In Illinois today, a bill signing, and an exorcism

Today, the Governor of Illinois will sign marriage equality into law.

And the BIshop Thomas Paprocki of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield will hold an exorcism.

An exorcism, which often refers to a rite performed on an individual, is applicable in the case of same-sex marriage because the devil can appear “in various forms of opposition to and persecution of the church,” the diocese of Springfield said in statement.

You cannot make up this stuff.  The Bishop has not explained how a couple of gay gays getting married in Boystown is a "persecution of the church".

Still:  16.  And counting.

Image from Joe.My.God

Voices of Faith: Bishop responds to equality in IL

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Voices of Faith

Here's how a local Episcopal Bishop, the Rt Rev Jeffrey Lee, responded to news of marriage equality in Illinois:

The scriptures tell us to testify to what we have seen, and in communities and congregations across our diocese, we have seen that extending legal protection and respect to same-sex couples has created stronger, happier households and contributed to the common good. Now in Illinois, the respect afforded by civil unions has been extended to the dignity of true equality. I rejoice that it is now easier for our gay and lesbian sisters and brothers to order their lives together, to care for one another and to raise children in a stable home. Justice has been done.

Because both church and state claim authority over the institution of marriage, this legal victory takes on theological dimensions. As I have written before, I believe that marriage is a sacred vocation. The union of two persons in heart, body and mind is a school of holiness, a way of ordering our lives so that we might learn to be more faithful servants of Christ. I also believe that the faithful, loving, and lifelong union of two persons--of the same sex or of opposite sexes--is capable of signifying the never failing love of God in Christ for the church and the world. Such unions can be sources and signs of grace, both for the couple and for the wider community. And I believe that we need all of the sources and signs of grace that we can get.

Here in the Diocese of Chicago, once marriage equality takes effect in June 2014, clergy will be permitted, but not required, to witness same-sex marriages in the State of Illinois and to officiate at the blessing of these holy unions using "I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing," the liturgical rite approved by General Convention in 2012.

I am grateful to be a bishop in a state that offers all couples equality and in a church that provides all couples with a community of faith, love, support and accountability. I am grateful to be a bishop in a state that offers all couples equality and in a church that provides all couples with a community of faith, love, support and accountability.

Next time one of the "antis" tries to make our equality into a conflict with people of faith, remember this!

And then there were 15....

Wow, that happened quickly! From Lambda Legal

With a vote of 61-54, today the Illinois House of Representatives passed The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, a historic vote that sends the bill first to the Senate for a concurring vote and then to Governor Pat Quinn who has pledged to sign it. ....

Governor Quinn has pledged to sign the bill, making Illinois the 15th state in the country and the third in the Midwest to grant same-sex couples the freedom to marry. Once signed, the law will go into effect June 1st, 2014.

ILove Marriage in Illinois: It's Just Time (video Sunday)

Have a hanky ready:

Voices of Faith: Supporting marriage in IL

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Voices of Faith

From the Episcopal Bishop of Chicago, the Right Rev Jeffrey Lee, on why he supports equality:

I am writing today to express my support for the bill currently before the Illinois legislature that would allow same-sex couples to marry legally. ...

The state of Illinois and the Christian church face different questions in determining whether it is good and wise to allow same-sex couples to marry. If one believes in equality before the law, it is extremely difficult to justify denying the benefits of civil marriage to same-sex couples. Opponents of the current legislation would have to present compelling evidence that marriage equality will harm our state so deeply that we must continue to deny same-sex couples the rights that opposite-sex couples freely claim for ourselves. I do not believe that the experience of states and countries in which same-sex couples are already free to marry legally supports this case. Rather, extending the benefits of civil marriage to same-sex couples has made it easier for them to order their lives together, to care for one another and to raise children in a stable home. Creating stronger, happier households contributes to the common good, and that is enough reason to support any legislation.
...
I believe that marriage is a sacred vocation. The union of two persons in heart, body and mind is a school of holiness, a way of ordering our lives so that we might learn to be more faithful servants of Christ. I also believe that the faithful, loving, and lifelong union of two persons--of the same sex or of opposite sexes--is capable of signifying the never failing love of God in Christ for the church and the world. Such unions can be sources and signs of grace, both for the couple and for the wider community.

When the haters get you down, remember there are a lot of Christians who have our backs.

Take-down of Chicago Cardinal George

With his cotta in a twist, Roman Catholic Cardinal George of Chicago has written a quite-offensive letter demanding his flock oppose marriage equality. Columnist Neil Steinberg has an outstanding response. 

[M]y concern is not about what Catholics do or don’t do in practicing their own religion....
What you’re doing is instructing Catholics to pressure legislators, and pressuring them yourself, joined by like-minded clerics, to craft laws that force non-Catholics to follow Catholic doctrine. That makes it everybody’s business. ...

In an attempt to justify an unjustifiable intrusion of religion into secular life, you write, in your letter, ... “The human species comes in two complementary sexes, male and female” — no argument here — “their sexual union is called marital.”

Really? By whom? Because people nowadays mate like ferrets, while fewer call it “marital.” What comes to us from nature is not marriage but sex. Some species do indeed mate for life, but that is the exception, not the rule. . ....

Because marriage — and here you’ll have to listen to an old married guy — isn’t just about sex. Yes, that’s part of it. But someone who gets married for the sex is like someone who flies on an airplane for the meal — there are easier, cheaper ways to go about it.

Sex is not the central defining element of marriage — that would be commitment a.k.a. staying together, often raising children, sometimes cleaning the house, paying bills, talking quietly at night, having a relationship recognized by society and law, a vessel solid enough to navigate the tempests and calms, storms and lassitudes of the years. Marriage is about love and responsibility. And here homosexuals are on an even playing field with straights. Yet here you are mum — as if, because you don’t see them, they’re not here.

But they are here, and you’re hurting them, or trying to. 

Read the whole thing!

Progress in Illinois and Rhode Island

After the election, where the pro-equality side won not 1 but all 4 battles, we thought there would be some momentum.  But who thought it would be this fast?  It feels like a log jam is breaking up.

In Illinois, there may be a vote as soon as today by the legislature about marriage equality, which is endorsed not only by the "usual suspects", but by the chair of the Illinois GOP and President Barack Obama.

A profile of a lesbian couple and their family explains why it matters.

And in Rhode Island, there may be a vote by the end of the month.

More on both states at Salon.

Happy New year, indeed!