United Methodist Church on edge of breakup over LGBT stand

[left-of-center2012]

The United Methodist Church teetered on the brink of breakup Monday after more than half the delegates at an international conference voted to maintain bans on same-sex weddings and ordination of gay clergy.

Their favored plan, if formally approved, could drive supporters of LGBT inclusion to leave America’s second-largest Protestant denomination.

A final vote on rival plans for the church’s future won’t come until Tuesday’s closing session, and the outcome remains uncertain. But the preliminary vote Monday showed that the Traditional Plan, which calls for keeping the LGBT bans and enforcing them more strictly, had the support of 56 percent of the more than 800 delegates attending the three-day conference in St. Louis.

The primary alternative proposal, called the One Church Plan, was rebuffed in a separate preliminary vote, getting only 47 percent support. Backed by a majority of the church’s Council of Bishops in hopes of avoiding a schism, it would leave decisions about same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT clergy up to regional bodies and would remove language from the church’s law book asserting that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

https://www.apnews.com/91f0eff9b0c14e35a794101b3dc60166

[eppur_se_muova]

1. I'm confused -- they're *voting* on something that they hold to be the word of God ??

Why not just let God vote ? How does that not work out ?

Oh, I see.

[Girard442]

5. Yeah, people pray to God to get answers and they do (so they say)...

...yet the answers are different. Funny how that is.

[Wounded Bear]

16. The funny part is how often God answers them the way they like...

[milestogo]

2. Many of the protestant denominations split over slavery in the 19th century.

It really isn't a surprise that people in the same organization have vastly different beliefs.

[walkingman]

4. I don't care what other people believe - they can believe in the "tooth fairy" if they choose

what I do not like is the idea that we should pass laws based upon someone's religious ideology.

[Zambero]

3. As good of a reason as any

Why not have fair-minded people worship together without having to contend with hateful bigots amongst their congregation. The rest of them can throw in their lot with fellow homophones like Jimmy Swaggart or Pat Robertson.

[MineralMan]

6. And yet another Christian denomination splits over a detail.

Sectarianism is the rule in Christianity. If you disagree on anything, you must split into different denominations. It's funny, really. They can't even agree on what their religion means, and have been splitting into smaller and smaller groups since the Reformation.

Taken to its logical conclusion, Christianity will end with every individual being his or her own denomination.

[dsc]

7. this is hardly a detail

This isn't how to arrange the flowers in the sanctuary, it is whether a non trivial number of church members are treated as full members or members lite.

[MineralMan]

8. It is a detail when it comes to theology, though.

It's not a detail when it comes to individual dignity and lives. Really, LGBTQ issues have been a dividing point for Christian denominations for a long time.

That it is still a splitting point is alarming.

[milestogo]

10. It was so important to Jesus that he delivered a whole sermon on it.

Oh wait, that was some right wing minister who has never read the Bible.

[SWBTATTReg]

9. Refreshing to see bigotry alive and well in our churches...a shame, a real shame when it could be...

turned into a positive for the entire community, like Jesus said, to open one's arms for everyone.

[unc70]

11. United Methodist Church is worldwide

Unlike most Protestant denominations, the UMC is a single worldwide organization. Over 30% of membership is in Africa, overwhelmingly conservative and homophobic. There are significant pockets of bigots elsewhere and they have outlasted or outlived a diminishing number of younger, more diverse members.

Unfortunately, all the church properties are owned by the UMC in common -- centrally. UMC is governed as a democracy.

[wryter2000]

12. We Anglicans have a similar problem

Much of our growth is in Africa. Luckily, the Episcopal church isn't owned by the Anglican Communion, so we don't have to obey. We are for justice for LGBT, and we are NOT backing down.

[sarcasmo]

13. Who would Jesus hate?

[DFW]

14. Well, these days..........

I'd guess that there are whole lot of so-called "Christians" that would hate Jesus.

[Panich52]

15. And UMC was a more "modern" religion...

Though I've been a confirmed atheist for 40+ years, I was raised in UM. So I was pleased that my old religious sect seemed to accept the rationality of evolving with the times when acceptance of LGBT was announced earlier this century. Forgot the world-wide reach. <sigh>