Civil Rights and same sex
couples
[11-21-03]
The Presbyterian Washington Office has
provided background information from Presbyterian statements on civil
rights and same-sex couples
Below are excerpts from the Presbyterian
Church (USA)'s Book of Order and Social Witness Policy statements on the
issue of marriage and same sex couples.
The Washington Office does not always
comment on decisions of the court system, because most of our work is aimed
at the legislative and administrative process. Court systems are not open to
advocacy efforts in the manner carried out by the Washington Office and our
readers. The 1996 GA Statement would give support to the Washington Office
to speak to legislation or administrative actions that may deny civil rights
to couples/individuals based on sexual orientation.
Having received two e-mails which ask when
the Washington Office would speak out against the recent Massachusetts
Supreme Court Decision which supports the civil rights of same sex couples,
I thought I would post the following information in this E-Briefs message
for our Civil Rights/Religious Liberty readers.
~~~~~~~~~~
1996 Statement, PC(USA) Therefore,
the 208th General Assembly (1996) of the Presbyterian Church (USA),
affirming the Presbyterian Church's historic definition of marriage as a
civil contract between a man and a woman, yet recognizing that committed
same-sex partners seek equal civil liberties in a contractual relationship
with all the civil rights of married couples, urges the Office of the Stated
Clerk to explore the feasibility of entering friend-of-the-court briefs and
supporting legislation in favor of giving civil right to same-sex partners.
~~~~~~~~~~
2002 Statement, PC(USA), pp. 73-74, 575
On Affirming Civil Rights and Nondiscrimination for All Persons,
Regardless of Sexual Orientation.
That the 214th General Assembly (2002)
directs the Stated Clerk to communicate the following action to all clergy,
congregations, and seminaries:
The General Assembly reaffirms these
resolutions adopted by the 190th General Assembly (1978) of the UPCUSA -
1. Calls upon Presbyterians to work for the
passage of laws that prohibit discrimination in the areas of employment,
housing, and public accommodations based on the sexual orientation of a
person.
2. Calls upon Presbyterians, as previously
expressed by the 182nd General Assembly (1970), to work for the
decriminalization of private homosexual acts between consenting adults, and
calls for an end to the discriminatory enforcement of other criminal laws
against homosexual persons.
3. Calls upon seminaries to apply the same
standards to persons applying for admission regardless of sexual
orientation.
4. Calls upon the media to continue to work
to end the use of harmful stereotypes of homosexual persons, and encourages
divisions and committees of the General Assembly, synods, presbyteries, and
congregations to develop strategies to ensure the end of such abuse.
5. Calls upon Presbyterians to reject in
their own lives, and challenge in others, the sins of harassment, abuse, and
hate towards homosexual persons, which drives any person away from Christ
and his Church.
6. Calls upon seminaries, governing bodies,
and churches to initiate courses on sexuality, providing officers and
members with a balanced understanding of the diverse views regarding the
dynamics of human sexuality as understood within the context of Christian
ethics.
~~~~~~~~~~
Decriminalization and Civil Rights
The 117th and 118th General Assemblies
asserted "the need for the church to stand for just treatment of homosexual
persons in our society in regard to their civil liberties, equal rights and
protection under the law from social and economic discrimination which is
due all its citizens." This stand is reaffirmed. It is to be balanced by
concern for the civil rights of all those who reject the practice of
homosexuality as an acceptable style of life. The church should not be
understood as itself encouraging a trend toward demoralization of human
sexuality or approving claims of individualism which ignore the involvement
of every human being in the society in which life is lived.
~~~~~~~~~~
PCUSA Book of Order: W-4.9001
Christian Marriage
Marriage is a gift God has given to all
humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a civil
contract between a woman and a man. For Christians marriage is a covenant
through which a man and a woman are called to live out together before God
their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong
commitment is made by a woman and a man to each other, publicly witnessed
and acknowledged by the community of faith.
~~~~~~~~~~
1994 Statement - PC(USA), p. 488
[The 206th General Assembly (1994) of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) directs the Stated Clerk of the General
Assembly to send the following proposed amendment to the presbyteries for
their affirmation or negative votes:]
Should W-4.9001 be amended by adding the
following sentence at the end of the section: "Therefore, ministers are
prohibited from participating in the blessing of same-sex unions."
[The proposed amendment failed to achieve
enough affirmation notes.]
~~~~~~~~~~
W-4.9006 Recognizing Civil
Marriage
A service of worship recognizing a civil
marriage and confirming it in the community of faith may be appropriate when
requested by the couple. The service will be similar to the marriage service
except that the opening statement, the declaration of intention, the
exchange of the vows by the husband and wife, and the public declaration by
the minister reflect the fact that the woman and man are already married to
one another according to the laws of the state.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory
Director, Washington Office
Presbyterian Church (USA)
110 Maryland Avenue, NE, Suite 104
Washington, DC 20002
202-543-1126
Email eivory@ctr.pcusa.org
|
