Subject: IWG US News and World Report Letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 23:47:01 -0400 (EDT)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 10 congregations and religious
organizations and 41 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.

June 2 , 1997

U. S. News & World Report
2400 N St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1196

Dear Editors:

Thank you for publishing such an extensive report on
the current difficulties facing the Presbyterian
Church (USA).  We did, however have a few problems
with the article.

The two Virginia clergy members who were chosen to
represent the sides in the debate both have rather
extreme views of the church.  The overwhelming mass of
the clergy fall between those who preach nothing but
personal salvation and those who would rather not talk
about the Bible, and it is obvious from the closeness
of the Amendment B vote that the majority who fall in
the middle also have conflicting views over the
amendment.

The story mentioned in passing that Amendment B was
blatantly discriminatory, but there was no explanation
as to why.  While both gay and straight single
Presbyterians must choose between sexual activity and
ordination, there is at least the possibility of a sex
life in the context of marriage for those who choose a
life partner of a different gender, while those who
choose someone of the same gender have no option other
than celibacy.  This further exacerbates the already-
existing problem of single homosexuals being presumed
to be sexually active, while heterosexuals are assumed
to be celibate until marriage.  

Yet another problem with the amendment is that, while
it forbids sexual activity among unmarried people, it
fails to define what sexual activity is.  This leads
to the very real possibility that the very same
activities could be defined as sex for same-gender
couples but defined as affection for mixed-gender
couples.  If this sounds ridiculous, consider the
different reactions of many people to same- and mixed-
gender kissing on television.

This is not so much a debate over the nature of God
(though differences of opinion in that area definitely
inform some people's decisions) so much as it is a
debate over the nature and importance of gender.

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.