The United “Church” of “Christ” (note my use of scare quotes) is having issues. A rift is forming and battle lines are being drawn. At issue? Whether Christ was divine and whether or not God exists. You heard that right. Some members of the UCOC (including, according to this article, some in the clergy!) don’t even believe in God…

“The whole point of this is that many of these people have a very fuzzy idea of faith in God,” said the Rev. Albert W. Kovacs of the Hungarian Reformed Church. “We have significant numbers of clergy who don’t believe in God.”

A Haworth pastor said the conservatives have a point, though he added that the resolution is unenforceable and a waste of time.

“If you don’t offer a risen Christ, you’re not offering hope,” said the Rev. David Boda-Mercer of First Congregational Church of Haworth. “If people are looking for answers, and they come to us and get a vague non-answer, but great food and musical programs, then I don’t think we’re helping them.”

But others in the denomination disagree. Many Christians, they say, reject a literal interpretation of the Bible and lead full spiritual lives.

“We have people with all sorts of beliefs of what Christianity is - just like society does,” said Barb Powell, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland-based denomination. “The difference is that our polity allows us to talk about it and discuss it with one another.”

So let’s understand the idiocy of this. The United Church of CHRIST has members who don’t believe Christ is divine and is pondering changing their “charter” (for lack of a better word) so as not to offend those who don’t. At the same time, there are members of the UCOC who are performing the duties of the clergy who don’t even believe in God.

What are they praying to?

I’m legitimately asking the question because it’s quite confusing to me. It’s like becoming a Catholic priest and saying, “I believe in everything but the existence of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” You can’t be a Catholic without accepting certain core beliefs. Jesus is divine. God does exist. And so on.

The UCOC has a real problem on its hands if it can’t even rally around the baisc precepts of Christianity.

Source: NorthJersey.com via 21st Century Paladin