DUKE, STANFORD, HARVARD, PRINCETON, EMERY UNIVERSITIES PERMIT SAME SEX 'MARRIAGES' IN THEIR CHAPELS

 

ReligionToday December 7, 2000 [..edited..] Duke has joined Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and Emory in permitting same- sex "marriages" in its chapel. The North Carolina university announced its decision to allow its famous Gothic chapel (see link #2 below) to be used for the services based on a recommendation from faculty, staff, students, and trustees.

...Duke is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, which prohibits same- sex ceremonies, but the chapel is nondenominational. The ceremonies will be limited to students, staff, alumni, and faculty. Unitarians, United Church of Christ members, and some Baptists have said they want to conduct same-sex ceremonies there.

...Gay and lesbian groups called the decision a bold step forward. Members of the Duke Conservative Union said Duke is undermining the sacred institution of marriage. Marion Edwards, United Methodist bishop of the North Carolina Conference, acknowledged "the sacred worth" of homosexuals, but said that "the clear affirmation of Scripture" is that marriage is between one man and one woman.

...Meanwhile, a Methodist minister says he has found a way around the church's ban on same-sex marriages. Homosexual and heterosexual couples at Broadway United Methodist Church in Chicago exchange vows at a ceremony outside the church, then return to the church to celebrate their unions at another service, pastor Gregory Dell told The Associated Press (see link #3 below). Bishop C. Joseph Sprague told the news service that the ceremony and service appear to satisfy church law. RELATED LINKS: 2: http://www.chapel.duke.edu/ 3: http://www.ap.org/

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