Some 70 clergy members of a mainstream Christian denomination said recently in a statement at the church’s annual convention in Minnesota that they are ready to marry same-sex couples, despite the fact that it is illegal in the state, and prohibited by the church.

The 70 members of the United Methodist clergy signed a statement entitled, Equality for All in Christian Marriage.

The statement said that signatories will bless same-sex couples.

The statement said, “We joyfully affirm that we will offer the grace of the Church’s blessing to any prepared couple desiring Christian marriage,” The Christian Post reported.

The statement was presented during the 2011 Minnesota Annual Conference and was read to the clergy last Wednesday by Rev. Bruce Robbins, who leads the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.

The statement added, “We are convinced by the witness of others and are compelled by Spirit and conscience to act. We thank the many United Methodists who have already called for full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life of the Church.”

Initially, the statement was signed by 40 members of the clergy, but as the day wore on after its presentation, the number rose to 70.

There are 365 Methodist churches in Minnesota, and the number of pastors who are signing the pledge is continuing to increase, acccording to the Minnesota Independent.

The statement continues, “We repent that it has taken us so long to act. We realize that our church’s discriminatory policies tarnish the witness of the Church to the world, and we are [in] complicity. We value our covenant relationships and ask everyone to hold the divided community of the United Methodist Church in prayer.”

The statement was also an invitation to all clergy to become signatories. Methodist clergy, as of now, are not allowed to perform blessings for same-sex couples.

Anti-gay marriage amendment

The statement was issued partly in response to a pending anti-gay marriage amendment that is slated to be voted upon in the 2012 ballot, Minnesota Independent reported.

Robbins said, “With the possibility of a constitutional amendment in the state of Minnesota (defining marriage as limited to heterosexual couples), this seems important,” according to Minnesota Independent.

Chargeable offense

Bishop Sally Dyck told The Christian Post that while a statement that is issued in support of same-sex marriage is permissible, it is not acceptable to officiate at a same-sex union and to do so is an offense.

Church law says, “Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.”

The penalty for doing so may be revocation of clergy credentials and of conference membership according to the 2008 Book of Discipline.

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Despite a judge’s ruling that declared the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, special observations were held across the nation and in several places in the capital city including the Pentagon, the Cannon House Office Building and the steps of the US Capitol, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Rev. Franklin Graham, who had been disinvited to the Pentagon because of comments he had made regarding the Islamic faith after 911 nonetheless prayed on a sidewalk outside the building.  Graham is honorary chairman of the private National Day of Prayer Task Force.

However, President Brack Obama, whose administration on April 22 appealed the judge’s ruling and issued a National Day of Prayer proclamation, did not hold an interfaith observance at the White House, according to the SunGazette.

On April 15, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment.  However in her decision, Crabb said ceremonies could still be held pending appeals.

In observances at Williamsport-Lycoming County, Pennsylvania keynote speaker state Superior Court Judge Cheryl Allen challenged Crabb’s argument centered on the separation of church and state, and alleged violation of the First Amendment, the SunGazette said.

Allen said, “I couldn’t find separation of church and state in the Constitution.” Regarding the First Amendment she cited the first part which says, “Congress shall make no laws establishing a religion” and said the founding fathers came to America to escape England, which had established a church and persecuted those who would not attend.  Allen then noted the second portion of the First Amendment clause which states: “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

James Dobson, who founded Focus on the Family and whose wife chairs the National Day of Prayer said the event puts a prayer covering over the nation and noted that since 1775 the first Continental Congress called for a national day of prayer.

Dobson noted that 34 out of 44 Presidents have called for a national day of prayer including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush, the New York News Today reported.

Dobson said, “How can something be unconstitutional when it was passed by both houses of Congress unanimously and signed by Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman and implemented by all those Presidents back through the years?”

Charles Haynes, a First Amendment scholar who specializes in religious liberty expects President Obama to succeed with his appeal.  He said a  judge could possibly cite a 1983 Supreme Court decision that upheld the right to legislative prayer on grounds that “the offering of prayer is a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of this country,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Mississippi has become the most recent state to join 13 others in pursuing a “Personhood Amendment.”

A press release by Personhood Mississippi states they already have enough votes to put their measure on the 2011 election ballot as an Amendment to the Mississippi Constitution.

Fetal sonogram

What is a Personhood Amendment?
“Personhood” amendments are pro-life measures being proposed at state-level legislatures.

The goal is to recognize, within the states’ constitutions, that every unborn child has the same inherent rights, dignity and value as every living human from the beginning of their biological development.

Another aspect being pursued in some states is to assure dignity and human rights to every physically or mentally disabled or elderly person; to prevent the notion of involuntary euthanasia.

The “Personhood Movement” is an official nationwide pro-life movement.This  website clarifies that Personhood Amendments can also be called Human Life Amendments.

A list of participating states and where they are at in the process can be seen here at Personhood.Net – a subsidiary of the Georgia Right to Life Committee. Georgia was the first state with such a proposal in 2007. It hasn’t resulted in being placed on a voters’ ballot.

Joining those states that have already constructed or proposed Personhood Amendments between 2007 and April 2010, approximately 26 other state legislatures are taking action to draft similar wording.

Additionally, Personhood.Net carries information regarding ongoing attempts to get enough petition signatures to file a Federal Personhood Amendment to the United States Constitution.

In September 2009, The Underground reported on Florida’s “Personhood Amendment” movement .

Update: The Florida movement continues to press forward. The proposed Personhood Amendment, if enough votes are collected, would be placed on the next Florida election ballot for citizens’ votes.

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