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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
We
cannot affirm abortion as an
acceptable means of birth
control, and we unconditionally
reject it as a means of gender
selection. We
oppose the use of late-term
abortion known as dilation and
extraction (partial-birth
abortion) and call for the end of
this practice except when the
physical life of the mother is in
danger and no other medical
procedure is available, or in the
case of severe fetal anomalies
incompatible with
life.... We
commit our Church to continue to
provide nurturing ministries to
those who terminate a pregnancy,
to those in the midst of a crisis
pregnancy, and to those who give
birth. We
particularly encourage the
Church, the government, and
social service agencies to
support and facilitate the option
of adoption. [W]e
say the unborn child has
a fundamental individual
right to life which
cannot be
infringed. We
oppose using public
revenues for abortion
and will not fund
organizations which
advocate
it.... We
salute those who provide
alternatives to abortion
and offer adoption
services.... And
we applaud President
Bush for signing
legislation outlawing
partial birth abortion
and for vigorously
defending it in the
courts. [W]e
stand proudly for a
woman's right to choose
[to have an
abortion],
consistent with Roe
v. Wade, and
regardless of her
ability to
pay. We
believe that God's blessing rests
upon such marriage, whether or
not there are children of the
union. We
reject social norms that assume
different standards for women
than for men in
marriage. We
support laws in civil society
that define marriage as the union
of one man and one
woman. The
Republican Party We
strongly support...a
Constitutional amendment
that fully protects
marriage, and we believe
that neither federal nor
state judges nor
bureaucrats should force
states to recognize
other living
arrangements as
equivalent to
marriage.... [T]he
well-being of children
is best accomplished in
the environment of the
home, nurtured by their
mother and father
anchored by the bonds of
marriage.... We
support full inclusion
of gay and lesbian
families in the life of
our nation and seek
equal responsibilities,
benefits, and
protections for these
families. In
our country, marriage
has been defined at the
state level for 200
years, and we believe it
should continue to be
defined there. We
[oppose] a
"Federal Marriage
Amendment." From
the beginning, the Christian
conscience has struggled with the
harsh realities of violence and
war, for these evils clearly
frustrate God's loving purposes
for humankind. We yearn for the
day when there will be no more
war and people will live together
in peace and justice. Some
of us believe that war, and other
acts of violence, are never
acceptable to
Christians. We
also acknowledge that most
Christians regretfully realize
that, when peaceful alternatives
have failed, the force of arms
may be preferable to unchecked
aggression, tyranny and
genocide. We
honor the witness of pacifists
who will not allow us to become
complacent about war and
violence. We
also respect those who support
the use of force, but only in
extreme situations and only when
the need is clear beyond
reasonable doubt, and through
appropriate international
organizations. We
urge the establishment of the
rule of law in international
affairs as a means of elimination
of war, violence, and coercion in
these affairs. The
Republican Party The
supreme purpose of our
foreign policy must be
to maintain our freedom
in a peaceful
international
environment in which the
United States and our
allies and friends are
secure against military
threats, and democratic
governments are
flourishing in a world
of increasing
prosperity.... [Our]
goal [is] a
lasting, democratic
peace, in which all
nations are free from
the threat of sudden
terror.... There
is no negotiation with
terrorists.... Only
total and complete
destruction of terrorism
will allow freedom to
flourish.... We
hail the strong and
broad-based cooperation
of America's allies in
the War on
Terror. Our
overriding goals
are...to protect our
people and our way of
life; and to help build
a safer, more peaceful,
more prosperous, more
democratic
world. Today,
we face three great
challenges above all
others -- first, to win
the global war against
terror; second, to stop
the spread of nuclear,
biological and chemical
weapons; and third, to
promote democracy and
freedom around the
world.... [I]n
addition to our military
might, we must deploy
all that is in America's
arsenal -- our
diplomacy, our
intelligence system, our
economic power, and the
appeal of our values and
ideas. Water,
air, soil, minerals, energy
resources, plants, animal life,
and space are to be valued and
conserved because they are God's
creation and not solely because
they are useful to human beings.
God has granted us stewardship of
creation. We
should meet these stewardship
duties through acts of loving
care and respect. Economic,
political, social, and
technological developments have
increased our human numbers, and
lengthened and enriched our
lives. However,
these developments have led to
regional defoliation, dramatic
extinction of species, massive
human suffering, overpopulation,
and misuse and overconsumption of
natural and nonrenewable
resources, particularly by
industrialized
societies.... [L]et
us recognize the responsibility
of the church and its members to
place a high priority on changes
in economic, political, social,
and technological lifestyles to
support a more ecologically
equitable and sustainable world
leading to a higher quality of
life for all of God's
creation. The
Republican Party [E]conomic
prosperity is essential
to environmental
progress.... [O]ver
the last 30 years, air
pollution from the six
major pollutants
decreased substantially,
even as our population
grew, our energy
consumption increased,
and the economy
expanded.... As
the laboratories of
innovation, [states
and local
communities] should
be given flexibility and
authority to address
many environmental
concerns. [W]e
link the security of
private property to our
environmental agenda
because environmental
stewardship has been
best advanced where
property is privately
held. After all, people
who live on the land,
work the land, and own
the land also love the
land and protect
it. [T]he
protection of our
environment and the
stewardship of our land
are vital to the
strength of our
nation. God
gave America
extraordinary natural
gifts; it is our
responsibility to
protect
them.... We
know a cleaner
environment means a
stronger
economy. Psalm
146 speaks of the God who
executes justice for the
oppressed; It
is unjust to construct or
perpetuate barriers to physical
or mental wholeness or full
participation in
community. We
encourage individuals to pursue a
healthy lifestyle and affirm the
importance of preventive health
care, health education,
environmental and occupational
safety, good nutrition, and
secure affordable-housing in
achieving health. We
also recognize the role of
governments in ensuring that each
individual has access to those
elements necessary to good
health. The
Republican Party Americans
must have the security
to know that the next
illness will not wipe
out their savings or
drive them into
debt.... We
support continued
efforts to make health
care more affordable,
more accessible, and
more
consumer-driven.... We
reject any notion of
government-run universal
health care because we
have seen evidence from
around the world that
government-run health
care leads to
inefficiencies, long
waiting periods, and
often substandard health
care.... We
believe that health care
is a right and not a
privilege.... [E]very
expectant mother should
get quality prenatal
care; every child should
get regular check-ups;
every senior should be
able to get safe,
affordable prescription
drugs; and no
hard-working family
should ever lose
everything because
illness strikes a loved
one.... • Religion
and
politics:
Promoting
Christian
values
in a
morally
pluralistic
society Republican
Party positions are quoted from
2004 Republican Party Platform: A
Safer World and a More Hopeful
America (full text
here-PDF
file, 94 pages). Democratic
Party positions are from Strong
at Home Respected in the World: The
2004 Democratic National Platform
for America (full text
here-PDF
file, 43 pages).
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
Ministry
of the
Word:
Recent
sermons
Our quarterly e-magazine
Gateway
Today
For the Gateway family
Pastor
Jerry's Weekly
E-Mail
CHURCH
AND STATE
From
Gateway
Today
The
e-magazine of
Gateway Church
FALL
2004
Comparing
2004 party platforms
with the official positions of the
United Methodist
Church*
The UMC
In continuity with past Christian
teaching, we recognize tragic
situations where continued
pregnancy or birth may jeopardize
the life or physical health of
the mother. In such cases, we
support the legal option of
abortion under proper medical
procedures.
The
Republican Party
The
Democratic Party
The UMC
We affirm the sanctity of the
marriage covenant that is
expressed in love, mutual
support, personal commitment, and
shared fidelity between a man and
a woman.
The
Democratic Party
The UMC
We deplore war and urge the
peaceful settlement of all
disputes among
nations.
The
Democratic Party
The UMC
All creation is the Lord's, and
we are responsible for the ways
we use and abuse it.
The
Democratic Party
The UMC
Health is a condition of
physical, mental, social, and
spiritual well-being, and we view
it as a responsibility -- public
and private. Health care is a
basic human right.
who gives food to the
hungry.
The Lord sets the
prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes
of the blind.
The right to health care includes
care for persons with brain
diseases, neurological conditions
or physical disabilities, who
must be afforded the same access
to health care as all other
persons in our communities.
The
Democratic Party
RELATED ARTICLE
*United
Methodist Church positions are those
approved by the UM General
Conference and are quoted from the
forthcoming Book
of Discipline of the United
Methodist Church
2004
(Abingdon Press, 2005).