Although looking jubilant after clinching the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton may have something to worry about in her quest for the White House concerning her religious affiliation.
Suddenly, she finds herself at odds with the United Methodist Church (UMC), her Christian denomination, because of her support for legalised abortion and homosexual rights, CBN News reports.
For decades, the UMC has seen a battle for control of the church between its liberal and conservative members.
Just last month, however, the conservatives appeared to have gained the upper hand after UMC members voted during their General Conference to pull out from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC).
This means the Church has effectively dropped its advocacy of the so-called abortion rights—one of Clinton's major political causes throughout her lifetime.
"As someone who wrote an entire book on the faith of Hillary Clinton, I can attest that one of the reasons she is 'so comfortable' in the United Methodist Church has been the church's abortion liberalism. But alas, that has suddenly changed," writes Paul Kengor, professor of Political Science at Grove City College, in Crisis Magazine.
Moreover, during its General Conference, the UMC voted to maintain its biblical views opposing homosexuality and upholding traditional marriage, rejecting the appeals made by radical LGBT activists within its ranks.
The church's official Book of Discipline states: "We affirm the sanctity of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman."
Clinton is a supporter of same-sex marriage, which puts her in conflict with the principles of her denomination.
Kengor said it's highly unlikely that Clinton will change her stance on abortion rights and same-sex marriage to conform with the beliefs of her denomination.
"She will not change one bit. Not a chance," the academic says.
"But nonetheless, what happened at the United Methodist Church conference is very important and cannot be ignored. It now places Hillary Clinton's cultural radicalism in direct and rising defiance of her own church and its teachings," he writes.
