Free Republic

Several dozen people partook in a discussion about same-sex marriage Sunday morning at Westminster Presbyterian Church, settling nothing but sharing their opinions openly. It was a part of the church’s series of adult education forums; one last week focused on interfaith marriage. Always a controversial topic, same-sex marriage has become yet more prominent in New York this year since the Legislature passed a law legalizing it. The Ledyard town clerk objected to that law and declined to sign same-sex marriages licenses on religious grounds, thereby putting herself near the center of a nationwide debate and drawing a write-in election challenge....

St. Paul Cathedral. Source: WikipediaArchbishop John Nienstedt sent a letter to every priest in the state at the start of October urging them to put every Catholic church in Minnesota tow work passing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.“It is imperative that we marshal our resources to educate the faithful about the Church’s teachings on these matters, and to vigorously organize and support a grass roots effort to get out the vote to support the passage of the amendment,” the letter read. It went out on Oct. 4 to every priest in the state.The archbishop said it wants priests in...

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) plans to ordain the first openly gay candidate for ordination since the denomination struck down barriers this year to clergy who have same-gender partners. Scott Anderson will be ordained as a teaching elder on Oct. 8 at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Madison. The new policy won approval from a majority of the denomination's 173 presbyteries, or regional church bodies, and took effect on July 10.The denomination eliminated language in the church constitution requiring that clergy live "in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." The new...

St Matthew-in-the-City Congratulates Anglican Diocese on Support for GLBT Members Saturday, September 3 was a huge day in the ongoing struggle to end discrimination against GLBT members of the Anglican Church. The Revd Glynn Cardy rejoiced that, “Never before has an Auckland Synod so clearly, overwhelmingly, and emphatically endorsed the being, relationships and ministry of its gay and lesbian memberships!” For the first time an Auckland Diocesan bishop publicly said he would be willing to discern and ordain GLBT candidates for ordained ministry, including if they were in committed same-sex relationships. The Revd Cardy observed, “We thank him for his...

Presbyterians in Mexico are breaking ties with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) because of differences over homosexuality. The theologically conservative National Presbyterian Church of Mexico voted to stop working with the U.S. denomination. U.S. Presbyterians voted last May to remove barriers for ordaining people in same-sex relationships. The churches share a 139-year history and a network of social service ministries that spans the Mexican-U.S. border. Presbyterian leaders in the United States said Wednesday they are saddened by the decision and hope to find a way they can continue helping the needy in Mexico and along the border. The vote by the...

Delegates attending the biennial convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have voted to allow gays and lesbians to become ministers. The delegates voted 205 to 114 in favour of a motion that states sexual orientation is not in itself a factor that disqualifies a candidate for the church's ministry. The motion rescinds ones from past conventions which disqualified candidates from ordination if they were self-declared, practising homosexuals. The delegates also voted 192 to 132 to allow ministers to conduct or bless same-sex marriages, according to their consciences and the laws of their provinces. Delegates sang "Lord Listen to...

It’s official. As of July 10, after a 15-year struggle, qualified gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people can be ordained as clergy and officers in the Presbyterian Church (USA). After 24 presbyteries flipped from previous “no” votes, a total of 97 approved amendment 10A; well over the 87 required for the change. This victory finally removed exclusionary language from the Book of Order, which required “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.” The old language also required prospective ministers and officers to repent of “any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call...

"The stampede is on," Archibishop Timothy Dolan wrote in a blog post. "Our elected senators who have stood courageous in their refusal to capitulate on the state's presumption to redefine marriage are reporting unrelenting pressure to cave-in." He equated the move to allow same-sex marriage to life in China or North Korea, where "government presumes daily to 'redefine' rights, relationships, values and natural law." Meanwhile, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, an evangelical Christian group, warned that Republicans who support gay marriage will face primaries next year as the GOP seeks to keep control of the chamber.

Catholic Charities of Rockford announced Thursday that the agency will halt its state-funded foster care and adoption services Wednesday — the day civil unions take effect in Illinois. The decision is the first of what could become a domino effect of Catholic Charities leaving the foster care and adoption business to avoid liability if state law requires them to place children with parents in civil unions — either gay or straight."While we understand leaving this work will be very painful for our client families, employees, volunteers, donors and prayerful supporters, we can no longer contract with the state of Illinois...

One of the largest adoption and foster care services in Illinois warns it may drop those services if it is forced to accommodate gay couples. New legal protections for gay couples go into effect June 1, the day couples can apply for civil unions. Catholic Charities directors say they want to maintain the right to turn away unmarried couples when they apply to be foster or adoptive parents. "The Catholic Church is not going to be OK with Catholic Charities processing applications from anyone in a civil union," said Trish Fox, who runs Catholic Charities of Peoria. "And all we're...

The New York Times is reporting that, in the wake of the overturn of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, prominent homosexuals are gearing up a "war room" in order to try to finish the job of destroying the natural family and one-man one-woman marriage in America. "The new group, Equality Matters, grew out of Media Matters, an organization backed by wealthy liberal donors — including prominent gay philanthropists — that has staked its claim in Washington punditry with aggressive attacks on Fox News and conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. It will be run by Richard Socarides, a former...

A dozen Minnesota companies have sent corporate money into this year's political campaign, from Securian Financial to Polaris Industries to Davisco Foods. So why is everyone focusing on Target Corp.? The question arises because Target finds itself alone in the center of the storm. To its critics, there are both logical and emotional reasons why Target has become the poster child in a nationwide controversy after it gave corporate cash to a group backing Tom Emmer, the Republican candidate for governor with a record of opposing gay rights. The logical reasons, they say, include Target being Minnesota's first corporate donor,...

Zikerria Bellamy, 17, said two managers at an Orlando restaurant wouldn't give her an interview on two separate occasions in July. ... A spokeswoman for the local restaurant, Allison Garrett, said in a statement the employee who left the voice mail "acted outside the scope of his authority and was not responsible for hiring." He no longer works at the restaurant. ... Bellamy is a male who has been living as a female for about the past six years. She said she completed a job application online, then was called to the store for an interview. When one manager refused...

Pastor Scott Lively, head of Abiding Truth Ministries and author of the book "The Pink Swastika" will address the Temecula cahpater of the California Republican Assembly on Friday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. See links below for live streaming video...

Threats of protest halt Pink Swastika author's scheduled talk by Temecula Valley News staff The Murrieta/Temecula Republican Assembly’s (MTRA) next meeting was scheduled to be April 3; however, that meeting and location are now in doubt as a result of threats of protest. According to MTRA president Bob Kowell, their speaker was scheduled to be Pastor Scott Lively from Abiding Truth Ministries in Massachusetts. Pastor Lively’s book, “The Pink Swastika,” has gained the attention and protest of gays and gay activists across the world. “The meeting was to be held at Temeku Hills Country Club,” said Kowell. “Temeku Country Club...

In the nearly four weeks since Election Day, gay activists and thousands of their supporters have rallied outside Mormon temples around the country, protesting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' support for California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative to make same-sex marriage illegal in the Golden State.There have been calls to boycott the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah; some activists have called for a boycott of the entire state of Utah. Protesters have defaced some church buildings, and in Arapaho County, Colo., the Sheriff's Office is investigating a possible hate crime — the torching...

A national group of homosexual Democrats condemned Sarah Palin on Wednesday for arguing that homosexuality is a "choice" and claimed Senator John McCain chose a "poor" running mate. "For Governor Palin to suggest that individuals randomly choose their sexual orientation based on nothing but a whim is wrong and it repeats the talking points of the anti-gay special interests which continue to control the McCain/Palin campaign and the Republican Party, " said John Hoadley, executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats on a statement. Palin and CBS' News anchor Katie Couric talked about homosexuality at the last of a series of...

The case of the San Jose/Evergreen Community College firing of June Sheldon is raising some eyebrows among academics, liberal and conservative. Here is the media version : The controversy centers on an incident in June 2007, when Sheldon was asked by a student in a human heredity class about heredity’s impact on “homosexual behavior in males and females.” Among other references, Sheldon noted a German study demonstrating some link between maternal stress and homosexual behavior in males, according to the lawsuit. After a student complained, college officials investigated and dismissed Sheldon, an adjunct professor at the school since January 2004....

Foster child to be taken away because Christian couple refuse to teach him about homosexuality By JAMES MILLS They are devoted foster parents with an unblemished record of caring for almost 30 vulnerable children. But Vincent and Pauline Matherick will this week have their latest foster son taken away because they have refused to sign new sexual equality regulations. To do so, they claim, would force them to promote homosexuality and go against their Christian faith. The 11-year-old boy, who has been in their care for two years, will be placed in a council hostel this week and the Mathericks...

If there's one thing Beacon Hill Democrats can’t stand, it’s democracy. What happened to all their phony polls on the gay marriage question? I thought the gays were going to win, and that, as one story put it right, "political support in Massachusetts is swinging firmly behind gay marriage." So why did the homosexuals spend more than a million bucks making sure they wouldn’t have to win that fight at the ballot box in November 2008? A few years ago this same crowd was hissing that government had no right to say who could get hitched to whom. Now that...