Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: The Church, the NRA, and gun control Message-ID: Date: 5 Apr 91 08:54:25 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton Lines: 36 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article dvnspc1!tom@tredysvr.tredydev.unisys.com (Tom Albrecht) writes: > > "Methodist pastor lists NRA with Mafia as public enemy." > by Paul H. Blackman, Ph. D. > [From _American Rifleman_, April 1991, p. 50] > >Will the official position of the United Methodist Church change from >opposing gun ownership to vilifying the NRA and its members? Will it >start labeling the NRA the "evil empire" as HCI's Sarah and Jim Brady have >done? Church members may wish to express their views to the General Board >of Church and Society, United Methodist Church, 100 Maryland Ave., N.E., >Washington, D.C. 20002. I'd love to see it, but I'm afraid the UMC doesn't work that way. Perhaps the social principles might be ammended to include statements againts the NRA specifically, but that would be quite out of character. The General Conference, or Jurisdictional Conferences, or Annual Conferences might pass statements of their disapproval of the NRA. But noone will say "United Methodists think that the NRA should be outlawed" or something like that. The General Board of Church and Society might agree that they don't like the NRA, but they cannot speak for all United Methodists. (We are a non-doctrinal denomination.) For instance, all of the bishops can get together and make a statement against the arms race. They can address their statements to the members, but they don't speak for the members, they only speak for themselves. Personally, I think the NRA is making a big deal out of nothing. One pastor spoke out against the NRA in the pulpit. Pastors speak out against many things. A good many pastors spoke out against our recent war. Should the government conclude that the UMC is against the US? Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton