Church To Sanction Same-Sex Marriages

First Nation Church, the oldest traditional religious organization in the Western Hemisphere and the largest membership-based Native American religious society in the United States, has announced that it will no longer ban marriages among same-sex members of its national congregation.

Following a threatened legal challenge by several gay and lesbian church members, church elders voted to remove language from the organization's bylaws that could have been potentially unconstitutional.

The bylaws no longer specifically deny adult gay, lesbian or transgender members of the church the right to marry under church auspices.

In addition, the church issued a public statement affirming its recognition of any marriage between consenting adults:

"It is our steadfast belief that Love, not law, is the basis and the foundation of marriage. We also believe that no government should be allowed to legislate for or against any person based upon their gender, race, sexual orientation or religious belief."

"First Nation Church, its members and ministers believe that marriage is a covenant between two adults and their God, based upon their love for one another. We believe that love for each other, for nature and for all things created by God materializes from the heart, not from legislative bodies. This basic tenet was so important that the founding fathers established it as the cornerstone of the United States Constitution, guaranteed by the Bill of Rights: that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'"

To obtain a church-issued marriage license, both spouse-applicants must be at least eighteen years of age, not currently married to another person, not related by blood to each other, and must be capable of entering into a binding marriage contract.

Couples wishing to obtain a marriage license may do so online through the First Nation Church website (www.firstnationchurch.org).

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