You may or may not have felt the earth shake yesterday at around 6:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time. It was at this time that the ELCA voted to accept the Statement on Human Sexuality.
Now, there are cheers and jeers. People are cheering because it passed and people are planning on transferring to other denominations.
The statement needed a vote of 676 to be able to pass by a 2/3 margin. This was not a simple majority here, it needed a supermajority. After the voting buttons had been pushed, the numbers appeared and the number of "Yes" votes was 676! Exactly!
As you can guess, the immediate effect was that the con side wanted to claim that there were problems with the voting equipment.
Why is it that, even after placing stumbling blocks in the way, when the motion passes, it is still seen as a conspiracy? Why can't people believe that maybe the Spirit is at work in the world?
If the motion failed and people left, the liberals would have been considered bad sports at best, and trying to play God as worst. But when the right leaning folks leave, they will consider themselves to be "faithful?"
Why can't we see hate for what it is? Why can't we see that maybe God is trying to teach us that what we are doing is hateful? I don't think the people ARE hateful, but they may be acting in a hateful way.
Oh, and BTW,
Michelle Obama was on VACATION! She can wear shorts. People are just jealous that she looks better in shorts than they do.
2 comments:
Poor Holy Spirit; no one Trusts Him anymore.
We have been watching the Assembly very closely here for a number of reasons. Last night our pastor emailed me to celebrate the fact that I am now "a part of the family" and that I do not need to "sneak around any more". (= that the ELCA now has mutual recognition of the UMC) *giggle*
But far more seriously, we have been watching the vote on the statement on human sexuality and we will watch the vote today on LGBT clergy. Our pastor has been facing an onslaught of attacks at the meetings of the council. The former pastor was rabbidly homophobic and he ingrained his opinion in a goodly number of the people. Some of the council are threatening to pull the congregation from the ELCA dependent upon the actions this week. Our pastor has noted that she will leave the parish if they succeed. So will I. We covet your prayers for our pastor and for the many pastors who must be facing the same kinds of pressures and hatreds.
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