The New York Daily News published an interesting piece today that may cast a shadow over the Presidential election in November.

President Obama's decision to come out in favor of same-sex marriage in May, may have marked a notable shift in support of same-sex marriage within the African-American community, but within the black church many clergy members viewed the move as a betrayal.

Now with the option being to vote for a President that supports same-sex marriage and a candidate that is part of a controversial religious faith (Mormonism), some black pastors are encouraging their parishoners to stay home on election day. More after the jump.

President Obama joined Mitt Romney on Wednesday in official opposition to the Boy Scouts of America's reaffirmed ban on openly gay troops and leaders. Still, the long running organization chooses to adhere to its discriminatory policy by hiding behind its interpretation of Christian tenets. 

Sparked by Obama's statement, L.A.-based Rev. Dr. R. Scott Colglazier, Senior Minister, First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, has penned an effective Op-Ed that provides a Christian foundation for opposing the Boy Scout's anti-gay ban. 

Read Rev. Colglazier's open letter to the Boy Scouts of America after the jump. 

It's been a big day for the Episcopal Church!

The Church held two very important votes at the Episcopal General Convention today and both votes are very LGBT friendly.

The Episcopal Church has approved both the ordination of transgender individuals as priests and an official liturgy that blesses same-sex unions.

More after the jump!

With organizations like the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) being intent upon using same-sex marriage as a wedge issue between gay and African-American voters, it’s great to see influential figures within the African-American community stepping up to voice their support for President Obama’s same-sex marriage stance.

Rev. Jesse Jackson (who’s no stranger to controversy), praised President Obama’s decision to support marriage equality, comparing the fight for marriage equality to the African-American fight against slavery and laws restricting interracial marriage.

More after the jump.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber just took us to church—and we liked it! 

The head of the North Carolina NAACP condemned Amendment One yesterday in a powerful speech that warned of the evils of a majority voting upon the rights of a minority, and the ramifications of limiting rights for a class of people. Clergy from around North Carolina assembled for the press conference.

Check out his speech after the jump!

As the debate over same-sex marriage reaches the floor of the Maryland House of Delegates this evening, one of the primary issues on the minds of these delegates is how their constituents will react to their vote. 

This is particularly notable in Maryland where the population is 29 percent African-American, a community in which same-sex marriage has been met with overwhelming skepticism. 

Sure this seems like something out of a dream or a Saturday morning hangover fog, but we suppose the momentum out of the New York equality victory is crossing the pond in a big way. Find out deets, after the jump.

As more denominations start to feel internal pressure to make firm stances in support or against LGBT equality and acceptance, church trials are occuring for Methodist clergy who openly sanction marriage equality. Details after the jump.

Great news in the faith community today as the country wakes up to word that the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. has voted to allow the ordination of openly-gay and lesbian clergy and lay members.

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics said something today that gay rights activists have been saying for decades: The rights of minorities should not be put up to popular vote.

The statement in D.C. stems from a push by Stand for Marriage, a faith-based group which sought to write hate into law by having the public vote on restricting marriage to only a man and a woman. The commission, however, denied the referendum as a violation of the Human Rights Act of the District of Columbia.

Rev. Cedric Harmon, a representative of D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality, a group of nearly 200 Washington, D.C. faith leaders representing a variety of religious faiths issued the following statement in support of the decision:

"It is shameful when...