by a gay couple who decides to spend their lives together.'' Rogness stressed that marriage needs "all the bolstering it can get,'' citing couples ill-prepared for marriage, the travails of divorce, and the importance of stable families and mature relationships. "Though the proposed legislation claims to address these concerns, in fact it does no such thing,'' he wrote.
The Way It Looks from Here An occasional e-letter from Peter Rogness
March 23, 2006
Rather than give in to the anxiety of this cultural moment, I believe we would be well advised to observe the following:
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Leave religious bodies to teach religious doctrine and civil bodies to legislate civil law;
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Use our zeal to mount an assault on our culture's celebration of sexual titillation and promiscuity;
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Take concrete steps to counter the stresses on the family, including our addiction to busyness and ambition that leads to frantic and fractured lives;
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Follow the unmistakable scriptural mandate to be advocates for the poor and the vulnerable, especially the children. Addressing child care, homelessness, early childhood education, health care, and living wage issues will do far more to stabilize the American family than removing civil rights from gay and lesbian persons.
http://www.twincities.com/multimedia/twincities/archive/Rogness_email.htm
9. Arizona Church Leaders Pray For Gay Marriage
May 12, 2006 - 5:00 pm ET
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/05/051206arizona.htm
10. Synagogue Welcomes Gay Members
Beth El-Keser Israel, a Conservative synagogue in the Westville section of New Haven, is hosting a "gay pride" Shabbat on Saturday in an effort to demonstrate the synagogue's openness to gay members and their partners.
Conservative rabbis opposed the recent attempt at a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Homosexuals "represent a segment of society that has been discriminated against, and if we are a religious institution, we want to make sure we are not participating in discrimination."
The synagogue's acceptance of its gay and lesbian members is not just important for gay people, she said. "It's a benchmark issue that is indicative of a progressive community," she said. "It seems to me inevitable that gay men and lesbian women will be included in the Conservative movement, including clergy."
www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctgayshabbat.artjun09,0,6635559.story?track=rss
11. Anglican Bishop Rev Richard Harries united kingdom
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060528harries.shtml
Bible supports gay partnerships, says leading Anglican bishop -28/05/06
The Rt Rev Richard Harries, the Bishop of Oxford, has declared that anti-gay proponents in the churches need to be "converted" to see that homosexual unions are supported by a faithful, modern reading of the Bible.
He also reaffirmed his conviction that an openly gay man should be allowed to be appointed a bishop - as has already happened in the USA, with Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Bishop Harries, who is one of the Church of England's most senior bishops, and who retires this week, expressed his regret that Canon Jeffrey John, now Dean of St Albans, had been forced to withdraw as Bishop of Reading after it emerged that he had a long-term partner.
In 2003 Archbishop Rowan Williams bowed to pressure not to appoint Dr John, even though his relationship was celibate.
"I'd still like him to become a bishop," Bishop Harries told Jonathan Wynee-Jones. "He has all the gifts . but there is still a process of discernment going on. For there to be change, evangelicals have to be convinced that a permanent, faithful same-sex partnership is congruous with biblical truth."
Dr Harries continued: "It's difficult to have gay partnerships fully accepted by the Church, a Church in which evangelicals are a valued part, if they are so strongly opposed to it. There has to be a conversion to a new way to see that gay partnerships are not contrary to biblical truth. They are congruous with the deepest biblical truths, about faithfulness and stability."
The Rev Dr Giles Fraser, the chair of Inclusive Church and an Ekklesia associate, responded: "His comments will be received with joy by the majority of ordinary churchgoers. It is absolutely clear that the Church needs to have a more welcoming and loving attitude to gays."
Bishop Harries, who was made a life peer last week, said that the Jeffrey John affair had made people think about the issue in way that they never had before, reports the Sunday Telegraph.
And in a recently published book 'Other Worlds, Other Voices', Esther Mombo, Academic Dean at St Paul's United Theological College, Limuru, in Kenya expresses an understanding approach to homosexuality. She is a member of the Inter-Anglican Doctrinal Commission and served on the Lambeth Commission that produced the Windsor Report.
Oxford New Testament professor Christopher Rowland is among the many other Christian academics who say the Bible can support an affirmative approach to homosexuality.
12. Dr. Jeffery Siker (Department Chair of Theology Loyola Marymount University), "Sexual orientation is as natural and unchosen as left-handedness or brown eyes. It is simply a part of the rich diversity of God?s creation."
http://www.covenantnetwork.org/faqsbc06.htm
13. Pastor Susie Smith of the United Christian Church http://www.ucclevittown.org/
http://www.ucclevittown.org/sermon052106.html
"Value All Families"
1 Corinthians 13
Ephesians 3
United Christian Church
May 21, 2006
Last Sunday we celebrated not only the mothers and the mother figures in this congregation and in our lives, but in an amazing way, we celebrated our families. I don't think there could be any doubt in anyone's mind who attended worship here at United Christian last week, or for that matter any week, that we VALUE ALL FAMILIES..and when I say all families. I truly mean all families.
At United Christian Church, every single family is valued and affirmed and cherished whether there is one parent or two parents or multiple generations of people serving in the parental role. We value all families whether there is a mother and a father or two mothers or two fathers. At United Christian, we Value all Families whether it is a blended family from previous marriages or a family of choice that has come about through adoption. At United Christian, we value all families regardless of race or nationality or income level. And we do so in the name of the love that today's Scripture from 1 Corinthians 13 described. The love that Bill just sang about and that Josh Henry read about so powerfully last Sunday. I intentionally wanted to use the same two Scriptures the children used last Sunday again today so that as we shift the emphasis of this service a bit - we can open ourselves to allow the Still Speaking God to broaden our perspective on what it means for us not only to love and value each other within our own families but to LOVE AND VALUE ALL FAMILIES.
As our benediction that Essence so powerfully read and Kiki so beautifully dramatized last Sunday said: "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name."
Listen to those words once again from Ephesians 3. "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name."
Paul goes on to say in these words from Ephesians 3: 14-19:
"I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, God may grant that you be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
While there is some scholarly dispute about whether Paul actually wrote the entire letter to the Ephesians or whether it was written shortly after his death by a devoted follower who was attempting to summarize his teachings, there is no dispute about whether the content of this letter conveys the essence of both Paul's theology and his work as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The more I study Paul's letters, the more I am becoming convinced that he would absolutely turn over in his grave to witness the misuse of his words down through the centuries - the misuse that has lead to indefensible positions such as the justification of slavery or the devaluing of the role and rights of women in the family, in society and certainly in the church.
Particularly in our day, I believe that the way Paul's words from Romans are used to condemn same gender loving couples is not true to the intent of his theology - a theology that proclaimed the words we just heard:
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name."
What I would like to suggest to you today is that using Paul's words to limit and restrict which families should be included within God's grace and blessing is every bit as indefensible in our day as the ways in which his words were used in the past to justify slavery or the 2nd class status of women. I would like to be so bold as to suggest that if Paul was alive today, the very theology that is expressed not only in this letter to the Ephesians but throughout his ministry would cause him to stand with all those Coalitions of Faith that are forming throughout this state and our nation to oppose the various marriage amendments that would attempt to limit which families we as people of faith CAN affirm and value.
Why do I say this?
One of the overarching themes in the Pauline epistles is a call to the early church and to his own Jewish faith tradition to adopt a major paradigm shift in understanding not only what the word FAMILY meant but also whom the word FAMILY included.
The dictionary defines a paradigm as a model that forms the basis for understanding something. A paradigm is an archetype or pattern, a way of seeing the world or a particular reality.
Paul's life experience from the first moment he encountered the spirit of the Living Christ on the road to Damascus until the end of his life was one continuing paradigm shift. Jesus of Nazareth became for him not someone whose intent had been to destroy the Jewish faith but rather to recapture the central meanings of this great tradition. Paul came to believe that Jesus' central intention had been to reveal the mystery of God's love - - a love that continually yearns for us to break down any barriers or walls or limitations about who is in and who is out in the household of God.
In verses five and six of this same 3rd Chapter in Ephesians, Paul says: "In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."
With words like these that are repeated in so many different ways throughout his letters, the Apostle Paul was calling not only the Jewish Community and the early Christian Church but the world itself to see that the ministry and message of Jesus embodied a call to break down the dividing walls that separate us as human beings into male and female, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, rich or poor. Today I believe Paul would include in this list same gender loving and different gender loving human beings.
Like Jesus, Paul was broadening and expanding the understanding of what it meant to be part of the family of God. This could no longer be defined by whether someone was circumcised or not. Paul had met and gotten to know people who were not Jewish and thus had not been circumcised but had obviously had a real experience with the living Christ. Paul had come to see as he traveled and spread the message of Jesus throughout the Roman world that which dietary customs or cultural traditions one followed did not limit one's commitment to being a faithful disciple of Jesus.
Paul's own paradigm for understanding what it meant to be part of the family of God had expanded so much that he had come to understand that it could not be limited to being Jewish by birth or nationality or religious practice. Increasingly, Paul began to teach and preach about family being greater than any traditional nuclear family. His paradigm shifted so that he came to understand "family" as the BODY of Christ that transcends all previous limitations of every kind. Paul himself challenged the traditional Jewish understandings of what it means to be family not only in his teachings about circumcision and dietary customs but in regard to marriage itself. To the best of our knowledge, Paul himself did not marry or have children. (UNLESS THERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE DI VINCI CODE HIDDEN AWAY SOMEWHERE OUT THERE.) Paul even explicitly taught that for the times in which they lived marriage and having children was not necessary to be a full part of the covenant people of God.
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father," Paul said, "from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name."
Some of you may be thinking, ok Susie, you are preaching to the choir here. We get it. If we didn't, you wouldn't be our pastor and we wouldn't have welcomed families like Chris and Cindy and their girls into our midst. So what's your point?
My point is that the paradigm shift that Paul experienced and lived out in his life and theology models more than a change of intellectual understanding. Such a profound shift also requires a change of heart - a change of heart that will affect our actions not only here in this place, within these walls, but out in the world. The paradigm shift which Paul modeled resulted in him not only being persecuted by the Jewish religious authorities of his day but by the Roman empire . His beliefs and teachings as well as his actions affected not only his life as a religious person but his life as a citizen of Rome . Please remember that Paul was imprisoned and most likely executed not by religious authorities but by the Roman state. It is called taking TRUTH TO POWER.
Friends, in the same way, if we are to Value ALL Families, it is not enough for us to be kind and loving simply within these walls. Rather we must address the issues that are at stake in our culture and society, issues that threaten to undermine the welfare and rights of at least some of our families. We must learn to express our Family Values with the same courage and confidence that the religious right expresses its understanding of family values. And I dare say they're not going to like our taking their motto back away from them.
I want to invite any of you who can to join me in Harrisburg on Monday, June 5th for a historic press conference where a new faith group that I, as your minister, have been part of forming. We will officially launch this group on that day. In this press conference we will say to our state and nation, we will no longer silently sit by while you attempt to restrict and limit which families we can support and value and affirm and bless in our faith communities and which families we cannot.
Our United Church of Christ denomination declared so powerfully to the world in the Marriage Equality Resolution that was passed last July in Atlanta , that, as a matter of faith, we believe:
All Families Matter. All families have the right to equal access to the benefits and the responsibilities of other families. Efforts to ban civil marriage to couples based on gender denies them and their children access to over 1400 rights and benefits and thus undermines the civil liberties of these couples, putting them and their children at risk.
We believe that All Faiths Matter. While we do not believe we have the right to impose our views about marriage and family on some other religious body or say what kind of marriages their clergy should perform and recognize, we also do not believe that any government has the right to restrict our religious liberty to follow our own conscience and faith directives in this matter. To restrict religious liberty in this way would make William Penn turn over in his grave!
And finally, we as a church community and as part of the United Church of Christ denomination have said that we believe All Children MATTER. According to the 2000 US Census, same-gender couples live in nearly every county across our country. According to the census, more than a million children are living in same-gender households, and this number only includes those who felt safe enough to declare the truth about their family situation. As we all know, it would not been safe to declare this in many places. We believe that the children of these couples deserve the same rights and protections and love and support as children in any other family.
Obviously, I could say a great deal more about this, but I want to allow time for Larry Frankl, the Legislative Director from the American Civil Liberties Union who spoke in our Adult Class this morning to say a bit more about the importance of our responding to the legislation we face both in our state and at a national level. He will do so after the choir sings.
Allow me to close with Verses 8-11 of this 3rd chapter of Ephesians. Paul says:
"This grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church (hear those words clearly -- So that through the church - not in spite of the church or just in the church but through the church) the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities."
Friends, as wonderful as it is, it is not enough simply TO Value all the families who enter these walls. We, like Paul, must speak our truth to the powers that be as we live out these values. My prayer and hope is that we will do this boldly and proudly in the name of Jesus. Amen.
http://www.ucclevittown.org/sermon052106.html
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"Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ. ?Therefore... we are members of one another.' (Ephesians 4:25) Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal fonts is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes: ?For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.' (I Corinthians 12:13)" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1267)
http://www.nacdlgm.org/
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4/12/07
Religious Group Supports Pair Of Gay Rights Bills
By Chris Lehman
SALEM, OREGON
A coalition of religious groups came to Salem Thursday to voice their support for a pair of gay rights measures up for consideration in the Oregon legislature.
The bills would create domestic partnerships and would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Tara Wilkins directs the Community of Welcoming Congregations. She says the group felt compelled to speak out because some of the fiercest lobbying against the bills is coming from another religious organization.
Tara Wilkins: "The Oregon Family Council has released statements that claim to speak for all people of faith. And we wanted to show that there's true religious diversity in the state and we represent a different perspective."
The Community of Welcoming Congregations includes more than 60 churches and synagogues in Oregon.
The two gay rights bills could come before the House as soon as next week.
The anti-discrimination bill has already been approved by the Senate.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1066424
The Pro-Discrimination Group is Oregon Family Council (sounds alot like Family Research Council which is run by Adolf, I mean James, Dobson)......Dollars to Donuts it's run by Dobson somehow......
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Clergy From All 50 States Urge Congress to Pass Hate Crimes Legislation, End Workplace Discrimination
04.19.07
In a historic showing of religious support for the passage of two major pieces of civil rights legislation, hundreds of clergy from a diverse reflection of America's faith backgrounds gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to lobby their respective members of Congress to end workplace discrimination against their fellow brothers and sisters and pass the much-needed hate crimes bill this year.
"For too long, there has been a false perception in American politics that faith and religion stand diametrically opposed to equality for GLBT Americans," said Human Rights Campaign President, Joe Solmonese. "The hundreds of clergy joining us are here because they understand that we are all God's children, and our differing sexual orientations and our differing gender identities are not shameful sins, but rather amazing gifts from God."
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, called the Matthew Shepard Act in the Senate, adds sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to existing federal law conferring authority on the federal government to investigate and prosecute violent crimes. This authority already exists for crimes committed because of the victim's race, color, religion and national origin and because they were attempting to exercise a federally protected right. The bill ensures a federal backstop to assist local law enforcement in those cases in which they request assistance or fail to adequately investigate or prosecute these serious crimes. The bill would also provide assistance to local law enforcement for investigating and prosecuting bias-motivated violent crimes.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee simply based on the person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It would reinforce the principle that employment decisions should be based on a person's qualifications and job performance.
Said Bishop Carlton Pearson, founder and senior pastor of the New Dimensions Worship Center (Tulsa, Okla.):
"Congress once again has the opportunity, indeed the imperative, to add women; people with disabilities; and members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to the existing federal hate crimes law by passing the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It is morally wrong to deprive anyone of the means to feed themselves and care for their families. Passage of this bill will help gay, lesbian and transgender people in 33 states where you can be fired for simply being gay."
Said Rabbi Denise Eger, Congregation Kol Ami (West Hollywood, Calif.):
"Jewish tradition teaches that we have an obligation to protect the rights of workers. There are many laws in our Torah that teach us of our obligations to be fair to workers. This legislation is about fairness and justice."
Said the Rev. Dr. Miguel De La Torre, Southern Baptist minister and professor of ethics and religion at Iliff School of Theology (Pueblo, Colo.):
"My Lord and Savior, through words and deeds, has taught me to stand with those who are oppressed. Because all are created in the image of God, the imago Dei, violence committed against any one person is violence committed against the very image of God. As a Latino, I know all too well the stings of discrimination in the workplace and for that reason I have no choice but to be here today advocating passage of the hate crimes bill and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act."
Said the Rev. William Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (Boston, Mass.):
"We are people of faith, and we also have a commitment to truth. Much of the rhetoric in opposition to these bills is blatantly and inexcusably false. So let me be clear: These laws would not create quotas or force churches to hire people who do not share their religious values. These laws will not criminalize free speech or impede religious expression in any way. These laws do not undermine a single constitutional right. In fact, the contrary is true."
Said the Rev. Susan Russell, senior associate for parish life at All Saints Episcopal Church (Pasadena, Calif.):
"My son Jaime is currently serving on active duty in Iraq. One of the core American values he was raised to embrace - and he understands himself to be defending - is our pledge to be a nation of 'liberty and justice for all.' I believe these important pieces of legislation will help move us as a nation toward that long-dreamed-of goal - that dream of liberty and justice my son and so many other brave Americans in harm's way have sworn to preserve and protect."
