Trevor (and all), I hope that you do not feel like you are being silenced by those who support the Asssembly. I don't want anyone to silence any debate on the issues raised by the Assembly decision. I certainly feel like I am being silenced for reacting to something that I found offensive and wrong.
We are asked by the Assembly resolution (and the Qld Synod resolution) to live in peace as a people of faith notwithstanding differing views... If this living in peace means that I sit back and let people crassly mock the sincerity and integrity of the Assembly, so be it, let the Assembly be mocked. If this means that I am no longer able to stick up for what I believe when someone attacks it, well so be it. If this means that the Assembly members are the ones that suffer in silence, well so be it. Does that fit in with Jesus' definition of Church, or is a case of 'mock the devil' and hope that the Assembly flees? Wesley ----- Original Message ----- From: "Trevor Mattiske" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 7:28 PM Subject: Re: Ahead of schedule. Was: here's some news for you all > Can I stand up for my good mate Andrew? > > If what happened at Assembly 2003 wrt the sexuality issue were not > "colossal blunders", then they were IMO actions taken without much prior > thought about possible consequences or without much prior regard for the > adverse and hurtful affects that they would have on many members of the > Uniting Church family. Those actions and the way in which they came to be > communicated eventually to the wider Uniting Church community have left > many in our family hurt, bewildered and alienated. > > Ok, so when it comes to matters like sexuality and abortion, people like > Andrew and me are probably to the conservative side of the teaspoon, even > while in many other matters we might be seen to lie on the liberal side. Is > it now the expectation of the Uniting Church that people like us who don't > totally and completely embrace the dicta resolved by the recent Assembly > are to be silent, else we suffer the threat of demeaning sarcasm? > ------------------------------------------------------ - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm ------------------------------------------------------
