West Point's chapel hosts first same-sex wedding

[Odessa78]

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Cadet Chapel, the landmark Gothic church that is a center for spiritual life at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, hosted its first same-sex wedding Saturday.

Penelope Gnesin and Brenda Sue Fulton, a West Point graduate, exchanged vows in the regal church in an afternoon ceremony, attended by about 250 guests and conducted by a senior Army chaplain.

The two have been together for 17 years. They had a civil commitment ceremony that didn't carry any legal force in 1999 and had long hoped to formally tie the knot. The way was cleared last year, when New York legalized same-sex marriage and President Barack Obama lifted the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibiting openly gay people from serving in the military.

The brides both live in New Jersey and would have preferred to have the wedding there, but the state doesn't allow gay marriage.

"We just couldn't wait any longer," Fulton told The Associated Press in a phone interview Saturday.

Cadet Chapel was a more-than-adequate second choice, she said.

"It has a tremendous history, and it is beautiful. That's where I first heard and said the cadet prayer," Fulton said, referring to the invocation that says, "Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won."

The ceremony was the second same-sex wedding at West Point. Last weekend, two of Fulton's friends, a young lieutenant and her partner, were married in another campus landmark, the small Old Cadet Chapel in West Point's cemetery.

Read more: West Point's landmark chapel hosts first same-sex wedding - NY Daily News



West Point's landmark chapel hosts first same-sex wedding - NY Daily News

 

[blacklabman]

This country continues its' descent towards immorality!

 

[bcp]

Now that its no longer a house of God, there should be no problem setting it aside for only these immoral acts.

I do hope that the real Christians are able to find a true church to go to in the near future.

and they are no more really married than a child with an easy bake oven is a chef. all a game. pretend play.

 

[Merlin99]

Now that its no longer a house of God, there should be no problem setting it aside for only these immoral acts.

I do hope that the real Christians are able to find a true church to go to in the near future.

and they are no more really married than a child with an easy bake oven is a chef. all a game. pretend play.

No where in the story does it say that the chapel was deconsecrated, so apparently you're making things up again. Shame on you.

 

[bcp]

No where in the story does it say that the chapel was deconsecrated, so apparently you're making things up again. Shame on you.

It lost status the moment they agreed to do a homosexual playhouse union.

Not making anything up.

 

[stockgirl]

 

[thurley42]

Oh noes, the big bad gays got married!!!!! This has zero to do with me yet i'm all angry!

 

[bcp]

Oh noes, the big bad gays got married!!!!! This has zero to do with me yet i'm all angry!

Didnt say I was angry, just said that the chaple can no longer be considered a house of God.
two guys calling themselves married is like a kid with an easy bake oven calling themselves a chef

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Didnt say I was angry, just said that the chaple can no longer be considered a house of God.
two guys calling themselves married is like a kid with an easy bake oven calling themselves a chef

I'm willing to bet there are plenty of gay marriages where they are happy. More that can be said for abouit 50% of hetero marriages.

Did you go to the West Point chapel?

 

[stockgirl]

Didnt say I was angry, just said that the chaple can no longer be considered a house of God.
two guys calling themselves married is like a kid with an easy bake oven calling themselves a chef

It was two females. Does that make a difference?

 

[itsbob]

I'm willing to bet there are plenty of gay marriages where they are happy. More that can be said for abouit 50% of hetero marriages.

Did you go to the West Point chapel?

Don't hink anything you are saying has anything to do with the point he is making..

AND I think he has a valid point. I'm not a religous person at all, but can definitely see the idea of having gay marriages in churches flies in the face of Christian or Biblical teachings.

The only way around saying it doesn't is to cite some non-mainstream church that interprets the bible to favor the homosexual lifestyle, which the bible in no way shape or form does...

Don't have a dog in this fight, but I throughly see his point. It may be legal, but that doesn't make it moral to Biblical standards, and doing the ceremony in "God's Church" I would say meets the criteria of being desecrated.

 

[kwillia]

Didnt say I was angry, just said that the chaple can no longer be considered a house of God.

Interesting. One of the colleges we toured was a private Catholic college in PA, Mercyhurst, they have a beautiful chapel on the grounds and they have opened the church to several different religions so that services of many types can be conducted in order to fulfill the religious needs of their students since they pride themselves in having students from all around the world. We were told all services are open to all students which allows everyone to witness the rituals of the various religions.

 

[bcp]

It was two females. Does that make a difference?

no sorry to burst your big moment.
wrong is wrong.

Besides, Im not sure why anyone argues with my thoughts on this matter, its not like my opinion can hurt anyone.

 

[thatguy]

Don't hink anything you are saying has anything to do with the point he is making..

AND I think he has a valid point. I'm not a religous person at all, but can definitely see the idea of having gay marriages in churches flies in the face of Christian or Biblical teachings.

The only way around saying it doesn't is to cite some non-mainstream church that interprets the bible to favor the homosexual lifestyle, which the bible in no way shape or form does... Don't have a dog in this fight, but I throughly see his point. It may be legal, but that doesn't make it moral to Biblical standards, and doing the ceremony in "God's Church" I would say meets the criteria of being desecrated.

you mean like the episcopal church?

Seems pretty mainstream to me, and they have been marrying gay folks for a while. On top of that, in states where gay marriage is legal, the episcopal church requires its gay preists to marry rather than "live in sin" with their partners.

 

[itsbob]

you mean like the episcopal church?

Seems pretty mainstream to me, and they have been marrying gay folks for a while. On top of that, in states where gay marriage is legal, the episcopal church requires its gay preists to marry rather than "live in sin" with their partners.

Well, you either believe in the Bible and follow it.. or you don't.

There can't be a middle ground of, we believe these parts, but gay people are cool..

 

[thatguy]

Well, you either believe in the Bible and follow it.. or you don't.

There can't be a middle ground of, we believe these parts, but gay people are cool..

actually, every christian sect does exactly that, they choose what to accentuate and what to ignore.

 

[itsbob]

actually, every christian sect does exactly that, they choose what to accentuate and what to ignore.

Then by their own admission NONE of them will be allowed entrance into their heaven..

The Bible isn't supposed to be interpreted nor is it be updated to social norms of the day.. it sets the standard to live by, no bell curves, no alibis. (if you believe it at all)

Either you do it, or you don't...

 

[thatguy]

Then by their own admission NONE of them will be allowed entrance into their heaven..

The Bible isn't supposed to be interpreted nor is it be updated to social norms of the day.. it sets the standard to live by, no bell curves, no alibis. (if you believe it at all)

Either you do it, or you don't...

or at least so says a self described atheist......

But again, EVERY sect does this to some level or another. Its their religion, let them decide if they are right about it.

 

[itsbob]

or at least so says a self described atheist......

But again, EVERY sect does this to some level or another. Its their religion, let them decide if they are right about it.

Who better to interpret the Bible and it's meaning than a non-filtered, non-biased atheist?

I don't have my own set of error ridden Christian beliefs to interpret the Bible by or with. I'm not confined by what I've been told is my interpretation of the Bible, it is what it is.

Whether I believe in the Bible or any religion is moot when it comes to what MY interpretation is.

 

[thatguy]

Who better to interpret the Bible and it's meaning than a non-filtered, non-biased atheist?

I don't have my own set of error ridden Christian beliefs to interpret the Bible by or with. I'm not confined by what I've been told is my interpretation of the Bible, it is what it is.

Whether I believe in the Bible or any religion is moot when it comes to what MY interpretation is.

Well, christians would say that the reason you are not comprehending the bible is becasue you dont beleive. While your beliefs may not be "error ridden christian beliefs", there is no saying that they aren't "error ridden atheist beliefs".