Church leaders discuss how to talk about abortion rights with congregations
Miscellaneous News
Published: Sunday, 20-Aug-2006

About 30 clergy and lay church leaders representing nine denominations on Tuesday at a seminar in Rapid City, S.D., received advice from several religious organizations about how to hold appropriate discussions with their congregations about "divisive" issues such as abortion, the Rapid City Journal reports.

The educational program, titled "Controversy and the Clergy," was sponsored by Network of Spritual Progressives and was led by speakers from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and the Network for Spiritual Progressives.

The majority of the invited participants were from "mainline" Protestant churches that have official statements supporting abortion rights in certain circumstances or that allow views on the issue to be "left to individual conscience," the Journal reports.

The seminar's "Faith and Choices" curriculum examined the denominational statements on abortion rights for Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ and other Christian groups, as well as several branches of the Jewish faith and the group Catholics for a Free Choice. the rest