Subject: IWG Orange County Register Letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 16:50:28 -0500 (EST)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 9 congregations and religious
organizations and 38 clergy from 13 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.

March 29, 1997

Orange County Register
625 N. Grand Avenue
Santa Ana, CA  92711

Dear Editors:

Contrary to John L. O'Dell's letter, the Presbyterian
Church (USA) has not "declined to ordain homosexuals."  
They voted on whether someone is qualified for
ordination if they have sex with someone who is not
their partner in a mixed-gender marriage.  The intent
of those who proposed and actively supported the
amendment seems to have been to discriminate on the
basis of sexual orientation, and the amendment
obviously satisfies that intent.   The debate in the
Presbyterian Church (USA) is three-pronged: is there
anything inherently sinful about same-gender sexual
activity; are sexual sins somehow worse than others;
and what is the criteria for ordination, if we are all
sinners?   The clergy-related policies of the
Presbyterian Church (USA) have tended to cast sexual
sins in a worse light than other types of sins,
including theft and murder.  A failure to agree on
issues concerning sin led to the close vote.  The new
amendment will likely be ignored by a small but rapidly
growing percentage of the church, and the debate will
go on. 

Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom     Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators

-- 

Interfaith Working Group                Religious organizations, congregations
[email-masked]                      and clergy supporting gay rights,
http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/         reproductive freedom, and the 
215-235-3050                            separation of church and state.