PCUSA agencies
call civil rights
for same-gender couples 'marriage'
By Craig M.
Kibler
The Layman Online
Thursday, September
23, 2004
In a paper edited by
the Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA), eight
denominational agencies are calling civil rights for same-gender couples
"marriage" – in contravention of the PCUSA's Constitution
and directly violating the instructions of the 216th General Assembly.
Commissioners to the 216th General Assembly approved a statement that
reads:
"The 216th General Assembly (2004) does the following:
- Offers prayerful thanks for the Scriptures informing us that all
persons are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).
- Affirms the PCUSA historic definition of the meaning of marriage
as a civil contract between a woman and a man' (W-4.9001, as quoted
in a resolution of the 208th General Assembly (1996), Minutes,
1996, Part 1, p. 122)
- Declares that all persons are entitled to equal treatment under
the law (Constitution of the United States of America); therefore
- Urges state legislations to change state laws to include the
right of same-gender persons to civil union and, thereby, to extend
to them all the benefits, privileges, and responsibilities of civil
union, and urges all persons to support such changes in state laws.
- Urges the Congress of the United States of America to recognize
those state laws that allow same-gender union and to change federal
laws to recognize all civil unions licensed and solemnized under
state law to apply in all federal laws that provide benefits,
privileges, and/or responsibilities to married persons."
This statement was recommended by the General Assembly
commissioners' Committee on National Issues to the full General
Assembly, which approved it with an amendment incorporating the
denomination's historic definition of marriage. Earlier, the committee
had rejected a proposed resolution that called on commissioners to "Recognize
Civil Marriage for Same-Gender Couples."
This rejected resolution, however, is included in the
"Election
Year Packet" prepared by the Washington Office as
representing the action of the 216th General Assembly. The packet
substitutes in every instance the word "marriage" for the word
"unions," leaves out the denomination's historic definition of
marriage, and incorporates language not in the approved statement. The
packet states:
"The 216th General Assembly (2004) does the following:
- Offers prayerful thanks for the Scriptures informing us that all
persons are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).
- Celebrates that full participation and access to representation
in the decisions of the church is guaranteed in the Book of
Order, G-4.0403.
- Declares that all persons are entitled to equal treatment under
the law (Constitution of the United States of America).
- Recognizes that thousands of benefits, privileges, and
responsibilities that are provided to married persons by federal,
state, and local laws are unjustly denied to those joined in
marriage or civil unions of same-gender persons and asks that such
discrimination by all federal, state, and local civil jurisdictions
be eliminated.
- Rejects laws that that deny the right to a civil marriage to
persons based on their gender or sexual preference.
- Urges state legislations to change state laws to include the
right of same-gender persons to civil marriage and, thereby, to
extend to them all the benefits, privileges, and responsibilities of
civil marriage, and urges all persons to support such changes in
state laws.
- Urges the Congress of the United States of America to recognize
those state laws that allow same-gender marriage and to change
federal laws to recognize all civil marriages licensed and
solemnized under state to apply in all federal laws that provide
benefits, privileges, and/or responsibilities to married persons.
- Urges Congress to reject any proposed amendment to the federal
Constitution that would prohibit the marriage of same-gender
persons."
The agencies responsible for the packet are the Advisory Committee
On Social Witness Policy, the Office of the Stated Clerk, the
Presbyterian Hunger Program, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, the
Racial Justice Policy Development Office, Social Justice Ministries, the
Washington Office and the Women's Advocacy Office. |