THE VIEWS OF MAJOR RELIGIOUS BODIES
regarding sexual minorities

CHRISTIAN

Christian Church--Disciples of Christ

Disciples Caucuses and Independent Organizations:

Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA) -- Currently at the center of controversy within the worldwide Anglican communion, the Episcopal Church maintains its openness to sexual minorities, and has demonstrated its commitment in the recent consecration of the openly-gay/partnered Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. Beginning with the ordination of women decades ago, the Episcopal Church has suffered some loss of membership as individual congregations have left the dnomination to form independent church bodies which reject female priests and gay/lesbian people.

Episcopal Caucuses and Independent Organizations:

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) -- a mixed bag: The ELCA and its Conference of Bishops is on record as welcoming LGBT persons into the life of the church, but a ban on the ordination of active gay/lesbian clergy, adopted in 1990, is still officially in place. In 2007 the Churchwide Assembly (the highlest legislative authority) adopted a policy that allows individual Bishops not to enforcethe negative policy. Further action is anticipated in 2009 with the consideration of a major "Social Statement" on Human Sexuality.

Lutheran Caucuses and Independent Organizations:

Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LC-MS) -- still largely a conservative German denomination, this body is unwelcoming and resistant to reconsidering any matters of faith and homosexuality or transgenderism.

Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) -- founded in 1968 by the Rev. Elder Troy Perry, MCC has become a world-wide denomination which unconditionally welcomes all sexual minorities.

Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) -- description pending

Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA) -- description pending

Presbyterian Caucuses and Independent Organizations:

Roman Catholic Church -- there is no single umbrella web site for the entire Roman Catholic Church in the United States, but see: www.catholic.org; Under the direction of Cardinal Ratzinger, now elevated to the office of Pope Benedict XVI, the Roman Catholic Church is decisively rejective and punitive with regard to homosexuality, and repeatedly works internationally to defeat the liberalization of laws to protect LGBT people or grant them full civil rights.

Independent Catholic Organizations:

Reformed Church in America (RCA) -- a period of "dont ask don't tell" ended in 2005 when the President of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary was charged with and found guilty of "violating the peace, unity and purity of the church" for presiding at the wedding of his daughter to another woman. The movement for advovacy and inclusivity within the RCA dates from this event.

Reformed Caucuses and Independent Organizations:

  • Room for All-- Supporting, educating and advocating for the full inclusion of LGBT people in the Reformed Church in America.

United Church of Christ (UCC)-- First ordained an openly-gay candidate to the ministry in 1970. UCC polity is congregational, so that no national authroity controls the teachings, practicves or employment of local churches. Some congregations may be more conservative than others. In its recent television advertising campaign, "God Is Still Speaking" the UCC is openly courting not only LGBT members but the liberal and tolerant segments of our society.

United Methodist Church (UMC) -- Another "mixed bag", the UMC has repeatedly disciplined individual clergy for performing same-sex blessing ceremonies and will not officially allow openly lesbian/gay clergy to be appointed to churches.

Methodist Caucuses and Independent Organizations:

JEWISH

description pending