Methodist Church in Norway Releases Statement of Concern Regarding Uganda Anti-LGBTQ Law
5 June 2023 |
The Methodist Church in Norway has released a statement of concern regarding the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act introduced to Ugandan Parliament in March, 2023, which is now enabling acts of violence and discrimination against Ugandan LGBTQ+ residents.
The statement, found on the church website, reads that the church “dissociates itself from increasing incitement and persecution of LGBT people.” It continues:
The Methodist Church in Norway is deeply concerned about increasing incitement and persecution of LGBT people both here at home and abroad. New legislation in Uganda against LGBT people and the threat to a Save the Children Pride event in Bergen show attitudes that we as a church will distance ourselves from. We find it painful that churches and Christians are very active in such actions.
The Methodist Church’s Social Principles say, among other things:
“All people, regardless of age, gender, marital status or sexual orientation, have the right to have their human and social rights safeguarded and to be protected against violence. The church should support families in providing age-appropriate sex education to children, young people and adults.”
The Methodist Church strongly opposes the use of the death penalty and condemns its use to intimidate and marginalize LGBT people and their families.
For the Methodist Church in Norway
Christian Alsted, bishop
Ingull Grefslie and Knut Refsdal, supervising priests
This statement follows previous statements distancing the church from “conversion therapy,” as well as a vote taken by The Methodist Church in Norway in 2020 “admitting and apologizing for the condemning attitudes and actions that have inflicted insults, harm and suffering on LGBT+ people instead of dignity.”
In 2019, the church’s annual conference “decided that the religious community should start a process on a path towards an ‘inclusive’ view of human sexuality,” but the congregation worldwide is still divided on the issue, possibly leading to a split between liberal and conservative Methodists.
