BY AJ TRAGER
To oppose the current proposed legislation allowing legal discrimination under the guise of religious freedom sign this petition. Click Here to sign the petition.
ROYAL OAK – The Tenth Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Michigan for the Episcopal Church presented a message of peace, love and change Dec. 9, in a speech delivered before many community members of faith.
Gathered in St. John's Episcopal Church in Royal Oak and put on by the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, community members heard Bishop Gibbs speak about the sanctity of marriage, the harms currently being done by the Michigan Legislature toward LGBT people, and how the state is attempting to control the actions of and speak for the Church.
"I can't think, if I have to stand still," Gibbs told the audience as he began walking around his podium, centered in the room before the two pews.
"Growing up as a baby-boomer I saw marriages. Happy marriages, bad marriages, folks who should never have gotten married, folks who got married too many times, folks who got hitched but didn't know anything about marriage and folks who found somebody to say a few words to, but didn't know anything about sanctity," said Gibbs .
Gibbs pondered what the "sanctity of marriage" is that the current Michigan ban on LGBT marriage is trying to protect? Gibbs described it as the love shared between two people, no matter what their chosen gender identities are.
"You know what I think the sanctity of marriage is? When two people love each other and trust each other enough to be able to have a conversation about their life and what it means for the future of the couple. When two people who know the love of God, want to share that love with each other and family, however they define that, and they want to committ to one another for life, that's sanctity."
The way marriage currently works in Michigan, a couple cannot get married without the state's approval because it is a state contract. And according to Gibbs, too often the state asks faith leaders such as him to work as an agent of the state.
"I didn't get ordained to be an agent of the state, I am an agent for God. Since when did God's agents need the state to do anything?" Gibbs asked the crowd.
Rules within the Episcopal Church are changing. The Queen allows for Episcopal female bishops as well as black bishops. But the state of Michigan seems to be falling behind in changes for inclusion.
"The recent activity in Lansing scares me a little bit because they are trying to make it legal for anyone to turn down a sale simply because it would be against their religious beliefs. And that worries me," Gibbs said. "Even with the conversation we're having, this is one short step away from saying ' O, you're black, we're not going to sell to you. You're asian, we're not going to sell you a house.' It's a very short step."
What came out of the Q&A section of the conversation was a call for a Religious Leader Policy Network. The network would help religious leaders keep tabs on legislative policy being pushed through Lansing and organize the religious response to any bill that threatens the civil rights of all "God's children" – in this particular instance, protecting the LGBT community.
In the example of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), passed by the State House on Dec. 4, members of the audience were concerned that legislators in the state Capitol are looking to pass such a bill, ultimately allowing for legal discrimination. Together they asked what could be done in the days remaining before the end of Lame Duck session. Gibbs, and other community voices from the crowd including Kevin Hogan of the Michigan Round Table, suggested calling state Senators and Gov. Snyder to express their concerns, as well as getting the word out to family and friends to oppose MiRFRA.
"What I want to see happen, particularly here in this state, is to gather up some of the energy that we have used to help change the Episcopal Church and change this state. I have learned in the 15 years I've been here, I've learned to be very afraid from Election Day to the 1st of January. Some of what goes on in Lansing is unbelievable. Some of what is done in the name of representative government is pure evil. The good news is we get a teeny tiny hint right before they go into vote and we can go show representation. We have to do more."
A petition gathering signatures of support for stopping MiRFRA has already, as of 4 p.m. Dec. 10, gathered 42,000 signatures since it went live on Dec. 9 and will be delivered to the Michigan State House, The Michigan State Senate and Governor Rick Snyder. Click Here to sign the petition.
