An Entire Methodist Confirmation Class Rejects the membership

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" the entire 8-student confirmation class at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska announced that they will not become members of the congregation right now.

The 13- and 14-year-old students announced their decision in the most public of ways: right in front of the other church members, where they read a letter they had written together"


This makes me wonder. Do those with serious objections to church policy or dogma routinely decline confirmation?
 
Had I known that was an option I would have. I actively sought out Confirmation in high school out of a feeling of obligation (since my 8th grade Catholic school class had been jumped over by a change in the confirmation age/grade in my diocese). Even as a high schooler though I had no clue I could decline.
 
I think their reasons for declining confirmation are both wrong and silly. But if they were asked they spoke their mind.
The authors of the blog were downright gloating with joy. The kids are alright if they follow this or that agenda.
They are young. I pray they change their mind.
 
Honestly, kudos to them for at least taking confirmation seriously and not simply as a meaningless rite that they “have to do.” Of course, I still disagree with their decision.
 
Mary888 said:
The authors of the blog were downright gloating with joy. The kids are alright if they follow this or that agenda.
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This is much nicer than the post I first saw linking to this.
 
If receiving confirmation in this church is the equivalent of saying you agree with and believe everything it teaches, and you actually don’t, then I believe it would be a form of lying to go through with it. And I firmly believe it’s best not to do something that, as in this case, you literally cannot do in good faith.
 
TheLittleLady said:
According to their doctrines, it would be the honest thing for a teen to abstain from Confirmation if they are not able to assent to the doctrines and practices of the UMC.
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Thanks, I learned something new.

Regarding Catholicism, I thought confirmation implied that one must accept or ascent to Magisterial teachings on faith and morals as a condition of confirmation. Maybe I’m mixing this up with something else.
 
HerCrazierHalf said:
Regarding Catholicism, I thought confirmation implied that one must accept or ascent to Magisterial teachings on faith and morals as a condition of confirmation. Maybe I’m mixing this up with something else.
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Certain Confirmation catechists overstate the “coming of age” aspect of Confirmation to make Confirmation all about being that time that young adolescents make the faith their own. That’s not really what the sacrament is about. Certainly, all those being confirmed should accept Catholic teachings, but nowhere is that listed as a condition for receiving Confirmation.
 
It is better than nodding your head in agreement, while lying to yourself and everyone else. This took some guts to announce this in front of the congregation. They are sticking up for what they believe is right, not what someone is telling them they must believe.
 
Great article in the CCC

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c1a2.htm

1316 Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds.
 
It’s actually one of the things I think you guys should go back to. Separating confirmation from baptism from first communion hasn’t been the most positive change, in my opinion. I’ve seen and known too many that treat confirmation like a Bar Mitzvah/coming of age- like they do this thing- get gifts- and drift out of church because they’re now officially done. All of my first cousins are Catholic. Only one is still a practicing Catholic after their confirmation.
 
Right. Even if they were culpable for their error/ignorance, as long as they consented to the sacrament, in that case it would be valid, but not fruitful. They would receive the indelible character, but not the grace. That’s why it is important for those about to receive Confirmation to be admonished to “extinguish not the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19), since, in the words of St. Robert Bellarmine on this very point, “a character without the gift of grace will not bring any comfort, but only increase our punishment and confusion.” (The Art of Dying Well, Chapter XI on Confirmation).
 
Fairly common. Between myself, my siblings and my cousins there are 9 of us. All we’re supposed to have been raised Catholic. Of the 9, 5 were so raised. Of that 5, 0 remain members of the Catholic Church (or practicing if you prefer from the Catholic POV). And only two, yours truly and one cousin, would even still count ourselves as Christian. And all who were raised Catholic went through the sacraments of initiation in the modern order or close to it.
 
I question where the motivation for this actually comes from. The Methodist church is chock full of radical activists. My wife is a lifelong Methodist and struggles with the activism and those openly opposing the church’s teaching. I sincerely question whether a bunch of 13 year olds came to this decision among themselves.
 
I doubt there was any surprise this was coming but I’d give it at least a 50% of being organic but supported by the members.

Remember, what a church teaches on some issues and what its members believe are often distinct.
 
HerCrazierHalf said:
" the entire 8-student confirmation class at First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska announced that they will not become members of the congregation right now.
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That’ll likely mean they’ll never be members of the UMC. The structure of the UMC requires the (name removed by moderator)ut of African and Asian jurisdictions. And their influence will continue to grow and outnumber the shrinking liberal American ones. The attempt by liberals in America to limit African and Asian involvement failed so the UMC isn’t going to liberalise.

The congregation, which officially backs this spectacle, could just leave and form their own religion. The UMC’s traditional option allows a gracious exit (unlike some other liberal denominations). Why not take it? The split will occur one way or another. It can be a clean break or a messy one involving lawsuits.
 
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