THE drumpf/trump-pence administration (this includes you a.g. jeff sessions) exposes the evil they are, that they intend to impose and inflict on our nation with their fascist, neo-nazi policies on refugee and immigrant families. So many of the religious right wing in America are still supporting this administration's violations of the teachings of Christianity, Judaism and Islam on the treatment of refugees, foreigner's and immigrants. The separation of children from their parents is reminiscent of the brutality of nazi Germany, stalin's russia, mao's prc, and the khmer rouge of Cambodia. BUT, not all religions in America are keeping silent about this violation of Christian tenants and human rights (a sin they are guilty of in our nations past). God Bless you for your courage, for your faith United Methodist Church! From DailyKos.....
Methodist Clergy and Laity Bring Church Law Charges Against AG Jeff Sessions
A new front seems to have opened in the fight for decency.
More than 600 United Methodist clergy and laity are bringing church law charges against Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The details were announced today, in a press release by the United Methodist Church:
The group claimed in a June 18 statement that Sessions, a member of a Mobile, Alabama, church, violated Paragraph 2702.3 of the denomination’s Book of Discipline.Specifically, the group accuses him of child abuse in reference to separating young children from their parents and holding them in mass incarceration facilities; immorality; racial discrimination and “dissemination of doctrines contrary to the established standards of doctrines” of The United Methodist Church.All are categories listed in 2702.3 as chargeable offenses for a professing member of a local church.
((You can read the “June 18 statement” here. I added the letter below to this article, click the link to go to it and see the 640 signatories.
Monday, July 18, 2018
Dear Rev. Boykin and Rev. Wines,
We, the undersigned laity and clergy of the United Methodist Church, issue a formal complaint
against fellow United Methodist layperson Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, by our
understanding a lay member of Ashland Place United Methodist Church, in Mobile, AL, and an
active participant in Clarendon United Methodist Church, Arlington, VA. While we are reticent
to bring a formal complaint against a layperson, Mr. Sessions’ unique combination of
tremendous social/political power, his leading role as a Sunday School teacher and former
delegate to General Conference, and the severe and ongoing impact of several of his public,
professional actions demand that we, as his siblings in the United Methodist denomination, call
for some degree of accountability.
We write to you, Mr. Sessions’ pastors, copying his District Superintendents and Bishops, in the
hopes that you will, as members of our connectional system, dig deeply into Mr. Sessions’
advocacy and actions that have led to harm against thousands of vulnerable humans. As
members of the United Methodist Church, we deeply hope for a reconciling process that will
help this long-time member of our connection step back from his harmful actions and work to
repair the damage he is currently causing to immigrants, particularly children and families.
Pursuant to Paragraph 2702.3 of the 2016 United Methodist Book of Discipline, we hereby
charge Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Attorney General of the United States, a professing
member and/or active participant of Ashland Place United Methodist Church (Mobile, Alabama)
and Clarendon United Methodist Church (Alexandria, Virginia), with the chargeable offenses of:
• Child Abuse (examples: advocacy for and implementation of documented practices that
indefinitely separate thousands of young children from their parents; holding thousands
of children in mass incarceration facilities with little to no structured educational or
socio-emotional support)
• Immorality (examples: the use of violence against children to deter immigration;
advocating and supporting the separation of children from their families; refusal of
refugee/asylee status to those fleeing gang or sexual violence; oppression of those
seeking asylum or attempting to enter the United States with refugee status; directing
employees and staff members to kidnap children from their parents)
• Racial discrimination (examples: stopping investigations of police departments charged
with racial discrimination; attempting to criminalize Black Lives Matter and other racial
justice activist groups; targeting incarceration for those engaged in undocumented
border crossings as well as those who present with requests for asylum, with a
particular focus on those perceived as Muslim or LatinX)
• Dissemination of doctrines contrary to the standards of doctrine of the United
Methodist Church (examples: the misuse of Romans 13 to indicate the necessity of
obedience to secular law, which is in stark contrast to Disciplinary commitments to
supporting freedom of conscience and resistance to unjust laws)
While other individuals and areas of the federal government are implicated in each of these
examples, Mr. Sessions - as a long-term United Methodist in a tremendously powerful, public
position - is particularly accountable to us, his church. He is ours, and we are his. As his
denomination, we have an ethical obligation to speak boldly when one of our members is
engaged in causing significant harm in matters contrary to the Discipline on the global stage.
Several Bishops and other denominational leaders have spoken out about this matter, urging
Methodists to contact Mr. Sessions and for these policies to change, but we believe that the
severity of his actions and the harm he is causing to immigrants, migrants, refugees, and
asylees calls for his church to step into a process to directly engage with him as a part of our
community.
We look forward to entering into the just resolution process with Mr. Sessions as we seek to
journey with him towards reconciliation and faithful living into the gospel.
In the community of Jesus, the Liberator and Redeemer,))
It should be noted that the Methodist Book of Discipline (which is not available for download, but can be read online) includes specific procedures to handle such issues, and those methods are theoretically in play with formal charges against Sessions:
The Book of Discipline allows for a church trial and even expulsion of a lay member, but the first step in a long process would be for the member’s pastor and district superintendent to solve the complaint through “pastoral steps,” Lawrence said.
Now, hold the huzzahs — as the media release notes, there’s virtually no precedent for such charges proceeding past the level of local/district pastoral counseling. So, I wouldn’t be holding my breath for a church trial.
Having said that, this is still important.
This is a large body of believers, from a mainline Protestant denomination, saying, “We are going to hold you accountable to the faith you profess.” Regardless of the outcome, a significant group of Sessions’ religious contemporaries have looked at his words and actions and said, “You’re claiming to be one of us, but this isn’t who we are.”
Denominational leadership has already spoken on this subject, in a statement released on June 15th:
To argue that these policies are consistent with Christian teaching is unsound, a flawed interpretation, and a shocking violation of the spirit of the Gospel.[...]Jesus is our way, our truth, our life. The Christ we follow would have no part in ripping children from their mothers’ arms or shunning those fleeing violence. It is unimaginable that faith leaders even have to say that these policies are antithetical to the teachings of Christ.[….]The Trump Administration implemented these policies. They have the power to stop these horrific actions. Join me in calling on the Department of Justice, and especially on our fellow United Methodist, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, to immediately reverse these decisions.
That statement was written by Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, who leads the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. Their building is adjacent to the US Capitol, and this message appeared on their marquee two days ago:
It would seem that Dr. Henry-Crowe and her team are well-versed in snark. *grin*
In closing — while I am not a Methodist, I applaud these actions and look forward to seeing how the issue progresses through Methodist polity.
· wesmorgan1
It should be noted that many Orthodox Jewish organizations are openly condemning these policies as well. Kossack charliehall2 wrote a diary about the actions of those groups earlier today; thanks, Charlie!
· wesmorgan1
Dang, there’s a BUNCH of Late Night Kossacks...I was NOT expecting to hit the Recommended List with a diary published at 11pm local time. Unfortunately, I DO have to get some sleep, but PLEASE keep commenting! I’ll pick up discussion threads later today — thanks for reading!
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