Religious Voices Loud for “Marriage Equality”

on March 28, 2013
(Photo Credit: The IRD)
(Photo credit: The IRD)

By Aaron Gaglia (GagliaAC)

Marriage equality advocates gathered early Tuesday morning for an interfaith service promoting gay marriage.

Religious groups have been very vocal on both sides of the gay marriage debate. Tuesday was no exception as religious groups were very prominent at both the March for Marriage (pro-traditional marriage) and the United for Marriage Rally (pro-same-sex marriage). The pro-gay marriage advocates gathered early Tuesday morning for an interfaith service to kick off the day with.

The event entitled, “A Prayer for Love and Justice” took place at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation just down the road from the Supreme Court. The program called participants to “Welcome all spirits and faith traditions to a union of prayer for love, marriage equality and justice for LGBT people.” This event was put on by The United for Marriage: Interfaith Committee & United for Marriage Coalition, and cosponsors included the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, a religious pro-choice organization.

This event featured a wide range of religious organizations and traditions including the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the Unitarian Universalist Church, Mormons for Equality, Metropolitan Community Churches, the Five Mountain Zen Order, Muslims for Progressive Values, and even Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church.

The event began with the Venerable Lawrence Do’an Grecco (Zen Buddhist) chanting to a tribal drum. He was then followed by more chanting from Marlon Fixico (National Confederacy of Two Spirit Organizations). The Muslim Call to Prayer, the blowing of the Shofar, and a Christian song followed the chants.

The service featured five different sets of prayer with songs interspersed throughout. In the opening set of prayers, gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson prayed these words: “We know that you love us and hallow our relationships. We also know that the church, the synagogue, and the mosque have gotten it wrong about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.”

During the set of prayers themed: “Discrimination is Judgment, Judge Not”, Reverend Mary Kay Totty, United Methodist Church, read 1 John 4:20-21, which speaks of the importance of loving our neighbor.

This event also featured two very interesting usages of Scripture. Bishop Yvette Flunder of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, alluded to Ecclesiastes 3 and said “the time has come” for full LGBT equality. Yet the most creative usage of Scripture was from Rev. J. Bennett Guess, Executive Minister for Local Church Ministries of the UCC. He did not just proof text, but gave a pro-gay marriage paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13.

Here is an excerpt from it: “Love, she is amazing. Love is relentless. Love is extra gracious. Love looks after the interest of other people, not the interest of one’s own self. Love doesn’t preserve rights and privileges just for some. Love doesn’t promote hierarchies to the expense of equality because love just doesn’t think that way, love just doesn’t work that way. Love doesn’t hurt people. Love never leaves people out. No, love goes all the way. Love removes every obstacle. Love appeal to the highest court in the land when necessary.”

After praying for marriage equality, ministers then blessed the same-sex couples in the room. The same-sex couples stood up (there were approximately 10 of them) and four different ministers said a blessing over them. Wiccan High Priestess, Reverend Selena Fox led the couples through the Wiccan practice of hand fasting. Then the Very Reverend Gary Hall, the Dean of the Washington National Cathedral, said a blessing over the audience. In his blessing he said, “You made us as we are, gay and straight, bisexual, transgender and you’ve called that good.”Reverend Jill McCrory, the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists and Imam Daayiee Abdullah, Muslims for Progressive Values also blessed the couples.

After the service, the participants then marched to the Supreme Court to the song, “This Little Light of Mine.” By just looking at this service and the rally, it appeared that the battle was lost. People of faith, those traditionally against gay marriage, were present and very vocal in favor of marriage equality. Besides approximately 20 dissenters, including the hate group, Westboro Baptist Church, everyone in front of the Supreme Court was pro-marriage equality.

Yet after about an hour, a flood of proponents of traditional marriage came marching down the road in the March for Marriage. Those participating in the March for Marriage equaled, if not outnumbered, those participating in the marriage equality rally. After stopping in front of the Supreme Court, the marchers made their way back to the National Mall for a rally. Though the traditional marriage rally was not exclusively Christian, it featured many Christian elements.

The juxtaposition of these two events sends a very important message that evangelicals need to hear. The pro-gay interfaith service reminds us that yes, it is true, many Christians have departed from the truth of Scripture, even to the point of being willing to participate in pagan rituals for a common political agenda. Yet the March for Marriage proved this is not the whole story. There are still many Christians who believe and are committed to the Bible’s definition of marriage. Our church and our culture have not come to a unanimous verdict to allow gay marriage. The verdict is still yet to be decided.

  1. Comment by noelanderson on March 28, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    Welcome “all spirits”? Really?

  2. Comment by Marco Bell on March 28, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    Why not welcome all Spirits?
    The Catholics have a ton of Saints, then there is the Holy Trinity, that sounds like a house divided among more than one Holy entity.
    Let’s not get into a “My God is better than your God” pissing match, because that isn’t in the ‘spirit’ of goodwill toward our fellow Man.

  3. Comment by Donnie on March 28, 2013 at 8:09 pm

    No, the comforting lie of universalism is not in the interest of goodwill towards our fellow man.

  4. Comment by raybnnstr on March 28, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    Perhaps “spirits” (as in 200 proof) account for the addled moral thinking on the Left.

    I learned something new today: being faithful to one’s faith is regarded as a “pissing match.” The Left does have a scintillating way with words, doesn’t it?

  5. Comment by apcroft33 on March 28, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    # 14 on the list of Reasons to Be a Liberal:
    You never need to pause and analyze anything you say, no matter how stupid,
    e.g.,
    this National Cathedral clown: God “made us as we are, gay and straight, bisexual, transgender.”

    God “made” the transgendered???

    I’d love to compile a book of Stupid Things Liberal Clergy Say, but it would run to a thousand volumes. This “God made us transgender” would definitely be on page 1.

  6. Comment by cleareyedtruthmeister on March 28, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    If God “made” enough LGTBQ….eventually….we would no longer be “made.”

    You think modern sexual liberationists can figure out that they are supporting an ideology assuring their own extinction?

  7. Comment by benmwelliver on March 30, 2013 at 10:39 am

    Oy vey. They’ve got a Wiccan “high priestess” and a “blessing” of “couples” and they sing “This Little Light of Mine.” This weird mix of sex, goofball religion, and juvenile songs is like some weird parody of the 1960s (as if you could even parody the 60s). How can reporters cover an event like this without rolling on the ground in laughter?

  8. Comment by Marco Bell on March 30, 2013 at 11:58 am

    What do you folks have against Spirits?
    Certainly the dogma of many mainline Christian sects, exalt “spirits”, so it shouldn’t seem like it’s Liberals that have a corner on that market.

    Surely the small population of Christians in this whole, beautiful world can’t possibly hold sway over the other fine folks that wish to embrace Humanity as a wholly inclusive family… Can they?! And why should they?

    BTW, Happy Easter!

  9. Comment by sandytnaylor on March 30, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    Please give us some examples “the dogma of many mainline Christian sects” that “exalt `spirits.'” I can’t think of any. In fact, there aren’t any.

    What do you celebrate on Easter? Inclusiveness? There were and are lots of people in the “human family” who perpetrate truly horrible acts on their fellow humans. I don’t see myself and them “included” in one big happy family, since they seem to take delight in killing other members of the family. Do you really think just doing the “inclusive” mantra over and over, ad nauseam, makes the Inclusive Utopia spring into being, magically?

  10. Comment by Marco Bell on March 30, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    Dear SandT…,

    Inclusiveness isn’t a religion, it simply seems to be a healthy starting point for finding ways to bring people together, without leaning so heavily to one side ideologically.
    You mock the possibility that if one chants a mantra over and over again (ad nauseam) that nothing will come of it? Then how different is it from Praying over and over again with any expectation of real change?
    “What’s wrong with Peace, Love and Understanding?” That’s inclusiveness, and it’s not a bad thing.

    I don’t celebrate Easter since it’s not of my ‘religion’, but I do have many Christian family and friends that will celebrate their Joy, and I will be as happy for them, as I would the Atheist. I sincerely wish for you, the same celebration of Joy.

    Now don’t tell me the Holy SPIRIT isn’t in your heart, Sandy. It better be, if you believe in the Holy Trinity.

    My fellow man Raybnnstr claims to have learned something. For that I’m happy. But Ray, you misinterpreted my point. I very much appreciate anyone holding firmly to their faith. The phrase: “pissing match” is a description of a contest that doesn’t prove anything substantive, and generally never produces a “winner”. So please don’t take personally something I never meant.

    And by the way, I wouldn’t get near a drink of SPIRITS that was 200-proof.
    Cheers to all who celebrate the Easter Holy Day, and also to those who don’t!

    Thank you for the exchange.
    Peace,
    Marco Bell

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