Mizo Church Warns Homosexuals

Aizawl, Jun 6 : Terming homosexuality as against the tenets of Christianity, the Mizoram Presbyterian Church has threatened to excommunicate and suspend its homosexual members if they were found living together.

The decision was taken by the Synod Executive Committee, the highest decision-making body of the largest church in the state, during a meeting this week.

According to church sources, the SEC decided to excommunicate and suspend its gay and lesbian members ‘‘from the membership of the church if they lived together as husbands and wives’’.

This is not the first time that the Mizo Church has come down on its homosexual members and kicked off a controversy.

Last December, delegates of the Synod, the highest conference of the Presbyterian Church, felt that the present creed of the church was too lenient on homosexuals.

According to Church rules, "Two men or two women living together as married couples should be punished as a man or woman who commits adultery... and the punishment is suspension from the church membership for a period of six months."