Bush called on multiple violations of church teachings.
Bush's own Methodist Church fellowship is charging him with crime, immorality, disobedience to pastoral instruction, and violation of Methodist social principles. "Repent publically," the petition encourages Bush, and if not, the signers of the petition request that Bush be thrown out of the church!
Letter of petition to George W. Bush, Richard "Dick" Cheney,
Bishop William B. Oden - (Bishop of North Texas Annual Conference United Methodist Council of Bishops, and others)
A Letter of Complaint Against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
We, the undersigned, do hold that George W. Bush, a member of Park Hill United Methodist Church (UMC) in Dallas, Texas, and Dick Cheney (local membership unknown) are undeniably guilty of at least four chargeable offenses for lay members as listed in 2702.3 of the 2000 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church. These offenses are: crime, immorality, disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The UMC, and dissemination of doctrine contrary to the established standards of doctrine of The UMC. For these offenses, we the undersigned call for an immediate and public act of repentance by the respondents. If the respondents do not reply with sincere and public repentance for their crimes, we demand that their membership in the United Methodist Church be revoked until such time that they sincerely and publicly repent.
This is exactly what we need to put in a nationwide LTE campaign. Yes, it is fair game because the Wall Street Journal and countless smaller papers all argue, especially rural ones - Kerry is smarter, but Bush has character. Not so.
Follow this link and you will find his own fellowship chastising him for ignoring all advice and resisting the teachings of the church he claims to worship with.
And no, Kerry's pastor and bishop have not charged him with falling away from the faith. But as the letter states, the Iraq war and its "murder of thousands" and many other actions violate church teachings. Read the letter.
Update [2004-10-18 18:18:13 by citizen kilroy]:
Matthew 18:15-19
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Does Bush respect Methodist teachings?
Update [2004-10-19 10:53:12 by citizen kilroy]: I agree with this comment from thecarriest. The real story is that Bush refused to meet even his own pastor before deciding on a war that has killed tens of thousands. Man of God?
The real story is about (none / 0)
when the head of the United Methodist Church along with leaders from the National Council of Churches tried to meet with Bush in the run-up to war. Unlike Vietnam when it took years for the churches to come out against the war, there was near unanimity prior to the Iraq invasion that there were no justifiable grounds for war.
Bush, of course, refused to meet with them. Also refused to meet with the pastor of his own congregation. Also, as many of us know, refused to meet with the Pope. (Finally met with a papal representative days before launching S&A.)
Here's my nagging question: Don't the U.S. Catholic bishops know that the Pope declared Bush's Iraq invasion "immoral" before the first bomb was ever dropped? How is it possible that John Kerry, by refusing to legislate his (private, Catholic) beliefs in the area of choice is guilty of a greater sin than Bush, on whose hands is the blood of tens of thousands, by whose minions thousands more have been tortured, and with whose punitive righteousness death by AIDS has been hastened for millions of Africans? How?
I'd like to hear even one Catholic bishop explain this. Do they really think Kerry is the more culpable? Does the Pope agree?!?