In response to Virginia’s laws banning same-sex marriages, a local pastor and his church’s governing council have decided to protest in a big way -- the church is no longer offering wedding services.
The Clarendon Presbyterian Church has long been a supporter of the ordination of women, people with AIDS and the rights of the disabled. Now Pastor David Ensign is in the process of renouncing his state authority to marry (straight) couples. In the meantime, he’s offering blessings to couples by having “celebration ceremonies” and counseling couples who support his protest. “We’re not seeking trouble,” says Ensign. “This is a statement of who we are.”
While many surrounding churches are obviously up in arms and more debate is anticipated, Wilson Gunn, the general executive of the Nation Capital Presbytery, says that it’s unlikely that the church will be punished by the national office.
“It’s within their rights to decide what they’re going to do and not going to do,” he said. “We’re in the Jesus business, not the marriage business.”
I love it.
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“We’re in the Jesus business, not the marriage business.”
I really think it should be the other way around. The government should get out of the marriage business and each person's definition of marriage should be between them and their church (if applicable).
maybe you're right LAmom, in my mind civic marriage shouldn't exist at all. health benefits and the right to make medical decisions about loved ones shouldn't be based on a couple's romantic relationship... maybe i'd rather my sister had that decisionmaking power or was the one who automatically got my life insurance money (as if i had the class position to get life insurance -- ha!).
but anyway -- i really love, appreciate and honor religious leaders who point out some of the inherent hypocrisy in a blending the religious/spiritual and civic institutions of marriage/committment. and take a stand on it that affirms what they think is most important about honoring commitment in their communities.
Hear, hear, idgie. Spiritual people everywhere should be working to end discrimination and hate, not perpetuating it. Nice to see "people of faith" willing to stand up for their own personal beliefs, rather than blindly following the edicts of his church and state. I wrote about this story on illmethinks.com.
I wonder if this guy read that new book by jesus called god without religion. I heard it is better than the bible because it contains less than 791,000 contradictions and lies.
The government should get out of the marriage business and each person's definition of marriage should be between them and their church. Regards, free games