Retired Methodist Pastors Say They'll Perform Same-Sex Marriages Against Church Law

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — More than 80 retired pastors say they'll go against the United Methodist church to perform same-sex marriages.

The clergy members from across Northern California and Nevada signed a pact to perform marriages in their churches.

The move goes against United Methodist Church law.

They gathered at St. Mark's Church in Sacramento to explain their decision.

"When passages from the Bible are used to justify bigotry, and church laws and doctrine used to deprive people of their basic rights, then they need to be challenged," said Pastor Larry George.

They clergy say many of the church's laws are contradictory, and they are breaking one to obey the other.