Catholics around the world are deeply divided over the Vatican's recent statement giving priests more leeway to bless same-sex couples. LGBTQ inclusion advocates applaud the move; Some conservative bishops view the new policy as a betrayal of the church's condemnation of sexual relationships between gay or lesbian partners.
Notably, the flare-up of debate within Catholic ranks coincides with developments in two other international Christian denominations – the global Anglican Communion and the United Methodist Church – fracturing over differences in LGBTQ-related policies.
Taken together, it is a dramatic example of how, in a religion that emphasizes God's love for humanity, divisions over marriage, sexuality, and gay and lesbian inclusion will prove insurmountable in many areas of Christianity for the foreseeable future.
Ryan Burge, a political science professor at Eastern Illinois University and pastor of an American Baptist church, says it has become increasingly difficult for Christian denominations to fully accept clergy and congregations with opposing views on same-sex relationships, especially as such marriages have become legal in large parts of Europe and the Western Hemisphere.
“Many denominations are able to make a decision — you can no longer be indecisive,” said Burge, a specialist in religious demography. “That’s the tension they’re facing: How do you keep older conservatives in line while also attracting younger people?”
For global denominations — particularly Catholics, Anglicans and United Methodist denominations — Burge sees another source of tension: Some of their biggest gains in recent decades have been in socially conservative African countries where same-sex relationships are taboo.
“African bishops have that ammunition,” Burge said. “They say to the West: 'We are the ones who are growing. You have the money, we have the numbers.'”
Kim Haines-Eitzen, a professor of religious studies at Cornell University, said Christianity throughout its history has been divided over different theological views, such as whether women could be ordained as clergy.
“Christianity is incredibly diverse – global, theological, linguistic, cultural,” she said. “There are inevitably going to be these incredibly contentious issues, particularly when they relate to the interpretation of Scripture. That’s what keeps the world’s religions alive – this back and forth.”
FEAR AMONG ANGLICANS
Among Christian denominations, the Anglican Communion is the second largest in terms of geographical distribution after the Catholic Church. Disagreements over marriage, sexuality and LGBTQ inclusion have roiled the community for many years and expanded on December 17, when Church of England priests offered officially sanctioned blessings for same-sex unions for the first time.
The Church of England's ban on religious weddings for gay couples remains in place, but the decision to allow blessings has angered several conservative Anglican bishops from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.
In the center is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby – the supreme bishop of the Church of England and ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion.
Welby says he will not personally bless same-sex couples because his job is to unite the world's 85 million Anglicans. That has not appeased some conservative bishops who say they no longer recognize Welby as their leader.
The decision to allow the blessing of same-sex couples came after five years of discussions about church positions on sexuality. Church leaders apologized for not welcoming LGBTQ people but also reiterated the teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
“What we have proposed as a way forward does not go far enough for many, but goes too far for others,” said Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London.
UNITED METHODIST SEPARATION
A split is taking place in slow motion in the United Methodist Church. A few years ago it was the third-largest denomination in the United States, but recently a quarter of U.S. congregations have been allowed to leave the country over disputes over LGBTQ-related policies.
Of the more than 7,650 churches leaving, most are conservative-leaning congregations responding to what they see as a failure to enforce bans on same-sex marriage and the ordination of openly LGBTQ people.
There is no accurate estimate of how many members are leaving, as some who come from departing congregations join other UMC churches. But UMC officials are preparing to cut denominational organizations' budgets as they anticipate reduced revenue from church donations.
United Methodist rules prohibit same-sex marriage rites and the ordination of “professed practicing homosexuals,” but progressive Methodist churches in the United States have increasingly resisted these rules.
Conservatives have mobilized like-minded communities to leave; Many are joining the new Global Methodist Church, which wants to enforce such rules.
More than half of United Methodist members are abroad, many in conservative African churches. When UMC delegates meet this spring, they are expected to discuss proposals to liberalize ordination and marriage policies and make it easier for foreign churches to leave.
Divisions in other Protestant denominations
Foreshadowing the UMC split, divisions have emerged in several other major Protestant denominations over the past two decades, stemming from irreconcilable differences between proponents and opponents of LGBTQ inclusion. For example, after the Episcopal Church ordained an openly gay bishop in 2003, some dioceses and conservatives formed the Anglican Church in North America.
Similar liberal/conservative differences led hundreds of congregations to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Presbyterian Church (USA) after adopting LGBTQ-inclusive policies.
Some conservative denominations — such as the Southern Baptist Convention and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — strictly adhere to policies that oppose recognition of same-sex relationships and the ordination of openly LGBTQ people. This policy has led to departures, but no major division.
Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Public Policy Commission, reiterated the SBC's position in a statement claiming that the Vatican — under Pope Francis — “has been on a path toward allowing same-sex marriage.” seems to be aligned”.
“The reality is that marriage is defined by God…It is a union between a man and a woman for life,” Leatherwood said. “Southern Baptists remain anchored in this truth.”
Disapproval of the Orthodox Church
The world's second largest Christian community after the Catholic Church is the Eastern Orthodox Church, with an estimated 220 million members, mostly concentrated in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Orthodox Christians largely reject same-sex marriages and relationships.
In Greece, where the government is moving to legalize same-sex marriage, the Orthodox Church has expressed strong opposition.
Russia's Orthodox Church has supported strict anti-LGBTQ laws passed with the support of President Vladimir Putin.
NON-CHRISTIAN BELIEFS
The debate over LGBTQ inclusion has not been as controversial in the world's other major religions as it has been in Christianity.
There is widespread opposition to same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage in the Muslim world; Many Muslim nations criminalize homosexuality. However, some LGBTQ-inclusive mosques have popped up in North America and other places.
Among Jews around the world, there are diverse approaches to LGBTQ issues but relatively little public rancor. Orthodox Judaism frowns on same-sex marriage and same-sex sexual relationships, while they are widely accepted in the Reform and Conservative branches.
There is no universal, official position on same-sex marriage in Hinduism and Buddhism. Many practitioners of both faiths disapprove of such associations; Some communities are more accepting.
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