re: United Methodist Church Announces Plan to Split Over Same-Sex Marriage

Matthew 5:31-32 ESV

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

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Matthew 5:31-32 ESV

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery

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You're reading more into this than is there. The reason they're commiting adultery by marrying the divorced woman is because the only reason for divorce was for sexual immorality. The only reason she should be divorced is because of her adultery. It does not say that the man who divorced her for her adultery commits adultery by remarrying.

The person divorcing someone because they were unfaithful is not commiting adultery by remarrying, nor is the person they remarry.

Best post I have seen on this from another board:

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The Methodist Church wet the bed several decades ago when they changed the Book of Discipline to make divorce and remarriage o.k.

What you're seeing now is plain discrimination. According to the UMC, it's o.k. for straight people to completely ignore what the Bible says about whom they should sleep with, but not gay people.

There are no "good guys," or traditionalists in this debate. Everyone in this one wants to ignore the Bible.

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(no message)

I bet the people who are ok with the acceptance of lgbtqrstuv in the church are the same ones who are ok with pedophiles.

We need to get these people with mental illness the help they need.

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This is a more general question, but who is the church to pick & choose which parts of the Bible to follow? The Bible condones slavery. Of course it’d be absurd nowadays to follow that or adhere to that doctrine. I’m just curious why die on this hill (remarriage)? Perhaps it depends on the denomination. Either interpret the whole Bible literally or as a metaphor - how can the church pick and choose?

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People who've never read/studied the OT frequently confuse being a servant with being a slave. The Jews became the slaves of the Egyptians after they made an unwise decision to leave their homelands and seek sustenance from the Egyptians during a famine. Initially the Jews were welcomed by the Egyptians. It was only after the Jews decided to hang around did they eventually become slave labor for the Egyptians, during that 400 year period the Jewish population exploded to over 2 million, of course most of us know that the Lord God didn't condone "slavery" because he empowered Moses to deliver the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage.

In general here's where most people become confused between slavery and servitude with regards to the Bible. The above example was forced labor/slavery. In the books of the OT the difference between slavery and servitude is clear. Many people who believe the Jewish people had slaves are confusing the agreement between families of wealth and the poorer people who agreed to a contract of servitude so they could have food and shelter. Times were tough 3-4 thousand years ago and people of little means would gladly agree to be maid servants, shepherds, field hands, etc. in exchange for food, shelter and protection.

Unfaithfulness (sleeping with someone not your spouse) is the only reason scripture gives to divorce that allows remarriage without committing adultry. This only applies to the non unfaithful spouse. The one who committed the unfaithfulness is bound by their vow. Remairraige for them is adultry.

All of this is about forgiveness and mercy.

Abuse and abandonment are valid reasons for divorce but remarriage means adultry. The wedding vows mean something. Both are forgivable and can be dealt with and repaired if you try. Abusers can change and separations can turn into renewals, The church community can help with that by the men counseling their brother and the women counseling their sister, but unfaithfulness is personal and is allowed to be a step too far if forgiveness isn't possible. Some spouses do forgive unfaithfulness and are better people for it unless it continues.

All of this discussion in scripture is usually in the context of a couple where both are believers.

If you marry someone that doesn't believe, scripture warns you there will be consequences but even then your forgiveness and grace may bring them to believe.

Protestants back at their bullshite I see

They are just splitting into a Christian church and a non Christian church. I don’t have a problem with that.

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So now they're to be called the un-United Methodist Church?

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Divided Methodists Church