G-6 Equal Access to Church Sacraments
From Coastal Bend USA Mission Center
Whereas, Community of Christ proclaims a loving God and affirms the worth and giftedness of all persons; and
Whereas, The sacraments of the church—baptism, confirmation, the Lord’s Supper, marriage, blessing of children, laying on of hands for the sick, ordination to the priesthood, and the evangelist’s blessing —symbolize and reveal God’s grace to us, and are integral to the spiritual development of the entire body of the church; and
Whereas, The “Affirmation of Human Diversity” endorsed by the church in 1992 recognizes the harmful effect of prejudicial behavior on the spiritual health of the community and declares our desire to create within our congregations a spirit of openness and peace and to “eliminate expressions of prejudice and discrimination”; and
Whereas, The church continues to fall short of reaching this goal by denying some persons the opportunity to participate in certain sacraments because of factors such as sexual orientation; and
Whereas, Recent scripture counsels the church anew to embrace the reconciling purposes of God, and cautions: “… That which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice is not of God. …” (Doctrine and Covenants 163:3c); and
Whereas, There is increasing awareness amongst the leadership and membership of the church of the need for Community of Christ, as an international organization which upholds “unity in diversity” as an Enduring Principle, to administer policies in ways that are respectful and appropriate to the varying cultures that exist within the diverse nations, communities, andcongregations of the church; and
Whereas, Many congregations desire to create a culture of peace and justice where all persons are accepted, all gifts are celebrated, and all members may participate fully in the spiritual life of the community; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the right to full and equal participation in the sacraments of the church be made available to all persons, regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, race, gender, size, sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental or physical disability; and be it further
Resolved, That this practice be implemented by the First Presidency in a culturally respectful manner in each jurisdiction of the church, with consideration for the people’s discernment of the divine will for their own unique time and place.
January 3rd, 2010 @ 7:41 am
I would appreciate clarification of the first resolve. What is the impact of the list after ‘regardless? Can sacraments be withheld from individuals or groups not listed? Or is this list only a group of examples?
The second resolve seems to permit actions that are in direct conflict with the first resolve, as a manifestation of cultural respect.
January 4th, 2010 @ 11:51 am
Warning, I am neither the writer, nor the one who would be interpreting the legislation if it is approved and becomes a World Conference Resolution.
First – I think removing the “regardless…” would not alter the action the resolve calls for. Rather the regardless calls to attention people have been discriminated by these means and we are specifically stating that is wrong and it is not so for us regarding the sacraments of the church. That said, to my knowledge there are some on that list that have not been excluded by the church to full sacramental participation and there are some which have.
Second – I don’t think it does. It says we are going to recognize the values of different cultures and as we seek to fully embrace the wroth of all persons we do so by recognize the worth of all and act in ways that are respectful not harmful. The way to full inclusion in the Pacific Northwest of the US, the South of the USA, the DR Congo, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, Russia… may be different. The words used, the way policy implement may need to be different. A blanket act may lead to very different results in each of these places, and may lead to harm rather than to healing and wholeness. I don’t see the 2nd as saying “allow discrimination in regards to the sacraments based on culture” but rather go about eliminating it in ways that are sensitive, caring, and understanding of the diversity of the Holy’s creation.
Now is this legislation worded the best, and is it the best way to go about it? That I am not sure of, but I think the intent behind it is, and is reflective of the enduring principles of Community of Christ and the message and teachings of Jesus the Christ…
Like all the legislation before us I have a lot of reflecting, study, and prayer before me so that I can be open to the moving of the Spirit as we walk forward together as a faith community and seek to embrace our calling