Yesterday, a group of Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders issued a statement denouncing an anti-gay bill that seems likely to pass in Uganda. I'm offering some links simply because these sort of efforts tend to go unnoticed in the media as a whole. More substantive analysis can be found in Candace Chellew Hodges' Religion Dispatches article, Conservative and Liberal Voices Combine to Condemn Uganda Law. She notes that the statements "condemns," and does not simply "express dismay" at the law.
An excerpt of the text follows:
Our Christian faith recognizes violence, harassment and unjust treatment of any human being as a betrayal of Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. As followers of the teachings of Christ, we must express profound dismay at a bill currently before the Parliament in Uganda. The "Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009" would enforce lifetime prison sentences and in some cases the death penalty for homosexual behavior, as well as punish citizens for not reporting their gay and lesbian neighbors to the authorities.
Regardless of the diverse theological views of our religious traditions regarding the morality of homosexuality, in our churches, communities and families, we seek to embrace our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters as God's children worthy of respect and love. Yet we are painfully aware that in our country gays and lesbians still face hostility and violence. We recognize that such treatment degrades the human family, threatens the common good and defies the teachings of our Lord -- wherever it occurs.
The statement has sixty-six signers; there are many other names I would have not been surprised to see here. The signers come from a variety of religious backgrounds, and a range of conservative to liberal positions. Some of the signers are not especially queer friendly theologically, but they are making a clear distinction between their theological views and an affirmation of civil rights in the secular sphere. Others are strong allies in the churches as well. Among the signers, the one I'd especially like to give a shout-out to is M. Shawn Copeland, a womanist theologian.