{"id":13179,"date":"2015-12-21T15:45:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-21T20:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/where-christian-churches-stand-on-gay-marriage\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:19:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:19:10","slug":"where-christian-churches-stand-on-gay-marriage","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/12\/21\/where-christian-churches-stand-on-gay-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Christian churches, other religions stand on gay marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00a0Supreme Court ruling earlier this year legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide has continued to raise questions about <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/06\/25\/how-a-supreme-court-decision-for-gay-marriage-would-affect-religious-institutions\/\">how the decision will affect religious groups<\/a> \u2013 especially those that remain\u00a0opposed to allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed. The court\u2019s ruling makes clear that clergy and religious organizations are not obliged to perform same-sex marriages, but some groups have expressed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/25\/us\/schools-fear-impact-of-gay-marriage-ruling-on-tax-status.html\">concerns about their tax-exempt status<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/03\/18\/where-christian-churches-stand-on-gay-marriage\/ft_15-07-01_religionsssm\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-271450\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e2e8eb\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e2e8eb;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"420\" height=\"580\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/FT_15.07.01_religionsSSM.png?resize=420,580 420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-24266 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/FT_15.07.01_religionsSSM.png\" alt=\"Where Major Religions Stand on Same-Sex Marriage\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of the largest U.S. religious institutions have remained firmly against allowing same-sex marriage, including the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/issues-and-action\/human-life-and-dignity\/same-sex-unions\/\">Roman Catholic Church<\/a>, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/forward.com\/articles\/147684\/orthodox-rabbis-oppose-gay-marriage\/\">Orthodox Jewish<\/a> movement and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lds.org\/topics\/same-gender-attraction?lang=eng\">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a>, as well as the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sbc.net\/resolutions\/1128\">Southern Baptist Convention<\/a>\u00a0and other evangelical Protestant denominations.\u00a0The nation\u2019s largest historically black church, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalbaptist.com\/about-us\/position-statements.html\">National Baptist Convention<\/a>, and its biggest Pentecostal denomination, the <a href=\"http:\/\/ag.org\/top\/beliefs\/position_papers\/pp_downloads\/pp_4181_homosexuality.pdf\">Assemblies of God<\/a>, also prohibit their clergy from marrying same-sex couples.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, in the past two decades, several other religious groups also have moved to allow same-sex couples to marry within their traditions. This includes the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.uua.org\/lgbtq\/witness\/marriage\/\">Unitarian Universalist Association<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ucc.org\/lgbt\/issues\/marriage-equality\/#Marriage_Equality_and_the_UCC\">United Church of Christ<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><!--more--><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the list is growing: Clergy from the Episcopal Church will be able to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies after the church\u2019s General Convention <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/acts-of-faith\/wp\/2015\/07\/01\/why-the-episcopal-church-is-still-debating-gay-marriage\/\">recently approved a new definition of marriage<\/a>. Another mainline Protestant denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pcusa.org\/news\/2015\/3\/20\/what-same-sex-marriage-means-presbyterians\/\">voted to formally sanction same-sex marriage<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2015\/05\/12\/chapter-1-the-changing-religious-composition-of-the-u-s\/#the-shifting-composition-of-american-protestantism\">four largest mainline Protestant churches<\/a>, the same-sex marriage debate has not been simple. The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.umc.org\/what-we-believe\/what-is-the-denominations-position-on-homosexuality\">United Methodist Church<\/a>, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.elca.org\/Faith\/Faith-and-Society\/Social-Statements\/Human-Sexuality\">Evangelical Lutheran Church in America<\/a>\u00a0(ELCA), the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcusa.org\/resource\/church-and-homosexuality\/\">Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<\/a>\u00a0(not to be confused with the Presbyterian Church in America, which opposes same-sex marriage) and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/page\/lgbt-church\">Episcopal Church<\/a> have wrestled with the issue for years, often as part of a larger debate on the role of gays and lesbians in the church.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new definition of marriage for the Episcopal Church, a member of the Anglican Communion, drew \u201cdeep concern\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.archbishopofcanterbury.org\/articles.php\/5581\/response-to-the-us-episcopal-church-resolution-on-marriage\">from the archbishop of Canterbury<\/a>, whose Church of England does not sanction same-sex marriage. And the debate within the Presbyterian Church has already led some congregations to break away and join other, more conservative Presbyterian denominations. Both denominations allow clergy to opt out of performing same-sex marriages, while the ELCA allows ministers and their congregations to determine their own policies.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United Methodist Church does not allow same-sex blessings or marriages. But the United Methodists also have been intensely debating the issue, particularly in the past year or so, after a church court tried, defrocked and eventually\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.religionnews.com\/2014\/10\/27\/methodist-rev-frank-schaefer\/\">reinstated the Rev. Frank Schaefer<\/a>, a Methodist pastor who had performed a same-sex marriage ceremony for his gay son. Schaefer\u2019s case has <a href=\"http:\/\/religionandpolitics.org\/2015\/06\/02\/will-same-sex-marriage-split-the-united-methodist-church\/\">split the church<\/a>, with some clergy flouting the rules and marrying same-sex couples and other,\u00a0more conservative members threatening to leave\u00a0if the church does not hold to its current rules prohibiting gay marriage.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, a solid majority of white mainline Protestants (62%) now favor allowing gays and lesbians to wed, with just 33% opposed, according to a 2015 <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2015\/06\/08\/graphics-slideshow-changing-attitudes-on-gay-marriage\/\">Pew Research Center survey<\/a>. A similar share (63%) say there is \u201cno conflict\u201d between their <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2015\/06\/08\/section-2-knowing-gays-and-lesbians-religious-conflicts-beliefs-about-homosexuality\/#views-of-whether-homosexuality-conflicts-with-religious-beliefs\">religious beliefs and homosexuality<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This is an update of a post originally published June 18, 2014 and previously updated on July 2, 2015.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the last two decades, several religious groups have moved to allow same-sex couples to marry within their traditions. 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