Christians unite for affirmation

In November, a group of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox leaders released the Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience which outlines their anti-abortion and anti-gay beliefs.

The Los Angeles Times wrote an editorial about the manifesto calling the rhetoric "irresponsible and dangerous".

...The impression left is that the legal environment in which churches must operate is reminiscent of the Roman Empire that threw Christians to the lions. Never mind that advocates of same-sex civil marriage and legal abortion have made significant concessions to believers or that religious groups have recourse to courts, which have aggressively protected the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the 1st Amendment. In 1993, Congress passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, exempting believers in some cases from having to comply with applicable laws.

This apocalyptic argument for lawbreaking is disingenuous, but it is also dangerous. Did the Roman Catholic bishops who signed the manifesto consider how their endorsement of lawbreaking in a higher cause might embolden the antiabortion terrorists they claim to condemn? Did they stop to think that, by reserving the right to resist laws they don't like, they forfeit the authority to intervene in the enactment of those laws, as they have done in the congressional debate over healthcare reform? They need to be reminded that this is a nation of laws, not of men -- even holy men.

The writers of the "declaration" encourage others to sign on in agreement. Even Mike Huckabee has been urging people to sign the document.

In response, pro-equality believers have crafted The Affirmation Declaration.

The Affirmation Declaration is a statement that expresses the convictions of Christians all over the world. It was written in response to the now famous Manhattan Declaration, to correct egregious errors contained in the document, errors that have been preached in the pulpits of many local churches for far too long.

With the growing notoriety and support for the Manhattan Declaration, our Affirmation Declaration reflects an urgent need to respond to the portion of the Manhattan Declaration dealing with issues related to sexual orientation—specifically, homosexuality and same-sex marriage. We strongly disagree with the contention that same-sex attractions and the oft-resulting romantic activities are immoral.

Because of the large number of people affected by this serious issue one way or the other, we felt it expedient to respond formally, both by submitting our Declaration to the drafters of the Manhattan Declaration, as well as by releasing our Declaration to the public, allowing Christians to show their support for love and affirmation, just as so many have shown their support for the propagation of false doctrines of oppression and inequality against the GLBTI (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgered, and Intersex) community.

The day before The Affirmation Declaration was released, a group of Quakers in Minnesota declared their support for same-sex marriage and their solidarity with the LGBT community.

A group of Twin Cities Quakers has decided to stop signing marriage certificates for opposite-sex couples until the state legalizes gay marriage.

"We're simply trying to be consistent with the will of God as we perceive it," said Paul Landskroener, clerk of the Twin Cities Friends Meeting, in an interview with MPR's All Things Considered on Monday.

The congregation will continue to hold both opposite-sex and same-sex weddings at its meeting house, but will no longer sign the legal marriage certificate for opposite-sex couples. Instead, couples will need to have the certificate signed by a justice of the peace.

I have written often of my support of same-sex marriage and as such I have signed The Affirmation Declaration.

As the declaration notes:

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:35

I am happy to sign and support such a document. Furthermore, I am glad to see individual Christians and Christian groups come forward and support equality and compassion.

Too often, the loud and hateful rhetoric of right-wing Conservative Christians causes many to assume they speak for all Christians. Not at all. Christians aren't by definition a hate group. Jesus spoke of love and compassion for all of God's children and too often that is forgotten by many Christians.

Please think about reading and signing the declaration.