Virginia Churches Split on Same-Sex "Marriage"

From the The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star:

Before Virginia voters head to the polls next month, many religious leaders are ensuring the faithful are fully informed about Virginia's proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages and civil unions.

Two Roman Catholic bishops co-authored a letter urging Virginia's estimated 600,000 Catholics to support the amendment Nov. 7.

"The purpose is to remind people that marriage has an original design and purpose that is independent of any government," Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde said at a press conference Tuesday.

No religion or government has the authority to alter the basic structure of marriage, the letter states. Church and state should act as stewards "to preserve our Creator's great gift of marriage," it reads.

Although gay marriage is illegal in Virginia, Loverde, whose diocese includes the Fredericksburg area, said it's important to include language in the constitution to prevent judges from interpreting the law.

"Before judges do that, the people of the commonwealth have the right to assert clearly and definitively that the definition of marriage is a union between one man and one woman," he said.

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Other faith groups are strongly opposed to the amendment, such as the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, the public-policy arm of the region's Jewish community.

The amendment discriminates against homosexuals and denies same-sex couples economic and legal benefits, JCRC Program Director Debra Linick said.

The JCRC's position also states that the amendment threatens the separation of church and state.

"It's the religious community that sanctifies a marriage and declares whether it's holy and acceptable according to their faith," Linick said.

Fredericksburg's Metropolitan Community Church, a Christian congregation that focuses on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, opposes the amendment on the same grounds.

"If you think marriage should be limited to one man and one woman because of religious beliefs, those religious beliefs shouldn't be put into the constitution," said the Rev. Stephanie Burns, pastor of the church, which meets at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Caroline Street in Fredericksburg.

"Nor if this passes will I stop performing holy unions," Burns said of the MCC ceremonies recognizing same-sex couples within the eyes of the church and within the eyes of God.

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Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Virginia Catholics Urged to Back Same-Sex "Marriage" Ban

Charlottesville Churches Square Off Over Virginia's Marriage-Protection Amendment

Virginia Bishops Endorse Postcard Campaign