The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself. ~Gore Vidal (1925–2012) The United Methodist Church appears to have taken a decisive step backwards. Although the conservatives among them feel affirmed, many others are saddened and disheartened by the General Conference’s recent vote to continue to maintain its traditional stance on homosexuality. This traditional approach, even after four years of study, once again stands as policy. This means that all self-avowed practicing homosexuals are prohibited from serving as ministers, and it bans clergy from performing same-gender weddings, with toughened penalties for those who disobey. For the conservative side, which includes many members outside of the USA who view the issue very conservatively, this decision was God’s will, and they believe it is consistent with their understanding of the Bible. There are six admonishments in the Bible concerning homosexual activity, and our enemies are always throwing them up to us usually in a vicious way and very much out of context. What they don’t want us to remember is that there are 362 admonishments in the Bible concerning heterosexual activity. I don’t mean to imply by this that God doesn’t love straight people, only that they seem to require a great deal more supervision. ~Lynn Lavner The more moderate folk see this decision as divisive for the…….