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Likeness or notions?

It is time that Christians were judged more by their likeness to Christ than their notions of Christ.
- Lucretia Mott,
Quaker abolitionist and women's rights advocate (1793-1880)
as quoted on God's Politics

Kväkare avstår från ojämlika vigslar

Jag har tidigare bloggat om hur kväkarna i Storbritannien och i Sverige har ställt sig positiva till samkönade kyrkliga vigslar.
Nu har kväkarna i Minnesota, USA, fattat ett lite annorlunda beslut, men i samma riktning, så att säga (Box Turtle Bulletin 7.12.09). Eftersom samkönade äktenskap inte godkänns av delstaten Minnesota, har kväkarna gått in för att inte förrätta tvåkönade vigslar heller. Detta är ett logiskt beslut i enlighet med kväkarnas starka engagemang för jämlikhet och rättvisa på olika plan i samhället.
Bara jag hämtar min hatt från garderoben, ska jag lyfta den högt för kväkarnas rakryggade inställning!

Sweden: Many "No":s to same-sex weddings in church

The Swedish Pentecostal newspaper Dagen ("The Day") has made a survey of what the different religions and denominations will do with same-sex couples coming to them, asking to be married. Not surprisingly, most didn't want to perform such a ceremony. The by far largest denomination in the country, the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden, is, however, positive to this development. And then there is the third group, who haven't made their minds up yet.
The list of the different religious groups can be found here in Swedish, but to mention some:
YES:
The Church of Sweden
The Jews
The Quakers
NO:
The Roman Catholic Church
The different Orthodox churches
The free churches, including e.g. Pentecostals, Seventh-Day Adventist, Methodists, the Salvation Army and some Lutheran organisations
The Moslems
The Mormons
The Jehovah's Witnesses
DUNNO:
Anglicans
Baptists
Baha'i
The Scientology Church
Some Lutheran organisations
There is also the question what to do with consciencious objectors, i.e. pastors who refuse to marry same-sex couples.
In many of the above religious groups, there is an ongoing discussion about the right to perform marriages - should our church retain that right or give it up? Does the right to perform marriages include an obligation for the individual pastor to do so? Should the right to perform marriages no longer be a question for a whole denomination, but rather given individually to those pastors who have no objections to marrying anyone that the state deems worthy? These questions are far from being solved.

Brittiska kväkare inför samkönade vigslar

I York i England samlades de brittiska kväkarna till sin årliga kongress i slutet av juli. Vid kongressen beslöt de 1.200 delegaterna att godkänna samkönade vigslar inom sitt samfund. I ett uttalande hette det:
"We are being led to treat same sex committed relationships in the same way as opposite sex marriages, reaffirming our central insight that marriage is the Lord’s work and we are but witnesses. The question of legal recognition by the state is secondary."
Dessa vigslar gäller alltså endast inom Vännernas samfund, men kyrkan skall uppmana regeringen att införa samkönade vigslar också juridiskt.
Kväkarna fortsätter sitt arbete för fred och tolerans. Bravo!
Quakers agree to hold gay marriages (PinkNews 31.7.09)
U.K. Quakers Recognize Same-Sex Marriage, Will Allow Weddings (Bloomberg.com 31.7.09)
Congratulations all round (Of course, I could be wrong... 31.7.09)