Miriam Conners’ op-ed (Another View, “Editorial wrong: Same-sex marriage does affect religion,” Sept. 17) is either uninformed about Question 1 or misrepresents it intentionally. The applicable portion of the proposed law reads:
“Section 4. 19-A MRSA section 655, subsection 3 is enacted to read:
“3. Religious exemption. This chapter does not require any member of the clergy to perform or any church, religious denomination or other religious institution to host any marriage in violation of the religious beliefs of that member of the clergy, church, religious denomination or other religious institution. The refusal to perform or host a marriage under this subsection cannot be the basis for a lawsuit or liability and does not affect the tax-exempt status of the church, religious denomination or other religious institution.”
For the Portland Press Herald to print this piece as “Another View” implies that the statute’s religious exemption is open to interpretation and that both sides’ positions are legitimate, leaving voters to figure out who and what to believe.
Journalism’s overarching charge is truth. To present a falsehood without comment (presumably in the name of fairness) is an abdication of that charge and a disservice to your readers.
Edward Hobler
Portland
When I read the Bible, what does it tell me about gay marriage?
1. Jesus’ final command was to go out and love one another (not conditionally).
2. The Apostle Paul said to never put up stumbling blocks to another’s salvation.
With that said, drunkards, adulterers and tax evaders are readily welcomed to come to church and accept Christ as their personal savior, but a gay couple, not on your life — at least not in most churches.
The Holy Spirit tells me not to judge or put roadblocks to another’s finding salvation.
Since blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin, I will honor Jesus’ final command and allow gay couples to love one another; I, for one, will welcome them to my church, and I, a devout Christian, daily reader of the Bible and an active member of my church, will absolutely vote “yes” in November on gay marriage.
The road to salvation seems to me to be so much more important than the “sanctity” of a word or an idea.
So Christians, read God’s word and decide for yourself. Many of our liturgical leaders, though well-intentioned, are stuck in the old ways; like the Pharisees, they can find biblical reasons to crucify.
Let us not let history repeat itself. Decide for yourself through prayer and then vote.
Bob LeClerc
Gray
member, Christ Chapel, Raymond
I had to reply to a letter by Bob Hoey from Sanford, whose initial statement was “I love homosexuals as much as I love heterosexuals” (“Morality is the keyword, and the truth is the truth,” Sept. 5).
Mr. Hoey went on to claim the moral high ground and assume everyone would agree that the only reason to support gay marriage was “to make homosexuality acceptable to the masses and natural.”
Nearly 60 percent of all Americans now support same-sex marriage and do so on the grounds of equality, so his assumption has no basis in fact.
The “truth” is that homosexuality is natural and should very much be acceptable to the masses — after all, this is 2012, not the 15th century. Society no longer needs to look to, nor listen to, religious ideology on issues of civil rights.
I grew up in the South during the civil rights era, and far too often I heard members of my community make statements such as “I love black people” or “Those people (African-Americans) are nice enough, but they don’t belong in this place.”
What most of them were saying, was much like what Mr. Hoey was saying: that it is acceptable to cast others who one does not agree with or approve of as outsiders or “other.” During this debate, it was often religious leaders who led the opposition to giving African-Americans their just civil rights.
One of the best tenets of the American judicial system is that the majority does not determine the civil rights of any minority group in society. Americans have many more important issues to deal with today than someone’s civil right to marry the person they love.
It is high time to end this debate as one based on religion and come to terms with the fact that same-sex marriages — in fact, all marriages — are legal only if sanctioned by the state, not the church.
Martin T. Kinard
Sanford
In a letter to the editor Sept. 4 (“Different views expressed on same-sex marriage”), former members of our congregation misrepresented the facts and criticized our pastor for acting “arrogantly” and “pushing” for the freedom to marry for same-sex couples when “many of his congregation disagree with him.”
To set the record straight, we are a congregation of people who have agreed to wrestle with ethical issues in light of our Christian faith. Our strength as a diverse faith family is in our respect and regard for each other while we seek to discern the ways of justice and peace as followers of Christ Jesus.
At First Congregational Church UCC in South Portland, we spent six years studying the Bible, reviewing scientific literature, consulting with scholars, conversing with each other and praying a lot.
Finally, at a congregational meeting in 2000, we voted overwhelmingly (83 percent) to become an Open and Affirming congregation, welcoming gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons as equal and valued members of our church.
Taking a further step in 2002, we voted (60 percent) to authorize our pastors “at his or her discretion to offer the blessing of the church to any couple which sincerely desires that blessing in the context of their Christian faith.”
True, not everyone agreed. A very few, uncomfortable with these congregational decisions, have regrettably chosen to leave our church family. Others, while also not voting with the majority, have stayed, in large part because of the integrity of our pastor and because we prayerfully try to make room for dissent and respectfully learn from our differences.
At the same time, numerous individuals and families have chosen to join our congregation, aspiring in faith to live out an invitation we recite together every Sunday morning: “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”
Marvin Ellison, Carol Scheffler and 10 additional members of the Diversity Committee
First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
South Portland
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