West Virginia Baptists may break with national group over homosexuality

[davidinalameda]

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid21696.asp

About 1,000 American Baptists from across West Virginia will meet in Clarksburg for their annual two-day convention, which begins Tuesday. About 500 delegates are expected to vote on a major issue on Wednesday when they consider a proposal by West Virginia Baptists for Biblical Truth to split from the American Baptist Churches-USA over homosexuality. About 70 churches have said they support the resolution.

"I don't think it brings any honor or glory to have battles like this," said David Carrico, executive minister of the West Virginia Baptist Convention. "We need to work together to ensure accountability."

Carrico said the West Virginia Baptist Convention addressed the issue in 1991, when delegates voted for a resolution that said homosexuality was not an acceptable Christian lifestyle. American Baptist churches have the same policy, he said.

[booley]

1. I originally thought this was good news

but in reading it, it seems the schism is about how the baptist church isn't homophobic enough.

Sigh...

times like this make me glad I'm Pagan.

[davidinalameda]

3. it's in West Virginia

I grew up there

unless there is a major change of attitude among some of the people in that state, nothing good about gay rights is gonna come out of there any time soon

[Benhurst]

2. Now I on pins and needles waiting to see what

position they will take on whether the world is round or flat.

:popcorn:

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. "It's flat, I tells ya,

an' what them consarned heretics in the Murkan Baptist Church think is flat, ain't near flat enough! Well, OK, here in West Virginia it's really bumpy, BUT IT'S STILL FLAT! An' if you don't believe it's as flat as we say it is, you're gonna burn in HELL with all the roundies an' the fag-gits!"

[Benhurst]

6. It's kind of bumpy here in Western North Carolina too; but the

world headquarters for The Flat Earth Society are only an hour's drive away in North East Georgia, so it's easy to tow the line.

The world is flat! The world is flat! It is! It is! It is!

:scared:

[VaYallaDawg]

4. No big surprise. It's probably gonna happen in

many churches - look at the squabble with the Episcopalians right now. Very sad. Thanks to our illustrious Dim Son and his KKKRove handler, gay people are seen as the biggest threat in our society today. The right-wing constantly has to set up a class of people to either (1) hate or (2) fear or (3) preferably both. The major issue for contention here in VA in the current governor's race is the death penatly, for God's sake. The Republican (Kilgore, in his prissy hillbilly twang) is "all fer it". The very thoughtful Democrat (Kaine) has responded that yes, he is a Catholic and his faith is opposed to the death penalty, but that as governor he will uphold it because it is the law. But don't bother anybody with the facts.

Sigh.