Protestants cool with verdict on homosexuality
Protestant and Orthodox churches, have called for a public debate for a "meaningful engagement with people of different sexual orientations".
The Protestant Church of India has called for a holistic discussion of the Delhi High Court's recent watershed judgment decriminalising homosexuality.
While the Roman Catholic Church has vacillated between staying mum and siding with right-wing parties in the country by slamming the verdict, the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), an organisation of Protestant and Orthodox churches, has called for a public debate for a " meaningful engagement with people of different sexual orientations".
Homosexuality is no longer a satanic term in the lexicon of the Protestant Church. The NCCI, which also has a few Orthodox churches in Kerala and Baptist and Presbyterian churches in its fold, has taken the pragmatic lead. "We are committed to building an inclusive society, opposed to marginalisation of any segment.
Hence, it is wrong to condemn people for their sexual orientation," said Church of South India (CSI) bishop V. Devasagayam, also the chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Christian Council.
Inaugurating a NCCI national consultation on the high court ruling here recently, the outspoken spiritual leader said the judgment woke up the church.
"The church for long had been silent on this issue. Now, there is need for dialogue from a just and inclusive perspective," he said.
Even while admitting that the Bible holds homosexuality as a scandal, the bishop called for getting out of ossification and look at things in their present context.
"We have to take into account the experiences of other countries and learn from them. It is an issue that we could keep under the lid forever. Whether a different sexual orientation is born out of choice or by birth has to be studied and dealt with accordingly. By remaining prisoners of the Macaulayan law of 1861, we would end up in curtailing even the freedom of couples to explore their bodies," he said.
The consultation in Chennai was the second in a series of initiatives by the NCCI to engage the church with civil society in addressing the issue. The process was aimed at formulating the NCCI's views to be presented to the Centre.Courtesy: Mail Today