22,000 leave church over homophobia
A backlash in response to anti-gay comments made during a televised debate on same-sex marriage has seen more than 22,000 members of the national Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland leave the church in just one week.
On October 12 Finnish current affairs show A2 Teema hosted a panel discussion on moves to legalise same-sex marriage in Finland. Leena Huovinen, a Christian pastor who blesses same-sex couples, Oras Tynkkynen, an openly gay MP with the Finnish Green League Party, Manne Maalismaa, a representative of GLBT rights group SETA, and the current Mr Gay Finland, Lenneth Liukkonen, all spoke in favour of gender neutral marriage laws for the Scandinavian nation.
However, against marriage equality were the chairwoman of Finland’s Christian Democrats Party, Päivi Räsänen (pictured), Lutheran Vicar Matti Repo and Pentti Oinonen, an MP with the True Finns anti-immigration party.
Bible-based arguments made by these speakers against same-sex relationships offended viewers, particularly comments made by Räsänen, a high profile member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which were deemed homophobic by many commentators.
In the week following the show, upwards of 22,000 members of Finland’s state Lutheran church resigned from their religion through the website Eroakirkosta.fi.
Approximately 300,000 Finns have formally renounced the religions they were confirmed in at birth since freedom of religion laws allowing them to do so were passed in 2003, but the average to do so in a normal week is less than 800. Senior clergy are now concerned that the resignations may hurt the church financially, with an annual loss of 2 million Euros in state funding now expected.
Lutheran Archbishop Karl Mäkinen has called on liberal Lutherans to stay, stressing the diversity of views within the church.
However, conservative Lutherans have been threatening to cease solemnising marriages altogether if gays and lesbian couples are allowed to wed.
A majority of Finns support same-sex marriage, as do a majority of the country’s parliamentarians.
Ha! So it begins!
Well, that one blew up in their faces.
I think the major churches of the world should also be worried about this as well as the politicians.
After all the anti-gay anti-trans anti-intersex stance of many religions could lose them more and more followers many of whom who will migrate to the pro-gay faiths.
Those who have been using GLBTI issues as a way of trying to drum up numbers and money need to pay attention to this as if they keep it up they may find they backed the wrong horse and may cost their faith dearly. Not to mention the long-term harm of being seen in history as being on the wrong side of the moral issue.
PAY ATTENTION LEADERS OF THE WORLD !!!
I’m sure the pro-gay side used ‘bible-based’ arguments too..but the don’t seem to be there…
We need a website like this in Australia!!
The text is incorrect considering the law on freedom of religion. The law was passed in 1922 – not 2003. In 2003 the law was altered on certain parts. However, the freedom of religion has been available for Finns for 88 years.
Anyway, the discussion at Yle was unbeliavable, and people have been very angry. It’s a good sign so many people are leaving the church!
This is great news, about time these arseholes get what they deserve. I really hope every single member leaves.
Pay attention Julia Gillard, indeed. I would love to live in a place where the majority of people were against injustice and bigotry.
As always if you want quick change hit them in the collection box (or purse)
Whoa.
What I am seeing here is not so much that the Church is worried about the reason people are leaving but that the church will lose money. Good god, is that all the church damn well thinks about.
Oh wait I forgot, the church in every denomination and sect is based on money and the catholics being the richest church in the world.
Its time religion went back to tis grass roots, and get over the money matter.
Its no wonder people are leaving the church in droves.
why should Julia Gillard or the ALP care about this or gay rights at all? fact is we have to choices, the lib or the ALP. the latter can screw us over all they want and they know we’re still going to vote for them (even if only in preferences)because the alternative is so much worse. on the other hand, they give us marriage and wham, what’s left of support from the Christian right working class is gone. if you want to get married, you’d better fly to Amsterdam cause you’ll be dead before they let it pass.
rather outdated figure actually more than 30.000 have left since the controversial remarks and every day another 800 are resigning as well…expectations are that close to 80 thousand will leave this year –rather amazing considering there are only 4 million members…
refer http://www.eroakirkosta.fi/media/none/tiedote_19_2010.html?year=2010 you may want to brush up your finnish or use google to translate
As much as I am against gay marriage (long story) this is fantastic to hear, and hopefully we will see more of this happening.
Not only Julia Gillard but the whole of the ALP!
Pay attention Barack Obama.
Pay attention Julia Gillard.