Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is among a group of congregants of a Dallas evangelical church who recently broke away due to differences over church rules and worship styles.
The group of about 200, led by former Valley View Christian Church pastor Ron Key, formed their own church about a month ago and have been meeting on Sundays at a hotel in Dallas.
Miers has worshipped as a Catholic and attended Episcopalian and Presbyterian services, according to Judge Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court, who has dated Miers. She has been a congregant at Valley View for some 25 years and in 1979 was baptized by full immersion, consistent with the church's beliefs.
The church opposes abortion and Hecht indicated that Miers shares those views, including the belief that life begins at conception. "It was Harriet thinking things through on her own," Hecht said.
The White House says Miers most frequently attends St. John's Episcopal Church, the church across from the White House where Bush often worships.
Associated Press
3 comments:
Often with people who weren't born into a denomination that has a nationality like identity to it, this kind of thing isn't out of the ordinary. I myself have attended Lutheran, Baptist, Assembly of God, Christian Missionary Alliance, and non-denominational churches. It is the individual church that matters often.
Her jumping around to churches of different faiths is not a negative to me. In fact, to me it says she is an independent thinker and is a plus.
I don't really consider it an issue either. I'd rather see her go to ten churches then none.
I do have a bit of an issue with her second baptisim but that's not my call to make.
The story about the church split is a tragic and regular occurance once a brand of customised religion is embraced. It pains me to see protestants who can't agree with each other. As a result that create their own church and surround thensleves with only people who agree. That's is untill the day that a few disagree. Then thay choose sides and go off to start another denomination.
Yet despite all that, It would not influence my opinion of her as a judge. At least it hasn't yet.
The second baptism is something that a lot of denominations want people coming in from mainline denominations such as Lutheran, Catholic, or Anglican, since infant baptism isn't of one's own choice. I was baptized as an infant in the Lutheran church, then baptized by immersion when I made my decision to become a Christian.
I agree about the church splits, as if one doesn't like the church they are going to, they should find another rather than causing strife. I myself have recently left the church I was attending and started looking for a new one after discovering some teachings that were very unbiblical. Much preferable to rasing a stink about it.
I've actually seen several church splits, and generally there is a whole lot more to it than "differences over church rules and worship styles." We all know how the media likes to report on only the things that make an interesting story.
Every denomination has its own problems and issues to deal with.
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