Defying The Church In The Name Of Equality

So, it was only yesterday that everyone in New York State became equal; all New Yorkers, even the gay ones, are allowed to marry the person they love, legally, and rightfully. That's a good day, dontcha think?

Of course, part of the equality bill is that churches will not be forced to perform same-sex marriages, nor can they be sued for refusing to do so. And, I like that idea, too. If we don't want the Church affecting the State, we should not allow the State to affect the Church. It's that whole Separation thing.

But at one church, the First Presbyterian Church of Glen Cove, Reverend Elizabeth Simpson sees several same-sex couples in her congregation, and she sees how much they love one another, and she's going to do something about it, even if it gets her defrocked.

Next March, Reverend Simpson will perform the marriage ceremony for one of those gay couples, and she'll do it in the church, saying, “I will make myself vulnerable to accusations or indictments, so to speak, from within the Presbytery, [but my] feeling is since just recently the church changed its mind about ordaining gays and lesbian people that I think eventually that [they will] change their sense about what marriage is.”

And while she may not yet have the backing of the church hierarchy, she has the complete backing of her own church. In fact, she says it isn't even an issue among her congregation. The feeling is Of course they can get married. Why not?

Why not indeed.  It isn't a big deal, really, except to the two people involved, who've made a commitment to spend their lives together, become a family, and maybe raise a family, and to have the whole world, or maybe just the stat of New York, or maybe just their congregation, share in that feeling.

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