This Library contains documents from all recent United Church governance meetings, including General Council and its Executive. It will also soon include “Our Beliefs Explained” official policy documents dating back several decades. If you can't find something you think should be included, contact gcbusiness@united-church.ca.
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As Amended by the Executive Council of the General Council, November 1989. Preamble As Christians we wish to affirm: The sanctity of human life, born or unborn. That life is much more that physical existence.
WHEREAS we are concerned about the effect of alcohol on unborn babies, specifically: -a complex of growth deficiencies, -physical malformation, -mental retardation known as the fetal alcohol syndrome;
Theological Approach Dependency God through incarnation in Jesus Christ has affirmed that in our humanity we should “have life and have it abundantly”-that we are created in God’s image. Nurtured by Christ’s spirit and strengthened by God’s means of grace, we are given confidence to cope with the complexities of living. In this way we develop a healthy dependency upon our own inner resources and also upon loving and supportive human relationships. When confidence in God, others and ourselves is seriously eroded we tend to become susceptible to pressures and substances that interfere with the development of our wholeness.
THAT the United Church of Canada discourage the use of tobacco products by promoting awareness as to the health risks through creative use of educational materials available from other sources.
The Division of Mission in Canada continue to support projects concerned with the rehabilitation of alcoholics, or action that may have the effect of reducing the over-consumption and abuse of beverage alcohol. Keywords: Alcohol, Liquor, Alcoholism, Addiction, Misuse
Excerpts of Report Theological, Social and Ethical Perspectives At the onset it must be acknowledged that, while the faith perspective is important to Christians in any serious endeavour such as genetic science, its contribution is not always immediately clear or unambiguous. As Christians, our lives in all decision-making moments are informed by Jesus Christ, the history of the Jewish people and the Christian church of which he is the centre; and we need to try to understand how this history and tradition relate to the problems with which we are faced. However, when these problems are new and have not been encountered before, as is the case in genetic science, we cannot immediately apply our understanding of faith or the biblical patterns and images to them. In addition faith itself is a dynamic phenomenon, and the ways we understand it are changed subtly by new knowledge and insights which may come from any source, including genetic science. Genetics, Genetic Research, Genetic Medicine, Medical Research, Birth Control, Bioethics
The question might fairly be asked as to the reason for particular attention in the church to the problems associated with alcohol misuse, when there are so many government, quasi-government, and private agencies focusing on this problem. We begin to answer this question by asking another: What unique gifts has the church to offer persons, families, and communities where alcohol misuse causes harm? Uniquely the church is that body of people assigned to consciously carry forward (in all times and places) the gospel of Jesus Christ, his ministry of teaching and healing, and his straightforward commendation of the good, and reproof of evil.
The General Council of the United Church asked the government of Canada to take all necessary steps to ban the advertising of all alcoholic beverages on Canadian television.
The 26th General Council urge that much firmer measures be taken to enforce the minimum drinking age laws in all the provinces. Keywords: Alcohol, Liquor, Addiction, Advertising, Law, Youth
In this resolution The United Church of Canada called for an immediate and total ban on all advertising of alcohol and tobacco products.
