Ireland says aye!

Well, yes, if you claim to be a Catholic, a Protestant, a Buddhist, or whatever, then shouldn't you abide by the rules of your religion or relinquish the label?
 
Ralphy1 said:
Well, yes, if you claim to be a Catholic, a Protestant, a Buddhist, or whatever, then shouldn't you abide by the rules of your religion or relinquish the label?
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Personally, I am unlabeled so don't have to adhere to any religious or spiritual rules.
 

I am a 72 year old Australian born woman of British heritage but that is not what you are asking, is it?.

I am also a member of the Uniting Church in Australia which is very similar (I think?) to the United Church of Canada.
It came into being in 1977 with the aim of being an authentic church for Australia and Australians.

At the time, this was published to explain the new, but also old, nature of the church.

About the Uniting Church

The Uniting Church in Australia is a union of three churches, which have been represented in Australia since early days of colonial settlement. After some 23 years of discussion and negotiation, the Congregational Union of Australia, the Methodist Church of Australasia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia agreed to come together on a Basis of Union.

Some Congregational and Presbyterian congregations decided not to enter this union, but to continue as before, whereas all Methodist churches, working under a national constitution, were bound by the decision of their General Conference. The inauguration date, 22 June 1977, was an outward expression of a unity of belief, mission and purpose, which had been growing for many years among the three churches.

The Uniting Church’s Basis of Union affirms the beliefs taught in the church from earliest days. ‘Every member of the church is engaged to confess the faith of Christ crucified and to be his faithful servant’. The Uniting Church accepts the books of the Old and New Testaments as unique testimony ‘in which she hears the Word of God and by which her faith and obedience are nourished.’ In the interpretation of Scripture, the Uniting Church accepts the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. The confessions and preaching of the Reformation and the eighteenth-century evangelical revival also have an important part in the church’s tradition.

The Uniting Church thus stands with the church through the ages and with churches of the Reformation in its essential belief and teaching. It worships one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It sees the church as the fellowship of the Holy Spirit under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, living as a pilgrim people and moving towards the promised goal.
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The structure of this church is not hierarchical. There are no bishops, just ordained ministers and lay people. It polity is one of a series of overlapping councils each with their own unique spheres of responsibility and authority. Grass roots - each congregation has an elected church council. Congregations are linked regionally into presbyteries. Each state has its own Synod and across the nation there is a National Assembly. All positions and leaders are elected with limited terms and all positions are open to men and women equally.

The NSW Synod's leader is currently a Korean born Australian woman. Her title is Moderator.

People who are in committed same sex relationship are not disqualified from being ordained but as with any other candidate, promiscuity would be an obstacle. The church makes no judgement on women who seek or have had an abortion.

The Uniting Church is what is considered to be a non conformist Christian denomination with its historical roots in Western Christianity i.e. Roman Catholicism, Church of England, Methodism and also Presbyterians and Congregationalists through to the current entity.

The UCA is a bit of an enigma. It is very progressive on social issues and is quite outspoken and although it is the third largest denomination in OZ, it rarely gets any media attention unless some arch conservative fossil of a minister can be found for a sensational headline. We also have the oldest age profile of all the Australian churches and we are shrinking faster than most because of our mortality and because we are not energetically evangelistic. We don't chase converts with butterfly nets, preferring to put our efforts into community service. Socially the UCA is one of the biggest providers of aged care and child care on a not for profit basis. Our congregation has both on our church property. However, congregations decide for themselves the nature of their local mission and it is impossible to make firm generalisations.

The modern idea that the Bible is the inerrant word of God is not part of our tradition. We are not biblical fundamentalists but look inside the scripture for guidance.
 
Ralphy1 said:
Well, yes, if you claim to be a Catholic, a Protestant, a Buddhist, or whatever, then shouldn't you abide by the rules of your religion or relinquish the label?
Click to expand...

That level of orthodoxy belongs in the past in most Christian denominations.
Excommunications rarely happen these days.

By the way, Buddhism as far as I know, doesn't operate on rules.
It has teachings and spiritual practices but there is no compulsion on the adherents.

Islam and Judaism have a lot of rules. Islam has only one way to leave and it is via the grave.
 
Dame Warrigal said:
That level of orthodoxy belongs in the past in most Christian denominations.
Excommunications rarely happen these days.

By the way, Buddhism as far as I know, doesn't operate on rules.
It has teachings and spiritual practices but there is no compulsion on the adherents.

Islam and Judaism have a lot of rules. Islam has only one way to leave and it is via the grave.
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No, Buddhism does not really have rules but I feel I can never call myself one. IMO a true Buddhist lives a certain way. And if you are a monk or nun you do abide by the teachings. There are also many different schools of Buddhism and all are not the same. I think most are vegan, don't drink alcohol-smoke-drugs, etc.
 
When the rules, or rather the principles for living for love of neighbour, are written in our hearts instead of on paper, parchment or stone, the humankind will have finished evolving.

That time is not yet. Perhaps when the white tree blooms again?
 
DW, I just realized that we share pretty much the same religious back ground. I was baptized a Methodist, and confirmed as a Congregationalist. The Congregationalists merged into what, here, became the United Church of Christ.
The description you give about the merger, governance, and religious practices, is identical to what ours was. I am going by memory, but originally I only recall our merger being between the Dutch Reformed and the Congregationalists. We drifted away, from the church, and over the years, I have become a total non-believer in any supernatural power.
 
Back to the topic.

A private members bill will be presented to the Australian Parliament next week to allow legalisation of same sex marriage.
Unless the Prime Minister is prepared to allow a free vote by government members it is destined to fail.
He's under a lot of pressure and may decide to allow one for the first time.
If that happens, it will pass.
 
Dame Warrigal said:
Back to the topic.

A private members bill will be presented to the Australian Parliament next week to allow legalisation of same sex marriage.
Unless the Prime Minister is prepared to allow a free vote by government members it is destined to fail.
He's under a lot of pressure and may decide to allow one for the first time.
If that happens, it will pass.
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Thanks for letting us know this, DW. Fingers crossed!
:fingerscrossed:
 
A private members bill doesn't automatically go up for a vote. The government decides which of them are presented to parliament, and when.
That is not a bad thing because it will allow the major parties to thrash it out in the party rooms and decide whether or no they will allow a free vote.

The PM may face a party room revolt if he doesn't allow it this time (there have been previous attempts to change the law). His leadership is shaky and the cabinet is leaking badly to the press, a sure sign of disunity. If he doesn't allow a free vote he might be embarrassed by a number of members, even ministers, crossing the floor.

He could just sit on the bill but in the end that will only make him more unpopular. I think there is a good chance that this time the bill might pass into law. If it does, same sex marriage will be legal everywhere in Australia with the stroke of a pen.
 
You just might beat us to the punch as the Supremes will decide this in June here as I recall...
 
My hunch is it will not get passed in Australia as it has been kicked around for a long time without success. But that is only my guess.
 

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