Omaha's First United Methodist confirmation class declines to join church over LGBTQ rules

Omaha.org ^ | APRIL 30, 2019 | Betsie Freeman

[Morgana]

The confirmation class at First United Methodist Church in Omaha wanted to take a stand against the denomination’s longtime ban on same-sex marriage and gay clergy.

So when it came time to join the church on Sunday — the traditional end to a yearlong exploration of their faith — the class, made up of eight middle-schoolers, said no.

Their decision was in response to a vote at February’s United Methodist General Conference in St. Louis affirming the denomination’s rules against ordination of gay clergy and performing same-sex weddings on church property. U.S. delegates to the conference, for the most part, favored a modification of the rules that would give individual churches the right to decide, but others from Africa and Russia pushed the vote to retain the churchwide ban. The church’s Judicial Council has since upheld the ban.

[joma89]

Great response from these folks. Good to hear folks pushing back against their tyranny.

JoMa

[Pollster1]

A proper confirmation class would have taught them what scripture says on this topic and on all topics (to put the Church decision in the only context that matters). We have free will and can choose whether to follow God’s word or turn away from Him, but there is no ambiguity in God’s word.

[JerryBlackwell]

Heard a joke or story one time saying its best to go fishing with Baptists since they won’t drink your beer.

[Dawgreg]

My Granny was Methodist and they sure has H*** did not act nor believe in nonsense like this!

None of Hub’s family would to this day......neither would any of my Baptist kin. I’ve never seen the likes of churches getting away from the Bible and it’s teachings. It’s so sad

[Dawgreg]

Heard a joke or story one time saying its best to go fishing with Baptists since they won’t drink your beer.

So true but I’d be just as afraid that they would.....LOL

[Dawgreg]

Heard a joke or story one time saying its best to go fishing with Baptists since they won’t drink your beer.

So true but I’d be just as afraid that they would.....LOL

[21twelve]

I think the joke is “Never go fishing with just one Baptist - always at least two. Otherwise he’ll drink all your beer!”

[Dawgreg]

I think the joke is “Never go fishing with just one Baptist - always at least two. Otherwise he’ll drink all your beer!”

That too......lol

[steve86]

It is almost comical when I read about “differences” between Catholic and Orthodox doctrine. For example:

Catholicism: Mary was/is sinless
Orthodox: Mary could have sinned but chose not to

Me: a pretty finely nuanced difference.

Other points of disagreement seem so arcane as to be well above my pay grade.

I do sort of understand the unleavened bread thing but don’t know what to make of it and won’t spend much time worrying about it as we would not be receiving Holy Communion anyway.

[steve86]

I might convert back and forth between Catholic and Orthodox 10 or so times so I end up somewhere in the middle lol

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Catholicism: Mary was/is sinless [vs]
Orthodoxy: Mary could have sinned but chose not to"

Ahem--- Catholics also believe that Mary could have sinned but chose not to.

I tend think like you do: the differences between Orthodox and Catholic seem to be verbal tics rather than substantive differences. I know, of course, that some would disagree. But the Byzantine Greek Catholics are, as far as I know thoroughly Orthodox in their language and their theological and theological traditions, but in communion with the Western Church (Rome) --- which pretty much indicates to me that theologically, we are eating off the same plate.

Generally speaking, Catholics and Orthodox define each other as schismatic, but not heretic. Which is to say, separated, but not in obstinate grave error.

I am fairly insouciant about teeny differences. So much of that st4uff is, at best, cultural/linguistic, and at worst, what Freud called "the narcissism of small differences."

[steve86]

The one thing that really bothers me is that they do the Sign of the Cross backward. Just kidding, but I do find the omission of purgatory in Orthodox doctrine troublesome.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Some Orthodox believe in a form of Purgatory called Toll Houses (LINK) where the souls pass through a series of trials before heaven.

Don't necessarily listen to me,since I'm no expert on Orthodox belief, but Toll House Trail not a "Dogma" and kind of nebulous as a concept. But since Catholicism doesn't have a really concrete idea of Purgatory either (we describe it as a "state of being" rather than a place) --- it may be another case of two verbal terms for the same idea of a post-death purification process.

Th Orthodox do pray for the dead, just as the Maccabeean Jews and the Early Christians did, and just as we do, so the logical corollary is that since you can't help people in heaven (they don't need help)and you can't help people in hell (they're beyond help) there must be a temporary intermediate place, too, where the just can benefit from our prayers.