On July 31, the Presidents of the Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Germany, Pastor Johannes Naether (Northern Division) and Pastor Werner Dullinger (Southern Division) submitted a statement regarding "Marriage for all". On June 30, the German government decided to open marriage for same-sex couples. After the approval in the Federal Council, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signed the law on July 20th.
Marriage between husband and wife
Marriage is described in the Bible as a "union between a man and a woman", stated the SDA presidents. "We are still committed to life and love between men and women and their outstanding role in society." To distinguish between marriage and other lifestyle choices is an act of differentiation and not discrimination, continued Naether and Dullinger.
Democracy and dignity of others However, the value judgment of relationships is a "sensitive issue". "We are therefore in favour of the fact that in the controversial discussions about different lifestyle choices, our focus is always on the dignity of the person, whether heterosexual or homosexual”, emphasized the church leaders. "As a church, we respect the political decisions of our state, but as part of a democratic society and as Christians, we regard marriage as a successful and timeless model union between man and woman," as stated in their last paragraph.
