Church doesn’t condemn LGBTQ

Two recent letter writers have claimed to know what "The Church" feels about LGBTQ folks. One criticized "The Church" for discriminating against the LGBTQ community in order to increase the population for the sake of money, the other attributed "The Church's" discrimination against and condemnation of the LGBTQ community as just following God, who purportedly clearly calls for it.

Two things: First, no human being ever speaks for "The Church." At the most we can speak for our church or our tradition, and then only with great care and humility. Second, Jesus (who may speak for The Church since he founded it) never condemned LGBTQ folks in the Gospels, but did always talk to the outcasts of society. The United Church of Christ (there are two in Bradenton, two in Sarasota) along with many sister denominations do not believe God condemns the LGBTQ community. Quite to the contrary, in our attempt to follow Christ, the UCC has felt called to lead the fight in advocating for equal rights and marriage equality for the LGBTQ community for many, many years.

Sweeping and inaccurate generalizations are unhelpful to both our democratic process and our cultural/religious discussions. They fail to take into account that institutions (and groups of people), are multifaceted, complex and diverse. Stereotyping and generalizations are tools used to oppress others. They never build a better world or bring God's realm of peace and justice.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Church doesn’t condemn LGBTQ."