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The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has just forbidden gays from communion and getting their children baptized. SamBee wrote:
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has just forbidden gays from communion and getting their children baptized.
How does the Presbyterian Church operate? Is it a hierarchy or more like a loose confederation of Presbyterian churches? Can the Irish branch make its own decisions on such a matter?
Roy wrote:
SamBee wrote:
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has just forbidden gays from communion and getting their children baptized.
How does the Presbyterian Church operate? Is it a hierarchy or more like a loose confederation of Presbyterian churches? Can the Irish branch make its own decisions on such a matter?
Confederation. I think African Presbyterians aren’t happy about the gay thing but the neighboring Church of Scotland is supposed to be gay friendly. Irish Presbyterians are mostly in Northern Ireland (and a few in Dublin and a few other places in the Republic of Ireland.)
There are smaller groups of Presbyterians about which are unaligned (including at least one other rival group in Ireland), but I think they are in a loose federation. It’s not like the Episcopalians/Anglicans in that sense. So yes, the Irish Presbyterians.will have taken this decision on their own.
(I’m a former Presbyterian myself by the way.)
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/presbyterian-church-announces-not-baptise-12669806 Quote:The children of same-sex couples cannot be baptised in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the organisation said.
It adopted the new policy at an annual meeting in Belfast on Friday.
The measure will not prevent anyone from attending worship, coming into church, receiving communion, or having access to pastoral care, a spokesman said.
He added: “On many issues the Church provides guidance to our ministers and elders in Kirk sessions and we wanted to consider what a credible profession of faith means for same-sex couples who want to become communicant members of the Church.
“The same principle also applies to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance and those who want to baptise their children.”
Earlier in the week, the church voted to loosen its ties with the Church of Scotland because of its more liberal attitude towards same-sex relationships.
The head of the Church of Scotland (moderator) will no longer be invited to the annual meeting of the Presbyterian General Assembly in Belfast.
Last month the Church of Scotland took a step towards allowing ministers to conduct same-sex marriages.
Its General Assembly asked a committee to draft church law on the issue.
The Church of Scotland is considered the mother church of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland.
I believe there have been at least two schisms among Presbyterians in recent years in the US relating to policies regarding homosexuality. As I recall they relate to gay marriage and ordaining gay ministers. The issue is dividing up the Anglican Communion now. as well. Especially between the western churches and the African ones.
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