Quotes: Ceremonies © November 2, 2005, Demian “To the Gay,Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered, we say that your love is sacred, your union is blessed.”        — Mission statement excerpt, Lamb of God Anglican Church, Columbus, Ohio “Marriage is a solemn and public covenant between two people. Sometimes those two people will be of the same sex. In my view, it makes it no less a marriage, and we need to be able to call it what, in fact, it is — a marriage.”        — Rt. Rev. John Palmer Croneberger, Ninth Bishop of Newark,             Episcopal Diocese of Newark, New Jersey             addressing the 128th Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Newark in his speech             “A Vision of the Diocese as Sacrament,” Friday, January 25, 2002 “I see my primary role as being the shepherd of my flock, and part of my flock consists of gays and lesbians.” “On this homosexual issue, we’re not dealing with theology. Some people have a pathological dislike for homosexual sex. It’s not rational. It’s visceral. It’s communicated through our culture, through myths and legends in which religion of course is a primary agent.” “All of this fuss is a bit puzzling because same-sex blessings have been happening in the United States for years with the tacit and/or explicit consent of the bishops. What’s different here is that we are doing it publicly, openly and in the light of day.” “The word of God is a person, not a text. Where we diverge is that I would understand the Scripture as the human record of the people of God struggling to understand the direction of God in their world, while others have a tendency to see Scripture as a fax from Heaven.” “Conservatives say you cannot pick and choose but that’s exactly what they do because the same texts that condemn homosexuality condemn the eating of shellfish. I haven’t heard any conservative churchman campaign against shellfish in the last few years.”        — Michael Ingham, Anglican Bishop of greater Vancouver, B.C. Canada,             became the first bishop in the Anglican Church to openly bless same-sex unions.             Quotes from “In Blessing Gay Unions, Bishop Courts a Schism” by Clifford Krauss,             New York Times, July 5, 2003 Also see: Organizations of Faith Supporting Same-sex Couples Quotes — Affirmations and Provocations on Same-sex Couples Partners Legal Marriage Anti-Marriage Bills Coupledom Domestic Partnership Benefits Parenting Policy Statements Ceremonies The Sweet Corn Shop    Products that affirm self-esteem and social equality.    A smart variety of Bumper Stickers and Buttons    for political impact, plus Mugs and Teddy Bears.    Purchases help support Partners’ efforts.