They have always been involved in radical politics. As a matter of fact, they are Exhibit A in the whole phenomenon where conservatives are attacked for participating in politics and liberals can do so with impunity.
I remember going there years ago because Jackson Browne was performing free in the sanctaury and the whole thing turned out to be a benefit to support the Communists in the El Salvadoran civil war.
Face it, the whole idea that churches can't take political positions is unconstitutional.
The other is that I fail to see how Unitarianism qualifies as a Christian religion. They claim to draw their beliefs from many religions, including humanism, and only value selected parts of the Judeo-Christian message. So, rather than a rationale for sections of scripture that refer to homosexual behavior, they'd just discard those passages.
His signature on this letter doesn't really represent a church and has no relevance.
October 26, 2009 11:14 AM
Robirt said...
Unitarianism is the modern-day successor to New England's puritans. That's their history.
October 26, 2009 4:11 PM
Anonymous said...
And, "Anonymous"...just what is your gripe against Rev. Wiley? Last I knew, Baptists were considered Christians. But then I know there are tests of "orthodoxy" constantly being applied to those with whom you disagree.
Do you suppose he is not a "Southern Baptist"? My roommate in college was a Baptist from Rhode Island and he was quite liberal and open-minded. My guess is that all of that crowd has probably been "excommunicated" (at least by your standards of judgement of "corect" interpretation of the Bible ("only value selected parts of the Judeo-Christian message.") I know it really irks you to know that there really are Christians who support GLBT marriage equality.
Diogenes
October 26, 2009 4:11 PM
Anonymous said...
"Unitarianism is the modern-day successor to New England's puritans. That's their history."
actually, Robirt, there is no similarity
your theology and history is as bad as your spelling
"And, "Anonymous"...just what is your gripe against Rev. Wiley?"
didn't voice any so the rest of your post is a conversation concocted entirely in your head
have fun with your fantasies
October 26, 2009 4:17 PM
Anonymous said...
Nice slithery sidestep,(up to your usual standards when you choose to conveniently ignore questions put to you) "Anonymous".
If you have no gripe against Rev. Wiley, who along with several other ministers of various faiths who have stated: "Opponents of marriage equality would like us to believe that one cannot be both pro-God and pro-gay. Yet we lead a coalition of nearly 200 D.C. clergy who support marriage equality precisely because of our commitment to God's inclusive love and justice. Our clergy are black, white, Latino and from every ward in the District. We are Baptists and Jews, Catholics and Methodists,[and, I might add - Unitarians] who have worked side by side for years on issues ranging from peace to affordable housing, and who now stand together again to raise a faithful voice for justice." (Washington Post,"Marriage Equalities False Divides" http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-opinions/2009/10/marriage_equalitys_false_divid.html) you should be supportive of their endeavors.
That, of course, is the real fantasy. You abhor what they are doing.
Diogenes
October 26, 2009 4:42 PM
Aunt Bea said...
The two signatures on the letter are the two co-chairs of the DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality. It's a group that includes a lot more than the two co-chairs.
The list of the many members of the clergy who have signed DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality's "Declaration of Religious Support for Marriage Equality" is found here.
Will Anon doubt all the non-Christians on the list or just those who are Unitarian or members of All Souls?
How does Anon reconcile all the Mormons, who think they know more about Christianity than Christians do, involved with the CRW?
October 26, 2009 5:23 PM
Anonymous said...
I don't exactly what the point of DIO and Anon-B are
I simply said the Unitarian guy represents a denomination that is radically leftist and whose doctrine is not Christian
If they want a propaganda point, this pro-gay, anti-marriage D.C. Clergy group would be better to find clergy that are mainstream in more areas
sorry you guys get all frantic when you hear truth but facts are facts
October 26, 2009 5:51 PM
Anonymous said...
I don't exactly what the point of DIO and Anon-B are
October 26, 2009 6:01 PM
Anonymous said...
frantic
October 26, 2009 6:10 PM
Copy Editor said...
Hee hee, Anon doesn't know what the point are.
October 26, 2009 7:07 PM
Anonymous said...
tee hee, neither do DIO or anon-B
like this:
"How does Anon reconcile all the Mormons, who think they know more about Christianity than Christians do, involved with the CRW?"
what exactly is this old bat trying to say here?
I don't think even she knows
she just thinks if she throws out a bunch of phrases, people will think she had a point
kind of like the "links" she posts which have no point when you follow them but she thinks most people won't and will just assume there was something relevant
October 27, 2009 6:23 AM
This letter by two Washington DC ministers was posted on the Washington Post blog, "All Opinions Are Local." As we have noted, DC is in an interesting position at the moment, where the city council will likely pass a bill that allows same-sex marriage in the city. Washington has a majority black population, the churches are very powerful there, and a group of black preachers is adamantly opposed to marriage equality. It will shape up into a tough and fascinating fight, and some important issues will come to the surface, having to do with race, religion, and sexual identity.
Anti-gay preachers get a lot of press, but it is important to remember that many religious leaders preach about love, forgiveness, and overcoming prejudice. As the struggle for marriage equality moves to the nation's capital, the District of Columbia is debunking many of the myths surrounding this important human rights issue.
For instance, few would expect the two of us -- a straight, black Baptist minister from east of the Anacostia River, and a gay, white Unitarian minister from Columbia Heights -- to share the same position on same-sex marriage. Our solidarity exposes two of the myths perpetuated by opponents of marriage equality and by the media. Let's call these myths "God vs. gay" and "black vs. white."
Opponents of marriage equality would like us to believe that one cannot be both pro-God and pro-gay. Yet we lead a coalition of nearly 200 D.C. clergy who support marriage equality precisely because of our commitment to God's inclusive love and justice. Our clergy are black, white, Latino and from every ward in the District. We are Baptists and Jews, Catholics and Methodists, who have worked side by side for years on issues ranging from peace to affordable housing, and who now stand together again to raise a faithful voice for justice. Let us be clear: God vs. gay is a myth we reject. God vs. injustice is a truth we affirm.
Meanwhile, opponents of marriage equality have tried to use this issue to divide our communities along racial lines, and the press often plays into their hands. The gay community is repeatedly characterized as a group of well-to-do white folks, while all people of color are portrayed as heterosexuals who oppose gay marriage. This is the myth of "black vs. white." To suggest that the struggle for marriage equality in Washington affects only a small number of white people from Dupont Circle is an affront to the rich diversity of the District's gay and lesbian community, and it erases the lives of thousands of gay and lesbian people of color, some of whom are members of our churches.
Furthermore, D.C. leaders have built a diverse political coalition in support of gay marriage. The bill that D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-at Large) introduced on Oct. 7 was co-sponsored by 10 of 13 of his colleagues, black and white, who represent a wide swath of the city. It enjoys the support of D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton. The people of the District are standing together to declare that we will not be divided by this issue.
Last weekend, people from across the nation gathered here in the nation's capital to rally for full legal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. If this struggle is to succeed, we must continue to work in ways that expose the myths of "God vs. gay" and "black vs. white." By celebrating and engaging the rich diversity of our LGBT communities, and by building solidarity across lines of race, class, culture and religion, we can win this important human rights struggle, as the moral arc of the universe continues its long but sure path toward justice.
The Rev. Dennis W. Wiley is pastor of Covenant Baptist Church. The Rev. Robert M. Hardies is senior minister of All Souls Church, Unitarian. Together, they co-chair DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality. Marriage Equality's False Divides
"Two DC Ministers Comment on Marriage Equality"
11 Comments -
A couple of words about All Souls.
They have always been involved in radical politics. As a matter of fact, they are Exhibit A in the whole phenomenon where conservatives are attacked for participating in politics and liberals can do so with impunity.
I remember going there years ago because Jackson Browne was performing free in the sanctaury and the whole thing turned out to be a benefit to support the Communists in the El Salvadoran civil war.
Face it, the whole idea that churches can't take political positions is unconstitutional.
The other is that I fail to see how Unitarianism qualifies as a Christian religion. They claim to draw their beliefs from many religions, including humanism, and only value selected parts of the Judeo-Christian message. So, rather than a rationale for sections of scripture that refer to homosexual behavior, they'd just discard those passages.
His signature on this letter doesn't really represent a church and has no relevance.
October 26, 2009 11:14 AM
Unitarianism is the modern-day successor to New England's puritans. That's their history.
October 26, 2009 4:11 PM
And, "Anonymous"...just what is your gripe against Rev. Wiley? Last I knew, Baptists were considered Christians. But then I know there are tests of "orthodoxy" constantly being applied to those with whom you disagree.
Do you suppose he is not a "Southern Baptist"? My roommate in college was a Baptist from Rhode Island and he was quite liberal and open-minded. My guess is that all of that crowd has probably been "excommunicated" (at least by your standards of judgement of "corect" interpretation of the Bible ("only value selected parts of the Judeo-Christian message.")
I know it really irks you to know that there really are Christians who support GLBT marriage equality.
Diogenes
October 26, 2009 4:11 PM
"Unitarianism is the modern-day successor to New England's puritans. That's their history."
actually, Robirt, there is no similarity
your theology and history is as bad as your spelling
"And, "Anonymous"...just what is your gripe against Rev. Wiley?"
didn't voice any so the rest of your post is a conversation concocted entirely in your head
have fun with your fantasies
October 26, 2009 4:17 PM
Nice slithery sidestep,(up to your usual standards when you choose to conveniently ignore questions put to you) "Anonymous".
If you have no gripe against Rev. Wiley, who along with several other ministers of various faiths who have stated: "Opponents of marriage equality would like us to believe that one cannot be both pro-God and pro-gay. Yet we lead a coalition of nearly 200 D.C. clergy who support marriage equality precisely because of our commitment to God's inclusive love and justice. Our clergy are black, white, Latino and from every ward in the District. We are Baptists and Jews, Catholics and Methodists,[and, I might add - Unitarians] who have worked side by side for years on issues ranging from peace to affordable housing, and who now stand together again to raise a faithful voice for justice." (Washington Post,"Marriage Equalities False Divides" http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-opinions/2009/10/marriage_equalitys_false_divid.html) you should be supportive of their endeavors.
That, of course, is the real fantasy. You abhor what they are doing.
Diogenes
October 26, 2009 4:42 PM
The two signatures on the letter are the two co-chairs of the DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality. It's a group that includes a lot more than the two co-chairs.
The list of the many members of the clergy who have signed DC Clergy United for Marriage Equality's "Declaration of Religious Support for Marriage Equality" is found here.
Will Anon doubt all the non-Christians on the list or just those who are Unitarian or members of All Souls?
How does Anon reconcile all the Mormons, who think they know more about Christianity than Christians do, involved with the CRW?
October 26, 2009 5:23 PM
I don't exactly what the point of DIO and Anon-B are
I simply said the Unitarian guy represents a denomination that is radically leftist and whose doctrine is not Christian
If they want a propaganda point, this pro-gay, anti-marriage D.C. Clergy group would be better to find clergy that are mainstream in more areas
sorry you guys get all frantic when you hear truth but facts are facts
October 26, 2009 5:51 PM
I don't exactly what the point of DIO and Anon-B are
October 26, 2009 6:01 PM
frantic
October 26, 2009 6:10 PM
Hee hee, Anon doesn't know what the point are.
October 26, 2009 7:07 PM
tee hee, neither do DIO or anon-B
like this:
"How does Anon reconcile all the Mormons, who think they know more about Christianity than Christians do, involved with the CRW?"
what exactly is this old bat trying to say here?
I don't think even she knows
she just thinks if she throws out a bunch of phrases, people will think she had a point
kind of like the "links" she posts which have no point when you follow them but she thinks most people won't and will just assume there was something relevant
October 27, 2009 6:23 AM