wfn.org | Vermont faith groups proclaim love against rhetoric of hate

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Aug. 5, 1999  News media contact: Tim Tanton*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-28-71B{404}

By Holly E. Nye*

MONTPELIER, Vt. (UMNS) -- About 200 Vermonters from a variety of faith
communities assembled at Trinity United Methodist Church Aug. 2 for a
"Witness Against Hate: An Interfaith Worship Service of Love and
Reconciliation."

Those leading the service included laity and clergy from the United
Methodist, United Church of Christ, Episcopal and Jewish communities. 

They gathered, as Pastor Mitchell Hay noted in his welcome, because "the
voice of hatred, the voice of fear, is coming into our community. (We
gather) to say 'no' to that voice and 'yes' to the voice of love."

Religious leaders planned the service as a response to the arrival in the
state capital of picketers from the controversial Westboro Baptist Church of
Topeka, Kan. The independent church, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, has held
demonstrations around the country condemning homosexuals with inflammatory
rhetoric such as "God hates fags." Westboro had gained permission for 10
picketers to stand in front of the Vermont state house for two hours on Aug.
3 "in solemn protest and warning," according to the church's World Wide Web
site.

Phelps' group targeted Vermont because the Vermont Supreme Court is
deliberating a case in which several homosexual couples have sued the state
for the right to be legally married. The ecumenical service was planned not
to express any stance on the legal question of marriage, but simply to take
a stand against the rhetoric of hate used by the Westboro group, organizers
said.

Hay summed up the sense of outrage felt by many in the religious community,
pointing out that "Phelps uses a language I also use. I won't let him take
my language. I won't let him take the message of hate and shoot it at the
heart of the gospel and shrivel it dry."

Rabbi Joshua Chasan of Burlington offered the message for the evening. "It
is good that our sisters and brothers are here from Kansas," he pointed out,
"because we can bear witness to the mainstream religious tradition of
Vermont."

Being unified for the purpose of proclaiming God's love and justice is good
for the religious communities - and "it results in good music," he said.

A central teaching of Judaism is that "each one of us is created in the
image of God," Chasan said. He remarked on "how far we have come: we can
pray side by side in our own language," whereas 30 years ago there was
intolerance among the different religious traditions. This unity is a
strength, he said, as the community faces those who would say that Jews, as
well as homosexuals, are "going to hell." 

He defined a stance for the religious community to take against the
intrusion of hate groups: responding not with "haters, go home" but with
"haters, come home." The task of the mainstream religious traditions is to
stand for the human rights of all, and to call people "home" to the God of
love and compassion. Chasan's message received a standing ovation from the
congregation in the full sanctuary.

Advance publicity for the service affirmed that "our shared music, song,
stories and liturgy will celebrate that God is the God of steadfast love and
compassion." Readings reflected the theme: from Micah 6 ("What does the Lord
require of you?"), I John 4 ("Let us love on another"), Mark 12:28-34 ("The
greatest commandment"), and Romans 8 ("Nothing will be able to separate us
from the love of God"). 

Music for the service included traditional Jewish chants, anthems from the
Montpelier Community Gospel Choir, congregational singing from the United
Methodist Hymnal, melodies from a local steel drum band, and an impromptu
solo of "Oh Freedom." As verses were added to the traditional gospel tune,
proclaiming, "no more hatred ... no more fear ... there'll be loving over
me," the congregation rose to join the singing. By the end of the service,
the mood of outrage and concern had given way to one of celebration and
purpose, and commitment to live out the message of God's love.
 
Westboro's protest took place as scheduled the next morning. The 10
picketers were outnumbered by about 200 counter-protesters and left before
their allotted time was up. Bread and Puppet, a well-known Vermont puppet
theater group, led the remaining crowd on an impromptu parade down the
street.

Some members of Monday evening's congregation stopped by to watch the
action. But they had already made their response.

# # # 

*Nye is media editor for the Troy Annual Conference of the United Methodist
Church.

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