Aug 16, 2007 / 08:18 am
A Christian Church in Texas refused to hold the funeral for a homosexual man because the family wanted to display a multimedia memorial presentation that condoned his actively homosexual lifestyle, reported LifeSiteNews.com.
High Point Church is a large, non-denominational parish that believes that active homosexuality is a sin, Dallas News Morning reported.
When 46-year-old Navy veteran Cecil Sinclair died on Monday, High Point initially agreed to hold the funeral service for him because his brother is a member of the church. Sinclair was not affiliated with any church.
However, the church ministry was shocked that some of the photos for multimedia presentation explicitly portrayed Sinclair in a homosexual relationship. The church determined these pictures would be a public statement in support of the homosexual lifestyle and decided that it could not go ahead with the service.
During his Sunday sermon, Pastor Gary Simons firmly explained his rejection of the funeral. The congregation responded with applause. Simons said he did not object to having a funeral for a homosexual man. Rather, he objected to the blatant condoning of the man's homosexual lifestyle.
Sinclair's mother was upset by the decision, saying that a compromise could have been reached.
The church offered to pay for the service at another facility. When the family refused, the church sent food and representatives to the funeral.
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