Why in the world would this bunch ever have to think about reproducing???
Posted on 10/02/2009 4:46:22 PM PDT by wagglebee
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A coalition of mainline Protestant churches have authored a letter to members of Congress asking them to make certain the health care bills they are considering contain taxpayer funding for abortions. The letter comes from a group of churches that have long advocated the pro-abortion position.
Under the umbrella of the Religious Institute, the church denominations and more than 1,100 pastors and church staff from the denominations endorsed the letter.
The letter calls abortion a “morally justifiable decision” and opposed any amendments to the House and Senate bills, which current contain massive abortion funding, to strike that taxpayer-financing.
“Already, federal policy unfairly prevents low-income women and federal employees from receiving subsidized [abortions]," Rev. Debra W. Haffner, executive director of the Religious Institute complained.
The letter added that she doesn't want more abortion funding bans in place and complained that additional "restrictions" on abortion funding constitute a "serious moral injustice.”
The denominations endorsing the letter include the American Baptist Churches, Church of the Brethren, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church, and others.
"We affirm women as moral agents who have the capacity, right and responsibility to make the decision as to whether or not abortion is justified in their specific circumstances," the letter says.
The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, Unitarian Universalist Association, and United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism also endorsed the pro-abortion letter.
The Religious Institute claims to represent 4,800 clergy and 40 Christian denominations.
Some of the signers to the letter include: Fr. Dr. Luis Barrios, Chair of Latin American and Latina/o Studies, John Jay College of Criminal Justice - CUNY; Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College; Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, Bishop, The Fellowship; The Rev. Dr. Paula Gravelle, Chair, Clergy Action Board; and Rev. Dr. Larry Greenfield, Executive Minister, American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago.
They also include Rabbi Peter Knobel, Former President, Central Conference of American Rabbis; Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey, Dean, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary; Rev. Michael Livingston, Executive Director, International Council of Community Churches; Rev. Dr. Deborah Mullen, Director, Center for African American Ministry and Black Church Studies, McCormick Theological Seminary; Dr. Sylvia Rhue, Interim Executive Director, National Black Justice Coalition; and Rev. Dr. William Stayton, Professor of Sexuality and Religion, Morehouse School of Medicine
The arguments developed and changed over time but there was a general feeling of helplessness and unavoidability as state after state adopted looser laws. That is, until it hit Louisiana. The Catholics put up a magnificent fight and stopped it cold. I can remember collecting money for the Catholics there and it was perhaps my first real contact with the Catholic Church but the money we were collecting was from Methodists, and Anabaptists and Lutherans. Pennies really but that was all anyone had.
The battle was Catholic vs. Baptists who were pushing abortion and, in this case (and Texas), the Catholics won.
We would later be undone by Roe but that was one sweet, sweet victory.
I wouldn't worry too much about the Brethern because I would imagine abortion would be virtually non-existant, even if legal.
Great observation!
Brethern? I am shocked.
They are cousins to Mennonites and Amish and up in this area are plain clothes people with covering.
The methodist in the list, I assume, since Garrett is a Methodist Seminary.
However, it is not possible for her to speak for the Methodist church. That can only be done by the every 4 year "General Conference."
She no more speaks for the UMC than does the president of Notre Dame speak for the Roman Catholic Church.
I wish the methodist position on life were better than rape, incest, life of the mother, but it isn't. Although that is the intent, the wording needs to be worked on to make it very clear that life of mother is what's being talked about.
I agree that the wording of the article leads to the incorrect conclusion that the signers of the letter are speaking on behalf of their respective denominations.
Abortion to save the mother’s life was permitted long before Roe v. Wade and, as far as I know, Protestants and Catholics did not object to it. There are nearly 4000 abortions EACH DAY in the United States, the number of these that truly save the life of the mother are too small to even quantify and in most of these cases the baby was NEVER going to survive.
Who were the ELCA people who signed off on this abortion (sic) of a statement?
The ELCA CWA also asked ELCA members to counter “mis-information” about obama “health” care. (The REAL mis-information comes from the White House and the Congress.) So the ELCA is for death to both babies (the unborn and those in neonatal units, suffering from genetic diseases, etc.) and seniors!!!!
The ELCA mis-leaders are laboring under a delusion of Satan. They need the Holy Spirit to heal them. They have no business whatsoever prescribing policy to anyone, whether their own members or to public officials.
They have hit an all-time low. The National Council of Communist Churches continues to ride to Hell!
A quick serarch and I found this person is not an active pastor of a congregation.
There is a split coming to the COB unless (what I have dubbed) 'The Ft. Wayne problem' is quickly resolved. There is a contingent from Ft. Wayne that is attempting to push a (what I believe to be a personal) gay agenda into the church. Now it appears 'The Ft. Wayne problem' has expanded to be pro-abortion. Next summer, at their annual conference, the gay agenda will either be embraced or rebuked. The COB desperately needs your prayers.
I did not leave the Methodist, they left me.
You come from WayBack! Great! I am pleased to know you better.
I will certainly pray that y'all can clean up the Fr. Wayne problem. Please, if I may ask, pray that we Catholics can clean up the Notre Dame problem. And a great deal more.
Oh, and the Catechism is still Catholic.
And so is the Pope. (There's a great deal of comfort in that!)
I will more easier contend with fellow Catholics in error because their errors confuse those not of the Catholic Faith. As the late Bishop Fulton Sheen used to say: If the Catholic Church were to be what its opponents contend it is, then (Bishop Sheen) would not be a member of it either.
To each of you, may God continue to bless you and yours.
Thank you, BlackElk. My blessings go to you and yours as well.
Steven Ertelt (the editor of Life News) is a man of great integrity and a FReeper. I think it was clear to most readers that the clergy who signed did so as individuals and not on behalf of their denominations, but I’m glad he clarified it.
Nor, are they the Wisconsin Synod.
Why in the world would this bunch ever have to think about reproducing???
“You must purge the ugliness from among you.” And all the people said, “Amen” and “Amen”.
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