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ANSWERS: 3
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Technically, the United Methodist Church is not a religion, but a denomination of Christian churches. Their website ( http://www.umc.org/ ) has a great deal of information, including the specific beliefs of the Methodist church. Specifically, see this page: http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.1355349/k.FC63/Our_Faith.htm
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The Methodist movement was started by John Wesley and George Whitefield back during the 1700s. It started in England as a renewal movement inside of the Anglican church. Wesley did not wish to start another denomination, However, after Wesley's death the Methodists eventually spit off to form a new denomination. In the United States, Methodism grew rapidly during the 1800s. Methodists believe in the Bible. They place a special emphasis on the love of God. They believe that anyone can be saved (free will). They believe that salvation can be lost if a person quits following Jesus. They believe in Holiness - that to follow Jesus is to have a heart after God. They believe in social action like helping the poor. They are "low church", which means they are more informal and less liturgical than Anglicans and Catholics.
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Synopsis of moral teaching of the United Methodist Church: 1. Direct abortion is not universally condemned. 2. Human experimentation (a.k.a. embryonic stem cell research) is not universally condemned. 3. Marriage after civil divorce is OK. 4. Self-mutilation (a.k.a. sterilization) is OK. 5. Use of abortifacient contraceptives is OK. (has to be in order to be consistent with #1) Like every religion, the people in it are largely of good will and are trying to do the best with what they have received. At issue are the non-Christian teachings in the UMC religion itself regarding morality.
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