The Waterville Sentinel and other Maine newspapers have recently had articles regarding church groups in support of petitions to repeal Maine’s new gay marriage law; interviewed spokespersons typically refer to their Christian values as the basis for their point of view. It is very important to realize that other perspectives, rooted in Christian values, also exist. On May 2, 2009, Vassalboro Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), a Christian denomination consisting of fourteen state-wide Meetings (congregations), approved the following Minute: “Reflecting our Quaker tradition of valuing all individuals with equal respect, care and love, and the preciousness of the separation of church and state, we support the action of the Maine Legislature in removing the state as a barrier to same-gender marriage. This allows the many faiths and religious institutions of our state to choose whether or not to endorse and/or conduct same-gender marriage ceremonies as they wish.”

We pray that we all can demonstrate and share the “equal respect, care, and love” expressed in the VQM Minute. Surely, this would be a very Christian thing to do.

In Peace,

Jim Ramsey, Clerk
Vassalboro Friends Meeting
48 South Stanley Hill Road
Vassalboro, Maine 04989