c. 1998 Religion News Service
UNDATED _ Following are excerpts from the guideline-like Social Principles of the United Methodist Church:
Animal life: We support regulations that protect the life and health of animals, including those ensuring the humane treatment of pets and other domestic animals, animals used in research, and the painless slaughtering of meat animals, fish and fowl. …
Marriage: We affirm the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman. … Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.
Divorce: When a married couple is estranged beyond reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel, divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness. …
Abortion: … Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion. But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother, for whom devastating damage may result from an unacceptable pregnancy. …
Equal Rights Regardless of Sexual Orientation: Certain basic human rights and civil liberties are due all persons. We are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for homosexual persons. …
Alcohol and Other Drugs: We affirm our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol. … We support abstinence from the use of any illegal drugs. …
Tobacco: … We recommend total abstinence from the use of tobacco. …
Organ Transplantation and Donation: We believe that organ transplantation and organ donation are acts of charity, agape love, and self-sacrifice. …
Gambling: Gambling is a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic and spiritual life, and destructive of good environment. …
Basic Freedoms: … The church regards the institution of slavery as an infamous evil. All forms of enslavement are totally prohibited and shall in no way be tolerated by the church.
War and Peace: We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. …
DEA END RNS
