WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 27, 2015Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, responded to todays announcement by the Mormon Church to support legislation that would protect gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in areas such as housing and employment, as long as the laws protect rights of religious groups.
I have met with Mormon leaders about these issues repeatedly. I think the Latter-day Saints are well-intentioned but naive on where the reality stands today. I do not think, in most instances, sexual orientation ought to matter in housing or employment, but of course the proposals to address these concerns inevitably lead to targeted assaults on religious liberty. This announcement from Mormon leaders has, as I thought, been greeted with hostility from gay rights organizations and disappointment from social conservatives. Nonetheless, I look forward to working with Mormons and others on protecting religious liberty for everyone in the years ahead.
“As Southern Baptists, we believe gay and lesbian persons are created in the image of God and ought to be respected. We also believe that any sexual expression outside of marriage between one man and one woman is morally wrong. And we believe that freedom of conscience for those of us who dissent from the Sexual Revolution ought to be maintained.”
The Southern Baptist Convention is Americas largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.8 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is the SBCs ethics, religious liberty and public policy agency with offices in Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C.
– END –
To request an interview with Russell Moore
contact Elizabeth Bristow at 202-547-0209
or by e-mail at [email protected]
Visit our Web site at www.erlc.com
Follow us on Twitter at @ERLC
