A front page picture of six religious leaders from different faiths, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam, ran on March 31 in The New York Times. At first glance the image is heartwarming. Religious leaders from these faiths rarely join together for any reason, but the caption to the picture tells a completely different story. The group gathered together in Jerusalem to unite in protest against a gay pride festival to be held there in August.

Why is it that the one of the few things these leaders can agree on is their mutual dislike of others? It doesn’t seem to coincide with the humanitarian values of these three religions.

The Bible gives enough examples of understanding and compassion in situations such as these. Luke 15 gives an explicit example: “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them'”(Luke 15.1-3). Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the lost prodigal son as a response to the accusations.

These religious leaders obviously believe that homosexuality is a sin. However, the passage blatantly shows that Jesus specifically welcomed and accepted those pushed away by society. It raises the question as to whether or not some of them actually read the book they subscribe to.

And it’s not just Christianity: Most religions, including Judaism and Islam, claim to be religions of peace and understanding. Protesting against homosexuality is detrimental to what religions, especially Christianity, want to do. Instead, since they feel that practicing homosexuality is a sin, they should attend gay pride festivals and speak to the people to convey their religious message.

That kind of effort would be more religious and more understanding than attending rallies and protesting the “sin” committed.