Who says you can’t teach an old church new tricks?
The Washington National Cathedral announced Wednesday that it would begin to host same-sex marriages.
“The cathedral’s congregation and leadership include many gays and lesbians,” stated an article by The Associated Press. “The church was just waiting for the right moment and the right leader.”
This is pretty exciting.
Don’t forget to continue to be excited by news such as this. Every once in a while, some positive news for the LGBT community is announced, but we should continue to make a “big deal” out of every step in the right direction. It’s like when a parent has to be enthusiastic for each new piece of “art” their toddler makes them. You have to keep giving positive reinforcement with an excited face and a compliment.
“For more than 30 years, the Episcopal Church has prayed and studied to discern the evidence of God’s blessing in the lives of same-sex couples,” the Rev. Gary Hall of the National Cathedral said in an article by ABC News. “We enthusiastically affirm each person as a beloved child of God — and doing so means including the full participation of gays and lesbians in the life of this spiritual home for the nation.”
“As a kind of tall-steeple, public church in the nation’s capital, by saying we’re going to bless same-sex marriages, conduct same-sex marriages, we are really trying to take the next step for marriage equality in the nation and in the culture,” Hall said in the AP article.
This decision sets an amazing example for the rest of the country — especially as it is taking place in our nation’s capital.
We don’t fully understand people who don’t agree with equality at this point in our nation’s history. You can’t continue to put people down or discriminate against them because they are different than you.
That’s not how it works. And no, we’re not going to delve into the religious facet of the marriage equality argument, because there’s no need to bring extra stress into this.
“I consider it a great honor to lead this Cathedral as it takes another historic step toward greater equality — and I am pleased that this step follows the results made clear in this past November’s election, when three states voted to allow same-sex marriage,” Hall said, according to ABC News.
Good for you, dude. There is nothing more admirable than standing up for what you truly believe in despite what adversity you might face.
Let’s all try to be so brave.
“I read the Bible as seriously as fundamentalists do,” Hall said to the AP. “And my reading of the Bible leads me to want to do this because I think it’s being faithful to the kind of community that Jesus would have us be.”
It’s incredibly inspiring to see an era of change attempt to sweep its way across our nation.
Don’t be a stick in the mud, because it’s way more fun to just jump in and enjoy yourself.
