Religion in brief NEWRY: UCC IN MAINE BACKS ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW

Maine’s largest Protestant denomination endorsed a resolution that backs the state’s new anti-discrimination law. The Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ – a Congregationalist denomination – passed the resolution during its annual meeting in late September. Each of the 175 churches in the Maine Conference is independent, so the resolution is nonbinding. The law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, credit, accommodations and education. It is the subject of Question 1 on the November ballot, an attempt to repeal the measure. “All too often, opponents to Maine’s Anti-Discrimination Act are represented by faith-based groups whose theology includes a selective interpretation of the Bible with an emphasis on judgment and exclusion,” said the Rev. Dale Holden, pastor of First Congregational Church in Houlton, in a news release.