Gays at church
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church
BACKGROUND
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the society, with approximately 1.2 billion members across the globe. With its origins in the earliest days of Christianity, the Church traces its leadership––in the person of the Pope––to St. Peter, identified by Jesus as “the rock” on which the Church would be built.
The Catholic Church in the United States numbers over 70 million members, and is organized in 33 Provinces, each led by an archbishop. Each bishop answers directly to the Pope, not to an archbishop. Those Provinces are further divided into 195 dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the base of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States meets semi-annually.
As part of a global group with its institutional center at the Vatican, the Catholic Church in America is shaped by worldwide societal and cultural trends. It is further shaped by leadership that is entirely male, with women excluded from the priesthood and thus from key leadership roles.
LGB
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: United Church of Christ
BACKGROUND
Founded in 1957 with the joining of the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, the United Church of Christ (UCC) is recognized as one of the most welcoming and affirming Christian denominations, celebrating same-sex marriages since 2005 and ordaining LGBTQ+ pastors since 1972. Numbering more than 5,000 churches and fasten to a million members, the UCC core values incorporate an “Extravagant Welcome,” and the confirmation, “No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.”
While individual churches endure autonomous, they also hold membership in regional associations and conferences and are represented at a General Synod convened every two years. Synod resolutions provide guidelines for all UCC churches but do not dictate policy. Experiences can, therefore, differ between congregations. A pivotal headquarters in Cleveland, OH, oversees a range of national ministries, including that of Justice and Witness. Among other accomplishments, the Ministry of Justice and Witness partnered with the Unitarian Universalis
Same-Sex Attraction
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that same-sex attraction is a sensitive issue that requires kindness, empathy and understanding. The “Same-Sex Attraction” section of ChurchofJesusChrist.org reinforces the reality that, in the words of one Latter-day Saint scripture, God “loveth his children” (1 Nephi 11:17), and seeks to help everyone better understand same-sex attraction from a gospel perspective.
The Church does not receive a position on the cause of same-sex attraction. In 2006, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “The Church does not hold a position on the causes of any of these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender attraction.”
Feelings of queer attraction are not a sin. President M. Russell Ballard said: “Let us be clear: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that ‘the experience of homosexual attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is. Even though individuals undertake not choose to contain such attractions, they undertake choose how to respond to them. With adore and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, incl
Jeremiah KaayaSupporterPastor at Springs of Force Church, Teacher by professionalHow we package homosexuality can never produce it acceptable. It is an abomination like one sleeping with their parents, sleeping with beasts, and if we have approved none of these, neither will we accept gay. Mark you, it is not us to deny or accept, the accepted has already been set by God, gay is not only a sin, it is an abomination. Whatever we are discussing here or there is our business, not God's. On that note therefore, I can't join a gay affirming "church" because to be gay is already non-Christian, for that reason I would be attending something else not a Christian Church, at least not one Jesus the CHRIST died for. I recognize God for His Son Jesus the CHRIST, had it not been Him, at the right hand of God the Father, pleading for us day and night, in the hope that we will transform, this planet would have already suffered the fate of of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus stands between us and God the Father, otherwise, His wrath would have already finished us. Let us end bragging about sin, more so abominations like gay, because if we don't, soon people will begin to demand to freely practice inc
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: United Church of Christ
BACKGROUND
Founded in 1957 with the joining of the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, the United Church of Christ (UCC) is recognized as one of the most welcoming and affirming Christian denominations, celebrating same-sex marriages since 2005 and ordaining LGBTQ+ pastors since 1972. Numbering more than 5,000 churches and fasten to a million members, the UCC core values incorporate an “Extravagant Welcome,” and the confirmation, “No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.”
While individual churches endure autonomous, they also hold membership in regional associations and conferences and are represented at a General Synod convened every two years. Synod resolutions provide guidelines for all UCC churches but do not dictate policy. Experiences can, therefore, differ between congregations. A pivotal headquarters in Cleveland, OH, oversees a range of national ministries, including that of Justice and Witness. Among other accomplishments, the Ministry of Justice and Witness partnered with the Unitarian Universalis
Same-Sex Attraction
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that same-sex attraction is a sensitive issue that requires kindness, empathy and understanding. The “Same-Sex Attraction” section of ChurchofJesusChrist.org reinforces the reality that, in the words of one Latter-day Saint scripture, God “loveth his children” (1 Nephi 11:17), and seeks to help everyone better understand same-sex attraction from a gospel perspective.
The Church does not receive a position on the cause of same-sex attraction. In 2006, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “The Church does not hold a position on the causes of any of these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender attraction.”
Feelings of queer attraction are not a sin. President M. Russell Ballard said: “Let us be clear: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that ‘the experience of homosexual attraction is a complex reality for many people. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is. Even though individuals undertake not choose to contain such attractions, they undertake choose how to respond to them. With adore and understanding, the Church reaches out to all God’s children, incl