Posted on 04/29/2005 9:06:16 AM PDT by RobertP
I wish to apologize. It sounded like I meant that "the Methodist Church as a matter of policy" celebrates these lesbian clergy. This is not correct, and I want to retract that statement. What happened was that the lesbian cleric in question was ousted, and then reinstated. Apparently without any requirement that she repudiate her lesbian sexual relationship. Whether the lesbianism is being "celebrated" is another question.
So Mrs. Don-o says "Ouch, my bad,I'm sorry" to all you good Methodists out there.
What I wanted to underline, is that the TEACHINGS of the Catholic Church are clear and holy; but the PRACTICE has been slimed with shame by the moral failure of some priests, and the laxness -- in some cases it amounts to protection and enabling --- by some bishops.
This is disgusting. Who can deny it? But it happened despite, and not because of, what the Church teaches.
In the case of Methodism, I am uninformed. Does the Mwthodist Church officially teach that sexual relations outside of marriage are morally wrong?
I'm here to learn.
I was raised a Methodist. Today I am a Catholic. This is just one more example of why I made the correct choice.
"From gay lesbians in a church to gay priests in a church, good choice."
So enlighten us, Axel, what church do YOU go to?
Wheat and chaff. The chaff is fairly jumping off the wheat.
We're talking about 1 diocese in a Church of over a billion people. 1 diocese in a country that only has about 5% of the world's Cathlolics. It's like plane crashes, they get so much press because they don't happen that often. Now the car accidents, like teachers molesting children or the friendly guy down the streets who likes to have little kids sit in his lap, they don't get the press coverage and therefore don't stick in your mind like Cardinal Law.
That's hardly an "unofficial policy".
"What did you have to do to join the Catholic Church?"
Talk to a priest. But be sure to visit "Catholic Answers", at www.catholic.com
This is a link on how to become a Catholic.
http://www.catholic.com/library/How_to_Become_a_Catholic.asp
I would also suggest you read "Rome Sweet Home" which is the conversion story of Scott Hahn. Also "Surprised by Truth" which is the conversion stories of persons of different faiths.
Good luck on the journey.
The Methodist Church teaches that sex outside of marriage is a sin. Our pastor follows the Bible more closely and say that even lusting is a sin.
As I said before the Church is being torn by two factions, the old traditional one and the "new enlightened", scratch that, "the wrong" one. There is a lot of people in the middle that are just waiting to see what happens. One problem is that your church ( Catholic ) seems to have more communication running down hill. You may never know exactly what transpired at the UMC Annual Conference if you don't research it yourself.
On a side note: how about that show "Revelations"? I keep waiting for the network to do their usual thing and make Sister Jo violate her vows and have a fling with Dr. Massey. They keep eyeing each other. They are also giving evil to much physical power instead of tempting power ( weather etc... ). Would be nice if they stay close to respectful.
For the problems we have in the Catholic Church, things are looking better and better every day
The Coming Home Network www.chnetwork.org is another excellent resource. The conversion stories are very informative and inspiring.
Negative. I personally know a defrocked gay UMC pastor. The Appeal Court said the law against them was "vague" which is hogwash. The court was clearly legislating from the bench.
Yes. It is stated in the Discipline.
also Orthodox Presbyterian and Reformed Presbyterian Church are conservative.
So you are saying there have been no molestations outside that one diocese?
A follow-up. When you ask your pastor, like I did, about the issue at hand in UMC, they like to tell you all is okay and that the church will fix this "uprising" and it is just a few isolated churches...we are spliting off etc...
I still see no fix and get tired of the same type of rhetoric I hear from DC.
This is not the way to heal our church, by minimizing the extent and damage done by criminally sinful priests and those who protected the offenders and compounded the damage to the victims.
The Boston archdiocese was at least the tenth to have revelations of widespread molestations. And the response was the same legal strategy as followed in Lafayette, La., more than a dozen years earlier.
Sure, it's no fun listening to opponents of our church throw this in our face but you know in your heart that lay pressure for reform is needed now and in the future.
I wish I could argue that his phrase "the Catholic clergy is as gay as a Maypole" wasn't true but it is.
If celibate straights were in the majority and in power, they would have put a stop to this. There is no other place in our society, outside of NAMBLA, where large groups of associated men are not disgusted by homosexual child molestation.
With a little Googling, I learned that the Methodist Book fo Discipline says,
Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are only clearly affirmed in the marriage bond.
It also says,
The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching.
That's pretty plain. Actual discipline is a different matter. That's the challenge we Catholics have been struggling with for so many years. Hoping things will get better under Papa Benedetto. Let's pray for each other.
It's about forgiveness. Humans are fallible, and we are all sinners. If we expect to recieve forgiveness for our sins, then we have to be willing to accept that others will be forgiven for their sins as well.
I know very well that this was not some isolated incident. My own pastor was arrested a couple of years ago for child pornography. It's not just homosexuals that molest children, and it's not just little boys that get molested. It's also not just men who do the molesting. To say this is a problem because of homosexuals is sorely misguided. Homosexual priests are not the problem in the Catholic Church, pedophile priests are the problem.
I think the Catholic Church has done a good job ever since the scandal in educating its staff and volunteers. I had to fill out background checks in order to teach Catechism as well as having to attend a 3 hour seminar about pedophelia. I think the Church is making some very positive steps.
I think you vastly underestimate the problem of homosexuality in the clergy. There have been plenty of reports of open homosexuality in Catholic seminaries.
I'm not crackin on the RCC as much as saying that all churches have this problem. Catholics cannot point to the UMC and taunt us about it.
Looks like the Methodists fear mans law more than they respect and trust in God's law.
I stopped going to church when they opened their arms to my stalker and the preacher who was a friend of my stalker, started using pagan prayers involving the earth, fire, wind, air.
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