The Lutheran Gangs

Alright. I've been wanting to write about this for a while.

ELCA vs. Missouri Synod

Now, to start off with, both of these groups are Lutheran. So they should get along yay hooray right?

Well...not so much really.

Now you may have heard ELCA in the news lately. They are the Lutherans who allow gay clergy and such. Overall, ELCA is very welcoming and tolerant of GLBT people. Props for them. They haven't really said that being homosexual is an okay way to live...but obviously they haven't said that it isn't okay.

Missouri Synod? Yeah. They aren't exactly cool with that. Missouri Synod Lutherans are against all that because it's against God's will. It says so in the Bible.

Which leads us to the next difference. ELCA is pretty lax with the whole Bible thing. The believe that the ideas God is trying to convey to us are in there...but the Bible isn't WORD FOR WORD OMG TRUE. Basically things that have to do with the history of the time and science...kinda not relevant to now...but the basic concept is in there. Alright let me try to explain this in an example. So...the whole thing with God creating the earth in 7 days...they don't believe it was literally 7 days. God's days could be different than ours. 1 day could have been millions of years. See...ELCA like the whole evolution deal and the earth a is a billion years old and stuff like that. So they incorporated that into their teachings. The Bible doesn't lose any context....God is still behind the creation of the earth.

Missouri Synod gets a little pissy about that. They believe that what is written is all true. There is no error. At all. If God said he created the planet in 7 days then dammit he did. Then there's my personal favorite.... the "women being submissive" passage in the Bible. In the Missouri Synod Church...women can't be pastors. They couldn't even be involved in voting with the church for a long time. Like...just in the last couple decades I think they finally count as a voting member. Women were frowned upon if they had any sort of...dignity really. Women should be spinning wool and making clothes from it or whatever. Forget about a job or a career. Your career is to stay home and make your family happy. Some people are okay with that. Most women are not but they just have to deal I guess. Lately, Missouri Synod has been lightening up a little on that whole "women can't have jobs" thing though...but they still kind of imply that's the way to go.

ELCA are pretty forgiving people. If you don't believe Jesus is what you're really eating...that's okay most people don't. You want an abortion? Well...alright if you really have to. Evolution? hell yeah.

Missouri Synod? Not so much. If you don't believe you're eating Jesus...then you can't really have him and eat him with us so...go away. You want an abortion? No. Evolution? They shouldn't be teaching kids that. Creationism all the way!

So...

Missouri Synod is really conservative and doesn't really like people who think differently.

ELCA pretty much accept everyone....and every religion.... except if you're a non-ELCA Lutheran.

That's just my view on it though.

I was brought up Missouri Synod and was exposed to ELCA throughout my life...and now I'm surrounded by ELCA people.

I'm going to tell you the truth here....I don't associate with either. I'm not...a Lutheran. I'm sorry. I'm not a non-believer atheist who's going to hell. It's hard to explain exactly what I believe and what I am....but I'm closer to a "there's probably SOMETHING but...who knows really?" person who is going to hell.

~AM