Posted on 03/25/2019 4:54:04 AM PDT by Petrosius
PRETORIA, March 22, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – In South Africa, a high court ruled that the Dutch Reformed Church’s adherence to its teachings that marriage is for one man and one woman amounts to “discrimination.”
On March 8, the Gauteng Division of South Africa’s High Court in Pretoria ruled that the Dutch Reformed Church may not exclude certain members of the church from the full and equal enjoyment of the rights and freedoms offered to all of its members. This would include allowing “marriage” for same-sex couples.
“If a member of the [Dutch Reformed] Church is permitted to study to become a Minister in that Church, but disallowed to engage in his or her profession only due to the fact that he or she would be in same-sex relationship, there is an inherent contradiction in the conduct of the Church,” the court ruled.
The High Court held that the Dutch Reformed Church had discriminated against homosexuals during South Africa’s apartheid era and before the promulgation of the country’s current constitution. South African Justice Edwin Cameron wrote with regard to past discrimination:
The sting of the past and continuing discrimination against both gays and lesbians lies in the message it conveys, namely, that viewed as individuals or in their same-sex relationships, they do not have the inherent dignity and are not worthy of the human respect possessed by and accorded to heterosexuals and their relationships. This denies to gays and lesbians that which is foundational to our Constitution and the concepts of equality and dignity, namely that all persons have the same inherent worth and dignity, whatever their other differences may be.In 2015, the Dutch Reformed Church -- a conservative Protestant denomination which has been in South Africa for centuries -- allowed individual church councils to decide whether or not to recognize same-sex unions as "marriages." The church also decided then to allow professing homosexuals to serve as ministers of the Gospel.
However, when the church decided to adopt a new policy and return to Christian principles against the liking of LGBTQ activists, Rev. Laurie Gaum and his father Rev. Dr. Fritz Gaum joined other members of the denomination to sue in court to have the church’s decision declared unconstitutional. Homosexuals may again be "married" by the Dutch Reformed Church and also serve as ministers.
Professor Pierre De Vos, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Cape Town, suggested in an op-ed that the wavering with regard to its teachings about homosexuality may have brought the Dutch Reformed Church to its loss in court.
De Vos wrote that the church was “conflicted” about the issue of homosexuality and homosexual ordained ministers, and that “it did not hold a particularly strong religiously inspired view that its religious doctrine required it to discriminate against gays and lesbians.” The court wrote that the church “was split on its interpretation of the Bible pertaining to same-sex marriages and leadership in the Church based on sexual orientation.”
DeVos wrote that the Dutch Reformed Church’s decision in 2016 to revert to its previously held views about homosexuality could “hardly be said to be to be a central and well-settled tenet of the doctrines of the Dutch Reformed Church.” It was not surprising, DeVos wrote, that the court ruled that there “was no pressing religious purpose to justify the discrimination against gays and lesbians.”
While it remains to be seen how the Gauteng court ruling will play out in the remainder of South Africa, DeVos wrote that the country’s courts may be “tilting towards the protection of individuals harmed by religious beliefs and practices and may in future be less ready to give religious institutions a free pass when they do discriminate.”
So much for freedom of religion and conscience. I remember Justice Ginsberg saying she thought the South African constitution was so much better and up to date than ours...
They’ll be going after mosques next.
Oh look, I made a funny
The director of a missionary group to Africa spoke at our church yesterday. He was refreshingly honest saying that while you might hear of the gospel spreading in Africa, about 99% of the “Christian” churches there are really prosperity gospel churches teaching a false gospel intersperse with other religions.
I don’t know much about the Dutch Reformed Church or what is going on, but at least they seem to want to do the right thing. It is only a matter of time for the US.
If you listen to a lot of urban gospel, there is quite a bit of “God is going to pay your light bill”.
And muzzies? they throw gays off high buildings? going after them too?
I join you in your prayers, YouGoTexasGirl. The church should not condone that which is offensive to God.
When it comes to a choice of adherence to man’s laws or adherence to God’s Word, always choose God.
99% might be too high. Maybe 98%. :-)
I know there are more Reformed Christian’s in Central Africa than in the US. When someone wants to join a Reformed Church they are required to undergo two years of catechisis before they are allowed to join. Have to purge all of those tribal religions out of the new Christian.
Oh. I just turned on John MacArthur’s “Strange Fire” conference on YouTube.
I’m home sick today and watching it, good stuff.
The PC disease has affected the entire world... Probably started with “alcoholism” is a disease!
Its not the Church, it is God! You are ruling against the Word! I doubt that God is amused!
That is because they are people doing something wrong and want the church to bless it.
Africa returns to its roots... South Africa will be Zimbabwe in less than 2 decades.
Among other things this ruling is meant to drive as many whites as possible out of the country.And that goes double for the whites that the “natives” hate the most...the Afrikaners.
I've been to SA twice...once in the 80s and once in 2017.My recent stay was in an affluent suburb of Johannesburg called "Sandton" (which has a write up in Wikipedia) and even there there were high walls,electrified fences and signs everywhere saying "Protected By XYZ Security...Armed Response".
And I do mean *everywhere*!
I was there in 2016, was in Capetown and Johannesburg as well as some time at a Private Resort/Reserve near Kruger... I also got over to see Victoria Falls from the Zambia side... no way I would go into Zimbabwe.
South African is a beautiful country.... if you haven’t been to Sub Saharan Africa, is is worth doing... seeing the fauna of that Continent in its natural/semi natural state is amazing.
However, there is no doubt in my mind, that finding a white South African will be rarer than finding an African American on a US Ski Slope in short order, it is clear that ignorant and hatred are taking over there... Its only a matter of when, not if, that the slaughters will begin, sadly....
I hope I am wrong, but what I saw there, and witnessed since, leaves me to believe, if you are White and in SA... you are at the point where you know you need to get out, or accept the fact you will be killed by a mob and die there... only a matter of when it will happen.
“completely renounce their sin in order to become a member.“
What sin? My husband & I attended a Dutch Reformed Church for a short time when we had not learned doctrine yet. We saw ‘reformed’ and thought it would be as the teaching of R.C. Sproul on the radio. Ha, ha, ha. Babes. Anyway, all we heard was God loves you. But John the Baptist, then Jesus preached again & again, Repent! The true message of salvation has not changed. Repent and believe. There is no salvation without repentance. You are correct in saying that to be a member (of the true church) repentance is required.
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