California Council of Churches with its 1.5 million members within the mainline and progressive Protestant communities of faith, hailed the US Supreme Court ruling this morning affirming that same sex couples do have equal rights to marry.
“We have been working toward this day for over four decades,” said CCC Executive Director Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser. “We believe that all people have the right to marry the person whom they love just as opposite sex couples do.”
CCC was the lead organization on the faith statement concerning marriage equality submitted to the Supreme Court as a formal amicus as part of the Obergefell-Hodges case that was the central case among several submitted to the court for its ultimate review on marriage equality.
“We are proud to be the lead petitioner in this acclaimed amicus brief,” said Rev. Schlosser. “We affirm that within our Christian traditions, full equality is a central value to achieve justice. We cannot exist as a moral society or a functioning democracy without that,” he said.
In reply to those opposing the ruling as a threat to their religious freedom, Rev. Schlosser said, “We also see this as vindication of our denominations’ First Amendment religious freedom rights. It is those congregations and denominations supporting marriage equality that have been barred from free exercise of religion all these many decades.”
He explained that thanks to the First Amendment, no church or denomination will be forced to perform same sex weddings, rent out their facilities to same sex couples, or be prohibited from speaking their views in the pulpit.
To reinforce this right, California Church IMPACT, the Council’s sister organization, supported SB 906 authored by San Francisco Senator Mark Leno, affirming that no religious body opposed to same sex marriage would be in any way forced to violate their beliefs. “We believe every faith has room to follow its own lights. Although many denominations have been barred from exercising profoundly held ideals in not being able to perform same sex weddings, no one should have their views compromised because of this Supreme Court ruling,” Schlosser said.
“We celebrate the validation of equal opportunities along with all the same sex couples now able to do what traditional couples take for granted – marry the person you love. That is a measure of the power of our democracy and the affirmation of our nation’s sense of justice.”
“We have been working toward this day for over four decades,” said CCC Executive Director Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser. “We believe that all people have the right to marry the person whom they love just as opposite sex couples do.”
CCC was the lead organization on the faith statement concerning marriage equality submitted to the Supreme Court as a formal amicus as part of the Obergefell-Hodges case that was the central case among several submitted to the court for its ultimate review on marriage equality.
“We are proud to be the lead petitioner in this acclaimed amicus brief,” said Rev. Schlosser. “We affirm that within our Christian traditions, full equality is a central value to achieve justice. We cannot exist as a moral society or a functioning democracy without that,” he said.
In reply to those opposing the ruling as a threat to their religious freedom, Rev. Schlosser said, “We also see this as vindication of our denominations’ First Amendment religious freedom rights. It is those congregations and denominations supporting marriage equality that have been barred from free exercise of religion all these many decades.”
He explained that thanks to the First Amendment, no church or denomination will be forced to perform same sex weddings, rent out their facilities to same sex couples, or be prohibited from speaking their views in the pulpit.
To reinforce this right, California Church IMPACT, the Council’s sister organization, supported SB 906 authored by San Francisco Senator Mark Leno, affirming that no religious body opposed to same sex marriage would be in any way forced to violate their beliefs. “We believe every faith has room to follow its own lights. Although many denominations have been barred from exercising profoundly held ideals in not being able to perform same sex weddings, no one should have their views compromised because of this Supreme Court ruling,” Schlosser said.
“We celebrate the validation of equal opportunities along with all the same sex couples now able to do what traditional couples take for granted – marry the person you love. That is a measure of the power of our democracy and the affirmation of our nation’s sense of justice.”
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