Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Orthodox Leaders on Homosexuality

With the release of a declaration on homosexuality and the inherent dignity of gay men and lesbians, by more than 100 Orthodox rabbis, educators and mental health professionals in the United States and Israel, a segment of the Orthodox community is now in full agreement with the Roman Catholic Church. The statement, without using the exact phrasing of the Church, supports hating the sin while loving the sinner. I am filled with both dread and hope by this recent development.

The declaration fills me with hope because it publicly states what most of the signers have privately believed for some time. By collectively stepping into the light and staking a claim for what is experienced as a fairly radical approach by most people in the Orthodox community, the men and women who signed this "statement of principles on the place of homosexuals in the Orthodox community" have responded with tremendous courage.

They have also responded with incredible integrity. The statement is bounded by en entirely normative i.e. Orthodox understanding of homosexuality and the limitations imposed on any gay person who actually expresses their sexuality in any way.



Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/windowsanddoors/2010/08/orthodox-leaders-on-homosexual.html#ixzz0vZWOmD4D

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