Dave Land wrote: > > On Nov 4, 2004, at 5:15 PM, Julia Thompson wrote: > > > JOHN GIORGIS wrote: > >> > >> ---- Original message ---- > >>> Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 12:28:22 -0700 > >>> From: Warren Ockrassa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>> Subject: Re: It seems over... > >>> To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>> In which case the church in question is free to not perform > >>> the wedding. They are not, however, free to tell other > >>> churches that the same wedding cannot be performed. > >> > >> Churches have always been free to perform gay weddings in the > >> United States so far as I know. > > > > Only if their organization allows them to. :) Of course, some > > ministers will bless unions that they're not supposed to, and then > > there's a lot of yelling about it. > > Thankfully, not always. When the former youth director at our United > Methodist Church in Northern California wed his beloved in a beautiful > ceremony in Campbell, CA, there was no yelling to be heard, although > I noted a fair number of tongues clicking in the days afterward. > > Two UMC ministers (though /not/ the pastor of our church) officiated > at whatever the ceremony was, officially.
I was thinking about recent local events. A Presbyterian from the Houston area complained to someone about one of the Austin churches blessing same-sex unions. There was a lot of yelling about that. (Some of it was the on-line sort.) Also, I don't know if the union has been formally blessed by any clergy, but Beth Stroud is a Methodist minister in Philadelphia who came out as a lesbian in a dedicated relationship in April of 2003, and there is now a church court date set for her trial. http://www.bethstroud.info if anyone wants to read any more about it. So, the government isn't telling churches what they can and cannot do in terms of blessing gay unions, but church organizations are telling ministers what they can and cannot do. (John's point is valid. My nitpicking is nitpicking.) Julia _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
