Do you believe in God?
The Queer Church of Venus is explicitly non-theistic. We believe that the God-concept is the root of all hierarchal thinking. The concept provides the ultimate justification for systems of domination. It uses the language of domination, and therefore we reject the God-concept. That said, we do not regulate the ontological speculations of our members. What is important is not whether one thinks that some entity somewhere in the universe might meet the metaphysical description of God; what is important is that the axiological component of Godship be rejected. We consider the metaphysical question to be irrelevant. The only thing that matters, for creatures like us, is what kind of experiences we can have in our world, and that we seek to create a world that enriches more lives in the here and now.
Why has the Mundanus chosen that title?
It is common for religious leaders to choose pretentious titles like “Reverend” that imply the pretense that the office holder is worthy of more respect than the typical person. But in keeping with our egalitarian philosophy, and that our creed endorses perfectly ordinary wisdom that everyone has access to through reflection, the Mundanus has chosen a title that celebrates their ordinariness.
Ok. But doesn’t “Congress” and “Joining” and “Our reproductive conduct” belong together?
That is a patriarchal idea that many of us may not share. Modern society created the “nuclear family” that intertwined these ideas of love, sex, and reproduction. But these are separate ideas, as queer folks know quite well. And many of us feel that the nuclear family has harmed more than helped..
Abortion? How can you make abortion a rite? Why not call it “family planning” or something less controversial?
For many good reasons. First, is that we believe in intentionality in all of one’s actions, but especially in the act of parenthood. Bringing a new life into this world should always be an intentional act. Creating a new life is not a decision to be taken lightly. It creates deep, lifelong obligations on the one who chooses to do it, and it would be immoral to bring a life into the world if one could not ensure its proper care. Since abortion is the last opportunity to avoid parenthood if one is not able to be a parent, we thought that we should enshrine this act in our rites and practices. People who have planned their pregnancy do not need reminded that it’s morally ok to keep the child; people who require an abortion may indeed need reassurance that it’s morally ok to exercise that option. Second, we believe that once a person has decided through reflection on their circumstances that they need an abortion, that it now becomes a moral duty to have the abortion. What would it mean to say, “well, it’s really for the best that I terminate this pregnancy, but I’m not going to”? That sounds much like saying, “this is the right thing to do, but I am not going to do it.” Once we have determined what the right thing to do is, we then need to do that thing. So we honor abortion as the morally correct choice in some cases, namely, when the pregnant person determines that it is needed. Finally, we chose the word abortion in order to destigmatize the practice.
What are your church services like?
There is no prescribed format for how people should belong together. People who gather together should infuse the services with meaning in whatever way seems most meaningful to them.
Do you consider yourselves to be a Christian denomination?
Absolutely not! The beliefs expressed in the Christian creed are hubristic in the sense that they make claims that no one can possibly know.
What is your position on sex? Is it just a free for all?
It is mostly a free for all in a very limited sense. Other than the very obvious, basic claim that all sexual acts should take place between consenting adults only, we are loathe to make a set of rules about this most fundamental aspect of “the good life”. We might also add that sex acts should be free of exploitation. But beyond that, we say only that one’s sex life should be intentional. We do not believe that sex is intrinsically shameful. We are mostly sex-positive so long as it is consensual, age-appropriate, and intentional. The corollary to that (given that the queer community includes many folks who are asexual) is that refraining from sex is not intrinsically shameful either. Defining someone’s value by how they use (or don’t use!) their genitals is gross.