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Good. Homosexuals weakened and destroyed the Roman Empire
before it failed too. Queers always sniff out the weak for
attack. If you can't stand up to queers and their mentally ill
supporters, you deserve to fail and vanish from the gene pool.

NEW YORK � There's at least one area of agreement among
conservative, centrist and liberal leaders in the United
Methodist Church: America's largest mainline Protestant
denomination is on a path toward likely breakup over differences
on same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT pastors.

The differences have simmered for years, and came to a head in
February at a conference in St. Louis where delegates voted 438-
384 for a proposal called the Traditional Plan, which
strengthens bans on LGBT-inclusive practices. A majority of U.S.-
based delegates opposed that plan and favored LGBT-friendly
options, but they were outvoted by U.S. conservatives teamed
with most of the delegates from Methodist strongholds in Africa
and the Philippines.

Many believe the vote will prompt an exodus from the church by
liberal congregations that are already expressing their
dissatisfaction over the move.

Some churches have raised rainbow flags in a show of LGBT
solidarity. Some pastors have vowed to defy the strict rules and
continue to allow gay weddings in Methodist churches. Churches
are withholding dues payments to the main office in protest, and
the UMC's receipts were down 20 percent in March, according to
financial reports posted online.

"It's time for some kind of separation, some kind of amicable
divorce," said James Howell, pastor of Myers Park United
Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, who posted a
video assailing the proposal for its "real meanness."

The UMC's nine-member Judicial Council convenes a four-day
meeting in Evanston, Illinois, on Tuesday to consider legal
challenges to the Traditional Plan. If the plan is upheld, it
would take effect for U.S. churches on Jan. 1. If parts of it
are struck down, that would likely trigger new debate at the
UMC's next general conference in May 2020.

The UMC's largest church � the 22,000-member Church of the
Resurrection with four locations in the Kansas City area � is
among those applying financial pressure. Its lead pastor, Adam
Hamilton, says his church is temporarily withholding half of the
$2.5 million that it normally would have paid to the UMC's head
office at this stage of the year.

"We'll ultimately pay it," Hamilton said. "But we want to show
that this is the impact if our churches leave."

Hamilton is among the opponents of the Traditional Plan leading
an initiative dubbed UMC-Next that seeks the best path forward
for those who share their views. Clergy and activists in the
alliance have met in Texas and Georgia, and a bigger meeting is
planned for May 20-22 at Hamilton's megachurch.

Hamilton, in a telephone interview, said two main options are
under consideration.

Under one scenario, many centrists and liberals would leave en
masse to form a new denomination � a potentially complex
endeavor given likely disputes over the dissolution process.

Under the other option, opponents of the Traditional Plan would
stay in the UMC and resist from within, insisting on LGBT-
inclusive policies and eventually convincing the conservatives
that they should be the faction that leaves under what's
envisioned as a financially smooth "gracious exit."

"There's a sense that some conservatives have been wanting to
leave for a long time," Hamilton said. "They're tired of
fighting about it."

Formed in a merger in 1968, the United Methodist Church claims
about 12.6 million members worldwide, including nearly 7 million
in the United States.

While other mainline Protestant denominations have embraced gay-
friendly practices, the UMC still bans them, though acts of
defiance by pro-LGBT clergy have multiplied. Many have performed
same-sex weddings; others have come out as gay or lesbian from
the pulpit.

Enforcement of the bans has been inconsistent; the Traditional
Plan aspires to beef up discipline against those engaged in
defiance.

Traditional Plan supporter Mark Tooley, who heads a conservative
Christian think tank, predicts that the UMC will split into
three denominations � one for centrists, another oriented toward
liberal activists and a third representing the global alliance
of U.S. conservatives and their allies overseas.

"It's a question of how long it takes for that to unfold � and
of who and how many go into each denomination," Tooley said. "A
lot of churches will be irreparably harmed as they divide."

Scott Jones, bishop of the UMC's Houston-based Texas conference,
says churchgoers in his region are divided in their views, but a
majority supports the Traditional Plan's concepts.

"I have urged all of us to love each other, listen to each other
and respect each other, even if we disagree," said Jones, who
holds out hope that the UMC's disparate factions can preserve
some form of unity.

Ann Craig of Newburgh, New York � a lesbian activist who has
advocated for greater LGBT inclusion in the UMC � thinks a
breakup can be avoided, though she's unsure what lies ahead.

"We expect something new to happen, but what that change should
be or will be has not jelled yet," she said. "I don't think
we're going to break up � it's so cumbersome to figure out a way
to divorce."

The crisis is being followed closely at Methodist-affiliated
theology schools based at universities with LGBT-inclusive
policies. There are 13 UMC-connected theology schools around the
country.

"There's a lot of turmoil and distress," said Mary Elizabeth
Moore, dean of Boston University School of Theology. "We're
trying to find a future that will be less destructive than where
we are now."

https://www.foxnews.com/us/united-methodists-edge-toward-breakup- over-lgbt-policies
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