From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG LA Times Letter Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 23:45:28 -0500 (EST) The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 3 congregations, 5 religious organizations and 36 clergy from 12 faiths and denominations. If you are in the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in other areas. December 20, 1996 Los Angeles Times Times Mirror Square Los Angeles, CA 90053 Dear Editors: In his letter about same-gender marriage, Kevin Craig insists that the God has the right to legislate moral absolutes. Mr. Craig is clearly from the school of thought that all rights come from God, but that humans are somehow capable of controlling God's behavior. This is the same line of reasoning which concludes that we have somehow kept God out of the public schools by eliminating organized school prayer. Due to our dependence on human interpretation of God's will, God does not have any official role in the government legislative process, and in the case of same-gender marriage, as with many other social issues, we do not all agree on what God's will is. Because of this disagreement we have separation of church and state. Any single marriage is potentially two institutions in one: a legal union blessed by the state and a religious union blessed by a religious body. The framers of the Constitution knew that it is better to leave God's law to the churches and the state's law to legislators. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators -- Interfaith Working Group Religious organizations, congregations iwg@libertynet.org and clergy supporting gay rights, http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/ reproductive freedom, and the 215-235-3050 separation of church and state.