Subject: IWG Topeka Kansas Letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 22:44:48 -0400 (EDT)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 10 congregations and religious
organizations and 39 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.

May 10, 1997

Topeka Capital-Journal
661 NE Jefferson Street
Topeka, KS 66607

Dear Editors:

Fred Phelps must be aware of the fact that others
disagree with him about God's opinion about sexual
orientation, or he would not feel compelled to prevent
such people from worshipping, and even grieving, as
they see fit.  We were not surprised to hear that Mr.
Phelps is not interested in conforming to public
opinion, since his habit of disrupting church services
and funerals is certainly not in the mainstream of
religious belief, nor in the tradition of American
religious tolerance. 

For the moment, his belief in heterosexual supremacy
does put him in the majority of American religious
thought.  The congregations and denominations that have
risked ostracism in the religious community to stand up
for the rights of the oppressed do so because they
believe that it is the moral thing to do, not because
they are trying to be popular.

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.