Nagaland Churches Joined Voice against Supreme Court Scrapping of Section 377

The Supreme court, although, has decriminalized homosexuality but this has not been accepted well by the religious institutions of the country and the churches of the Northeastern states is one of the prime opponents of this verdict. Several churches in Nagaland have voiced out against the recent SC ruling on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code decriminalizing homosexuality.

The Churches are of the opinion that “what is legally upheld need not be morally acceptable”.

Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), general secretary Rev. Dr. Z. Keyho says the media, that they “have nothing against the LGBTQIA community. However, we have to reiterate that homosexuality is a sin.” He also added that the NBCC would be holding its executive meeting at Kohima on October 31 and their agenda of the meeting would be “to come up with a comprehensive document to discourage homosexuality”.

The churches are also worried about the negative impact the Supreme Court order may have on the religious practices of the state. Keyho further added that “Forming guidelines to uphold the teachings of the Bible is a moral imperative. Anything that goes against God's design cannot be encouraged.”

Another church of the state, Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC) declared it on Monday that it would never support such an unholy practice and also terms it as morally unacceptable. The council also added that such act of homosexuality between adults is morally unacceptable as this is against the low of human sexuality.

CBCC executive secretary Rev. Dr. Vezopa Tetseo stated, “...even if the homosexual acts are now legalised, it is not morally acceptable or justified. What is legal is not equal to moral acceptability.”

In addition to Nagaland, the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee in Mizoram, which is a conglomerate of 14 church bodies, also said that the section (377) should never have been scrapped. According to the committee, homosexuality and lesbianism should continue to be regarded as a criminal act.

Ao Baptist Church Association (ABAM) is another religious association in Nagaland who too opposed the Supreme Court’s recent verdict of scrapping Section 377(a) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) which decriminalizes homosexuality.

ABAM also stressed this fact that although it opposes the Supreme Court verdict, it would remain polite while disagreeing with unusual things. A statement released by the Church Association says, “We might be cast as a bigot or weirdo or may be mocked, insulted and threatened for merely disagreeing with the movement. But we respect the word of God which says ‘Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!’ (Isaiah 5:20).”