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
Notwithstanding many international efforts toward securing peace with justice in the Middle East and creating a better understanding of the issues, there has been no significant progress towards a just settlement of the problems in the Middle East since the General Council last met in 1974. The Geneva Conference has not reconvened at the time of writing. The Arab States and the Palestinians continue to regard the Palestine Liberation Organization as the only legal representative of the Palestinians, and Israel remains adamant in its refusal to sit in a Conference with the PLO.
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.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: 1 THAT this General Council reaffirm the stated opposition of the United Church to, “…the testing and use of nuclear weapons anywhere in the world as being a miscarriage of man’s stewardship for human life, the earth and the resources of creation as revealed in Christ”;
WHEREAS the United Nations Charter is revised every ten years; and WHEREAS it is the conviction of this Committee that the government of Canada should be lending all possible support to reform of the UN Charter and the more effective working of the United Nations in the pursuit of world peace:
WHEREAS conditions in the Middle East have continued to deteriorate, the numbers of homeless and their suffering have increased, the threat of major war continues, and the chief hope for settlement and peace still seems to be in the implementation of action of the U.N. Security Council by Resolution 242, unanimously adopted on November 22nd, 1967, which Affirms that the fulfilment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles: Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict; Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats and acts of force; and Affirms further the necessity for guaranteeing freedom of navigation through international waterways in the area; achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem;