Over 500 South African Christian leaders are asking the Dutch Reformed Church to reverse its stance on homosexuality. In a strongly worded letter, the gay allies write:
We request of you to set in motion a structured process of reconciliation between heterosexual and gay members of the church.
We want to state with conviction that most people are born heterosexual and some are born gay. Just as a heterosexual orientation is not sin, a homosexual orientation is not sin either. And just as a moral heterosexual lifestyle is not sin, so too a moral homosexual lifestyle is not a sin.
The activist’s call comes days before the DRC’s General Synod convenes in Boksburg, South Africa.
Meanwhile, Dutch gay rights group, COC Netherlands, says the government must do more to foster pro-gay acceptance, particularly among religious residents. Expatica elaborates:
COC thinks that better education on the topic is the first step to improving the view on homosexuals among Muslims and Christian groups. Chairman of COC Frank van Dalen says that many schools ignore the problem of discrimination against homosexuals.
Van Dalen wants teachers to stop tolerating negative remarks about homosexuals from students. Schools must also start taking complaints from students seriously. He says that many institutions do not make it easy to complain about this kind of discrimination.
In addition to incorporating educators, COC suggests the government harness athletes’ popularity to spread positive messages. According to van Dalen, the national football club needs to do more for the gays than just provide wankerific hunks. Not that they hurt, of course…
