tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post8185057870977354542..comments2023-05-02T11:34:45.330-04:00Comments on Thinking for Free: On the side of the angels?Kizhe the Couch Czarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046357500651886319noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-90779706523819808292008-03-31T18:55:00.000-04:002008-03-31T18:55:00.000-04:00Growing up, my cousins were UC and we were Anglica...Growing up, my cousins were UC and we were Anglican (and our other cousins were Catholic). The grape juice was explained to me as the "church didn't want to tempt a reformed alcoholic." But it was disappointing to me as Communion wine was the only taste of wine I got as a young teen and I liked it. I believe it was some sort of sickeningly sweet Mogen David.Monadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12523329434641725631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-27244761592092313392008-03-27T21:52:00.000-04:002008-03-27T21:52:00.000-04:00Sounds like Humanistic Judaism, only Christian.Sounds like Humanistic Judaism, only Christian.Jonathan Abramshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10822775953941941191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674192606176078067.post-63792783933722303012008-03-27T10:05:00.000-04:002008-03-27T10:05:00.000-04:00Hi EK,My father was a minister in the United Churc...Hi EK,<BR/><BR/>My father was a minister in the United Church. Regarding "the United Church of Canada ...didn't have trivial scruples about things like alcohol", well yes, that's more-or-less true, but I always thought it was prudish and petty to serve grape juice as 'wine' at communion. It was, however, the only times we ever had grape juice in the manse - we got the leftovers! :)<BR/><BR/>Your second item was a real eye-opener for me. A while back, my mother and I had a chat about the wide variety of doctrine in Ottawa UC congregations. She never mentioned this issue (admittedly Vosper is in Toronto). It was clear from her comments that there is a lot of discussion going on about the great variety of doctrine locally, but all of it is under the radar. If Vosper's approach becomes a movement within the church, I think the UCC is in for a very divisive schism. There are still a good number of doctrinally-conservative members of the church (although they're slowly dying off) and I doubt they'd put up with such a watering-down of church dogma. I imagine they're still sore over the whole gender-neutrality movement of the '70s and '80s, and the whole gay issue, and this might be the last straw that drives them to take a stand.<BR/><BR/>I've been an atheist since university days, but I still have a soft spot for the UC. They have been powerful advocates for progressive social change, and have clearly tried to shoe-horn what parts of Christianity that they could into that progressive world-view. This was readily apparent to me as a teenager and I've always wondered why they couldn't see it that way too. <BR/><BR/>bPerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com