Protestant Ministers Sign Dutch Anti-Gay Charter, Atheists Launch Popular Alternative

By Nathan Glover --
09 Jan 2019 --

Atheists release The Declaration of Love to combat the anti-LGBT statement.

About 250 fundamentalist Dutch Protestant ministers have signed a translated version of the Nashville Statement[/tweetit], a document with American origins which critics allege promotes misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. The list of signatories of the translated version include Kees van der Staaij, the leader of the SGP, a fundamentalist Protestant party. The SGP has a total of three Parliamentary members in the present membership of the Dutch Parliament including Diederik van Dijk, the SGP senator.

Protestant Ministers Sign Dutch anti-Gay Charter, Atheists Launch Popular Alternative[/tweetthis]

The content of the Nashville Statement is that marriage is a lifelong, covenantal, procreative, and sexual union of a man and a woman. It also states the differences which exist between females and males are divinely ordained and they mirror the original creation design of God and are meant for human flourishing and the human good. The statement also says sexual desires are distorted by sin and it is possible to end all sinful desires and walk in the manner as stated by the Lord. The last statement implies it is possible to cure transgenderism and homosexuality. More than 22,000 Americans have given their signature to the statement.

Ingrid van Engelshoven, the Emancipation minister, said the existence of the Nashville Statement's Dutch version shows a regressive mindset and emancipation is all but a distant dream. COC, the campaign group dedicated to transgender and gay rights said the statement pushes LGBTQs “back in the closet,” and implies gay feelings can be changed, a far cry from the truth. Countless research has shown no therapy or treatment changes homosexuality. These treatments are also extremely dangerous. Rutger Schonis, a D66 parliamentarian, wrote “You hereby deny the existence of a basic fundamental right for many thousands of Dutch people,” expressing his disappointment with Van der Staaij signing the document on Twitter.

Beste @keesvdstaaij.

Ik ken u als een kundige collega. Daarom valt uw steun voor de #NashvilleVerklaring mij zo vies van u tegen!

U ontkent hiermee het bestaan van een fundamenteel grondrecht voor vele duizenden Nederlanders.

Is dat waar de @sgp voor staat?!

— Rutger Schonis (@RutgerSchonis) January 6, 2019

The Dutch government thinktank SCP discovered that Protestant Church members are much less likely to accept homosexuals. 16 percent have openly said they harbor negative feelings toward the LGBT community. As per the SGP, the Netherlands must be governed by ordinances of God, as found in Holy Scriptures. The party won 2.1% of the vote in the 2017 Dutch general election.

Rainbow flags flown by town halls of major Dutch cities in protest against the Dutch version of anti-LGBTQ "Nashville statement" and bible-belt Christian politician who co-signed it has his Twitter account flooded with rainbow flag-comments. That's the Netherlands for you.???️‍?

— Elowen Edwards (@scriobhann_si) January 8, 2019

Dutch Atheists, who go by the collective name Humanistisch Verbond, released The Declaration of Love, their own document to combat religious bigotry. They have collected far more signatures than the anti-LGBTI statement with over 15,000 signatures.