The Uniting Protestant Churches of the Netherlands, the country’s largest Protestant organization, will consider a formal recommendation later this year that the church bless “life unions” between same-sex couples. The recommendation came from a report, released July 10, from a church working group that said couples should be able to seek a church blessing if they could show their relationship is “lasting,” is based on “love and fidelity,” and is a civilly registered union.

The Netherlands is a “postmodern, post-Christian” and “very multicultural, multi-religious society,” says Henk Koning, president of the Adventist Church in the region. “There seems to be tolerance for almost every position, as long as people are not hurting each other or discriminating against each other.”

The Adventist Church in the Netherlands still holds the view that “God created a unique relationship in a marriage between a man and a woman,” says Koning.

“At the same time, we as a church should find ways to show our love for those who live or act differently than we do,” says Koning. He adds, however, that “We do not think that this is done by suggesting that same-sex unions have an equal status as the Biblical marriage.”

Koning notes that a range of views exists among faith groups in the Netherlands on the issue of same-sex relationships.  “Although the Lutheran Churches, the Society of Mennonites, the Remonstrant Brotherhood and a few other churches have already taken the position that every serious relationship ‘based on trust and love’ should be blessed by the church, including relationships between two of the same sex, the majority of churches have not accepted that view,” he says.

Homosexual couples in the Netherlands have been able to contract civil marriages under Dutch law since April. Leaders of the Uniting Protestant Churches of the Netherlands will consider and vote on the issue of blessing same-sex relationships at meetings in November this year and May 2002.  Some within the organization have expressed strong opposition to the proposal and say they will fight its adoption.