United Methodist Platform

I hope we are getting to the place where we accept that religion and politics do mix. Jesus was political and if discipleship involes the whole of us it must include our political passions, opinions and interests. Of course we are quick to ammend that to say that we are not allowed to endorse a political party or candidate; we are not only allowed but encouraged to engage issues. In other words, while we can’t say whether we prefer the politcal platform of either party, we can have our own.

I would like to suggest that the Social Principles and the Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church be considered our political platform. The Social Principles beg social and political engagement. In the same way that we don’t have to agree with every stand taken by a party’s platform, the Principles are guidelines.

Here is the United Methodist Platform on issues receiving attention in this election season. Unless otherwise noted, everything below is taken from the Social Principles or the Book of Resolutions:

THE ENVIRONMENT: All Creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, mineral, energy resources, plants, animal life and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation.

HEALTHCARE: Healthcare is a condition of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being, and we view it as a responsibility, public and private. Healthcare is a basic human right. It is unjust to construct or perpetuate barriers to physical or mental wholeness or full participation in the community. We also recognize the role of governments in ensuring that each indivitual has access to those elements necessary to good health. We affirm the right of men and women to have access to comprehensive reproductive health/family planning information and services which will serve as a means to prevent unplanned pregnancies, reduce abortions and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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. In continuity with past Christan teaching, we recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures.

SEXUALITY/MARRIAGE: We recognize sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We believe persons may be fully human only when that gift is acknowledged and affirmed by themselves, the church, and society. Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they are married, sexual relations are only clearly affirmed in the marriage bond. Homosexual persons no less that heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth. The United Methodist Chruch does not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incombatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God’s grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons.

Note: The Church’s stance on homosexuality is controversial. Our Annual Conference in the Pacifict Northwest has come out in support of Initiative 74 in support of same sex marriage. The Western Juisdiction of the UMC has declared itself to in open disobedience of the Church’s official stance.

ECONOMY: We claim all economic systems to be under the judgment of God. 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. We further support efforts to revise tax structures and to eliminate governmental support of programs that now benefit the wealthy at the expense of other persons.

Note: Since the economy is such an important part of the current campaign, below are some more specific statements about the economy.

Property: We believe private ownership of property is a trusteeship under God. Socially and culturally conditioned ownership of property is, therefore, to be considered a responsibility to God

Poverty: In spite of general affluence in the industrialized nations, the majority of persons in the world live in poverty. In order to provide basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, education, healthcare, and other necessities, ways must be found to share more equitably the resources of the world. We do not hold poor people morally responsible for their economic state.

Corporate Responsibility: Corporations are responsible not only to their stockholders, but also to the stakeholders: their workers, suppliers, vendors, customers, the communities in which they do business, and for the earth which supports them.

Military Spending: Human values must outweigh military claims as governments determine thier priorities. The militarization of society must be challenged and stopped. The manurfacture, sale and deployemnt of armaments must be reduced and controlled.

Trade and Investment: We affirm the importance of international trade and investment in an interdependent world. Trade and investment should be based on rules that support the dignity of the human person, a clean environment and our common humanity. Trade agreements must include mechanisms to enforce labor rights and human rights as will as environmental standards.

Collective Bargaining: We support the right of public and private employees and employers to organize for collective bargaining into unions and other groups of their own choosing. Further, we support the right of both parties to protection in so doing and their responsibility to bargain in good faith within the framework of public interests.

EDUCATION: We believe that every person has the right to education. We also believe that the responsibility for education of the young rests with the family, faith communities, and the government. In society, this function can best be fufilled through public policies that ensure access for all persons to free public elementary and secondary schools and to post-secondary school of their choice.

NATIONAL POWER AND WAR: Some nations possess more military and economic power than do others. Upon the powerful rests responsibility of exercise their wealth and influence with restraint. We affirm the right and duty of people of all nations to determine their own destiny. We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression.

GUN CONTROL: As Christians who are deeply concerned about human life, we intend to do something about the unregulated access to guns in this country. We do not believe there is any constitutional personal right to bear arms. As the United States Supreme Court has ruled a number of times, the Second Amendment has to do with the militia, currently comparable to the National Guard. The United Methodist Church declares its support for the licensing of all gun owners, and the registration of all firearms. In addition, special controls should be applied to the handgun…with limited reasonable exemptions.

IMMIGRATION: We call the leaders of the USA to continue to strive to make the United States a model of social justice in its domestic immigration policies… to interpret broadly immigration laws of the United States by providing sanctuary for those fleeing because of well-founded fear of persecution due to their political affiliation, religious orientation and/or racial origin, and by adopting reasonable standards of proof of eligibility as refugees for those seeking asylum; to monitor all attempted reforms on immigration policy to ensure fair and adequate process in regards to judicial review, quota systems, and family reunification; to reject the use of an identification card to control immigrants