Not all religious folks oppose marriage equality
by Shai Sachs, Sat Nov 01, 2008 at 06:36:08 AM EDT
Perhaps it's a minor point, but the New York Times has a rather surprising mistake in its story on same-sex marriage yesterday:
As a Christian -- he is a member of the United Church of Christ -- Mr. Obama believes that marriage is a sacred union, a blessing from God, and one that is intended for a man and a woman exclusively, according to these supporters and Obama campaign advisers.
So what's the problem with the story?
It turns out that the United Church of Christ supports marriage equality:
"On this July 4, the United Church of Christ has courageously acted to declare freedom, affirming marriage equality, affirming the civil rights of gay - of same-gender - couples to have their relationships recognized as marriages by the state, and encouraging our local churches to celebrate those marriages," Mr. Thomas said at a news conference after the vote by the General Synod.
Now, it's possible that Obama personally opposes same-sex marriage due to his own religious views. It doesn't bother me all that much if he does, since he opposes DOMA and wants it repealed. If the law were repealed, his administration would presumably be reasonably good about ensuring that federal marriage benefits are extended to same-sex married couples.
But the New York Times, especially on the eve of an important and close vote on marriage equality, should take note of the fact that UCC, as a denomination, has been outspoken in its support of same-sex marraige. The implication of that paragraph, and the subtle suggestion that all Christians oppose marriage equality, is simply false.
Tags: Marriage Equality, United Church of Christ (all tags)
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