A Christian woman yesterday called on other churchgoers to show love to “all of mankind” in the run-up to Bermuda’s first Pride parade.

Savannah Rose said followers of the Bible could not pick and choose which rules applied.

She wrote to The Royal Gazette to explain why she believed other worshippers should walk alongside her in Saturday’s parade. The 29-year-old explained: “I hear hypocrisy from church members being very anti-gay, but there’s so much going on in the world to just pick this one topic and go overboard with it.

She asked: “Essentially, it’s just two people who love each other, why would you want to hate that?”

Ms Rose, of Warwick, wrote in her letter: “To my fellow Bermudians, I am a proud Christian woman and I am looking forward to attending Bermuda’s first Pride parade. But how can this be?

“Some may get the erroneous idea that Christians in Bermuda dislike gay people and believe them to be an abomination.

“But I want to stress, this is certainly not the case for all of us. To me, Christianity is about love. The love that Jesus has for us, and the love we should have for all of mankind.

“After all, Jesus himself said that the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all your heart and soul, and love your neighbour as yourself.”

Ms Rose, a compliance officer, said that some churches and congregation members welcomed gay people, but other “vocal” groups rejected them.

She added: “I get so upset that you could call someone an abomination and say you’re Christian.

“The Bible teaches us to love everyone. There are so many good people who just want to live their lives.”

Reverend Alistair Bennett, the minister of Christ Church, Warwick, asked his congregation to join him in the Pride parade, at last Sunday’s service.

Christ Church is part of the Church of Scotland, which announced last year that its General Assembly backed a motion for its legal questions committee to draft church law that will allow ministers to conduct same-sex marriages “if they wish”.

Mr Bennett said: “Given that was the position of the Church of Scotland and given that Christ Church is a member of the Church of Scotland, it certainly seemed appropriate to show that support, along with other denominations on the island.

“Within the Church of Scotland we have acknowledged, of course, there is a diversity of opinion on this.

“Nevertheless, that was the stated position and I would imagine that within the congregation here at Christ Church there would be that diversity of opinion as well, but certainly there has been a lot of support for me, personally, for showing support and talking part in the parade.”

Mr Bennett, who will be joined by his wife, Judi on the march through Hamilton, said there were major differences of opinion on the subject among the different faiths.

He added: “It’s a question of recognising the differences without creating any divisions.”

Sandy Mayor, the chairwoman of the board at Wesley Methodist Church in Hamilton, said a group from the church would join the parade.

The church will also host a table at the Victoria Park venue with craft activities for children and water refills.

Ms Mayor said: “We see each person as a unique, loved creation of God and welcome all people to the full life of Christian community.”

She added: “We are excited to be a part of this first Pride parade in Bermuda and are pleased to read on Facebook that a growing number of individuals and organisations are also participating.”