In July of 2009, The Episcopal Church made a decision to allow homosexuals to serve in any level of ministry. As a casual Episcopal Church attendee of a particularly progressive Episcopal church in Cincinnati, I was deeply pleased with this decision. What I am not pleased with is the consistent drum-beat of condemnation that has been raised against the church by other mainline churches, and indeed, by more conservative proponents of the church itself since the announcement of that decision. The Episcopal Church is experiencing financial difficulties on account of it's willingness to do what is right, and sees its membership dwindling.
Even though I am a secular humanist, I want to do what I can to support progress and liberal values wherever they emerge.
I'm not offended by those who opine the Episcopal church's recent decision to allow homosexuals to serve in any level of ministry. Willful ignorance isn't offensive. It's sad, and it should be embarassing (and maybe painful), but it's not offensive. I also have no problem with churches discrediting themselves in the eyes of history, which is what those who would complain about the Episcopal decision are doing.
What I am offended by are people who set themselves up as community leaders and counselors contributing to the stigmatization of a benign orientation by insisting that it is ‘sinful’, and somehow deserving of sanction. This is what church leaders are doing when they decry the Episcopal decision. This is also what so-called moderates are saying when they say ‘We support equal rights for homosexuals, but they are not allowed to serve as leaders in our church unless they do not practice homosexuality’.
There is nothing wrong with homosexuality. There is no credible study that indicates there is anything corrosive about it. This fact has been proven again and again. The only proven negatives to having a homosexual orientation are those associated with living in a society that views the orientation as somehow 'less than', or impure. Homosexuality isn’t a temptation that needs to be overcome, and to suggest otherwise is to betray basic ‘do no harm’ tenets of counseling. Homosexuals in our culture have higher rates of depression and suicide than other minority groups. It's the kind of thinking demonstrated by dissident religious leaders that contribute to those statistics. Those who support the myth that there is something dysfunctional about homosexuality are not acting in good faith towards those who would seek their counsel; They are more concerned with selling a product than they are facilitating healing and growth, and it's shameful.
Thankfully, there are still believers daring enough to honor the spirit of Christ's message over the dubious iron age legalisms that were written about him.
Not only has the Episcopal Church decided to remain relevant, they've decided to do what is right. Even if you are a non-theist like me, it may still be beneficial to investigate your local Episcopal Church, and see if there is anything you might be able to do to help out. Basic Human Goodness needs to be supported and nurtured wherever it shows up.