United Church of Christ, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterians OK Abortion Funding

Life News ^ | 12/7/09 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A collection of pro-abortion religious groups authored a letter today to members of the Senate that essentially places them on record supporting taxpayer funding of abortions. The letter expresses their opposition to the Nelson amendment, released today, to remove abortion funding from the Senate government-run health care bill.

The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church are the four mainline protestant denominations to sign the letter asking lawmakers to oppose the Nelson amendment.

They are joined by the Disciples Justice Action Center, NA'AMAT USA, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, a pro-abortion group, The Religious Institute, and the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.

The groups say their position is that there is a "social and moral obligation to ensure access to" abortions "at every stage in an individual’s life."

"Reforming the health care system in a way that guarantees affordable and accessible [abortion] for all is not simply a good idea—it is necessary for the well-being of all people in our nation," the religious groups wrote.

"Unfortunately, the House-passed version of health reform includes language that imposes significant new restrictions on access to abortion services," the letter incorrectly claims.

The groups call stopping taxpayer funding of abortions "an unfortunate contradiction to the basic guiding principle of health care reform" and a violation of the "moral imperative that unites Americans of many faith traditions."

It identifies the Stupak (and Nelson) amendment as the "selective withdrawal of critical health coverage from women" and "a betrayal of the public good."

"The use of this legislation to advance new restrictions on abortion services that surpass those in current law will serve only to derail this important bill," the pro-abortion denominations claim.

"The Senate bill is already abortion neutral," the falsely claim, adding that it "includes compromise language that maintains current law, prohibiting federal funds from being used to pay for abortion services," even though the language does not do that.

Jewish groups also signed on to the pro-abortion letter, including Jewish Women International, the National Council of Jewish Women, and the Union for Reform Judaism.

[Jemian]

Hey! I began attending a church plant Bible study by a PCA church in ‘83. It was like the clouds rolling back and revealing a clear, deep blue sky. When the Bible study disbanded many years later and we needed a church home, we traveled 67 miles every Sunday to be sure to attend a PCA church.

Yes. It is that important.

[Guenevere]

Now there's four of us :))

We better stick together, lol.

[RoadTest]

“United Church of Christ, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterians OK Abortion Funding”

The Spirit has departed. ICHABOD!

[xzins]

The only group that speaks for the United Methodist Church is the General Conference, which meets every four years

That is true. It is not possible for the United Methodist CHURCH to have signed this. There is zero way that could have happened.

Most people don't realize that the UMC is really a very loose organization except for that once-every-four-year meeting. It is a conglomeration of independent bishops, agencies, and boards with no one in charge of anyone else outside their own area.

I agree that the Board of Church and Society is the most likely culprit...or some smaller office beneath them.

The media doesn't make the distinction, but I can't really fault them. Our organization (lack thereof, really) is confusing to an outsider.

[TheRightGuy]

The Disciples are probably long overdue a real purge!

AMEN, brother! As an Elder in a Chrisatian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregation, I can pretty much attest to the fact that the denomination on the national level is under assault from the hard left.

I am not familiar with the "Disciple Justice Action Center" but I suspect it is just another face of the "Disciples Justice Action Network" aka DJAN. Bad guys, at best. We once had a guest preacher affiliated with them ... he launched into a hate-America diatribe of a sermon touting "biblical economics" straight from the Gospel According to Marx.

[Nobel_1]

Horrific!

1. These folks are not aligned with their members
2. Their denominations are in decline (and that decline is accelerating). God is not blessing their work.
3. Their public pronouncements are in conflict with The Word

“Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Gal 6:7)

[Nobel_1]

I highly recommend visitors to this site take time to sign the Manhattan Declaration

http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/

“We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1.the sanctity of human life
2.the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3.the rights of conscience and religious liberty.”

[Dr. North]

America isn’t an undifferentiated mass.

There is no rationale for good people to suffer simply by virtue of being neighbors to bad people.

[wagglebee]

See my post here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2402432/posts?page=17#17