Colorado on Tuesday officially authorized same-sex marriages, but couples hoping to tie the knot in a religious ceremony will still face obstacles in many religious institutions not now performing gay marriages.
The issue remains an emotional and theological hot button for many believers.
“In the Catholic Church, we will not be performing single-sex marriages. The church stands by its 2,000-year teaching that marriage is a union between a man and a woman,” said Archdiocese of Denver spokeswoman Karna Swanson.
Some say the authorization, which followed a U.S. Supreme Court decision not to review gay-marriage cases, changes the conversation and could lead to more religiously sanctioned weddings.
Ministers from United Methodist and other Christian denominations have performed gay marriages — even though in some cases their denominations prohibited it.
“There is disobedience around the country, and this is only going to increase that disobedience, and I welcome it,” said Paul Kottke, senior pastor at University Park United Methodist Church in Denver.
The United Methodist Church is a worldwide denomination, and the UMC’s General Conference must vote to change doctrine that bars clergy from officiating at same-sex weddings.
While 52 percent of Americans favor same-sex marriage, according to the Pew Research Center, much of the world’s population disapproves, said Cathie Kelsey, dean of the chapel at the Iliff School of Theology.
“I don’t think the votes are there to make a change,” Kelsey said.
The Episcopal Church allows clergy to bless same-sex marriages but not to perform the sacrament of marriage, said Rebecca Jones, spokeswoman for Bishop Rob O’Neill of the Episcopal Church in Colorado.
Mark Edlund, executive director of the Colorado Baptist General Convention, said while Baptist churches are autonomous, they have to follow Southern Baptist Convention doctrine, which is opposed to same-sex marriage. “I would be very surprised if a church decided to do a gay wedding,” he said.
Rabbi Eliot Baskin, Denver’s Jewish community chaplain, who has officiated at same sex unions and marriages, said whether marriages are held in synagogues will largely depend on whether the congregation is traditional or liberal.
Most traditional Jews won’t embrace same-sex marriage, but most liberal Jews will.
He thinks this week’s events will lead to change in churches throughout the world, especially in East Africa where homosexuality is a crime.
“We are a world leader, so that is why I think this is an important step, not just for (Colorado) but for all America and all humanity. I am hoping that for my grandchildren, this is a nonissue.”
Staff writer Eric Gorski contributed to this report.
Updated on October 8, 2014 at 10:55 a.m.: This story originally misstated the length of the Catholic Church’s teachings. It is 2,000 years.
