Posted on 07/04/2005 3:34:46 PM PDT by Zender500
The United Church of Christ's rule-making body voted overwhelmingly Monday to approve a resolution that endorses same-sex marriage (search), making it the largest Christian denomination to do so.
The vote is not binding on individual churches, but could cause some churches to leave the fold.
Roughly 80 percent of the members of the church's General Synod voted to approve the resolution. They debated for about an hour before voting.
On Sunday, a committee of about 50 United Church of Christ (search) representatives gave nearly unanimous approval to the resolution, recommending that the General Synod approve it. It was supported by the UCC's president, John H. Thomas.
Traditionally strong in New England, the liberal denomination of 1.3 million members has long been supportive of gays and lesbians.
The committee also voted against an alternative resolution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. A small group of conservative congregations had proposed that ammendment, and suggested that approval of gay marriage could lead to the church's collapse.
The church was criticized last year for its television advertising campaign featuring a gay couple, among others, being excluded from a church. CBS and NBC rejected the 30-second ads.
In the early 1970s, the UCC became the first major Christian body to ordain an openly gay minister. Twenty years ago, it declared itself to be "open and affirming" of gays and lesbians.
The same-sex resolution was submitted by the Southern California and Nevada Conference. The resolution specified that bisexual and transgender persons merit the same support and protections as gays and lesbians.
UCC churches are autonomous, meaning the General Synod does not create policy for its more than 5,700 congregations.
No hard data exist on how many gays and lesbians are in the UCC.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Withdraw the children immediately. It is more moral to not be a member of any religion that endorses an abomination.
"cultural degeneration"
One of those Burger King Churches where you can have religion "your way." Instead of ending their prayers with "amen," they say "whatever."
Well, it's good that they took the time to discuss the scriptures and thousands of years of tradition before flushing it down the toilet.
Agreed. This is just plain wrong. The Bible even says so.
Another one bites the dust(of immortality , that is)
hadn't heard that before--sounds about right!
...or, "Ahhh, men!"
That Church will die.
Jesus said: "And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore, they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." -from THE BIBLE: Matthew 19:4-6
I can't help but wonder if this is the "Abomination of Desolation" that is referred to in the new testament as one of the last signs of prior to Christ' return. It is most definately an "abomination" and it is destroying the temple (the body of Christ), as well as making the churches (the physical buildings) desolate with parishioners leaving in droves after thier denominations accepts and approves of these homo's.
In my opinion, it's already dead.
Another one bites the dust....
See my reply below, didn't see yours...
great minds obviously think alike...
here is how it was hijacked and killed:
http://www.ucccoalition.org/
how many members do they have, anyway? I never hear anything about the "United Church of Christ". Sounds like a Unitarian-type faction.
Too bad the name of this faux-church is United Church of Christ, so similar and so different from Churches of Christ- the denomination that oversees Pepperdine University, with Ken Starr at the helm.... You know people will confuse the two, and the UCC is a travesty.
Especially if said church doesn't even believe its own bible.
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