Oi vey.
"Here I am at 78 raising more questions about the Christian faith than ever before."
Probably 50 years too late. If your faith can't stand up to hard questions you should change. My guess is, your "new" faith is much less able to answer your actual faith questions, but I'm sure you'll be kept busy.
Extremely good riddance.
A simple truth about religion - if you don't believe that your particular faith is the 'only way', the 'right way', and/or the 'true path' then you don't really believe - do you?
There is a difference between
1. acknowledging that man has freedom of religious choice and that he may believe and worship as he sees fit, and
2. endorsement of all religions as equally valid.
A fundamental truth of religious study is that we can't all be right...
As a methodist pastor, it is sad that this woman does not seem to have faith in Christ, but rather was busy translating doctrines and creeds. She says something about maintaining some of her Christian perspective.
I hope it isn't odd for me to say that her liberal reaction and rejection of us is an indication that the classic, historic Christian perspective is slowly winning back our church.
- use of sexist language
- endless rehearsal of ancient doctrines
- the dated hymns
- the exclusivity of traditional Christianity
- denial of ordination to self-avowed practicing homosexuals
- no outcry against a preemptive, illegal war
Frankly, I don't see what she's complaining about - I would think the UMC and her would be a perfect fit.
LOL...when the UMC is too conservative for you, you know you have lost the faith.
(Yes, you can be a Christian Unitarian.)
aaa, no you can't.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6 (kjv)
I am not a methodist, and have had some issues with some Methodist teachings, but some of that can be expected between denominations. Thing is, Jesus is the one that stated there is no other way to heaven, thus it is Jesus that said "ours (Christianity) is the only way". yes, there are many (incorrect) spiritual paths, but only one way to heaven.
This woman's argument isn't with the Methodist Church, but with Jesus himself.
One liberal leaves the churh. Only a few thousand more to go. ping
When I was in undergraduate school and became president of a national sorority, I was stunned to realize that I was required to ask new pledges if they were of Negro, Oriental, or Jewish extraction. If they were, we could not pledge them. Shortly after graduating, I resigned from the sorority to protest that discrimination.
What stirring bravery -- resigning from the sorority AFTER graduating.
By all means, Marge, it can't be true if it doesn't "meet your spiritual needs."
The liberal mind drips with narcissism.
The United Methodists are huge sponsors of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights - which I think has now morphed into the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice . . . that sounds so much better than out-and-out infanticide, I guess.
If you REALLY wanna get sick, click on the link, "Prayerfully Pro-Choice: Worship Resources" - there may even be a Prayer of Blessing for Cranium-Crushing Forceps or a Fetus-Removal Vacuum System.
And the George Augustus Stallings schismatic Imani Temple used to be headquartered at the UMC offices in DC.
So much for reciprocal ecumenism with the Roman Catholic Church!
Of course our (RC) nitwits permitted the ordination of UMC pastors in - of all places - the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception back in 1981, on the same weekend that Catholics nationwide were being asked to sign petition sheets in favor of the Hatch Amendment! When the absurdity - not to say hypocrisy of this - was pointed out to the Archbishop of Washington, DC, his secretary, soon-to-be-Bishop of Charlotte John Donoghue sent the standard, condescending, "ecumenical sensitivity" form letter back to anyone who complained.
All of which is to say, it's amazing to find such a denomination not liberal enough for Granny!
APOSTASY ALERT
Unintentional irony alert.
What a bunch of hooeeeeeey.
"The words stick in my throat when I try to sing the dated hymns depicting heaven as up and hell as down, God as Father, and Christian soldiers marching onward. I find it difficult to worship what my mind rejects."
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What a great post! A perfect illustration of how all this drivel and mortal relativism crept into our churches.
Obviously, she doesn't know what it is to be a Christian, since all this stuff is so "dated".
Some of us at her age loose it and some of us gain it.
Pray for her loss.