“We commit ourselves as a Church to the achievement of a world community that is a fellowship of persons who honestly love one another. We pledge ourselves to seek the meaning of the gospel in all issues that divide people and threaten the growth of world community.”
In Clearly More to be Done, Julia Taylor and Amee Paparella wrote that the Methodist church recognizes the tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and fully supports the legal option under proper medical procedures as part of their Social Principles – 161J. They also recognize the continued obstacles to reproductive justice and the church must fully devote time, energy, gifts and service to ensure universal access to modern contraception [which includes abortion].
The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church’s Social Principles reads as if Socialist at the United Nations prepared it, only with a tinge of religion to make it more palatable. They recommend that their statement of Social Principles be continually available, emphasized regularly in every congregation and frequently used in Sunday worship.
The United Methodist Church supports the right for men and women worldwide to have the ability to choose when, or if, to have children, and affirms the right of women to access comprehensive health care services, including reproductive health. However, to be fair, the official position of the church is that while they accept abortion, they do not accept abortion as a means of birth control.
“All creation is the Lord’s. . .Economic, political, social, and technological developments have increased our human numbers and lengthened our lives leading to regional defoliation, dramatic extinction of species, massive human suffering, overpopulation, and misuse and overconsumption of natural and nonrenewable resources, particularly by industrialized societies. God cares for the integrity of creation, weeps at the plunder of earth’s goodness.”
“Climate Justice” must encourage us to live “sustainably, reduce or eliminate fossil fuel consumption. . .” The Church encourages their members to “ask Congress to cosponsor comprehensive legislation to reduce carbon emissions.”
“Sexuality is God’s good gift” and only when a person “affirms his/her sexuality” can that person be fully human. It is the Church’s position that its members must challenge gender stereotyping. “God embraces all hues of humanity, delights in diversity and difference. . .”
The church supports the basic rights of all to equal housing, education, communication, employment, medical care, etc. and calls on the “implementation of the principles of the [U.N.] Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so that all may claim and enjoy their universal, indivisible and inalienable rights.”
“We believe private and public economic enterprises are responsible for the social costs of doing business, such as employment and environmental pollution, and that they should be held accountable for these costs. We support measures that would reduce the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. . .”
“As individuals are affirmed by God in their diversity, so are nations and cultures. We applaud international efforts to develop a more just international economic order in which the limited resources of the earth will be used to the maximum benefit of all nations and peoples.”
We believe private ownership of property is a trusteeship under God, . . . but is limited by the overriding needs of society. Every person has the right to a job at a living wage. Where the private sector cannot or does not provide jobs for all who seek and need them, it is the responsibility of government to provide for the creation of such jobs. We support social measures that ensure the physical and mental safety of workers, that provide for the equitable division of products and services.”
The church recognizes that “enforcement-only immigration reform does not work and that what is needed is comprehensive immigration reform, which entails a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants, the protection of the rights of workers, and reunify families separated by migration and detainment.”
“Believing that international justice requires the participation of all peoples and nations, we endorse the United Nations, its related bodies, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court as the best instruments now in existence to achieve a world of justice and law. We commend the efforts of all people in all countries who pursue world peace through law. . .We reaffirm our historic concern for the world as our parish and seek for all persons and peoples full and equal membership in a truly world community.”
