Marriage bill has similarities, differences with church position
June 6, 2006
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
WASHINGTON (UMNS) — The first part of the proposed Marriage
Protection Amendment being debated by the U.S. Senate is very similar to
the United Methodist Church’s official position, which states marriage
is the union of one man and one woman.
However, the second sentence in the amendment may conflict with
the church’s stand, said James Winkler, chief executive of the United
Methodist Board of Church and Society.
Winkler points to the section in the denomination’s Social
Principles, Paragraph 162 H, which addresses “Equal Rights Regardless of
Sexual Orientation.”
In part, the paragraph says: “We see a clear issue of simple
justice in protecting their (homosexual persons') rightful claims where
they have shared material resources, pensions, guardian relationships,
mutual powers of attorney and other such lawful claims typically
attendant to contractual relationships that involve shared
contributions, responsibilities, and liabilities, and equal protection
before the law.”
“That statement may conflict with the second sentence in the
proposed marriage amendment, which notes that neither this constitution
nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require marriage
or the legal incidents thereof be conveyed upon any union other than
the union of man and woman,” Winkler said.
The United Methodist Church’s stand on marriage is found in
Paragraph 161 C, and states: “We affirm the sanctity of the marriage
covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment
and shared fidelity between a man and a woman. We believe that God's
blessing rests upon such marriage, whether or not there are children of
the union. We reject social norms that assume different standards for
women than for men in marriage. We support laws in civil society that
define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
Arguments on the issue
Patricia Miller, executive director of the Confessing Movement,
said, “It is clear that the Christian position is that marriage is
reserved by God for one man and one woman.” The Confessing Movement is
an unofficial United Methodist organization.
“Apart from a Christian understanding, we would hope that the
Senate would support the marriage amendment. This would not require a
Christian understanding but simply an understanding of the natural order
— that man and woman are created for each other and that family is an
essential part of culture and civilization,” she said. Miller said the
Confessing Movement has not taken an official position on the Marriage
Protection Amendment.
The United Methodist Church officially holds that the practice of
homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, and the
denomination forbids its clergy from performing same-gender union
ceremonies.
The Rev. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, United Methodist assistant
professor of Old Testament at the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley,
Calif., said the church’s stand on marriage is “discriminatory and
oppressive.” Kuan is a member of Clergy for Fairness, an interfaith
group of religious leaders opposed to the Marriage Protection Amendment.
“One of the arguments against same-sex marriage that most readily
come from Christian religious circles is that homosexuality is
incompatible with biblical and Christian teachings,” Kuan said.
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A UMNS file photo by John C. Goodwin.
Couples
gather in Carneys Point, N.J., to dedicate a weekend to their marriages
at one of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter United Methodist events.
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Couples
gather in Carneys Point, N.J., to dedicate a weekend to their marriages
at one of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter United Methodist events, an
affiliated organization of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.
The mission of the organization is to strengthen marriages and couples'
relationship with God and the church. Eunice Higgins, an official with
Marriage and Engaged Encounter says, "We wholeheartedly support marriage
to be the only relationship between a man and a woman." A UMNS file
photo by John C. Goodwin. Photo #06630. Accompanies UMNS story #334.
6/6/06
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“I need to say very clearly that Christian opposition to
homosexuality is based often on selective biblical interpretation that
takes the few verses of Scripture that may or may not refer to sexual
intercourse between people (of the) same gender out of its
socio-cultural and historical contexts. Moreover, such a stance often
refuses to acknowledge that our modern understanding of sexuality is
worlds apart from the understanding of sexuality in ancient times.”
“The story of creation is the story of man and woman and
procreation,” said Eunice Higgins, an official with Marriage and Engaged
Encounter. “We wholeheartedly support marriage to be the only
relationship between a man and a woman.”
Marriage and Engaged Encounter is an affiliated organization of
the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. The mission of the
organization is to strengthen marriages and couples’ relationship with
God and the church.
Unlikely to pass
President George Bush, a member of the United Methodist Church,
has said he is “proud to stand with” those supporting the amendment.
The Federal Marriage Amendment was first proposed in 2004 and failed to pass.
Winkler said it is unlikely the amendment will pass this time
either. “Frankly, I don’t believe this matter rises to the level of a
constitutional amendment. Federal and state laws seem to me to be the
appropriate venue to deal with this issue.”
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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