‘Governments must not impose LGBT ideology on churches’

Churches across Norway have called for religious freedom to be upheld amid attempts to force the public to “adapt to ‘queer theory’ on gender, sexuality, and marriage”.

The “Joint Christian Declaration on ‘Diversity of Gender and Sexuality'” has been signed by 47 denominations and organisations, including The Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Baptist Church Norway, the Pentecostal movement in Norway and the Norwegian Roman Catholic Bishops’ Council.

The declaration’s title references the Norwegian Government’s Action Plan on Gender and Sexual Diversity (2023-2026), which includes the pledge to increase “the competence in religious and belief-based communities” by offering “regional courses and one-day-events on LGBT+”.

‘Destructive’

The signatories stated: “We stand up for a democratic, pluralistic, and open-minded society where there is space for diversity of beliefs characterised by mutual respect. Freedom of expression and conscience, as well as religious freedom, are for us central and essential values.

“We hold that public authorities and governmental bodies exceed their mandate and power by attempting to pressure citizens and organisations to adapt to ‘queer theory’ on gender, sexuality, and marriage. Such activism on the part of government violates religious freedom and freedom of conscience, as well as the rights of parents.”

They emphasised: “The notion that gender is a subjective category and that sexual and gender identity can be freely chosen on the basis of feelings or preference, irrespective of biological sex, is based on ideology. It has no biological or scientific foundation.”

The declaration warned that such ideology is “incompatible with our faith, thought, and worldview”, and it can “lead to confusion, insecurity, and destructive life choices for many children and young people”.

Freedom

Last month, religious freedom experts highlighted the “increasing intolerance” towards those who hold religious beliefs on marriage, family, and sexual ethics in Europe and North America.

Organised to coincide with a Berlin meeting of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, the event featured the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI), the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) and the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE).

Dr José Luis Bazán of COMECE said what has come to be known as ‘polite persecution’ has manifested itself in “compelling policies and legislation, as well as social pressure, that undermine and curtail Christians’ possibility to express and live according to their moral and religious principles in contemporary liberal societies”.