Did you hear that the United Methodist Church is splitting?
See details below. The conference will be held in May in Minnesota.
If you have ties to the LGBTQ community, how do you feel about the fact that some Christian denominations are reorganizing to be more inclusive?
For the Christians here, any thoughts to share?
Do you feel this will occur more frequently in other denominations now?
Hilty says the general conference made a decision last year.
“The penalties that are in place for performing same-sex weddings or issues related to the LGBTQ plus community, became more mandatory, more difficult to ignore,” Hilty said.
Hilty, however, does not agree with the decision.
“I believe that God’s call to the church is to be open and inclusive, of people of all backgrounds and diversity and sexual orientation, including people who are LGBTQ plus,” Hilty said.
The plan would keep the main United Methodist Church, recognizing the rights of the LGBTQ community, while another traditionalist branch would form, banning same-sex marriage and prohibit LGBTQ people from the clergy.
https://www.ozarksfirst.com/local-news/local-news-local-news/united-methodist-church-may-split-over-same-sex-marriage/?fbclid=IwAR3xWzFUVHMRQSyVUN2rgdNEJ_8wzj3l7IBmFPRnn7vKqJsdannlewe923o
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26 Answers
They’re late to the game. Judaism has had its own streams (reform, conservative, orthodox, reconstructionist) for a along time.
Baptists split in the 1800s, largely over slavery.
Islam has had the Shii’ites and the Sunnis as separate groups for a thousand years.
And so on.
Splitting a religion into doctrinal groupings is an example of religions (and society) evolve.
Although the way I read it, the traditionalist branch is getting screwed, financially.
@elbanditoroso Do you think it’s wrong for anti-LGBTQ churches to get financially ‘screwed’? Perhaps that part of the motivation to evolve.
Golden Rule – he who has the gold makes the rules.
My view is that if the current United Methodist Church has some number of dollars, and 40% of their members move to the new traditionalist branch, then the new branch should be entitled to 40% of the assets.
But I say that out of ignorance. I really don’t know how they are financed, in individual churches pay membership fees, and so on and so forth.
Every single Christian denomination came about because of a split with the Catholic church.
Methodists = “New Method.”
Protestants = “Protest.”
Lutheran = Following the beliefs of Martin Luther, the dude from the 1500’s ”….a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.”
I am glad that there are churches who are now opening their doors to everybody and not just to those who think like they do.
As an inactive member of the UMC, I have mixed feelings. I have fond memories of my church as a kid. I certainly think that consenting adults who love each other should be allowed to be married in the church (polygamy excepted). There have been churches that refuse to perform interracial marriages because they claim it’s offensive to God. I think some day in the not-too-distant-future same sex marriage will likely be thought of in the same way, as a vestigial, much-ado-about-nothing.
If they do split I’ll be curious to see which direction my childhood church goes. If it stays traditional, I’m probably going to go through the hassle of officially transferring to the more-inclusive UMC—if only to help the stats and inform future decision-making.
I don’t feel they are “late to the game” but I do get your point @elbanditoroso
I know quite a bit of religious conservatives (Not necessarily politics, just that they dislike change in churches and would be against this). A lot of these people were taught that LGBT was against God from a very young age. When you grow up thinking a certain way like that, it isn’t impossible to change, but it is much harder when you surround yourself around those who think the same way as you. Because of this, they aren’t really late to the game in my opinion because it’s hard to reverse certain ways of thinking, and this is a really big step regardless of when it happens.
This is a good idea, I think its good to separate the two, as this is one of those issues where people will most likely always be divided on, sadly.
I am bisexual, but not at all religious for many reasons. I would consider this a positive as it does bother me when people say LGBT is disgusting and an abomination, but I allow them to have their own views. I love the inclusive actions and the positive support :).
I probably wouldn’t ever get married in a church though so anyways, so It’s one of those things that would seem like it would affect me but doesn’t, just affects my religious LGBT friends.
@Dutchess_III
Is Catholicism the first Christian religion, or is that Christianity itself?
I saw that and IMHO it is very sad.
I think Catholicism was the first church organized to follow the teachings of Jesus.
”According to the Catholic tradition, the history of the Catholic Church begins with Jesus Christ and his teachings (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30) and the Catholic Church is a continuation of the early Christian community established by the Disciples of Jesus.”
It must be so hard to have been told all of your life that God hated gays, and they were sinners….and now suddenly they aren’t? I mean, one of the biggest tenants of Christianity is God is never wrong, and God never changes, and he never changes his mind.
@Dutchess_III I don’t personally see it that way, and I’ve never been told God hated gays.
I never saw it that way either, but lots of people do. It’s got to be very confusing. Yesterday God said homosexuality is a sin, but today he says it’s fine?
@Dutchess_III God isn’t ‘saying’ anything in the paper or via email or text. His followers are making a decision to embrace Jesus love without judgement, and accepting we are all sinners saved by grace.
Other of His followers choose to live in the old ways (see below), which is a shame, and will probably cause their downfall in the end (based on statistics of church closings, etc…)
Example: If you repent for drinking excessively, and intentionally go get blasted again this weekend, you are intentionally sinning, as you knew it was wrong last week. Go forth and sin no more. When we equate all sins equally, you can see how LGBTQ’s would have a hard time within those boundaries of sin, according to the religious structure.
But ‘good’ Christians were in the KKK, too, and went ahead with their reign of terror.
“In regard to marriage, it’s important to remember that the Bible was written in a patriarchal culture that assumed men were in control and women were subject to them. Marriage was not an equal partnership, but a matter of a man owning a woman or women as property. Women provided men companionship, children and labor. Certainly, love between the man and woman or women could develop, but love was not the basis of marriage. Consequently, the biblical concept of marriage is not appropriate today. We no longer accept the inferiority of women and superiority of men. We no longer accept marriage to be a property transaction. The concept of marriage has evolved throughout history.”
https://www.hrc.org/resources/what-does-the-bible-say-about-homosexuality?utm_source=GS&utm_medium=AD&utm_campaign=BPI-HRC-Grant&utm_content=276042048854&utm_term=bible%20homosexuality&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInJqro8X35gIVRb7ACh29JQ8OEAAYASAAEgLDBvD_BwE
@KNOWITALL You know what I mean. They think God is speaking to them through their pastor. If their pastor says same sex marriage is a sin, then God is saying it is is sin.
I have been immersed in Christianity for most of my life, as a believer. I don’t need anything taught to me. What ever you’re trying to teach is just an interpretation, anyway.
Yes, I’d heard. I think it’s sad that they came to the point of schism over this, but denominations, sects, and factions have been splitting and branching off over doctrine since religion has existed. I don’t personally care whether churches recognize same-sex marriages or not. I don’t subscribe to organized religion, so my dog is not in this fight. Additionally, as an LGBT person, I have never seen SSM as paramount. I am glad it is legal, but it’s never been an issue I’ve been passionate about and it has a tendency to make people think that it’s the only issue LGBT people care about and that its legalization means that the LGBT community no longer has any issues to contend with.
Ultimately, it’s a church’s decision to make and if they decide to perform and recognize same-sex marriages, good for them, but I wouldn’t care if they did not do so.
@Dutch Yes, an interpretation of man’s words inspired a long time ago. Frankly not all is applicable.
@Desmosthenes It was a huge deal to me. Watching your life partner die and his folks tell you to leave, locking you out of the home, not letting you participate in the funeral. So many tragedies are now less likely.
Kind of like the saying about marriage, grow together or grow apart. Many think churches have to grow to survive. People like me wont put up with slurs from the pulpit anymore.
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@LostInParadise Ignoring what the bible says is pretty common, even for many Christians.
Ignoring much of the Bible is just common sense @KNOWITALL.
@Dutchess_III I get it, not arguing, slavery, multiple wives, etc….a lot no longer is even legal, so not applicable.
How can you take the Bible as the final word if there are parts that are no longer acceptable? Does Christianity boil down to ignoring specifics and just being a generally nice person (following the Golden Rule) and accepting Christ as the Savior?
@LostInParadise Everyone has a different perspective, but for me, yes, pretty much.
Exactly @LostInParadise. And I try to be a decent person because it’s the right thing to do, not because I’m afraid I’ll go to hell if I’m not.
A united methodical split?
Interesting.
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