> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Blessing or blasphemy? Santa Monica clergy weigh in on gay marriage - URL: https://www.smdp.com/blessing-or-blasphemy-santa-monica-clergy-weigh-in-on-gay-marriage/ - Published: 2008-07-22T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T20:15:33.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Religion and politics just don’t mix* *By ALICE OLLSTEIN Special to the Daily Press* CITYWIDE As lawyers and judges grapple with the legal implications of the November ballot’s proposed gay marriage ban, religious leaders across Santa Monica have their own set of issues to work through. From reinterpreting scripture to urging their congregations to vote a certain way, local clergy members have actively promoted their stance. While some see this as a question of faith and tradition, others believe that basic, humans rights are at stake. Many have taken the position of accepting the person but condemning the practice. “While we believe that gays and lesbians are children of a loving God and are entitled to as much love and respect as anyone else, we are definitely opposed to gay marriage,”said Mark Paredes, the High Councilor of the Santa Monica branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He referred to a letter written by Mormon leaders on June 29, which said, “The Church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His children.” Paredes says that his church will work to support the passing of the gay marriage ban. Saint Monica’s Catholic Church takes a similar approach. Though they are one of only six churches in the Los Angeles Archdiocese to extend a “special welcome” to gays and lesbians, they follow the Catholic Church’s position in not supporting same-gender weddings. “Our position is the same as the diocese of LA.We must respect people’s rights,because all people are called to holiness, but the Church does not sanction the redefinition of marriage, and we’re not in the business of performing ‘commitment’ or other ceremonies,” said Delis Alejandro, a pastoral associate at Saint Monica’s.“As we get closer to the election, we’ll be referring our paritioners to materials about social teachings of the Church, both scripture and statements by bishops and cardinals.” In May, the California Catholic Conference of Bishops released a statement to “express its disappointment” in the Supreme Court’s ruling. They wrote that everyone in a homosexual relationship “is a child of God and deserves respect in the eyes of the law and their community,” but held that “those partnerships are not marriage and can never be marriage.” Alejandro said that Saint Monica’s will engage in voter education in the upcoming months. “Our role is to disseminate and distribute information about the social and moral teachings of the Church,” she said. “We’ll answer questions like, ‘What does our faith tell us? What do the Scriptures say?’ We invite people to take an active role in learning about their faith, but in the end, we don’t really tell people how to vote.” She feels that a religious institution doing voter education does not violate the separation of church and state. “Anything that’s important to you will influence how you vote, whether it’s your job, your community or your church. If you’re part of a faith tradition, understanding that tradition makes you a better voter.” The polarizing power of this issue has caused splits within some religions. Patricia Farris, the Senior Minister of the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, explained that the California branch of her church has broken with the international organization’s official stance. The United Methodist Church itself, while affirming all people as persons “of sacred worth,”considers the practice of homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching.” Its policy book,called the Book of Discipline,prohibits its pastors and churches from conducting ceremonies celebrating homosexual unions. However, at its recent gathering, the California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church passed a resolution opposing the California Marriage Protection Amendment and calling upon United Methodists to work for its defeat. “We seek to witness against any discrimination based on sexual orientation and will work to protect the civil rights of all Californians as they pertain to the right of civil marriage,” Farris said. “We also acted to encourage both congregations and pastors to welcome, embrace and provide spiritual nurture and pastoral care for these families. Knowing people as people,and not as labels or stereotypes is at the heart of Jesus’ message. “We seek a more inclusive church, loving and just, in which all God’s children are welcomed, loved, accepted and respected.” Farris explained that she and her California colleagues have been actively working for changes in the Book of Discipline that reconsider the accepted interpretations of the Bible. “The ethic of loving one’s neighbor becomes the lens through which all scripture is interpreted,” Farris said. “Specifically, passages that are negative about homosexuality are analyzed within the limitations of their historical context, and not deemed to be authoritative in this, our very different time, with much more nuanced scientific, psychological information and insight.” Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels of the Santa Monica Reform synagogue Beth Shir Sholom also believes in reexamining Biblical law. “The Reform Movement always takes into consideration what humans have learned about ourselves and our society since our laws were first created,” Comess-Daniels said. “It’s been proven that being gay or lesbian is a naturally occurring gender reality, not a disease or malformation, so we are not only allowed, but mandated to respect their unions. I hate the term ‘sexual orientation,’ because they’re not ‘oriented’ that way; that’s their sexual reality. If as Jews we believe that God created or continually creates, we must accept homosexuality as a kind of love that exists in this world.” Beth Shir Sholom recently had a presentation by California Faiths for Marriage Equality encouraging people to vote against the proposition to ban gay marriage. Comess-Daniels feels that the Marriage Protection Act is “a deceptive title.” “It says the opposite of what it is, because it is designed to destroy their marriages,”he said. For Comess-Daniels, the real issue is marriage, not sex. “We’re talking about the creation of a household, which is something Judiasm builds our civilization on,” he said. The Central Conference of American Rabbis voted almost unanimously in 2000 that “the relationship of a Jewish,same gender couple is worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish ritual.” Since then, Reform rabbis have been free to choose whether or not to perform same gender weddings. Comess-Daniel performed his first in June. “It was the first time I could say, ‘By the power invested in me by the state of California,’ and I was thrilled,” he said. “I’ve been waiting since 2000 to get asked.” Not all Jewish sects are united on this issue. Assistant rabbi Sholom Heidingsseld of Santa Monica Chabad, an Orthodox congregation, described his synagogue’s position. “The Torah truly forbids it,” he said.“Look in Leviticus, Chapter 18.” He says that though he and his congregation “obviously are against it,” they don’t plan on getting involved politically. The Muslim Public Affairs Council of Los Angeles does not take a stance on the issue at all, and the Islamic Center of Southern California did not respond to requests for an interview. Whether they choose to abstain from the debate or enter the fray, Santa Monica’s religious leaders find themselves at the crossroads of religion, politics and civil rights. “It’s a moral, ethical and religious issue for me,” said United Methodist reverend Janet Gollery McKeithen, who might face disciplinary measures for officiating same-gender weddings. “We shouldn’t be treating people differently.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 22, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072208.pdf?ref=smdp.com)