Subject: IWG Richmond VA/The Great Debate
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 00:05:43 -0500 (EST)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 12 congregations and
organizations and 53 clergy from 15 religious traditions. 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 14, 1998

Richmond Times Dispatch
Box 85333
Richmond, VA   23293

Dear Editor:

One might get the mistaken impression from Carol J.
Todd's letter of March 10 that either Christians who
do not believe in the inherent sinfulness of
homosexuality haven't bothered to read the Bible; or
that everybody who reads the Bible agrees about
everything in it.  Sexual orientation is only one of
many issues on which honest, thoughtful, religious
people have major disagreements.  Part of that
disagreement among Christians is because we have
different understandings of the meaning and
importance of various parts of scripture.  Just
because Ms.  Todd can find scripture that indicates
to her that ordination should be limited to those
whose sexual activity is limited to heterosexual
marriage, does not mean that everyone else agrees
with that interpretation of those passages or finds
that they carry the most weight in discerning what
they believe to be God's will.

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.