The Episcopal Church in Michigan has passed a controversial resolution calling for stiffer gun control, drawing sharp criticism from conservative members who say it violates the right to bear arms.
The dispute is part of a larger debate among Episcopalians and other mainline Protestants about the future of their churches as they face sharp declines in membership.
Some conservatives say the gun resolution is the latest example of the Episcopal Church focusing on promoting liberal social issues such as gun control and same-sex marriage instead of the gospel, alienating congregants. But liberals say that their views are in line with the teachings of Christianity.
By a clear majority, members of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan ”” which consists of southeast Michigan and the Lansing and Jackson areas ”” voted recently to approve a resolution calling for universal background checks on all gun purchases, banning all sales of semiautomatic weapons, high-impact ammunition, high-capacity ammunition magazines, and making gun trafficking a federal crime.
[blockquote]The resolution says that the “Episcopal Church supports the U.S. Constitution’s protections of the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms,” but adds that…[/blockquote]
At least these people are consistent in paying token homage and as much concern to the Constitution as they do with the Bible and other “Historical Documents” before they ignore and act in opposition to anything written there.
I take issue with one assertion in this otherwise solid article: the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan is referred to as an influential institution. I’m sure it was at some point in the past, but I would like to see evidence of how the diocese helped shape public opinion recently. As the article notes, DioMichigan has been in free fall for well over a decade — I’m sure legislators in Lansing also note this when they are encouraged to vote a certain way by Episcopal Church representatives.
The Democrat Party at prayer.
Actually, the rationale contained that phrase, but not the resolution itself. When my parishioner tried to insert the phrase into the resolution itself as an amendment, it was voted down.
The Democrat Party at politics.