Subject: IWG New Era Letter
Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 22:29:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: Chris Purdom <purdom@rabbit.com>



The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 2 congregations, 4 religious
organizations and 23 clergy from 9 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.  Visit the web page at http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/ or
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/religion/orgs/iwg/

May 1, 1996


Lancaster New Era
PO Box 1328
Lancaster PA,  17608-1328


Dear Editors:

In her April 26 letter, Reva Deering makes a number of
religious arguments for preventing the legalization of
civil same-sex marriage.  In answer to her final ques-
tion: Yes, civil and religious marriage are two
different things, and the religious definition which
she proposes, and asks the government to accept, does
not reflect the religious diversity of opinion on this
subject. 

Not all religions in the United States are Biblically-
based, not all Biblically-based churches believe that
the Bible says anything negative about homosexual
behavior, and not all religions or denominations
believe that marriage is solely for procreation.  In
fact, current civil law does NOT link marriage and
procreation.

In addition to the Central Committee of American
Rabbis, the California Council of Churches has endorsed
civil marriage for same-sex couples.  Representatives
of the Zen Buddhist and Unitarian faiths testified in
favor of legalization in the hearings held in Hawaii. 
Reconstructionist rabbis perform religious marriage
ceremonies for same-sex couples, as do many Quaker
meetings and churches in the Eastern Orthodox
tradition, and other clergy in a variety of
denominations choose to consecrate these unions.  In
Pennsylvania the Christian Association, Dignity, Unity
Fellowship Church of Philadelphia, the Metropolitan
Community Church of Philadelphia, and the Interfaith
Working Group (with a board including two congrega-
tions, four religious organizations and twenty-three
clergy from ten denominations) have already joined the
Philadelphia Freedom to Marry Coalition.

The first amendment of the Constitution guarantees Ms.
Deering the right to join a church that chooses to
discriminate, but it also prevents the government from
imposing the will of that church on other houses of
worship and on individuals who believe marriage has a
higher purpose.


					Sincerely,
		Barbara Purdom            	Christopher Purdom
			Interfaith Working Group Coordinators